110 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Family, X-— STROMATEIDjE, Swamson. 



Branchiostegals from five to seven: pseudobranchisB present. Body oblong 

 or slightly elongated and compressed. Gill-openings wide. Eyes lateral. No 

 osseous articulation between the infraorbital bones and the preopercle. Small 

 teeth in the jaws, palate edentulous: barbed teeth extend into the oesophagus. 

 A single elongated dorsal fin without any distinct spinous division in the adult : 

 ventrals, when present, thoracic. No prominent papilla near the vent. Air- 

 bladder small when present. Pyloric appendages few, in moderate numbers, or 

 many. Vertebras exceed 10/14. 



Geographical distribution. — Pelagic and littoral forms, which are found in most 

 of the tropical and temperate seas. 



Genus I. — Centrolophus, Lacepede. 

 Pompilus, Lowe. 



Branchiostegals seven : pseudobranchice present. Cleft of mouth of moderate 

 depth or rather small. A band of small teeth in the jaws, absent from vomer, 

 palatines, and tongue. A single elongated dorsal fin, without any distinct spinous 

 division : it and the anal have a scaly base. Air-bladder small. Pyloric appendages 

 nine or ten. 



Geographical' distribution. — Mediterranean, coasts of the British Isles and 

 Prance to Madeira; also found in Peru, as G. Peruanus, Steind., in the South 

 Pacific Ocean. 



1. Centrolophus Britanicus, Plate XL, fig 1. 



Centrolophus britanicus, Giinther, Annals and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1860, July, 

 p. 46, and Catal. Fish. Brit. Mus. ii, p. 402 



Cornish centrolophus, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, ii, p. 127, plate xci. 



B. vii, D. 46, P. ?, V. 1/5, A. 30, O. 17. 



Length of head about 6, of caudal fin 6|, height of body 3f in the total length. 

 Eye — 4 diameters in the length of the head, 1 diameter from the end of the 

 snout, and 2 apart. Judging from the unique example, which is a badly stuffed 

 specimen, the profile from the dorsal fin to the snout is only slightly more convex 

 than that of the inferior surface of the head. The posterior extremity of the 

 maxilla reaches to beneath the anterior margin of the eye. Fins — dorsal 

 commences on a vertical line above the base of the pectoral and reaches to about 

 the distance of half the length of the head from the base of the caudal, the 

 length of its base being equal to. about 6/11 of the entire length of the fish : 

 anal commences below the middle of the dorsal fin and extends to the same 

 distance from the tail, the extent of its base equalling 2/7 of the entire length 

 of the fish. Pectoral and ventrals very short, having been " much mutilated 

 from injury when cast on shore." Caudal forked. Scales — small ; they form a 

 sheath to the basal two-thirds of the dorsal and anal fins. Lateral-line — at first 

 forms rather a considerable curve. Colours — of an uniform brownish-pink ; 

 lighter on the lower surface ; the fins, especially the caudal, being of a still 

 deeper tinge than the back. 



The history of this supposed unique example of Centrolophus is remarkable, 

 for the proportions have been entirely altered by the person who mounted the 

 specimen, and Couch's illustration and tbe description in the British Museum 

 Catalogue have followed the stuffed fish. Couch fortunately measured it prior 

 to sending it to be stuffed, and recorded that its length was " one foot seven 



