1012 CLASS PISCES. 



phalia ; and Stenostoma, from the English Chalk, of which the 

 affinity is somewhat doubtful. 



Perciform Section. — The remaining families of this suborder 

 are characterised by their more or less compressed body ; by the 

 dorsal fin, or fins, occupying the greater portion of the back ; by the 

 strong development of the spinous part of the dorsal fin, which is 

 at least as long as the soft portion ; and by the soft anal correspond- 

 ing to the soft dorsal. The pelvic fins are thoracic. 



Family Scorp,enid,e. — This family, which is allied to the fol- 

 lowing, but has villiform teeth, is known in a fossil state only by a 

 species of the type genus Scorpcena, from the Eocene of Algeria. 



Family Sparid^e. — The Sea-Breams resemble the Percoids, 

 which we shall notice immediately, in general appearance, but the 

 mouth is either provided in front with chisel-like teeth, or on the 

 sides with molariform ones. All of them inhabit tropical and tem- 

 perate seas. Among existing genera the sphseroidal palatal teeth of 

 Chrysophrys occur in the Red Crag of Suffolk, the Miocene of 

 Malta, and in beds in the Canaries, which are probably referable to 

 the same epoch ; while Sargus is recorded from the Miocene of 

 France and Wurtemberg, the Upper Eocene of Algeria, and the 

 older Tertiary of New Zealand ; and Pagellus occurs in the Chalk of 

 the Lebanon. It appears, moreover, that many of the crushing 

 palatal teeth of Chrysophrys have been described as Sphcsrodus, while 

 the anterior cutting-teeth of the same genus, together with pharyn- 

 geal teeth of some of the Carps, have been described as Capitodus. 



Fig. 946. — Skeleton oi Spar nodus micracanthiis ; from the Middle Eocene of 

 Monte Bolca. Reduced 



Cutting-teeth of this type, described under the latter name, occur in 

 the Miocene of Austria and Silesia, the Pliocene of Italy, and the 

 Eocene of Northern India. Spar nodus (fig. 946) is an extinct genus 

 from the Middle Eocene of Monte Bolca, while the name Stephan- 

 odus has been applied to a genus from the Upper Chalk of the 

 Sahara, characterised by the breadth and denticulated edges of the 

 cutting-teeth. It may also be observed that teeth from the European 



