1889.] Geology and PalcBontology. 
pretation of the adhesive disk of Echeneis 
the following remarks suggested by Echeneis gla 
"I. As to the position in classification of the genus Eche- 
neis ; 
"2. As to the general form of the body of Echeneis 
glaronensis as compared with that of living species. 
" I. Authors have classed this genus in various families of 
Acanthopterygians. Joh. Miiller makes of it a group of the 
Gobiidae; L. Agassiz and, after him, most authors class them 
with the Scombridae. 
" Certainly none of the characters of Echeneis glaronensis 
point toward the Gobiidae; on the contrary, in the shape of the 
head, the structure of the ventrals, the size of the pectorals, 
the shape of the caudal fin, etc., it differs more from the 
Gobiidae than the living forms do. On the other hand, by all 
these characters and others, Echeneis glaroncsis ought to be 
classed among the Cotto-Scombriform Acanthopterygians. 
But here the difficulty begins. If we adhere strictly to the 
characters of the families given by Dr Giinther, Echeneis 
glaronensis, on account of the number of its vertebrae (10+13 
according to Dr. Wettstein,) should be classed among the 
Carangidae, whilst all the living forms having more than 10+14 
vertebrae ought to be put with the Scombridae. The other 
characters of Echeneis glaronensis do not determine in which of 
the two families it ought to be placed. 
"2, A careful comparison of the proportions of all the 
parts of the skeleton of the fossil Echeneis with those of the 
living forms, such as Echeneis naucrates or Echeneis remora, 
shows that the fossil differs nearly equally from both, and that 
it was a more normally shaped fish than either of these forms. 
The head was narrower and less flattened, the preoperculum 
wider, its two jaws had nearly the same length. The ribs, as 
also the neural and haemal spines, were longer, the tail more 
forked, and the soft dorsal fin much longer. In fact it was a 
more compressed type, probably a far better swimmer than its 
living congeners, as might be expected, if the smallness of the 
adhesive disk is taken into account." 
It is evident from the above description of Dr. Storms that 
the Echeneis glaronensis represents a genus distinct from 
the existing forms of the family. This new genus maybe 
named Opisthomyzon, from the fact that the sucking disc 
£. D. Cop, 
posterior in positic 
