IN THE CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS OF THE EDINBURGH DISTRICT 



701 



Some amount of difference there is between the lists from the top and from the 

 bottom of the fish-bearing series. For instance Gyracanthus rectus gives way to 

 G. nobilis and Youngi ; Gonatodus punctatus of Wardie is succeeded by G. macrolepis 

 in the Dunnet shale and Gilmerton Ironstone, and by G. parvidens in the Borough 

 Lee] Ironstone and South Parrot shale. Some species have as yet only been found in 

 certain beds, as Wardichthys cyclosoma and Rhadinichihys ferox at Wardie, Uronemus 

 lobatus at Burdiehouse, Elonichihys multistriatus in the Gilmerton ironstone, Uro- 

 nemus splendens, Drydenius insignis, Cryphiolepis striatus and others in the Borough 

 Lee Ironstone. On the other hand, some of the commonest species appearing in the 

 Wardie shales below pass up into the Upper Limestone Group, while others have a not 

 much less extended range. This will be best understood by reference to the following 

 table, in which the vertical ranges of twenty common species may be compared. 







M.3 



CO <u 

 3 S 







o 





.£ oJ 



<o cj 



o o 







e! . 





i — 



J J 



.2 S 



3 -= 

 Q 00 



Borough 

 Limesto 



South P 

 Coal 



Acantliodes sulcatus . ' . 



4 



% 





+ 







Elonichthys striatus 







4 





+ 



4- 





... 



Rkadinichthys ornatissimus 







+ 





j. 



+■ 



+ 





„ carinatus 







4 



4 



+ 



+ 



+ 



1 



Elonichthys Robisoni 







+ 



4 



+ 



+ 



+ 





Tristychius arcuatus 







4 





+ 



+ 



+ 



4 



Bhizodus Hibberti 







4 





+ 





+ 



4 



Nematoptychius Greenocki . 







+ 





■•- 



+ 



+ 



4 



Eurynotus crenatus 







4 



+ 



+ 



+ 



+ 



4 



Ctenodus inferriiptus 









+ 



? 



+ 



... 



4 



Sphenacanthus serrulatus 













-i- 



+ 



+ 



4 



Rhizodus ornatns 













+ 



+ 





+ 



Cynopodius crenulatus 













+ 



+ 



+ 



4 



Tristychius minor . 













+ 



+ 



+ 



4 



Callopristodus pectinatus 













4- 





4 



+ 



Euphy acanthus semisfriatus 















+ 





+ 



Elonichthys pectinatus 















+ 



+ 



4 



Aganacanthis striatxdus 















+ 



4 



4 



Strepsodus striatulus 















+ 



4 



4 



If a separate zone could be distinguished it would be one comprising the Borough 

 Lee Ironstone and the South Parrot Coal shale, as these contain at least seven species 

 which are not found in the strata below. But the fish-fauna of the Borough Lee stone 

 is so closely linked with that of the Dunnet shale, and the latter again with those of 

 Burdiehouse and Wardie, that the best plan seems to be for the present to look upon 

 the Lower Carboniferous of the Central Valley of Scotland as forming one great life-zone 

 so far as the fishes are concerned. For the Lower Carboniferous fishes of Fifeshire, 

 Lanarkshire, and Ayrshire belong essentially to the same great assemblage of forms as 

 those of the Lothians, though in the West the number of marine species is greater and 

 of estuarine less. 



But now a word must be said about the strange fact that a different Lower Carboni- 



