File:A history of the fishes of the British Islands (1862) (14776764105).jpg

Identifier: historyoffisheso04couch (find matches)
Title: A history of the fishes of the British Islands
Year: 1862 (1860s)
Authors: Couch, Jonathan, 1789-1870 Lydon, A. F
Subjects: Fishes
Publisher: London, Groombridge and Sons
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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small, lips covering a row ofconical teeth; the upper row, as far as they can be counted,eight, below six. Gill openings a perpendicular slit. The backrises in a ridge from between the eyes, and slopes down againtowards the dorsal fin; and about an inch and a half beforethis fin is a small elevation; the fin itself narrow at the root,but extended in breadth. Anal fin further back, nearer thetail than the dorsal. A prominent spine posteriorly on eachmargin of the flattened surface, from which the thin borderrises to the place where the moveable caudal portion protrudesfrom the crust in a straight rudder, ending in a caudal fin;the border of which in this example is injured. The headand body are covered with hexagonal plates, marked in linesround a raised centre. The pectoral fin narrow. Colouryellowish brown, but obviously faded. In another example theborder of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins is round; the generalcolour dark, with a tinge of blue; but this was not a Britishspecimen.
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li 369 UALISTES. The body compressed, the skin both of the head and body coveredwith regularly formed plates, which do not overlap each other likescales; the mouth small, with distinct, strong, and broad teeth. Thegill openings simple, close above the pectoral fins. Two dorsal fins;the first witli very strong spines, of which the first is much thelongest, and of peculiar setting on, so that they can be depressed onlyin conjunction with each other. FILEFISH, CAPRISCUS. MEDITERR.-^NEAN FILRFISH. Batistes caprlscus, Linn^us. Willoughby; p. 152, PI. I 19. CUVIEU. Yakrell; Br. Fishes, vol ii, p. 472. Jenyns; Manual, p. 492. This fish is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean^ where Rissoreports it as showing itself chiefly in the hot season of theyear; but it appears to be scarcely common even theie, sinceWilloughby was not able to obtain an example, except aspreserved in a museum; and he appears to have known nothingof another species of the same family, which is found in thesame sea, and wit

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