100 PROCEEDINGS OF TIIE ACADEMY OF 



May 21s/. 



Vice President Bridges, iu the Chair. 



Thirty-four members present. 

 Papers were presented for publication, entitled : 

 " Descriptions of Forty-nine New Species of the Genus Malauin," by 

 Isaac Lea. 



" Synopsis of the Uranoscopoids," by Theo. Gill. 



May 2St7i. 



Mr. Lea, President, in the Chair. 



Twenty-eight members present. 



On report of the respective committees, the following papers wore 

 ordered to be published in the Proceedings : 



On the HAPLOIDONOTINiE. 

 BY THEODORE GILL. 



There are found in the larger fresh water rivers and lakes of North America, 

 west of the Rocky Mountains, and in the sea and inlets along its eastern and 

 gulf coast, fishes which have the closest external resemblance to the typical 

 Scisenoids, and especially to the Corvince. Yet those fishes whose external 

 characters are scarcely sufficient to even justify generic separation from the 

 Corvince are distinguished by a structure of the lower pharyngeal bones, which 

 is entirely different from that exhibited by the corresponding bones of the 

 Sciaeninffi. The difference existing between them is of such character that the 

 learned Johannes Muller considered himself justified in assigning to them an 

 ordinal value, and his views have been since adopted by almost all of the 

 most learned ichthyologists. In the Scieeninae, the lower pharyngeal bones 

 are always and as decidedly distinct from each other as in any of the Acan- 

 thopteri of Mailer. In the fishes now under discussion, the corresponding 

 bones of the adult are firmly and immovably united in the same manner as 

 those of the Pharyngognathi. The study of them is therefore of the greatest 

 interest and importance, for we have thus the simple question of the value ot 

 the comparative characters of one part of the organization, relieved of all 

 secondary considerations, to decide upon. There are no other differences of 

 structure to accompany this one supposed fundamental character. 



There had been previously known many forms, which had respectively the 

 acanthopteran and pharyngognathan pharyngeal bones, which mutually re- 

 semble each other. Such are the Centrarchinae and the Chromoids. The mem- 

 bers of these two groups have a very strong resemblance to each other. This 

 is equally exhibited in form, in the armature of the fins, in color and in habits. 

 But it is found that while the first fishes have always teeth, at least on the 

 vomer, six branchiostegal rays and an entire lateral line, the Chromoids have 

 the palatine arch entirely edentulous, only five branchiostegal rays, and the 

 lateral line always interrupted ; it may perhaps be also added that the fishes 

 of the last family have the intermaxillary bones with longer ascending 

 processes, and consequently capable of greater protrusion than those of the 



[May, 



