CYTTID^E. 139 



Mag. Nat. Hist. (2) 1837, i, p. 409 ; Johnston, Berwick. N. H. F. Club, 1838, i, 

 p. 171 ; Parnell, Fishes Firth of Forth, p. 60,. and Wern. Mem. vii, p. 220 ; Jenyns, 

 p. 367 ; Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 252 ; Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 128 ; Thompson, 

 IS". Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 96 ; Lowe, Trans. Zool. Soc. ii, p. 183 ; Val. in Webb 

 and Berth. lies Canar. Poiss. p. 59 ; Guichen. Explor. Sc, Alger. Poiss. p. 64 ; 

 White, Catal. Brit. Fish. p. 38 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 393 ; Schlegel, De Dieren 

 Neder. p. 15, pi. ii, f . 1 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 44 ; Mcintosh, Fish. St. Andrew's, 

 p. 173; Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 14; Giglioli, Catal. Pesc. Ital. 

 p. 26 ; Liitken, Spol. Atlan. p. 198 ; Morean, Poiss. France, ii, p. 467. 



Zeus pun gio, Cuv. and Val. x, p. 25, pi. cclxxx ; Gnichen. I.e. p. 64; Giinther, 

 Catal. ii, p 394 ; Steind. 1. c. p. 16, t. vi ; Moreau, 1. c. p. 427, c. fig. (species 

 with long supra- scapula spine.} 



JJoree, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, ii, p. 118, pi. lxxxix. 



B. vii, D. 10/22-23, P. 13, V. 1/6, A. ^Vy, C 13, Vert. 14/18. 



Length of head 2f to 3, of caudal fin 4^, height of body 2| in the total 

 length. The greatest thickness of the body equals 1/5 of its height. Eye — high 

 up, one diameter in the postorbital length of the head. Head as high as long. 

 Mouth very protractile, its cleft oblique, the maxilla being nearly perpendicular 

 when it is closed, and not reaching backwards to beneath the eye : lower jaw the 

 longer and terminating posteriorly in two spines. Opercles spineless. Scapular 

 region ridged in the adult, and having some spines in the young : some also at 

 occiput. Teeth — finely cardiform, present on the jaws and vomer, but not on 

 the tongue or palatine bones. Gill- rakers few, short, and finely spinate, Fins — 

 first dorsal almost continuous with the soft portion, its spines rather strong, 

 gradually increasing in length to the fourth, the interspinous membrane is 

 externally prolonged into filaments of varying lengths : while at the base of each 

 spine is an outwardly projecting spinous process. Second dorsal increasing in length 

 to its third quarter, and armed along its base with from seven to ten spines situated 

 on a bony plate, each of which consists of two portions : the largest, curved and 

 broad, is directed somewhat backwards, while the shorter portion is produced 

 outwards and a little forwards : its rays unbranched (in Z. Australia, Richardson, 

 " the last rays of the dorsal and anal are divided to their base "). Pectoral short. 

 Ventral as long as the head, and having (in the young) a spinate base : a double 

 ridge extends from this fin to the vent, armed with eight lateral spines on either 

 side. The anal spines and rays are similarly armed to those of the dorsal fin. 

 Second anal spine the longest and somewhat the strongest. Caudal rounded. 

 Scales — not imbricate, a few along the cheeks. Lateral-line- — descends in a gentle 

 curve from opposite the upper edge of the eye to above the middle of the anal 

 fin, from whence it proceeds direct to the centre of the base of the tail. Viscera 

 — stomach rather large, the narrow pyloric portion encircled by numerous ccecal 

 appendages, which in some cases are branched. Air-bladder — elongated, with the 

 appearance of a slight constriction in its posterior fourth, while a rounded 

 muscular body exists in its anterior fourth, from which passes a tendon. On 

 opening the air-bladder, its lining membrane is found to cease at the commence- 

 ment of the last fourth of the organ, and here it forms a very low valve. In the 

 interior of the upper half of the air-bladder is a narrow, vermiform, red gland, 

 of a semi-circular form. Colours — olive gray, with a yellowish tinge, and usually 

 yellow wavy horizontal bands. In the middle of either side, just posterior to the 

 pectoral fin, a circular or oval black spot surrounded by a narrow yellow ring. 

 Fins gray, in some examples the ventrals are nearly black : in others, two rather 

 dark horizontal bands pass along both the dorsal and anal fins. 



Varieties. — Zeus pungio, C. V. has a shoulder spine as long or longer than the 

 diameter of the eye, while in Z. faber it is hardly visible in adults, and 

 certainly these differences cannot be referred to the age or the sex of the fish. 

 Occasionally the lateral blotch is absent. This form appears confined to the 

 Mediterranean. 



Zeus Japonicus, Cuv. and Val. x, p. 24 ; Bleeker, Verh. Bat. Gen. xxvi, Japan, 

 p. 105; Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 394, and Z.fabcr Japonicus, Schlegel, Fauna Japon. 



