528 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IT. 



i. Cranium \vith only the median crest developed; anal rays 



about III, 9 EPIXEPHELUS, 276. 



/(7(/i. Maxillary unknown; "pyloric cceca innumerable." 



PROMICROPS, 277. 



tt Brancbiostegals 6; dorsal spines 10, the third filamentous BULKS, 278. 



** Aual spines obsolete or reduced to 2; scales very small, smooth. (Rhypticina?.) 



j. Dorsal spines 2 or 3 only RHYPTICUS, 279. 



27O. CENTROPO31US Lacdpi-.le. 



( Oxy labrax Bleeker. ) 

 (Laco'peu'e, Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv, 248, 1802: type Sciaaia undecimalis Bloch.) 



Body elongate, covered with rather small, ctenoid scales. Head 

 oblong-conical, depressed, lower jaw projecting ; teeth on jaws, vorner, 

 and palatines, all villiforro, without canines; tongue smooth. Maxillary 

 with a strong supplemental bone. Preopercle serrated; two stronger 

 spines at its angle; opercle without true spines; preorbital and supra- 

 scapular usually serrated. Dorsal fins entirely separated; the first with 

 8 spines; the first and second spines usually much shorter than the 

 third. Anal fin short, with 3 spines, the second of which is long and 

 strong. Caudal forked. Lateral line conspicuous, extending on the 

 caudal fin. Branchiostegals 7. Species numerous, inhabiting tropical 

 seas. According to Professor Gill the skeleton of Centropomus differs 

 so widely from that of the other Serranoids that it should constitute a 

 separate family, (-/.ivrpov, spine; TTW//CZ, operculum.) 



a. Lat. 1. about 70; body elongate. 



879. C. 83BEd4M-5jnaaas (Bloch.) Cuv. & Val. Kol>l<>. 



Silvery, greenish above; lateral line black, very distinct; dorsal and 

 caudal dusky; other fins yellowish; ventrals without dusky area. Pre- 

 orbital nearly entire,. Third dorsal spine longer than the fourth; second 

 anal spine comparatively short, about as long as third. Air-bladder 

 anteriorly with two long, slender, backward directed horns. Head 3; 

 depth4i. D. VII-1,9; A.III,(); Lat. 1. 70. A largr loo.Hisli, abundant 

 in the West Indies; ranging northward to Lower California, Florida, 

 and Texas. 



,,niii until, iintilix Mlorli. lehih. :to:?: (iiintln-r. i, 79: Vaillant vS. I'.ornurt. Miss. Sci. 

 an Mex. iv, 17: (.'rnii-itjioinioi i-iriilix J.orUiu^ton, 1'rof. <'a!. A-ad. Nat. Sei. 1877, 16.) 



971. ROC^ITS Mitrhill. 



Bass. 



(L(il-ns Cnvicr. 1-1? : prcniTiipii'd in Chiriilir.) 



(Mitehill, IJi'itf. part, 1'i^b. N. V. 1-1 1. 25: type lioccue striutu* Mit.-h. = Scicrna lin- 

 cata JHoch.) 



Body oblong or ovate, compressed and more or less elevated. Head 



