OPHIDIOID ONOMORPHS. 
595 
within the body of other animals. Even true surface- 
fishes or shore-fishes also occur within this family. In 
the great majority of cases we may rely upon the 
family-character that the caudal fin is not separated 
from the other vertical fins; but it very often appears, 
at least by a closer arrangement of the rays, that here 
we have the rudiment of a distinct caudal fin, and in 
some exotic species the caudal fin is free or united to 
the dorsal and anal fins merely by a short fin-mem- 
brane. In most cases the ventral fins are reduced, 
filamentous, and removed to a greater or less distance 
in a forward direction, even in front of the shonlder- 
girdle and below the tongue, as if they were barbels. 
In other cases these fins are wanting. Some of these 
fishes in form come very near the Macruri, others 
remind us of the Plvycis- type, and others again resemble 
the Blennomorphs and Gobiomorphs. 
In general these fishes are small and worthless; 
but Genypterus capensis, which sometimes attains a, 
length of a metre, bears among the inhabitants of Cape 
Colony the significant name of Koning van Klipvischen , 
and Brotula multibarbata is a favourite and expensive 
dish in Japan. 
About 75 species are at present known with 
more or less certainty and distributed among 33 
genera. 
The family as now defined and ranged most 
nearly corresponds to Muller’s" family Ophidini, with 
the addition (made by Gunther * * 6 ) of the Cuvierian 
Gadoid genus Brotula and its relatives (the sub- 
family Brotulince), of Richardson’s genus Maclicerium 
(subsequently altered for reasons of priority to Con- 
grogadus ), and of Ruppel’s Haliophis (the subfamily 
Gongrogadince). 
Subfamily OPHiDIIN IE. 
Filamentous ventral jins inserted in front of the shoulder- girdle. 
The majority of the members of this subfamily 
are shore-fishes; but the only one that can be of any 
faunistic interest to us, is a deep-sea fish. 
The genus Ophidium , which has given its name 
to the family as well as to the subfamily, is fairly 
common in the Mediterranean and on the coast of 
Brazil. In the former locality it has long been known: 
even Pliny probably referred to it when he mentioned 
a fish of this name that was employed in the medicine 
of the ancients, while in Belon’s time 0 the fish was 
much esteemed by the prelates of Rome as an excellent 
dish. In more recent times the genus has gained ce- 
lebrity, through Muller’s d and Costa’s 6 researches, for 
the singular manner in which the air-bladder is united 
in front to the spinal column, in the nearest resem- 
blance to the corresponding structure in Fierasfer. 
Muller imagined that within this genus he could make 
use of anatomical differences as specific distinctions be- 
tween forms in which no external differences could be 
detected; but Costa showed that a, great proportion of 
the former appear as differences dependent on age and 
sex. One species has a range extending from the Medi- 
terranean out into the Atlantic and up to England, but 
has not been found in Scandinavian waters. 
a Abli. K. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1844, pp. 177 and 202. Bonaparte had already established a family Ophidiidce in 1831, but he ranged 
it among the Apodes and included in it the Sand-Eels. 
6 Cat. Brit. Mus., Fish., vol. IV, p. 370. 
0 La nature et diversite des poissons, Paris 1555, p. 126. 
d Abh. K. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1843, p. 150. 
c Fauna del regno di Napoli , Pesci , part. 1, Ophidium , tav. XX, ter. August, 1843. 
