The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . ero-branchus bidorsalis, an additional sanction is given for placing the latterfish in the genus Plotosus, notwithstanding its possessing two dorsal must confess, however, that I am not quite satisfied on the true relationsof this singular type. 350 CLASSIFICATION OF FISHES. greatly flattened, and the eyes small; but the lower jawis shortest, and the cirri are usually eight.* Here, then,we have the true anguilliform or eel-shaped silures, dis-tinguished in the most remarkable manner from allthose we have yet
The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . ero-branchus bidorsalis, an additional sanction is given for placing the latterfish in the genus Plotosus, notwithstanding its possessing two dorsal must confess, however, that I am not quite satisfied on the true relationsof this singular type. 350 CLASSIFICATION OF FISHES. greatly flattened, and the eyes small; but the lower jawis shortest, and the cirri are usually eight.* Here, then,we have the true anguilliform or eel-shaped silures, dis-tinguished in the most remarkable manner from allthose we have yet noticed; and yet so closely allied arethey to the last genus, in every thing but their longdorsal fin, that their affinity becomes apparent to everyone: the subordinate types or sub-genera, however, areas yet very few, and therefore we cannot state how farthe contents of the circle represent that of the last, norcan we trace the connection to the fifth genus,—a genus,however, too remarkable to be confounded with anyother; we allude to Cetopsis of Agassiz (fig. 8Q.). These. silures present us, in tbeir long anal fins, with the primarycharacter of the Silurina ; but in all other respects showa marked resemblance to Cyclopium in the circle of thePimelodlnce, and to Astroblepus among the Aspredince :like these, and all other of their representatives, the eyesare remarkably small—indeed,so minute, that they appearas mere specks in the skin,— and their situation is nearlyon the top of the crown : the dorsal fin is single, trian-gular, and placed near the crown, which is thick andobtuse : the mouth is large, and the gape obliquely ver-tical : there are no dorsal or pectoral spines: the tail ishardly longer than the body ; and the four cirri are sovery short, as not to be so long as the head. Now, itis to these two last characters that we must call the na-turalists attention. In commencing our survey of thissub-family, it will be remembered that the first genus, * Batrachus, Blo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubj, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectreptiles
