FISH. 65 



B. 4 ; D. 12/16 ; A. 2/12 ; C. 15, and 4 short ; P. 21 ; V. 1/5. 



Length 3 inches. 

 Colour. — Not noticed in the recent state. In spirits, the whole fish, fins included, appears of a 

 uniform dark brown. 



Habitat, Porto Praya, Cape Verde Islands. 



The only specimen of this new genus which exists in the collection was taken 

 by Mr. Darwin off Quail Island, in the bay of Porto Praya. It is small, but 

 probably full-sized, or nearly so ; since the greater part of the species of 

 Pomacentrus, to which genus it is so strongly allied, average about the same 

 dimensions. Possibly some of the generic characters, which I have given above, 

 may prove hereafter to be merely specific ; but till other species shall have been 

 discovered, their exact value cannot be ascertained. 



Family.— SCOMBRID^. 



Gekus— PAROPSIS. Jen. 



Corpus altum, rhomboideum, valde compressum, squamis minulissimis obtectum. Linea 

 lateralis anlice sursum pauld arcuata, per totam longitudinem inermis. Cauda 

 later ibus haud carinatis. Denies in utrdque maxilla uniseriati, tenuissimi, acuti ; 

 in lingua, vomere, et palatinis, velutini brevissimi. Apertura branchialis amplissima, 

 membrand decem-radiatd. Spina quinque liberce loco pinnce dor salts prima ; spina 

 mitiuld prceeunte reclinatd antrorsum Jlexd. Dorsalis secunda, aqub ac analis, 

 continua, sine pinnulis falsis: ante analem spina duce liberce. Pectorales parvce. 

 Ventrales nulla:. Caudalisprqfundbfurcala, lobis acuminatis, subelongatis. 



This new genus belongs to that section of the Scombrida characterized by 

 having a number of short free spines, instead of a first dorsal fin. It is most 

 nearly allied to Lichia, especially to the L. glaucus, which it resembles in general 

 form, as well as in many of its particular characters. It has the same reclined 

 spine in front of those which represent the first dorsal, and the same two free 

 spines in front of the anal ; also the same form of opercle ; the same deeply- 

 forked caudal, and small pectorals. But it may be at once distinguished from 

 that genus by the absence of ventrals, of which there is not the least trace : the 

 body is also deeper, rhomboidal rather than oval, and more compressed. In all 

 these respects it agrees better with Stromateus, which would seem particularly to 

 meet it in those species, such as the S. candidus and S. securifer, which are 

 represented by Cuvier and Valenciennes as having a number of minute truncated 



K 



