VENOMOUS FISH 



233 



Division 8. Blenniformes. 



Family Trachinidse. 



Trachinus draco Linnaeus. 



vipera Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1826. 

 radiatusCuvicr and Valenciennes, 1826. 

 araneus Riss. 



, Family Uranoscopidae. 



Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus. 



Family Callionymidae. 



Callionymus lyra Linnaeus. 



Family Batrachidae. 



Batrachus tau. 



grunniens Bloch. 

 Thalassophryne reticulata Giinther. 



maculosa Giinther. 



Addendum. — Serranus outabili (Cuv. and Val.) and Holocanthus imperator 

 (Bl.) are looked upon as possibly poisonous, but there is no definite evidence. 

 The Siluridae are believed to be poisonous, because some of them possess sac • 

 like organs opening into the axillae of the pectoral fins, on which there are 

 powerful spines. 



Geographical Distribution. 



The geographical distribution of venomous fish is in temperate and 'tropical 

 seas: — 



Teleostomi. 



Plotosus anguillaris . . Indian Ocean. 



Muraena helena . . . . Mediterranean. 



Acanthurus luridus . . Tropical Atlantic. 



Trigla hirundo . . . . English Channel. 



Synanceia brachio . . . . TropicaJ Pacific. 



verrucosa . . Indian Ocean. 



Scorpasna grandicornis . . Waters of the Antilles. 



,, diabolus . . Indian Ocean and Tropical Pacific, 



porcus . . . . Mediterranean. 



Pterois antennata . . . . Seas of the Indies and Equatorial Pacific. 



Pelor filamentosum . . Waters of ITsle-de-France. 



Cottus scorpius . . . . Seas of Europe, Asia, and North America. 



Trachinidae. . . . . . Waters of Europe. 



Uranoscopus scaber . . Mediterranean. 



Callionymus lyra . . . . Waters of France. 



Batrachidae. . . . . . Waters of Tropical America and India. 



Leaving, however, the zoological classification, we will consider 

 the venomous fish according to Bottard's classification, excluding 

 Class III. 



CLASS 1. 



Fish which Poison by their Bite. 



The type of this class is the genus MurcBna, all of which possess 

 powerful teeth capable of inflicting severe bites. According to 

 Calmette, there are more than one hundred species in tropical and 

 subtropical seas. Murcena helena L. is found in the Mediterranean, 

 and MtircBna moringa Cuv. in the tropical Atlantic. 



The poison apparatus consists of a pouch lying above the cover 

 ing of the palate lined with epithelial cells, secreting the venom. 

 This pouch is capable in larger species of holding about ^ c.c. of 



