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464 GEOGKAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. [part iv.
Family 115.—MYXINID^. (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 VI.—LEPTOCAEDII.
Family 116.—CIERHOSTOMI. (1 Genus, 1 Species.)
" A small marine fish with no jaws or fins, and with rudi-
mentary eyes."
Distribution.—The only species, the Lancelot (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.
Bemarks 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 universally,
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 only, the other two being the Discoboli (2 genera,
11 sp.), and the Accipenseridse (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-
tychidae), Stomiatidse, Alepocephalidae and Halosauridse) are
confined to the Atlantic Ocean, while 13 are found only in the
Pacific ;
and of the remainder several are more abimdant in the
Pacific than the Atlantic. Two families (Lycodidae and Gadidae)
are found in the Arctic and Antarctic seas only, though the
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