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Show 198 PISCES. The second division of common :fishes, or that of the Malacopterygii, contains three orders, characterized by the posi-tion of the ventrals or by their absence. . ORDER II. MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. In this order the ventrals are suspended to the under part of the abdomen and behind the pectorals, without being ~ttached to the bones of the shoulder. It is the most numerous of the three, and comprehends most of the fresh-water fishes. We subdivide it into five families. FAMILY I. CIPRINIDl.E. The Ciprinidre are recognized by the slightly cleft mouth; the weak jaws, generally edentated, and whose border is formed by the intermaxillaries ; by the deeply dentated pha· ryngeals which compose the trifling armature of the jaws, and by the small number of the branchial rays. Their body.~ scaly, and they have no adipose dorsal, such as we shall find m the Siluri and in the Salmons. Their stomach has no cul-desac, neither are there any crecal appendages to their pylorus. Of all fishes they are the least carnivorous. CYPRINus, Lin. A very numerous and natural genus, easily distinguished by the small mouth, edentated jaws, and the three flat rays of the branchire. The tongue is smooth; the palate provided with a thick, soft, and singularly irritable substance commonly termed a "carp's tongue., The pharynx presents a powerful instrument of mastication, con· sisting of stout teeth attached to the inferior pharyngeals, which are so arranged as to be able to squeeze alimentary matters between them, and of a stony di3k set in a wide cavity under a process of the MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. 199 sphenoid. These fis?es have but one dorsal, and their body is covered with scales wh1ch most commonly are very large; they live in fresh water, and are perhaps the least carnivorous of the whole class, feeding chiefly on seeds, grass, and even ooze. The stomach is continuous with a short intestine which has no crecum, and their natatory bladder is divided into two by a strangulation. We divide them into subgenera as follows: CYPRINus, Cuv. Carps, properly so called, have a long dorsal, in which, as well as in the anal, the second ray is formed by a spine more or less stout. Some of them have cirri at the angles of the upper jaw. Such is Cyp. carpio, L., Bl. 16. (The Common Carp.) Olive-green; yellowish beneath; dorsal and anal spines strong and dentated; cirri, short; pharyngeal teeth flat, with a striated crown. Originally from central Europe, it now inhabits the ponds of France, where it attains a length of four feet. It is easily bred in fish-ponds and is generally esteemed. ( 1) Monstrous individuals of this species are sometimes taken with a very gibbous front and short snout. A race with large scales is bred, in certain individuals of which the skin is naked in spots, or even entirely: it is called the Reine des Carpes, Carpe a miroir, Oarpe a cuir, &c.,-Cyprinus rex cyprinorum, B 1., 17. In others the cirri are deficient. Such, in Europe, are, Gyp. carassius, L., Bl., XI. The body elevated; lateral line straight; head small; caudal truncated. Common in the north of Europe. Cyp. gibelio, Gm., Bl., 12. The body somewhat less elevated; lateral line arcuated below; caudal crescent-shaped. Common in the environs of Paris. The spines of these two species are weak, and it is with difficulty that any dentations are to be perceived in them. Such also is the species which is so highly valued in France. (1) The Cyprini, .!J.nne-Caroline, Lacep., V, xviii, 1, rouge-brun, Id. lb., XVI. 1, rrumlore, lb., 2, vert-violet, lb., 3, known merely from Chinese paintings, closely approach the Carp. The Chinese, who take much delight in breeding these fishes, obtain many varieties, all very different, the figures of which are seen in their drawings: it would not be safe, however, to consider them as species, upo11 these documents only. \ |
