FISH. 165 



Stegastes imbricatus. p. 63. 

 I am informed by Mr. Lowe, of Madeira, that this is the same as the Glyphi- 

 sodon luridus of Cuvier and Valenciennes.* Their description is so short, that I 

 failed to recognize it ; and I was induced to consider it as a new genus from the 

 circumstance of its possessing vomerine teeth. Whether these teeth exist in any 

 other species, or have only been presumed absent in all, because not found in 

 some, I am not aware. But here again we see how little such a character is to be 

 depended upon. 



Family.— BLENNIDjE. 



Mr. Darwin's collection contains two new forms from South America, closely 

 allied to each other, yet forming distinct genera, and which will not enter into 

 any of those described by authors. At first it was conceived that they were 

 Malacopterygian fishes, more especially from their having all the rays in the 

 dorsal and anal fins articulated ; and to belong to the Apodal division of that 

 group, from their being supposed to be without ventrals ; but, on a closer inspec- 

 tion, the ventrals, which are very small, were found to have been overlooked, and 

 it was evident altogether that the true place of these fishes in the system was 

 amongst the Blennida. The mention of this circumstance will explain why 

 they were omitted to be noticed in their proper place. 



These two genera, so far as can be judged from the situations in which Mr. 

 Darwin obtained them, have the same habits as the Blennies, lurking under stones 

 and weeds ; and I propose to give them respectively the names of lluoccetes and 

 Phucocosies. 



Genus.— ILUOCCETES.* Jen. 



Corpus elongatum, antice subcylindricum, postice compressum, ensiforme, Iceve, nudum, 

 alepidotum. Rostrum breve, obtusum, rotundatum, ultra maxillam inferiorem pro- 

 ductum. Denies acuti, subconici, in utrdque maxilla uniseriati : supra canini duo 

 fortes, curvati, antici, et pros serie exstantes : in vomere dentes pauci acuti aggre- 

 gati ; in utroque palatino uniseriati. Lingua lavis. Oculi grandes, prominidi. 

 Apertura branchialis mediocriter Jissa, membrana quinque-radiatd. Maxilla, os 

 suborbitale, et prceoperculum, tubiporis cutaneis brevibus ad margines jimbriatce. 

 Pinna; ventrales jugidares, minutce, gracillissimce, triradiatce. Pinna dorsalis et 

 analis prolong a, caudali coalescentes, radiis omnibus articidatis. 



If I am right in placing this new genus amongst the Blennida, it will evidently 

 take its place next to Zoarces, to which it is more nearly allied than to any other 



* Hist, des Poiss. torn. 5. p. 356. + Ab tXvs limus, et koitt) cubile. 



