116 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



The chief distinctive characters of the genus are the presence of strongly 

 pectinated scales on the cheeks and opercular bones, and the band of villiforni 

 teeth on the sides and of more scattered ones at the tip. 



In the armature of the preoperculum and operculum, it resembles the genus 

 Eoccus. In the connection of the dorsal fins at the base, the less allied Pacific 

 genera Lateolabrax of Bleeker, and Psammoperca of Richardson. The slightly 

 gibbous back in front of the dorsal fin, and the greater developement of the 

 second anal spine are secondary features, which support the natural characters 

 of Morone as distinguished from the genus Roccus. 



For the name of the genus, one used by Mitchell for a group founded in 

 error, has been adopted. The name of Mitchell resulted from a misunder- 

 standing of that author regarding the value of the terms made use of by Lin- 

 naeus. The genus Perca was placed by the Swedish naturalist in his section 

 of Thoracic!; Mitchell, believing that the Morone americana, Perca Ha- 

 ve s c e n s and Pomotis macula t us were rather abdominal fishes, considered 

 them to be generically distinct from Perca, and consequently gave to them the 

 generic name of Morone. It is scarcely necessary to state that all the species 

 enumerated have the normal position of the ventrals of Perca, and that there- 

 fore Morone of Mitchell was a mere synonyme of Perca of Linnaeus. I have 

 nevertheless preferred to take that name rather than to give a new one. 



Morone americana. Gill, 

 ct Synonymy. 



Perca Schoepff, Schrift. der Gesells. Nat. Freund, vol. viii. p. 159. 



Perca americana Gmel., Systema Naturae, vol. i., pars iii., p. 1308. 



Perca Schoepff, Naturforscher, vol. xx., p. 17. 



Perca americana Bloch, Systemae Ichthyologiae, Schneid. ed. 



Perca americana Lac, Hist. Nat. des Poissons, vol. iv. p. 412. 



Morone rufa Mitchell, Report in part on the Fishes of New York, p. 18. 



Bodianus rvfus Mitchell, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. of New York, vol. i. p. 

 420, Jan. 1814. 



Centropomus albus Raf. Precis des decouvertes Somilogiques, June, 1814. 

 p. 19. 



Perca mucronata Raf., American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review, vol. 

 ii. p. 205. 



Labrax mucronatus Cuv. and Val. Le petit Bar d'Amerique, Hist. Nat. de3 

 Poissons, vol. ii., p. 81, pi. 121. 



Bodianus rvfus Smith, Nat. Hist. Fishes of Mass, p. 274. 



Labrax mucronatus Storer, Report on Ichthyology of Mass., p. 8. 



Perca macronatus (misprint) Sw. Nat. Hist, of Fishes, Amphibians and 

 Reptiles, vol. ii., p. 198. 1839. 



Labrax rufus Dekay, Nat. Hist, of New York Fishes, p. 9, pi. 3, fig. 7. 



Labrax mucronatus Ayres, Boston Journal Nat. Hist., vol. iv., p. 257. 



Labrax mucronatus Linsley, Catalogue of Fishes of Connecticut. 



Labrax rufus Storer, Synopsis of the Fishes of North America, p. 22 ; ib. in 

 Memoirs of American Acad., new series, vol. ii., p. 274. 1846. 



Labrax rufus Storer, Hist, of the Fishes of Mass., p. 1, ib. in Memoirs of 

 American Acad., n. s., vol. v., p. 57. 



Labrax mucronatus Baird, Report on Fishes of New Jersey Coast, p. 8 ; ib. in 

 Ninth Annual Report of Smith. Inst. p. 322. 1855. 



Labrax americanus Holbrook, Ichthyology of South Carolina, p. 21, pi. 3, 

 fig. 2. 1855. 



Labrax rufus Gill, Annual Report of Smith. Inst., p. 256. 1857. 



Labrax mucronatus Hill, Catalogue of Fish of Jamaica, p. 1. 

 P. 



Labrax nigricans Dekay, Nat. Hist, of New York Fishes, p. 12, pi. 50, fig. 

 160. 1842. 



[April, 



