G £488/000 Di OINOHOL JO ALISHAAINN LOL1 € ia UNIV. OF TORONTO LIBRARY CATALOGUE OF LOPHOBRANCHIATE FISH IN THE COLLECTION OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. BY J. J. KAUP, Ph.D. &c. LONDON: PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES. 1856. FRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET, PREFACE. TuE object of this Catalogue is to give a description of all the species of Lophobranchous Fishes in the Collection of the British Museum, with an indication of their history and origin, and an account of the species to be found in other Collections which are desiderata to the National Museum. Dr. Kaup observes that, “If my work has any value, it is chiefly owing to the liberality and great kindness of Pro- fessor Duméril, Director Temminck, Dr. Heckel, Dr. Riip- pell, Professor Lichtenstein, and Dr. Krauss, who most kindly transmitted all the specimens of this Order from the French, Leyden, Vienna, Frankfort, Berl, and Stuttgardt Museums, that I might compare them with the specimens in the British Museum, which has given me the means of comparing more than 2000 specimens of these fishes to- gether, an advantage which no other Ichthyologist has hitherto enjoyed. From these sources I have been able to determine and describe ninety-five species, and to indicate one which appears to be distinct from any which has come under my examination. Of these ninety-five, fifty-three are to be found in two or more of the above-named collec- tions ; and of the other species, nineteen are peculiar to the iv PREFACE. French, ten to the Leyden, seven to the Vienna, four to the British, and two to the Berlin Museums. «Although I have described five or six times as many species as any of my predecessors, I am certain that here- after we shall find a great number of new species, as the species of the West Coasts of Africa and America, and the shores of Australia and the Pacific Ocean are almost un- known to us, and there are evidently many gaps in the families and genera. Indeed our best works on Natural History must always be regarded as imperfect. “You desired that I should give a list and short cha- racters of the few species mentioned by preceding writers which I have not been able to identify with those that have come under my observation ; but I have not considered this desirable, as the descriptions are too short, or wanting in precision, to be of any useful purpose, containing generally little more than the generic characters, instead of being comparative and distinctive of the species.” Sir John Richardson, M.D., F.R.S. &c., has most kindly compared Dr. Kaup’s translation of the text with the ori- ginal German version, to prevent any inaccuracies that might have occurred from Dr. Kaup’s want of knowledge of the peculiarities of the English language. JOHN EDWARD GRAY. May 1, 1856. CATALOGUE OF FISH. Order I. LOPHOBRANCHII, Cuvier. The gills, composed of small round tufts seated on the branchial arches, are so well hidden by the gill-cover (operculum) that only a small entrance to them is left in the membrane between the operculum and breast-ring. The nearly fleshless body is pro- tected by bony rings. In most of the species the males perform the function of hatching the eggs, which for that purpose are deposited up to the time of the evolution of the young, either between the ventrals [Solenostomus |], or in tail-pouches [ Hippo- campus], or in pouches on the breast and belly [ Doryrhamphus], or in rows on the breast and belly [Nerophis], and are thus carried about by the fish. The egg-pouches may be compared to birds’ nests, or to the skin-fold in which the Wandering Pen- guin [Aptenodytes Patagonicus] transports its egg ; and remind one of the Marsupials among the Mammals. Fam. 1. Solenostomide, Aaup. Breast and belly distinctly separated. Mouth perforating the end of a long, compressed, leaf-lke snout. The gills, which are covered as in other fish by a cutaneous gill-plate, are wholly exposed when the plate is raised, B to LOPHOBRANCHII. Genus 1, SOLENOSTOMUS, (Seba) Lacép. 1803. Snout sharp-edged on its dorsal and ventral aspects. A sharp denticulated ridge, passing from the occiput over the eyes and nostrils, disappears in the acute rostral crest. Surface of the forehead and occiput showing irregular acutely-edged lines. Gill-plate having three sharp lines, one of which runs along the middle. Back and breast acutely ridged; the leathery skin forms three rings, between which there are lines which m- crease to irregular folds in descending to the breast. Pectoral fin broad and short. The belly down to the tail-fin divided inte rings and armed with three longitudinal rows of short spines. The first back-fin very long; the second as well as the anal rudi- mentary. Ventrals and caudal much developed. In the males an egg-pouch is formed by the union of the inner borders of the ventrals to the skin of the belly. In the females the ventrals are free as in other fish. 1, Solenostomus paradoxus. Solenostomus paradoxus, Lacépéde, Poiss. v. p. 36. Fistularia paradoxa, Pall. Spicil. Zool. vii. t. 4. f. 6. Seba, Thes. t. 34. f. 4. This is one of the strangest forms to be found im the whole class of fishes. The colour of a large specimen is blackish-brown; others are yellowish-brown dotted with black, except on the pectoral, second dorsal and anal. Some of the specimens have little skinny tags round the mouth and rostral tube, as repre- sented in Pallas’s figure. Rad—D.5—18orl9; A. 18 or 19; Cae pe S/S War7: Dr. Bleeker describes the colours in the following words :— ‘““Corpore roseo, tote nigro punctato ; pinnis roseis ; dorsali prima inter radium primum et tertium macula magna, pulchra, cerulea, ventralibus caudalique postice violaceis.” Five individuals exist in the Paris Museum. An old male, 2 inches long, brought from the Isle of France by M. Lienard ; a smaller female from the same sea, by the Expedition of Capt. Duperrey ; a black female from India, presented by Mr. Bosk ; two young ones from New Guinea, by Quoy and Gaimard. Dr. Bleeker obtained his specimens in the sea of Hawaii and Ceram. LOPHOBRANCHII. 3 Fam. 2. Pegaside. Breast extraordinarily developed, much broader than high, with a long pectoral extended on 9-10 firm spine-like rays. Gill-opening lateral, lying under the flatly expanded gill-plate, which is depressed to the ventral aspect of the body. The mouth like that of a Sturgeon, placed at the base of the elongated upper piece of the snout. The body furnished with three rings, having knobs or spines. Breast-ring unusually broad, extended between the two gill-plates, and armed with two spmes, point- ing forwards near the gill-opening. On the belly two cartila- ginous ventrals, of two rays, stand out from the narrow ring, the inner ray being lengthened out into a filament. The tail is flatly expanded, four-cornered, and spiny, with a dorsal and anal fin of five rays, standing on 2-4 rings. Tail-fin having 10 firm rays. Genus 1. PEGASUS, Linn. Cataphractus, Gronov. Diagnosis and description of the genus, the same as that of the family. 1. Pegasus laternarius, Cuv. Pegasus laternarius, Cuv. R. A. ii. 365. Diagn.—Spines of the four dorsal edges directed backwards. Tail with 9-11 rmgs. Body oval. Descer.—The snout is less elongated, more poniard-shaped, without a leaf-like appendage. On the under piece of the snout there appear two distinct, narrow appendages directed down- wards, and six spmes. The edge of the upper snout-piece is finely denticulated, with coarser teeth near the point of the ap- pendage. A medial row of very variable spines exists on the point of the snout. The orbits have thin expanded borders, strongly notched before and behind, and denticulated on the edges. No deep cavities on the concave forehead, or on the breast-ring nigh the occiput. In the concaye back there are four longitudinal keels, of which the middle one is formed by three laterally compressed, short spinous projections pointing backwards. On the prominent side-lines only two such spines B2 4 LOPHOBRANCHII. are evolved. There are no distinct cross lines, such as bound depressions in P. Draco. On its under aspect, the head is broader near the gill-plates than on its upper surface. Of the breast-pieces the median one is longer and higher than the lateral ones. Posteriorly the two middle dorsal keels run into the upper equally spinous edge of the tail, to form one row. On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th tail-rings there is a lateral spme. The colour is yellowish-brown irregu- larly speckled. Round blackish spots exist on the large pectoral fins, and there are four black specks on the silvery eyes. In the Chinese insect-boxes we often find mdividuals having a shorter snout and broader body, but in all other respects the same. These are probably the females. A great number of specimens exist in the British Museum and other collections. It is an inhabitant of the Indian and China Seas. 2. Pegasus natans, Linn. Pegasus natans et volans, Linn. Pegasus natans 2 et volans 3, Richardson, Voy. of Sulph.t. 50. f 0, 10. Pegasus pristis, Bleeker. Cataphractus anceps, Gron. Zoophyl. 356. t. 12. f. 2,3; Cat. 144, Diagn.—Tail composed of twelve rings, of which the last six are confluent so as to form a long flat piece set on each side with spines. Body long and stretched out. Descr.—The elongated, flat, thin snout is furnished on the under edge of the prominent upper piece with short spines pointing backwards. In the nasal region there is a median ele- vated spinous cornice, with one stouter spine. This cornice is accompanied hy another spinous line which commences at the hase of the acute border of the orbit. There is also a spine followed by two little ones at the beginning of the under border of the orbit. Forehead steep; occiput quite flat, tending to concave, and traversed by streaks rendered rough by four knobs on their edges. Body more depressed, and almost wholly flat. Knobs supporting diverging rays. First six tail rings hexagonal and spiniferous ; last 3-6, with the exception of the terminal one, greatly elongated, and so confluent beneath that their numbers can be reckoned only by their spines. Breast and belly longer, more flat, without a sharp keel in the middle, and distmguished from the lateral ones merely by a line somewhat in relief. Colour yellowish-brown. LOPHOBRANCHII. 5 I have seen only the dried specimen in the Paris Museum, which was sent from Java by Leschenault. I believe that the male has the longer snout, and that the figured specimens are females. Bloch’s engraving is not consonant with nature. 3. Pegasus Draco, Linn. Pegasus Draco, Bloch, t. 109. f. 1, 2. Gronov. Zoophyl. 12. f. 23. Cataphractus Draco, Gronov. Cat. Diagn.— Quadrilateral, with deep four-angled dorsal pits bor- dered with round knobs, and formed by the junction of round transverse eminences with the longitudinal ones of the back*. Descr.—This species is more scarce in collections than the preceding ones, and seems to vary in its spotting in the males. In Bloch’s figure the lateral leaf-lke appendages of the snout appear to be oval; according to others these processes form a circular disk. The figure in the Zoophyllacium has the snout fashioned more like that of the preceding ones, and shows late- rally a projecting edge. No question has been made of Linnzeus having been acquainted with P. Draco and natans, but some doubt may be entertaimed whether he. distinguished the laternarius of Cuvier. Sir John Richardson gives two figures under the names of volans and na- tans, without specifically separating them. Schneider, in his Systema, p. 155, cites the volans of Renard, t. 35. f. 162 (not 102), giving to it the following character :—“ Rostro ensiformi longitudine thoracis, pellucido, utrinque retrorsum serrato,”* which agrees with natans, but not with /aternarius. Fam. 3. Syngnathide, Ap., Bon. Diagn.—The small gill-opening very narrow, circular, and placed high up at the extremity of the gill-plate, close to the compressed occiput. A hinder back-fin only situated near the anus. Descr.—Form more elongated, with or without pectorals : * These pits with denticulated edges are best represented by the figure which Gronovius gives in his Zoophyllacium, which moreover exhibits no leaf-like appendages on the snout. 6 LOPHOBRANCHII. first dorsal and ventrals wanting. Anal fin very small, almost imperceptible or altogether wanting. The males carry the eggs in a pouch on the breast and belly, or in one on the tail, or placed on the skin of the breast and belly in rows. In some genera there are no egg-pouches, and we are as yet ignorant of the manner of their propagation. Such are the genera Soleno- gnathus and Phyllopteryx. Subfam. 1. HIPPOCAMPINA, Bon. Diagn.—Tail generally prehensile at the tip, destitute of fins. Occiput more or less elevated. Genus 1. HIPPOCAMPUS, Cuv. Diagn.—The more or less elevated hind-head, with an occipital bone bearing a coronet surmounted by spines and knobs. Orbits spiny. Breast-ring with 2 or 3 spines. Body having from 10 to 13 rmgs more or less spiny. Tail-pouch of the males formed of thick skin, and opening at its com- mencement only. Tail prehensile like that of the Chame- leon. Descr.—Body heptagonal, laterally compressed ; breast and belly acutely ndged. The lateral line connected with the under tail-ridge. The upper tail-ridge reaching as far as the middle of the dorsal fin ; that fin generally rests on three rings, but in some species on four, five, or six, of which one or two only belong to the tail. The quadrangular tail exceeding the body in length. The spines and knobs on the body are generally more prominent in the young fish than in the old ones. Within the small opening of the egg-pouch the anal fin often lies hidden. All the males, without exception, have this fin, but it is frequently overlooked. The function of the prehensile tail is to suspend the body after the manner of the Chameleon or Cebus. Like the Chameleon also, the Seahorse-fish can direct one eye forwards and the other backwards. Professor Lichtenstein (Wiegm. Archiv, 1836, p- 129) observed a circular movement in the water, near the gill- openings; on the right side the whirl revolved to the left, and on the left side to the right, the rotation being symmetrical and constant like that of a Rotifer as seen under the microscope. The Hippocampi inhabit every sea. ~~] LOPHOBRANCHII. 1. Hippocampus brevirostris, Cuv. Hippocampus brevirostris, Cuvier, R. A. 1. 365. Yarrell’s British Fishes, ii. p. 342. Hippocampus Rondeletii, Willughby, p. 157. i. 25. f. 3 (not very exact). Diagn.—Length of the snout nearly twice that of the diameter of the orbit, or equal to that of the height of the dorsal fin. A sharp projection over the nostrils. Tenth body-ring as high as the 6th, 7th or 8th is long. Descr.—This species resembles H. guttulatus, but is easily distinguished by its shorter snout, higher dorsal, and less pro- minent spines. The male is higher, and its 10th body-ring is as high as the 7th and 8th are long. The female is as high at the same part as the last six body-rings measure in length. The knobs on the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th body-rings project more than the others; and the same is the case with those on the 6th or 7th, the 8th or 9th, and 11th or 12th tail-rings. The occipital coronet has five prominences, whereof the medial distal one is connected with the sharp-ridged crest of the breast-rmg. At certain times of life the cranial knobs are ornamented with skinny filaments, such as are represented in Willughby’s figure. It is not so variegated and spotted as guttulatus, but is marked by many white spots and dark and brownish stripes. Brown stripes set in white cross the eyes. Mr. Yarrell describes its tints in the following words :— The general colour is a pale ash-brown, relieved by a changeable iridescence, and by variable tints of blue dispersed over different parts of the head, body and tail.” A great many specimens are deposited in the Paris, London, Leyden, Vienna, and other Museums. It is an extremely com- mon species throughout the North Sea and the Adriatic. 2. Hippocampus japonicus, Kp. Hippocampus brevirostris, T'emm. et Schl. Faun. Jap. (partim). Diagn.—At the 7th body-ring the height equals the length from the end of the snout to the breast-spme near the pec- toral fin. Deser. —This species greatly resembles brevirostris in the shortness of the snout, but the body measured from the rim of the belly to the edge of the back is comparatively higher than in individuals of brevirostris having the same length. Five young 8 LOPHOBRANCHII. examples, two of them males and three females, have the lower breast-spine forked, which is not the case with a larger specimen in a dry state. The high dorsal exhibits two black bands. It mhabits the seas of Japan, and specimens exist in the Ley- den Museum. 3. Hippocampus Monikei*, Bleeker. Hippocampus Monikei, Bleeker, Bijdr. d. Ichth. von Japan, 1853, SVOst./2. Hippocampus brevirostris, Temm. et Schl. Faun. Jap. (partim). Hippocampus fasciatus, Kaup. Diagn.—The pedestal “of the occipital coronet and the snout are short. The body has ten rings. Descer.—This species is distinguished by the number of its body-rings. The nasal projection is more prominent than in brevirostris and japonicus. A small spine is situated before the larger orbital one. The body is likewise higher than that of brevirostris. The 2nd, 4th, 7th and 10th body-rings have more prominent knobs, while on the tail itis the 3rd, the Sth and the 12th which have the longer knobs. A blackish band crosses the 7th and 8th body-rings, and there are 6 or 8 black cross-bands on the tail. The dorsal fin, less high than that of brevirostris, equals in height the length of the space between the fore border of the orbit and the end of the snout. I know only one specimen, which is a female, and measures 22 inches from the coronet to the point of the tail. It inhabits the seas of Japan, and the Leyden Museum owes its specimen to Dr. Von Siebold. 4, Hippocampus Lichtensteinii, Xp. Diagn.—The occipital coronet is a roundish elevated knob, with short spines before and behind. The short dorsal is placed on the last two body-rings. Descr.—Of this species I know only three young females, which are in the Berlm Museum. It has a resemblance to bre- virostris, but is easily distinguished by the diagnosis. The head, gill-plates, and under-piece of the snout are warty, and some warts exist on the sides of the body. The snout measured from * This name was bestowed by Bleeker in honour of a young Dr. Mohnike. LOPHOBRANCHII. 9 the proximal border of the orbit is as long as the distance from thence to the extremity of the gill-plate. The body bulges at the 3rd, 6th and JOth rings. The tail exhibits from 6 to 10 lighter cross bars on a brownish ground. It is not known from what country this very interesting species was sent to the Berlin Museum; but it probably comes from the Red Sea. The largest example measures rather less than + inch in length. 5. Hippocampus guttulatus, Cuv. Hippocampus guttulatus, Cuv. R. A. u. 363. Hippocampus antiquorum, Leach, MS. B.M. Bloch, pl. 109. f. 3. Diagn.—Nasal protuberance spinous. All the head-spines project forwards and are laterally compressed. The snout measured from the fore border of the orbit is as long as the distance from thence to the spime on the upper border of the gill-plate. A black band traverses the entire dorsal fin. Descr. — The spies and knobs furnished with filaments, mostly simple, rarely forked. Some show whitish specks and eross limes on a dark ground, others are merely speckled, and some few have a clouded freckling between the more prominent body-rings. In some the dorsal fin is black, in others it has a black bar at the end only. In the Leyden collection I saw a full-grown female which had twelve body-rings and a longer snout; the supplementary ring being situated under the dorsal fin, which stands on the 3rd and 4th rings. In all other respects it agrees with other mdividuals, and cannot be considered as anything more than a highly interesting variety. A female from the Mauritius belongs to the Berlin Museum. Five specimens from Gambia, received from Dr. Smith, exist in the British Museum, and there is a great number in Paris, Leyden, and other collections. Though I have seen a vast num- ber of examples, none of them had traces of the rostral fila- ments which characterize the next succeeding species. The Berlin Museum possesses a female specimen from the Brazils, sent by M. Olfers. It exhibits no filaments on the spies of the head, the dorsal angles of the third ring stand near together, and the other knobs are less prominent than in other individuals of the same size. It appears therefore from these notices of habitats that this species is very widely spread through the world. BO 10 LOPHOBRANCHII. 6. Hippocampus ramulosus, Leach. Hippocampus ramulosus, Leach, Zool. Mise. i. 105. t. 47. Lowe, Fishes of Madeira, 5.t. 29. Diagn.—Almost all the spines and protuberances covered with ramified skinny filaments, the soft parts of the body being warty. Dorsal fin having a short black band, and a height equal to the length of the snout measured from the nasal projection. Descr.—One of the handsomest and most interesting species, and nearly allied to the common guttulatus and brevirostris. It has a snout of medium length, a nasal projection, and a very high spine in front of the coronet. The fore part of the coronet itself is concave, with five tags; the crest of the occiput deeper lengthwise, and the spines more approximated to each other. Dorsal supported by 17 rays, and the tail formed of 33 rmgs. A discoloured female specimen has only simple filaments without ramifications. This belongs to the British Museum, together with two other females received from the Zoological Society. In the Paris Museum there are one male and two females, sent by M. Deshayes from Algiers. The female has its skinny flaps not so much developed as those represented in Lowe’s figure above quoted, and its snout has only twice the length of the diameter of the eye: the spime before the coronet is not prominently evolved, and the coronet has an irregularly formed depression which is connected with the acutely ridged crest of the breast- ring. A black stripe traverses the dorsal, and the first ray of that fin is as long as the snout measured from the nasal protu- berance. ‘The skinny appendages are not developed. Six young individuals from the Canaries exist in a dry state in the Paris Museum; in all of them the coronet is more or less irregular. Only one female among them shows ramified fila- ments. It is probable that the curious skinny appendages ap- pertain to certain periods in the life of this fish. I believe, moreover, that Dr. Riippell’s H. fuscus and the H. obscurus of Hempr. and Ehrenberg, both in the Berlin Museum, belong to this species. 7. Hippocampus comes, Can‘éor. Hippocampus comes, Cantor, Mal. Fish, p.1371. t.10. f. 2 (1849). Hippocampus longirostris, Mus. Lugd. Hippocampus kuda, Bleeker, Bijdr. tot d. Ichth. van Singapore. LOPHOBRANCHII. ll Hippocampus tenioptera, Bleeker, Bijdr. Ichth. Abol. Nat. T. N. Ind. iii. 306. Hippocampus moluccensis, Ibid. iti. 305. Diagn.—Length of the snout from the proximal border of the orbit equal to the distance from thence to the gill-opening, or approaching thereto. No nasal protuberance, or merely a small one in the young. Coronet moderately stilted, and having from 4 to 6 prominent tips. Breast-ring destitute of a spine pointing backwards, or of one curved upwards. Descr.—A widely diffused species, which inhabits the Ja- panese, Chinese, Indian and Australian seas. Great numbers of specimens exist in all the more important museums. When fully grown it is one of the largest species, as an example in the Paris Museum shows, and at an advanced period of lite all the protuberances are very blunt. Dr. Cantor, a skilful and acute observer, found one female at Penang that measured 5 mches in length, and which had round knobs on the tips of the head- spines and on the various body-rmgs. This character is inci- dental, since I have seen an individual in which the begimnings merely of the knobs can be traced. It is always, therefore, a difficult task to construct a diagnostic character from the inspec- tion of a solitary example of the species. Dr. Bleeker, in the first instance, characterized three species from varieties of this one, but in his more recent labours he has corrected himself, and brings his tenioptera and moluccensis under kuda, which is moreover identical with comes. In young individuals having a length of from 2 to 4 inches, the nasal projection is spinous; two spines also appear under the eye, and two on the under piece of the breast-ring. There is, indeed, such a variety in these spines, that we may see in an individual a single spme on one side of the body corresponding to two on the other side. Moreover, the protuberances of the body-rings are not always constant in their distribution, and we may find them on the Ist or 2nd, 4th or 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th body-rings. On the tail it is on the 3rd, 5th or 6th, 8th, 9th or 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th or 17th that the protu- berances occur. In a female 2 inches long, the height of the 10th body-ring is equal to the length of the last five body-rings. In a male of 4 inches, the 10th ring is equal to the length of the last six body- rings. In another male the same 10th ring has a height equal to the last seven or eight body-rings. A male in the Paris Mu- seum which came from the Isle of Bourbon is abnormal, Ist, in having a longer snout; 2nd, in having only ten body-rings ; 3rd, in having a less prominent belly and somewhat less height. 12 LOPHOBRANCHII. In all other respects it resembles other individuals obtamed in the same locality. We also find individuals of H. guttulatus with a larger snout and one more body-ring. I think, therefore, that a slightly longer snout, or a body somewhat higher or lower, or furnished with one ring more or one less, are not sufficient of themselves for the separation of species. By attending to such signs, we should be obliged to divide the H. abdominalis of Lesson into many species. In the Leyden collection there are five examples from Timor and Sumatra which have rows of white spots on the gill-plates ; the body being brown or black with white points. Individuals im the collections of Paris, Leyden and Vienna exhibit black marbled speckling on the Ist, 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th body-rings and on the base of the back fin. In some the skin is dark brown or black, ornamented with a white network ; in others the colour is paler, and each ring has a black speck on its dorsal angle. Ina female specimen col- lected by Quoy and Gaimard, cutaneous appendages exist on the spines of the back and tail; others exhibit small warts on the middle dorsal line. On a comparison of all the Indian species, viz. H. japonicus, H. Monikei, H. comes, H. mannulus, H. coronatus and H. histrizx with one another, this one was easily distinguished from japo- nicus or Monikei by its greater size, since none of them exceed the smaller individuals of brevirostris. From mannulus it may be discriminated by the want of the incurved spur-like spines of the breast-ring. Coronatus is known by its coronet being raised on a high pedestal, and histriz by its long, thin, sharp-pointed spines. Though no difficulty occurs in distinguishing H. comes from the other Indian species, it is hardly to be recognized as separate from the South American H. longirostris. 8. Hippocampus longirostris, Cuv. Hippocampus longirostris, Cuv. R. A. ii. 363. Diagn.—The coronet set with blunt tubereles, of which the foremost is connected with the basal piece of the occiput. The upper orbital spine short and two-cornered. Deser.—Length of the snout from the proximal border of the orbit as great as the distance from thence to the edge of the breast-rmg. In the young there is a nasal projection which dis- appears with age. he spines on all the rings also are promi- nent in the young, and become blunt in the old. The species LOPHOBRANCHII. 13 is nearly allied to H. comes, but comes has a longer snout and larger spines on the head and body when young. It has also a resemblance to H. moluccensis, but the soft parts of the body and tail are furnished with small warts, and the snout is proportionally somewhat longer; the coronal pedestal is a little shorter, and the tips of the coronet less projecting. Much variety oceurs in this species also. A male sent to the Paris Museum from Mar- tinique by M. Richard, is yellowish-brown with dark brown specks encircled by small white warts. A dark brown spot on each ring forms a row along the lateral line. This individual measures 5% inches in length, and its height at the 10th ring is equal to the length of the last six body-rings. A female from the same island is discoloured by maceration in alcohol, but still retains traces of irregular clouded transverse bars: one of them on the 7th and 8th ring, another near the dorsal fin, and a third on the 5th and 6th tail-rmg. Another dividual from the same quarter, sent by M. Plée, is dark greenish-brown with black specks, and marbled markings on the Ist, 4th, 7th and 8th body-rings. A female sent from St. Lucie by M. Bonnesart is besprinkled with dark round spots, encircled by fine white dots; some irregular cross bands on the body and tail. On the end of the upper border of the orbit there is a small protuberance. This one is nearly 5 inches long, and is 0°71 inch high at the 7th rig, where the height equals the length of the last four body-rings, as im the female from Martinique. © 9. Hippocampus bicuspis, Ap. Diagn.—The spine that precedes the coronet and the one over the nostril forked. Descr.—I am acquainted with only a very young female specimen, which was sent from Goree to the Paris Museum by M. Rang. It has 1] body-rings, of which the Ist, 4th, 7th and 11th have the bigger spines and projections. Three rings sup- port the yellowish back fin. The body is very slender, and at its greatest breadth does not exceed in width the length of the last four body-rings. Two traces of dark cross bars upon the snout. Colour yellowish-brown, darker on the back and tail. 10. Hippocampus algiricus, Ap. Diagn.—Snout equal in length to the distance between the fore-border of the orbit and the edge of the breast-rmg. In females the 7th and 10th body-rings measure as much in 14 LOPHOBRANCHII. height as the last five body-rings do in length. Only one ring of the body assists in supporting the dorsal fin. The soft parts of the hody show rows of light-coloured specks on a dark ground. Descr.—A dried female specimen, sent from Algiers by M. Guichot to the Paris Museum under the appellation of H. lon- girostris, has much likeness to that species, as well as to H. pune- tulatus. The distinctive character of the latter consists in the 7th and 10th body-rings being the highest, and in the dorsal fin standing on three rings, of which one only is caudal. H. longi- rostris, on the other hand, may be discriminated by the 8th ring in the females, which is the highest, being as high as the last five body-rings are long. Its soft skin has, moreover, little warts which are wanting in H. algiricus. The Parisian specimen of H. algiricus is almost 5 inches long. 11, Hippocampus punctulatus, Kp. Diagn.—Length of the snout equal to the distance between the front of the orbit and the edge of the breast-ring. In the female it is the 8th body-ring which is as high as the last six body-rings are long. Two of the rings on which the dorsal stands, belong to the tail. Deser. — Of this species I know only a solitary example, which belongs to the Leyden Museum, and is a female. It bears much resemblance to H. longirostris, but is distinguished from it, Ist, by a shorter snout ; 2nd, by the head being at the lower spine of the breast-ring somewhat higher, and by the outline of the breast and belly being more protuberant. In females of H. longirostris these parts are more nearly equal in height, and the 7th and 10th rings are almost of the same altitude. The soft parts are blackish-brown dotted with white; the gill-plates have black specks and stripes of white points. 12. Hippocampus mannulus, Cantor. Hippocampus mannulus, Cantor, Malay Fishes, p. 1370.t. 1. Re. Diagn.—The snout equal in length to the space between the front of the orbit and the edge of the gill-plate. The spines on the upper rim of the orbit and the one on the lower piece of the breast-ring, sharp-pointed and recurved. Dorsal fin as long as the snout. LOPHOBRANCHII. 15 Deser.—Dr. Cantor obtained two specimens from Penang. It is a very common species in China, whence examples have been sent to the Museums of London, Paris, Vienna, and Leyden. A female preserved in the French Museum in spirits was pro- cured at Macao on the voyage of the Bonite. Out of the great number of individuals of this species which I have examined, not one of them had attained the size of H. longirostris. The big- gest measured scarcely 64 inches. The snout is pretty long. The edges of the orbits are con- fluent over the nostrils without forming a distinct projection. A regularly formed coronet, scarcely separated from the occiput, shows five or six spinules. From the coronet to the curved pectoral spine, the height is as great as the snout is long, mea- suring from between the eyes. A pale yellow ground-colour shows traces of broad bands on the body and tail. Some have on the 2nd, 4th and 7th body-rings, near their dorsal border, three pairs of black round spots (H. sewmaculatus, Schlegel, Leyden). Others have circles round the eyes of black specks, and a black stripe descending from the orbital spine through the eye ; the membranous angle of the belly is black. In the Museums of London, Paris, Leyden, Vienna, Darmstadt, &e. 13. Hippocampus marginalis, Heck. Diagn.—Dorsal fin standing on the last three of the twelve body-rings. Descr. — This species is allied to H. fascicularis, but the diagnostic character distinguishes it. It has a somewhat shorter snout than H. fascicularis. White spots besprinkle the head and snout, and the gill-plates are crossed by curved black Imes. Longitudinal black stripes run on the body to the 7th ring, and black cross lines succeed them from the 8th to the 12th rings. Irregular interrupted black lines traverse the belly lengthwise. The height of the body where greatest is equal to the distance between the coronet and the end of the snout. All the angles of the rings are more developed and prominent than in H. /on- girostris. A single female Mexican specimen, deposited in the Vienna Museum, is the only example known to me. 14, Hippocampus fascicularis, Heck. Diagn.—A snout longer than that of H. brevirostris, with more acute nasal projections ; and the dorsal not standing on so high an elevation. 16 LOPHOBRANCHII. Deser.—Colour black, with very many white points. Gill-plates striped by 10 or 11 rows of white dots, and between the lateral line and the rim of the belly there are irregular white bands ex- tending as far as to the 7th ring. From the 8th ring to the anus there is between each pair of rings a dark cross line sprinkled with white specks, and marbled. The Vienna Museum possesses a male specimen from Mexico. 15. Hippocampus levicaudatus, Heck. Diagn.—The dorsal as long as the head, and standing on 5 rings. Body-rings 11. Deser. — Allied to H. brevirostris. The eyes nearly in the middle between the end of the snout and the gill-opening. Up to the dorsal fin there are 8 rings. Tail without knobs, and the gill-plate silvery. At Vienna there is a specimen from North America. 16. Hippocampus coronatus, Temm. et Schl. Hippocampus coronatus, Temm. et Schl. Fauna Jap. p. 274. pl. 120. f. 8. Diagn.—Pedestal of the irregular coronet very tall. Height of the head nearly as great as its length. Ten body-rings. Descr.— This species is isolated by its stilted coronal pe- destal, and is one of the finest discoveries made by the Dutch naturalists in Japan. Its size is from 4 to 5 inches. The two hinder tips of the coronet are the most developed. The young have more prominent spines than the old ones, but the pedestal of the coronet is not so high. On the rim of the erbit in the region of the nostrils and round the breast-ring the spines are longer and more pointed ; the 2nd, 4th and 10th rings are gibbous along the back, as are also the 3rd, 9th, 13th and i8th tail-rings. In the female the 9th body-ring is as high as the last four body- rings are long. Colour yellowish, marbled with dark brown and edged on the back with black. It is only im the Leyden collection that I have met with this species, which is pretty common in Japan and perhaps in China. LOPHOBRANCHII. 17 17. Hippocampus histrix, Kp. Diagn.—The thin, elongated snout, much longer than the head; a long spine over the nostril, and all the spies unwontedly developed and pointed except on the end of the tail. Descr.—This species is still more than the last one distin- guished from all its fellows, its peculiar characters being its elon- gated snout and projecting spines. In the Paris Museum there is a male, but its egg-pouches are not much developed. The median ventral line is acute-edged like a knife, and sharply emarginated between the rings. A female in the Leyden Mu- seum is larger, and, like the males, has longer spines on the Ist, 4th, 7th and 11th body-rings, and on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 9th and 11th tail-rings. This one is from Japan. Its colour is uniform whitish-yellow. In neither individual are all the fins preserved entire. Japan. 18. Hippocampus abdominalis, Less. Hippocampus abdominalis, Lesson, Férussac, Bull. de Se. xi. 127. Diagn.—Body of 12 rings, rarely of 13. The irregularly speckled dorsal of from 24 to 26 rays, standing on 5 or 6 rings. Belly very protuberant, having a height equal to the length of the last 8 or 9 body-rings. Deser.— This fish departs from the general form of the genus, no less than the preceding two, in having an acute-edged, very prominent belly, and is a very distinct species, common in Australia. It is often thrice as high as it is broad. Its short snout is as long as the distance between the fore-border of the orbits to the spine of the gill-plate. In a male, whose head is figured, all the spines and protuberances on the body are blunt. Forty-seven tail-rings. The filamentous appendages on the head are simple, or branched like a stag’s horn, or altogether wanting. Colour yellowish, with black specks and stripes on the head. Upon the ribs the skin is yellowish, and between them blackish- brown or yellowish speckled with black. Tail barred across with yellow. Egg-pouch short, and extending merely to the 5th or 7th tail-ring. A male brought from the west coast of Africa is black, and there are also black varieties from Au- stralia. The British Museum possesses twenty-one specimens, pre- sented by Sir John Richardson, Dr. Hooker, and Mr. Gunn. There are also very many in the Paris Museum, obtained by M. Verreaux on the voyage of the Zelée, &c. 18 LOPHOBRANCHII. Genus 2. ACENTRONURA, Kp. Diagn.—The edge of the back coincides with the upper tail- ridge, forming one and the same line. Gill-opening situated at the point of the occiput. No protuberances either on the body or tail. ~ Descr.—No coronet, merely a sharpening of the occipital bone, as in the hind-head. Borders of the orbits like the breast- ring destitute of spines. Dorsal fin standing on an insigni- ficant eminence. Tail furnished with an egg-pouch, as in Hippo- campus. 1. Acentronura gracillima, Kp. Hippocampus gracillimus, Fauna Jap. p. 274. t. 120. f. Deser.—Its length is about 3 inches. The head does not exceed the body in height, and the tail is twice as long as the distance from the anus to the breast-fin. The speckled back-fin of 17 rays is sustained by four rings, two of them belonging to the tail. In the tail the rings number from 42 to 45. Anal scarcely observable. In the prevailing yellowish colour there are traces of dark and dotted cross bars. In the Leyden Museum there are four females full of eggs, and two males. Genus 3. GASTEROTOKEUS, Heck. Syngnathoides, Bleeker. Solegnathus, Bleeker, nee Swainson. Diagn.—Fdges of the expanded belly formed by the lateral lines. No nuchal shield. Tail prehensile. Dorsal stand- ing in a furrow on from 10 to 11 tail-rings. Descr.—Compressed snout longer than the head, shagreened by deeply-cut lines and pits. Forehead concave. Upper border of the orbit ending in a spinous point. Occiput somewhat round, elevated, destitute of a coronet. The gill-opening situ- ated next to the back piece, and furnished with a half ring of bone. In the place usually occupied by the nuchal shield there is a breadth of naked skin, covering the neck-sinews that sustain the head in its nodding movements. Ventral surface of the breast-ring concave in the middle, notched at the poimt, and heightened on both sides at the attachments of the pectorals. LOPHOBRANCHII. 19 The space under the rim of the belly (laterai line), wherem the true angle of the belly would be, and the median ventral line lie in one and the same plane. The males, like those of Nerophis, carry their eggs in 6 to 8 rows extending from the anus to the 2nd body-ring. 1. Gasterotokeus biaculeatus, Heck. Syngnathus biaculeatus, Bloch, t. 121.f. 1. Syngnathus Blochi, Bleeker. Descr.—It attains a length of 6% imches and perhaps more. Body composed of 16, and tail of from 20 to 25 determinate rings ; the others, 23 to 28, are to be reckoned in dried specimens only. The tail, as far as the end of the lateral projection, is hexagonal. Dorsal fin standing on 10 to 11 rings, the first of which is the anal ring. A wreath of fine warts surrounds the anus. Some indi- viduals exhibit cutaneous flaps on the snout, and throughout the body. The anal fin lies in a cavity. Inthe Berlin Museum there is a male variety which has a projection over the nostrils. The colour is rosaceous violet, marbled with yellow and green, and striped. Snout and fins rose-coloured. Others are more generally yellowish-brown. Very common in the Chinese and Indian Oceans, the Indian Archipelago, Red Sea, Madagascar, &e. Numbers of speci- mens are kept in all the Museums of Leyden, London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, &c. Obs. — We are ignorant of the manner in which the eggs are hatched in the two following genera, since no specimens have been procured which possess egg-pits on the breast and belly or have tail-pouches. It is probable, therefore, that the eggs are matured in these genera as in ordinary fishes. Genus 4. SOLENOGNATHUS, Swainson. Solenognathus, Swainson, Nat. Hist. of Fishes, i. 333. Diagn.—Body laterally compressed and higher than broad. Lateral line confluent with the upper angle of the tail, form- ing an arch. The intermediate, oblong, little shields are radiated by lines in relief. From 22 to 26 body-rings, and 55 to 60 tail-rmgs. Dorsal fin standing in a furrow on 10 to 11 tail-rings. Tail prehensile. 20 LOPHOBRANCHII. Descer.—Snout longer than the head, with rough edges. Mar- gins of the orbits on the fore and under side, and as far for- ward as the nostrils, furnished with rough, irregular, short spines. Hind-head destitute of a coronet, but with a spe and an ele- vated nuchal shield, on which there are lines in relief. Breast- ring acutely ridged on its dorsal surface, with a spinous projec- tion laterally, and a median furrow on the ventral surface ; above as well as below it has two pairs of spines. Pectoral fin broad, but not long. Back concave, with bunchy intermediate scales. Belly sharply ridged. 1. Solenognathus Hardwickii, Swains. Solenognathus Hardwicku, Swainson, Nat. Hist. Syngnathus Hardwickii, Gray, Ill. Ind. Zool. pl. 89. Hippocampus Hardwickii, Voigt, in der Ubersetz. von Cuv. Regne Anim. Soleenathus polyprion*, Bleeker, Bijdrag. d. Troskiewwige Visschen v. d. Ind. Archip. xxv. deel d. Verh. Batav. Gen. p. 25. Descr. — This is the longest, thickest, and most rugged form of the whole family, and exhibits the greatest number of body-rings. The tail-rings are from 55 to 60. In some indivi- duals there are skinny appendages to the snout. The colour is yellowish-brown, with blackish edges to the back. Eyes golden, with black streaks. Rad. P. 23; D.43; A.4; C.0. It is a common species in the Indian Ocean, especially in the China Sea. Dimensions of very large individuals: whole length from 15% to 174 inches; length of head, 2 to 2'3 inches ; distance from the edge of the gill-plate to the anus, 6°6 to 7°5 inches ; length of dorsal fin from 1‘9 to 2°3 inches. Genus 5. PHYLLOPTERYX, Swainson. Phyllopteryx, Swainson, Nat. Hist. of Fishes, i. p. 332. Diagn.—Body much compressed; neck elongated, slender ; back arched ; belly prominent ; and dorsal fin standing on an elevation. Flat, denticulated bones, supporting leaf-like cutaneous appendages, project from the body and tail. Tail destitute of a fin, yet not prehensile. * IT cannot distinguish between S. polyprion from China and 5S. Hardwickii from India. LOPHOBRANCHII, 2) Descr. — Snout twice the length of the head, with two spines on its posterior third part. ‘T'wo diverging spines on the upper rim of the orbit. Body compressed, with a thin belly and back. The lateral line united to the under angle of the tail. The upper angle of the tail extends forwards to the beginning of the dorsal fin. All the angles rough and emit a spme at the extremity of each ring. A thin, elongated spine on the hind- head and breast-ring. Denticulated bony projections springing from the ventral aspects of the 8th and 10th body-rings ; like- wise from the dorsal aspects of the 11th and the ultimate body- rings, and from the 10th, 16th, 21st and 25th tail-rings. All these projections are adorned with leaf-like appendages. ‘The breast-ring, which is swollen out, has four pairs of spines. This genus comes nearer to Solenognathus and Hippocampus than to Gasterotokeus. 1. Phyllopteryx foliatus, Swainson. Synenathus foliatus, Shaw, Gen. Zool. y. 180. Syngnathus teniopterus, Lacép. Ann. du Mus. iv. t. 58. f. 3. Descr.—This is one of the most extraordinary forms among fishes. I am acquainted only with the grown-up fish, and have seen none of the young of this species. Full-grown individuals have a length of upwards of 15°8 inches. Round light-coloured specks exist on the head and snout, and also on the body and tail. Five white stripes run down the elongated neck. Dr. Brown, the celebrated botanist, possesses an admirably coloured figure of this species, executed by Bauer during Capt. Flinders’ survey of the coasts of Australia. The body has 17 rings, and the tail about 25. The dorsal fin stands on 7 rings, of which one only belongs to the body. Rad. P. 20; D. 30; A.24; C. 0. The leaf-like membranes are black or brown, with deep black borders. Lacépeéde’s figure is incorrect, and represents the snout as too short. None of the examples in the Paris Museum have so short a snout, and I can scarcely think that it represents a distinct species. Shaw’s and Lacépéde’s names were published in the same year. Specimens exist only in the British and Parisian Museums. Subfam. 2, SYNGNATHINA, Kp. Males furnished with a caudal egg-pouch, which is open throughout. Tail never prehensile. bo LOPHOBRANCHII. Genus 1. HALICAMPUS, Kp. Diagn.—Snout thin and short, set with three rows of small spines, and distinctly separated from the high forehead and elevated and spimous borders of the orbits. Eyes project- ing. Hind-head, nape, and breast-shield furnished with a rough, elevated, comb-like crest. Breast-ring broader at the pectoral fins than the body. Dorsal fin standing on an elevation formed by three rings only. Borders of the body rough, and furnished with various cutaneous filaments. This genus is the representative in its own subfamily of the genus Hippocampus, and is allied to the genera Corythoichthys and Trachyrhamphus. 1. Halicampus conspicillatus, Kp. Syngnathus conspicillatus, Jenyns, Voy. of Beagle, p. 147. pl. 27. 4 Halicampus Grayi, Kp. British Museum. Descr.—Snout measured from the orbits as long as the distance from thence to the edge of the operculum. Operculum small, and divided into two dissimilar parts by a denticulated line standing out im relief ; the broader under part being scarred, and varied by from 8 to 9 prominent curved lines. A trace of a cutaneous filament exists on the rough rim of the orbit; and in the rough, concave forehead there are two lines im relief, which are confluent above the nostrils; there being in the middle also a spiny crest. Posteriorly the breast-ring falls abruptly away and rises again near the pectoral fin in a pyramidal form. Gill- opening situated very high up. There are 15 body-rings before the dorsal fin, and 17 before the vent. They are made rough by prominent lines, short projections, and rugged marginal bunches. Warts exist on the small intermediate dorsal scales of the body and tail, and occasionally serve as roots of cutaneous filaments. Three rings, one of them only belonging to the tail, sustain the dorsal fin. ach tail-ring has a small spinous projection on its under edge, that resists the finger when drawn along it. The tail, which is slightly longer than the body, is composed of from 32 to 37 rings. In the male specimen preserved in the British Museum there are dark brown scales projecting over the egg- pouch, and every ring is notched. The head is brown, with two white specks or stripes on the gill-cover, one black speck near the pectoral fin, and another close to the dorsal fin. The fins are bluish and translucent, and the base of the dorsal is black. LOPHOBRANCHII. 23 The solitary specimen in the British Museum came from India. A female in the Paris Museum was obtained by M. Busseuil on the coasts of New Holland, during Bougainville’s Expedition. It is rougher and darker coloured. The one de- scribed by Jenyns, in the ‘ Voyage of the Beagle,’ is slightly speckled on the dorsal. His example from Tahiti differs in the numbers of its rays, as shown below :— Radu.—P. 17; D. 31; A.?3; C. 10, Jenyns. PP 153 D.'21);'Al?'23-C. 10; Kaup: Dimensions of the 3 e Length of the head .. 24. dss. 05 O6 in. 0°6 in. From tip of snout to anus ........ Didier 228s. Weneth of the tats civ.