S UNFISH. 
625 
Genus ORTHAGORISCUS, 
Body round or of a short elliptical form. Skin rough ivith dense, fine spines and papillae. Distance between the 
dorsal fin and the tip of the snout (in adult specimens ) less than 3 / 4 of the length of the body. 
The name of this genus", according to Rondelet’s* 
interpretation of Pliny, is of classical origin and derived 
from its power of producing grunting sounds. The 
name was introduced by Schneider 0 into the post- 
Li nnaean nomenclature. Rondelet’s contemporary Sal- 
vianus did not approve of his interpretation, and gave 
the Sunfishes another name, Mola (millstone), with re- 
ference to the round form of the body and derived from 
the popular language of Marseilles. This generic name 
was adopted by Johnston d and Willughby 6 , but in 
Linnaeus it passed into a specific designation 7 . 
Orthagoriscus is distinguished from the other genus 
of the family not only by the different covering of the 
body, but also by a special direction of development, 
which brings about a secondary increase of compara- 
tively considerable extent in the region of the caudal 
tin, and involves an elongation of the body that causes 
the apparent removal in a forward direction with age 
of the dorsal and anal tins. The above-mentioned un- 
certainty with regard to the distinction of the species 
within this genus depends partly on our imperfect know- 
ledge of the earlier stages of the development, partly 
on a singular form of the caudal tin, with a pointed 
upper lobe, which has been observed both in younger 
individuals (fig. 154, B) and in older ones 6 ', without 
enabling us as yet to decide whether it is of incidental 
(individual) description or of some other signification. 
In the Scandinavian fauna, however, this uncertainty 
is of no importance. 
THE SHORT SUNFISH (sw. klumpfisken). 
ORTHAGORISCUS MOLA. 
Plate XXVII, fig. 4. 
Pectoral fins rounded in old specimens; their length at most about x / 7 (14 or 15 %) of that of the body. Colo- 
ration bluish gray, on the back darker and brownish, growing lighter ivith a silvery lustre down the sides, 
on the belly whitish. 
R. br. 6; D. 17 — 18*; A. 15 — 17 ; P. 11—13*; V. 0; V. 
11—14; Vert. 16 l. 17. 
Syn.' Ostracion cathetoplateus subrotundus inermis asper, pinnis pec- 
toralibus horizontalibus, foraminibus quatuor in capite, Art., 
Gen., p. 61; Syn., p. 83. 
Tetraodon Mola, Lin., Syst. Nat., ed. X, tom. I, p. 334; 
Pall. ( Diodon ), Spicil. Zool. , torn. I, fasc. VIII, p. 39, tab. 
IV, fig. 7; Retz. {Tetrodon),Ye t. Akad. Handl. 1785, p. 115, 
tab. IV; Bl. {Diodon), Naturg. Ausl. Fisch., pt. I, p. 75, 
tab. CXXVIII; Retz. {Tetrodon), Fn. Suec , Lin., p. 310; 
Schn. {Orthagoriscus), 1. c.; Nilss., Prodr. Ichtli. Scand ., p. 
Fins brownish. 
Ill; Wellenbergh, Observ. Anat. de 0. mola, disp. Lngd. 
Bat. 1840; Schleg., Fn. Japon., Poiss., p. 288, tab. CXXVII; 
Costa, Fii. Regn. Nap., Pesci, pt. 2, Plettogn. Gymnod., tab. 
LXIII et LXIV ; Ekstr., Gbgs. Vet., Vitt. Samh. Handl. 1850, 
p. 40; Kr., Danin. Fiske, vol. Ill, p. 732, Nilss., Skand. 
Fn., Fisk., p. 697; Cleland, Nat. Hist. Review 1862, p. 
170, tab. V et VI; Gthr, Cat. Brit. Mas., Fish., vol. VIII, 
p. 317; Coll., Vid. Selsk. Forli. Christ. 1874, Tilliegsh., 
p. 203; ibid. 1879, No. 1, p. 101; N. Mag. Naturv. Christ., 
Bd. 29 (1884), p. 114; Malm, Gbgs, Boh. Fn., p. 599; 
Winth., Naturh. Tidskr. Kbhvn, ser. 3, vol. XII, p. 54; Mor., 
° ’ ()o!)ayooi (JY.og, sucking-pig. 
b De Piscibus, lib. XV, cap. VII, p. 425. 
Syst. Ichthyol. Blochii, posth., pp. LVII and 510. 
d Historia naturalis de piscibus et cetis , lib. 1 , tit. 1, cap. Ill, art. II, punct. VIII. 
e Historia Piscium. lib. 4, sect. Ill, cap. VI, p. 151. 
f Covier is stated, it is true, in his anatomical lectures — in 1798, according to Steenstrup and LiItken, in 1800, according to 
Gill; thus prior to the appearances of Schneider’s work quoted above — to have advocated the resumption of Mola as a generic name {Mola 
rotunda ); but in his systematic works he recognised Orthagoriscus. 
g Monaco, Bull. Soc. Zool. Fr., tome XIV (1889), p. 17. 
h Sometimes 16, according to Kroyer and Moreau; sometimes as many as 20, according to Lilljeborg. 
i Sometimes 14, according to Steenstrup and Lutken; sometimes 18, according to Lilljeborg. 
* Sometimes 14, according to Retzius. 
