History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Syngnathus. FISHES. OSSEOUS. 175Gen. XIX. ORTHAGORISCUS.Molebut.—Jaws undivided.Body, retrally, as if truncated ;belly smooth.32. O. Mola.— Skin rough. Gill-openings oval.Mola Salviani, Sibb. Scot. 24 Will. Ich. 151, Borlase, Corn. 267Tetrodon Mola, Linn. Syst.i. 412. — Short Diodon, Penn. Brit.Zool. iii. 131—T. Mola, Don. Brit. Fishes, tab. 25 Occasionallytaken in the British seas.Length about 2 feet ;weight about 100 pounds. Body compressed, nearlyround, carinated dorsally and ventrally. Back mottled, dusky, belly silvery.Mouth, notrils and eyes, small, Pectorals small, of 12 rays. Dorsal andventral fins produced, opposite, the former of 18, the latter of 16 rays. Thesetwo fins are connected with the caudal fin, which contains 18 large rays.This species was first observed by Sir Andrew Balfour, in the Frith of Forth(Mem. Balf. p. 80.), afterwards by Willoughby, at Penzance. It has occurredon many other parts of the coast, ltisso states that they are taken atNice in great numbers, and yield much oil, but the flesh is bad^ Ich. p. 61.33. O. truncatus.— Skin smooth.Gill-openings semilunar.Sun-fish, Borlase, Corn. 267— Oblong Diodon, Penn. Brit. Zool. iii. 129.Tetrodon trun. Don. Brit. Fishes—On the English coast, along withthe preceding.Weight from 200 to 500 pounds. Body oblong, more produced than theMola. Colour on the back mottled, dusky ; on the belly silvery ; dark verticalstripes on the sides of the shoulders. Pectorals of i4, dorsal of 12, analof 15, and caudal of 17 rays.Gen. XX. SYNGNATHUS.Gill-openings on the neck.Pipe-Fish.—Mouth tubular.No ventrals.I. With Pectoral fins.a. With a caudal fin.b. With an anal fin.34. S. Acus.— Body heptangular, tail quadrangular. Crownof the head carinated.Acus Aristotelis species altera major, Will. Ich. 159.— Sea-Adder, Borl.Corn. 267— Syn. Acus, Linn. Syst.i. 416— Low, Hist.Ork. 181 Understones near low water-mark.Length upwards of a foot. Back brown, spotted ; belly whitish. Scales ofthe body radiated. Snout narrower than the head, depressed and compressed.Dorsal-fin of about 38 rays, with a black line on each side; pectorals 14, anal6, and caudal 10 rayed.flat.35. S. Typhle. — Body hexangular ; tail quadrangular ; crownAcus Aristotelis, Will. Ich. 158—S. Typh. Linn. Brit. Syst.Fishes, tab. 56—Found along with the former.i. 416. Don.Pennant, Montagu, and some other ichthyologists, consider these two speciesas identical, the ventral carina of the latter being only somewhat indistinct.Donovan, however, seems to have pointed out, in the characters of thehead, sufficient distinguishing marks. " In all the specimens of Tvphle (he