464 
GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. 
[part IV. 
Family 115. — MYXINIDiE. (2 Genera, 5 Species.) 
“ Marine eel-like fishes, with four pairs of barbels.” 
Distribution. — Seas of the temperate regions of both hemi- 
spheres. 
Sub-class YI. — LEPTOCARDII. 
Family 116.- — CIRRHOSTOMI. (1 Genus, 1 Species.) 
“ A small marine fish with no jaws or fins, and with rudi- 
mentary eyes.” 
Distribution. — The only species, the Lancelet (. Amphioxus ), 
is the lowest form of living vertebrate. It is found in the tem- 
perate regions of both hemispheres, and has occurred on our 
southern coast. 
Remarks on the Distribution of Fishes . 
Marine Fish .- — There are about 80 families of marine fishes, 
and of these no less than 50 are universally, or almost uni- 
versally, distributed over the seas and oceans of the globe. Of 
the remainder many are widely distributed, some species even 
ranging from the North Atlantic to Australia. Six families are 
confined to the Northern Seas, but four of these consist of single 
species onty, the other two being the Discoboli (2 genera, 
11 sp.), and the Accipenseridae (2 genera and 20 sp.). Only one 
family (Acanthoclinidse) is . confined to the Southern oceans, and 
that consists of but a single species. Four families (Sternop- 
tychidse), Stomiatidse, Alepocephalidee and Halosauridse) are 
confined to the Atlantic Ocean, while 13 are found only in the 
Pacific ; and of the remainder several are more abundant in the 
Pacific than the Atlantic. Two families (Lycodidae and Gadidoe) 
are found in the Arctic and Antarctic seas only, though the 
