THE SNAPPERS 



Family LI. Lit ti 'an idee 



BODY oblong, more or less elevated, covered with moderate- 

 sized, adherent scales, which are more or less strongly ctenoid or 

 almost cycloid; lateral line well developed, concurrent with the back, 

 not extending on the caudal fin; head large, the crests on the skull 

 usually largely developed; mouth moderate or large, usually terminal, 

 low and horizontal; premaxillaries moderately protractile; maxillary 

 long, without supplemental bone; teeth various, unequal and sharp, 

 never incisor-like, some of them sometimes molar; vomer and pala- 

 tines usually with villiform teeth, but these sometimes molar, some- 

 times very small, sometimes wanting; pseudobranchise large; gill- 

 rakers moderate or long; gill-membranes separate, free from the 

 isthmus; no spines on opercle; side of head usually scaly; dorsal fin 

 usually single, continuous, or deeply notched, sometimes divided into 

 2 fins, the spines usually strong, depressible in a groove, the spines 

 heteracanthous, i.e., alternating, the one stronger on the right side, the 

 next on the left; anal fin similar to soft dorsal; caudal usually more 

 or less concave; air-bladder present, usually simple; pyloric coeca 

 few; intestine short. 



This is one of the largest and most important families among 

 fishes, comprising about 20 genera and some 250 species, inhabiting 

 the shores of the warmer regions. All are valued as food, and all are 

 active, carnivorous, and voracious. In our waters 'are found about 35 

 species, representing 14 genera, and all of those of sufficient abun- 

 dance have high value as food-fishes; and several of them are among 

 our most interesting and attractive salt-water game-fishes. 



a. Nostrils remote from each other, the anterior tubular and near the 



end of the snout Hoplopagrus, 404 



aa. Nostrils close together, placed just before the eye, the anterior not 

 tubular. 



b. Interorbital area not flat nor separated from the occipital region. 



c. Prefrontals with the articular facets arising from diverging Y-shaped 



ridges. 



d. Pronto-occipital crest ceasing anteriorly far from front of frontals. 



Lutianus, 405 



dd. Pronto-occipital crest continued forward along top of head to 

 nearly opposite nostrils Ocyurus, 4 1 6 



403 



