Jordan and Evcrmann. — Fishes of North America. 2275 



MALACANTHIK^ : 



a. Vertebr:B24; preopercle entire. 

 h. Soft dorsal and anal extremely long, each with more than 40 rays ; preopercle entire ; 

 form slender ; scales very small. Malacanthtjs, 838. 



aa. Vertebraj more than 24 ; preopercle more or less serrate. 



CAULOLATILIN^ : 



c. Soft dorsal and anal moderate, each with 22 to 27 soft rays; preopercle serrate; 

 scales rather small ; form robust. 

 d. Upper jaw with posterior canines; dorsal spines graduated. 



Caulolatilus, 839. 



LATILIN^ : 



ec. Soft dorsal and anal sliort, each of 13 to 15 soft rays ; preopercle denticulate ; scales 

 small; form robust. 

 e. Nape with a largo adipose appendage; aflesliy prolongation on each side of the 

 labial fold, extending forward behind angle of mouth. 



LOPHOLATILUS, 840. 



838. MALACANTHUS, Cuvier. 

 (Matajuelo Blanco.) 



Malacanthvs, CrviER, Kegne Animal, Ed. 2, vol. 11, 205,1829 (plumieri). 



Body elongate, slightly compressed; cleft of moutli horizontal, with 

 the jaws equal; eyes lateral; scales very small, minutely ciliated; one 

 continuous dorsal, with the first 4 to 6 rays not articulated; dorsal and 

 anal very long; pectoral rays all branched; jaws with villiform teeth; an 

 outer series of stronger teeth, some of them canine-like, and with a canine 

 at the posterior extremity of the intermaxillary ; no teeth on the palate ; 

 preopercle entire ; opcrcle with a spine; gill rakers little developed; ver- 

 tebraj in small number, 10 + 14^24. One species, a shore fish of tropical 

 America. (//a/laKos, soft; axavBa, spine.) 



2610. MALACAXTHCS PLUMIEBI (Bloch). 



(Matajuelo Blanco.) 



" Head 3f ; depth 6^. D. VI,49; A. 48; scales 14-130-30; eye5Hn head; max- 

 illary 2i; snout 2^; P. 2; longest dorsal rays 3, equal to anal ray; upper 

 caudal lobe If. Body elongate, little compressed. Head moderately 

 long and pointed; eye placed high; interorbital flat, as wide as eye; pro- 

 file of head obliquely straight from tip of snout to above nostril, where 

 there is a slight angle formed, thence nearly horizontally straight to 

 dorsal. Mouth large, maxillary reaching slightly past the vertical from 

 posterior nostril; jaws equal; a band of villiform teeth in upper jaw 

 growing broader anteriorly, and another row of small, even, conical teeth 

 at the sides, and 6 well-developed canines in front, the 2 outer ones the 

 largest ; a canine on premaxillary at angle of mouth ; villiform teeth in 

 lower jaw not extending very far back; large recurved canines on side of 

 jaw anteriorly, small conical teeth in front and on sides posteriorly, with 

 a single large canine at angle of mouth; gill rakers rudimentary, about 

 5-f 7. Top of head forward from above middle of eye, preorbital, and 

 lower jaw, naked; fins withou scales. Dorsal and anal similar, long 

 and low, continuous ; pectoral reaching past tips of veutrals to front of 



