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Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Series 6 Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tnah12 LXI.—Observations on some fossil fishes from the lower Carboniferous Rocks of Eskdale, Dumfriesshire R.H. Traquair M.D. F.R.S. Published online: 12 Oct 2009.

To cite this article: R.H. Traquair M.D. F.R.S. (1890) LXI.—Observations on some fossil fishes from the lower Carboniferous Rocks of Eskdale, Dumfriesshire , Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Series 6, 6:36, 491-494, DOI: 10.1080/00222939008694073 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222939008694073

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LXI.--Observations on some Fossil P~shes from the Lower Carboniferous Rocks of Eskdale~ D,tl~#'[esshh'e. By 1~. H. TRAQuAnt, M.D., F.R.S. SINCE the publication o[ the first part of my " Report" oil th~ fossil fishes obtained by the Geological Survey of Scotland in Eskdale and Liddesdale a considerable quantity of new mate- rial has been collected in this district, as well by the Sm'vey as also by Mr. Jex, collector to Mr. Damon, of Weymouth, and by Mr. T. Stock and others. Prior to the publication of a second part of tile " Report," I propose in tile present instance to make a few remarks on some of the specimens which were procured from the late Mr. Robert Damon ibr the Edinburgh Downloaded by [North Carolina State University] at 12:23 07 March 2015 Museum of Science and Art. Acanthodes nltidus, A. S. Woodward. Characterized by having tile ventral spines more posteriorly situated than in other Carboniferous species of the genus. [ had intended naming this species~ but as my friend Sir. A. ~mith ~roodward intbrms me that he had independently diag- nosed and named it in the second part of his ~ Catalogue of the Fossil Fishes in the British Museum/now in the press, I have pleasure in adopting his name. 35* 492 Dr. 11. H. Traqualr on ]~hadin~c]~thys eleqanlul~t 5 Traq. t~hadinichthys Geikiel, Traq. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. xxx. 1881, p. 25, non Proe. Roy. Soc. Edinb. ix. 1877,'p. 438. ]~hadinlchthys Geikiei, var. elegantuh~s, Traq. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. xxx. 1881, p. 27. 2~hadinichthys deli~atubts, Traq. ibid. p. 29. In the Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinb. 1889-90, pp. 397, 398, I have given my reasons for referring the original Rhadinichthys Geikiei to Rh. earinatus, Ag., and also for believing that the Eskdale fish is a distinct species, for which the term eleqan- tulus, which I had used to designate a variety, must now be adopted. From this species I can no longer separate Rh. delicatulus. Aerolepls orthole2is , Traq. .Eloniehthys ortholepls, Traq. Geol. Mag. (3) vol. i. 1884, p. 7. Aerolepis ortholepis, Trac1. Proc. :Roy. Soc. Edinb. 1889-9% p. 398. The Edinburgh .~{useum possesses a splendid specimen of a large Palmoniseid, 25-} inches in length, which, from the scale-ornament, I nmst refer to the same species as the fish in the British Museum go which six years ago I gave the name of ElonicMhys ortholepis. In the present specimen, however~ the great thickness of the scales, along with their shape, indicate that its position is in Acrolepis, a position corrobo- rated by the absence of serrations aIong 6he posterior margins of the scales. The original "]~lonic/~t]qis " ortholepis is, it may be added, an immature example 12 inches in length. Styracopterus Jhlcratus, Traq. .Holurusfulcratus, Traq. Trans. :Roy. Soc. Edinb. xxx. p. 46. The original specimen of tIolurus fulcratus, Traq, in the collection of the Geological Survey of Scotland is a mere fi'agment. By a mistake its locality was given as Glen- cartholm, whereas it was in reality found at Tarras Foot. The Geological Survey officers have since acquired a number of additional specimens from the same locality which show that the species does not belong to Itolurus, but to a new Downloaded by [North Carolina State University] at 12:23 07 March 2015 genus closely allied to Benedenicifth!ts ~, Tra% from the Carboniferous Limestone of Belgium. As these specimens belong to the Survey, I must defer their description to the forthcoming second part of the " Report." * Benedenhes, Traq., in de Koninck's ~Faune du Calcaire earbonif~re de la Belgique,' pt. i. 1878, p. L5. A critic in the Ann. &Mag. Nat. Hist. (5) vol. vi. 1880, p. 97~ having pointed out that the name ".I]enedenius" is preoccupied, I propose to alter it to .Benedenichthys, and at the same time to state that I have become convinced that, though it presents many re- semblances to the Platysomidm, it is after all more Palaeoniscid, and should be restored to the family Pal~eoniscidm. Fossil Fishes ji'om Damji'iesshire. 493 )IEs0PO)IA~ gen. nov. Body fusifbrm~ suspensorium only very slightly obliqu% bu't the maxilla shaped as in typical Pal~eoniscid~e. Dorsal fill nearly opposite the anal. I propose to separate from the genus Canobius the species pulehellus (op. cir. p. 51) and polltus (op. cir. p. 53)~ oft account of the more typically Pala~oniscid configuralion of their facial bones. I should have included them in Rhadin. icht.hgs were it not for the very slight obliquity of the suspen- sorlum~ which excludes them from the definition of the genus along with another species fi'om the Pumpherston oil-shales, which I recently described as Rh. macrocel)hahts e,. These species will therefore in future stand as Mesopomapulchelhtm~ politum~ and macroce_phalum. Mesolepis tuberculatus~ sp. n., Traq. Of this I have seen no really complete specimens. Such as have occurred show a small deep fish~ about 4 inches in length and 2 in depth~ with a large head occupying about one third of the entire length. From the structure of the head~ so far as it is seen, the position of the dorsal fin which com- mences at the culminating part of the back~ and the shape of the scales~ which are high and narrow~ there can be no doubt as to the species being referable to Mesolepis. The scales differ fi'om those of any known species in being ornamented externally with a sharply defined tubereulation~ the tubercles often tending to become confluent transversely. Localiqt. Glencartholm~ Eskdale. Type in Edinburgh ~nseum. Mesole29is has not hitherto been recorded from strata below the horizon of the Millstone Grit. 3lesoleTis rhombus, sp. n.~ Traq. Length 5 inches ; depth of body just in front of dorsal fin 2½ inches ; length of head contained a little more thau three times in the total. Dorsal fin commencing at culminating point of back~ high in front~ then falling away to a fringe Downloaded by [North Carolina State University] at 12:23 07 March 2015 which ends close to the tail-pedicle; anal fin short-based~ triangular~ acuminate; caudal deeply cleft~ heterocercal. Ventral fins small ; pectorals not seen. Scales rather small~ narrow~ their surface ornament badly preserved~ but appa- rently consisting of rounded tortuous ridges~ sometimes passing into tubercle% whose direction is mainly parallel with the anterior and posterior borders of the scale. Dentitiort not visible ; head conformable to the type of Ai~solepis. * Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinb. fox"1889-90, 13. 398. 494 Mr. G. E. Dobson on new Species of Croei~tura. This second new species of .Ilesolepis is at once distin- guishable from ~L tuberculatas bg the seale-oruament~ and fi'om the Coal-measure species M. Wardi, Young, by the greater proportional size of the head and the peculiar small- hess and narrowness of the scales. Locality. Glencartholm, Eskdale. Type in Edinburgh :Museum.

C]~eb'odopsis Gelklei, Traq. More perfect examples of this interesting Platysomid show that not only were the dorsal and ventral peaks of Chei. rodus wanting, but that it possessed well developed ventral fins which are absent in the allied genus.

Tarrasius problemat;cus, Traq. Prof. Zitte], in the ichthyological part of his ~ Handbuch der Paheontologie,' has provisionally placed this extraordinary fossil fish in the Dipnoi % More recent acquisitions show that such a view of its position is quite untenable, the pectoral fin, unknown previously~ being rounded and with only a very small basal lobe. We now know the form of the enth'e fish, and, though the osteology of the head is not sufficiently clearly exhibited to decide its systematic position with al~solute certainty, the obtusely lobate eh~.racter of the pectoral fin seems to point towards the Crossopterygii. The teeth are small and obtuse. ~l'he anterior part of the body is naked~ the small Aean- thodian-like scales only commencing behind the abdominal region. There is no trace of ventral fins. The locality of the original specimen was in the " Report" erroneously stated to be Tarras Foot. All the examples as yet known were found at Gleneartholm i nevertheless the name of the genus must stand.

Downloaded by [North Carolina State University] at 12:23 07 March 2015 LXII.--Descrlptions of new Species ~?fCroeidura. By G. E. DOBSON, M.A, F.R.S. Crocidura GJ'ayi. Like C. Horsfieldii ~, bat conslderably larger, although the tail is not longer than in that species and is similarly nearly naked ; the fur (so far as can be ascertained from an inspee- * I. Abtheihmg, 3 Band~p. 129. t Croeidura Homfieldii~ Tomes,= (~: reborn, Peters.