68 CYBIUM MACULATUM. 



The pre-opercle is incurved at its ascending border, and smooth. The opercle 

 is rounded, smooth, flat, and slightly projecting at its angle. The gill-openings 

 are large ; there are seven branchial rays. 



The anterior dorsal fin is rather low, and has eighteen spinous rays ; the first is 

 longest, and the posterior very short, almost concealed in the anterior root of the 

 second dorsal ; these are received in a groove when the fin is closed. The second 

 dorsal is elevated in front, but soon becomes depressed, and in this way termi- 

 nates ; it has one spinous and fifteen soft rays, the anterior stout and strong, like 

 a concealed spine ; the second, third, and fourth are longest. Behind this fin are 

 eight small finlets, round at their roots, but compressed and broad above ; the last 

 portion of the dorsal appears like a finlet, but is not perfectly separated. The 

 pectoral arises close to the opercle, and is rather long and narrow, though broad at 

 its root ; it is sub-falciform, and terminates in a point about the tenth dorsal spine ; 

 it has eighteen rays ; and the axilla is deepened by a portion of skin adhering to 

 the fin and to the belly. The ventrals are very small, short, and close together ; 

 they begin on a line Avith the posterior margin of the root of the pectorals, and 

 terminate about their posterior third ; their internal margins are connected by a 

 fold of skin to the belly, and each has one spinous and five soft rays. The anal fin 

 has two spinous and fifteen soft rays, and is falciform ; it begins opposite the third 

 dorsal ray, and terminates beyond its ninth ; there are eight finlets behind it. The 

 caudal is bi-lobed ; each lobe is long, slender, and pointed ; there are twenty-two 

 rays. 



The lateral line is slightly undulated, though concurrent at first with the out- 

 line of the back ; it runs nearly along the upper third of the body, to the anterior 

 part of the second dorsal, when it suddenly curves down to the median plane, and 

 thus is continued with slight flexures to the tail, where it terminates in a crest or 

 carina, which appears large and sub-triangular if seen from above, as its elevation 

 is one fourth of its length. Both above and below this crest is another, less promi- 

 nent, though nearly as long ; these begin on a line vertical with the middle of the 

 first, and run along the roots of the lobes of the caudal fin. 



