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Show PISCES. 164 d f " five excessively small rays. The teeth are pointed pose o .our or d ded • the mouth is directed upwards, and the <;ye very an not crow ' . . . l Th e Sl ·x rays in the branchue, and the abdommal caVlty arge. ere ar occupies nearly the whole length of the body. . L. cepedianus, Giorna, Mem. of the ~mp. Acad .. o~ Turm, 1805 , 1808, P· 19, pl. 2. The only spec1es known; 1t 1s found, though rarely, in the Mediterranean, and becomes very large.(l) FAMILY IX. THEUTYES. Our ninth family is as closely allied to the Scomberoides as the preceding one, but in other points ; s~ch as the ar~atur~, which is found in several genera on the sides of the tall, or m others the horizontal spine before the dorsal, &c. It con· tains b'u t very few genera ; they are all forei.g n, and have a compressed, oblong body, a small mouth, but slightly or not at all protractile, each jaw of which is armed with a single range of trenchant teeth; palate and tongue without teeth, and a single dorsal. They are herbivorous, feeding on fucus and other marine plants ; their intestines are very large. SrGANUs, Forsk.-BuRo, Commer.-CENTROGASTER, Hout. -AMPHACANTHus, Bloch. These fishes have a remarkable character-unique, in icthyologyin their ventrals, which are furnished with two spinous rays, one external, the other internal, the three intermediate ones branching as usual. They have five branchial rays, and a horizontal spine before the dorsal. The styloid bones of their shoulder curve as they lengthen, so as to unite at their extremities with the first interspinal of the anal.(2) Numerous species are found in the Indian Ocean.(3) (1) The description of Giorna is imperfect, because he only bad a mutilated specimen of whose origin he was ignorant. I drew mine from an individual more than four feet in length, taken at Genoa. See An. Mus. XX, xvii. (2) Geoffr., Phil. Anat. I, 471, and pl. ix, f. 108. (3) T"Mutis jaws, L., Gronov., Zoophyl., pl. VIII, f. 4;-Siganus 1tellaius, Forsk.;-.l.lmphac. punctatu&, Bl., Schn., or .l.lcanthurus meleagris, Shaw;-Buro brunneus, Commers., Lacep., V, 421;-Siganus rivulatus, Forsk;-.l.lmphacnebu· ACANTHOPTERYGII. 165 AcANTHURus, Lacep. and Bl.-HARPURus, Forst. Teeth trenchant and notched; a strong movable spine on each side of the tail, that is as sharp as a lancet, and inflicts severe wounds on those who carelessly handle these fishes; hence their vulgar name of Surgeons. They inhabit the hot parts of both oceans.( 1) The dorsal of some species is very high.(2) Some have a sort of brush composed of stiff hairs before the lateral spine. ( 3) ' In others again the teeth ·are deeply notched, or pectinated on one side.( 4) The PRIONuRus, Lacep. Only differs from the preceding genus in the armature of the sides of the tail, which consists of a suite of fixed, horizontal and trench-ant blades.( 5) NAsEus, Commers.-MoNOCERos, Bl. Schn. Sides of the tail armed with fixed trenchant blades: but the teeth are conical, and the front projects in a kind of horn or knob above the muzzle; but four rays in the branchire and three soft ones in the ventrals; the skin resembles leather.(6) lows, Quoy and Gaym., Zool. Voy. Freycin., p. 369;-Centrogaster fuscescens, Hotttuyn.;-:-Ohretodon guttatus, Bl. 196;-.l.lmph. marmoratus, Quoy and Gaym., Voy. Freycm., Zool., pl. 62, f. 1 and 2;-Jl.mph. magniahac, lb. f. 3;-Centrogas· terargentatus, Ho~tt., and several others to be described in our Icthyology. (1) 0/uetodon. clwrwrgus, Bl., 208;-Theutis hepatus, L.; Seb. III, xxxiii, f. 3;~ ·~lauco-pare1-us, Cuv., Seb., III, xxv, 3, which appears to be the true Chretodon ntgrtca118, L.;-Chret. triostegus, Brousson., Dec. Icht. No.4, or Jl.canthure zebre, ~ep., which is also his Chret. zebre, III, xxv, 3;-Jl.c. guttatus, Bl., Schn. ;-Ac. N&l~us, Cuv., Renard, I, pl. xiv, f. 82;-Chret.lineatus, L.; Seb. III, xxv, 1;-Chret. ~chtllu, B.roussonnet;-Chret. meta, Russ. 82;-Chmt. sohal, Forsk., of which Lacep. Cas ~ery 1~properly made a genus under the name of JJ.pisuros,·-.l.lc. &triatus, uv., Pamngu, Renard, pl. 1, f. 8;-.l.lc. argente, Quoy and Gaym. Voy. Freycin., P· 6~, f. 3;-Chret. nigrofu&cus, Forsk.;-Cltmt. nigricans, Dl. 203, which is not that ofLmna:us. (2) .B.c. velifer, Bl. 427. (3} .B.c. scopas, Cuv., Renard, I, pl. :xi, 101. (4) .B.c. ctnedon, Cuv., a new species. (S} Prionure microlepidote, Lacep., An. Mus. IV, p. 205;-.llcanthurus scalprum, Langsdorf. ~6) Naseus fronticornis, Cuv., Lacep. III, vii, 2, Bl., Schn., pl. 42, Hasseq., it. ~a· 332;-Nas. tandock, Ren. I, iv, 23; Valent. 518;-Chret. unicornis, Forsk., differ rom our first species.-Nas. brevirostris, Cuv., Ren . I, xxiv, 130;-Nas. tumifrons, \ |