102 ACANTHOPTERYGIL 



Gentis IV. — Pelamts, Cuvier and Valenciennes. 



Branchiostegals seven : pseudobranchim present. Body oblong, 'and ratlier 

 elongated. Cleft of mouth deep. Rather strong teeth in the jaws, teeth also 

 on the palatines but none on the vomer. Two dorsal fins, the first, which consists of 

 rather weak spines, continued almost to the base of the second : six to nine finlets 

 behind the second dorsal and anal fins. Scales small, forming a corselet in the 

 anterior region of the body, which is also finely scaled posteriorly. Lateral-line 

 unarmed : a longitudinal keel along either side of the free portion of the tail. 

 Air-bladder absent. Pyloric appendages dentritical. 



Geographical distribution. — Prom, the seas of Northern Europe throughout 

 those of temperate and tropical regions. 



Pelamys sarda, Plate XXXVIII. 



Amia, Rondel, viii, c. 9, p. 238, c. fig ; Gesner, 1598, f. 60, c. fig. Sarda, 

 Rondel, viii, c. 12, p. 248, c. fig. Gesner, 1598, f. 59, c. fig. (Young). Pelamys, 

 Salviani, f. 123, c. fig. : Belon. p. 179, c. fig. Thynnus, Aldrov, iii, c. 18, p. 313, 

 c. fig. Pelamys Belonii, Willugh. p. 180. Pelamys sarda, Ray, p. 58. Scomber, 

 No. 2, Var. Artedi, Synom, p. 50. Scomber pelamys, Briinn. Ich. Massil. p. 69. 



Scomber sarda, Bloch, t. cccxxxiv ; Bl. Schn. p. 22 ; Mitch. Trans. Lit. and 

 Phil. Soc. New York, i, p. 428 ; Lacep. iv, pp. 699-700 ; Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 168. 



Scomber mediterraneus, Bl. Schn. p. 23 ; De la Roche, Ann. Mus. xiii, p. 336. 



Scomber ponticus, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso- Asiat. p. 17. 



Thynnus palamitus, Rafin. Caratt. 44. 



Thynnus pelamis and sarda, Risso, Eur. Merid iii, pp. 415, 417. 



Pelamys sarda, Cuv. and Val. viii, p. 149, pi. ccxvii ; Yarrell, Brit. Pish. (Ed. 3) 

 ii, p. 226a, c. fig. ; Storer, Fish. Mass. p. 4 : De Kay, New York Fauna, Fish, 

 p. 106, pi. is, f. 27 ; Cut. Regne Anim. 111. Poiss. pi. xlviii, f. 2 ; Swainson, 

 Fishes, ii, p. 238 ; Guichen. Explor. Alger. Poiss. p. 58 ; Nord. in Demid. Voy. 

 Russ. Merid. iii, p. 392 ; Lowe, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1850, p. 248 ; Val. in. Webb and 

 Berth. lies Canar. Poiss. p. 50 ; Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 1859, iv, 

 p. 399 ; White, Catal. Brit. Fish. p. 31 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 367 ; Steind. Ich. 

 Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 8 ; Malm. CEfv. Akad. 1870, p. 837 ; Moreau, ii, p. 430. 

 The plain bonito, Yarrell, Brit. Fishes, (Ed. Si) p. 224 (figure not description). 



Pelamid, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, ii, p. 102, pi. lxxxv'. 



Short finned tunny, Couch, 1. c. p. 425, pi. lxxxii*. 



B. vii, D. 22 | T^ + VIII-IX, P. 25, V. 1/5. A. T V|-VII, C. 26, Vert. 50. 



Length of head 4^ to 4-§, of lobes of caudal fin 6, height of body 5 in the total 

 length. -Eye — with a narrow adipose lid on either side, diameter 6 in the length 

 of the head, 2 diameters from the end of the snout and also apart. Snout 

 compressed and conical : jaws of equal length in front : the maxilla reaches 

 posteriorly to beneath the hind edge of the orbit. Teeth — in a single row in the 

 jaws, of moderate strength anteriorly, increasing in size posteriorly : a pair of 

 canines in the lower jaw above the symphysis and posterior to the outer row : a row 

 on the palatines, none on the vomer. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength, 

 increasing in height to the second and third, from thence they gradually decrease in 

 length, the posterior eight or nine being very short, the last being close to the com ; 

 mencement of the second dorsal : the latter fin is highest in front, where however its 

 height is less than the length of its base. Pectoral short in the example described 

 (which is 18 inches long), being 1/10 of the total length and less than half the length 

 of the head. Ventrals shorter than the pectorals. Anal commences on a vertical 

 line beneath the middle of the second dorsal fin to which it is similar. Caudal 

 with pointed lobes. Scales — anteriorly form a corselet on the body, which has a 

 central prolongation beneath the pectoral fin, an inferior prolongation at the 

 ventral fin, and a superior one which passes along the base of the first dorsal. 

 The remainder of the body is likewise covered with fine scales. Air-bladder — 

 absent. Colours — back of a bluish colour shot with purple, and traversed by 

 narrow oblique bands which pass backwards and upwards to it from the abdomen : 



