Jordan and Evcnnann. — Fishes of North America. liOl 



from base to tip; lateral teeth of lower jaw larger than anterior. Tre- 

 opercle with its menibranaceous edge serrulate, the lione entire. Lower 

 pharyngeal bones separate, their teeth all pointed. Gill raiiers strong, 

 rather long. Vertebra; al)out 14 + 10 (instead of 10 + 14 as in Scia'uoids 

 generally). Pseudobranchia' well developed; dorsal sj)ines slender, the 

 fins closely contiguous; anal spines 1 or 2, very feel)le, the soft rays 7 to 

 13; second dorsal long and low, more than twice length of anal; ventrals 

 inserted below pectorals, the pubic bone long and strong; caudal lin sub- 

 truncate or lunate. Large iishes chiefly of the waters of America, closely 

 related to the Old World genus Otolithus, from which they are distinguished 

 by the absence of canines in the lower jaw. All of them rank high as food 

 fishes; the flesh is rich, but in some species tender and easily torn; hence 

 the popular name Weak-fishes. {Kvcoy, tlog; dxiov, Sciwna; the modern 

 Greek name of Umbrina cirrhosa.) 



Cynoscion : 

 a. Scales not very .small, the lateral lino having 55 to 75 pores, tlio number of transverse 

 series ranging from 55 to 85, being not much in excess of tho number of pores; 

 head compressed, not truly conical; upper jaw with distinct canines, the band of 

 teeth in the upper Jaw rather narrow, the lower teeth small and in few series in 

 front, larger and uniserial on the sides. 

 6. Soft rays of the dorsal and anal more or less closely scaled ; gill rakers com- 

 paratively long and slender, 9 to 12 on the lower part of the arch, the longest 

 at least J the diameter of the eye. 

 c. Soft dorsal of 20 to 23 rays. 



d. Caudal fin rhombic, the middle rays considerably produced. 



e. Snout short, bluutish, 4| in head; mouth small, little oblique, the 



canines quite small; color pale, with faint darker streaks ; axil 



pale, psoudobranchiiB sometimes wanting. D. IX-I, 20; A. I, 



8. ACOUPA, 1774. 



ee. Snout long, about 3| in head; maxillary reaching bej^ond eye; 



pectoral shortish, 1| in head; color uniformly silvery; axil 



brown. D. VIII-I, 21 or 22 ; A. II, 10. squamipinnis, 1775. 



(id. Caudal fin deeply lunate; the middle rays shorter than the upper 



ones ; coloration plain ; maxillary reaching beyond eye. D. IX-I, 



23 ; A. II, 10. OTHONOPTERU.S, 1776. 



cc. Soft dorsal of 26 to 29 rays ; caudal fin subtruncate oi- double-truncate, the 

 middle rays but slightly produced. 

 /. Coloratu)n nearly uniform silvery. 



g. Caudal truncate; body slender, the depth more than 4 in length; 

 snout short ; maxillary not reaching beyond eye. D. X-I, 27 ; 



A. I, 11. OBLIQUATUS, 1777. 



gg. Caudal weakly double-concave; body deep, the depth 3^ to 3J in 

 length. 

 /(. Snout long, 3| in head, longer than eye. .jamaicensi.s, 1778. 

 hh. Snout short, 4 J iu head, shorter than eye. D. X-I, 27 to 29, 

 A. II, 9 or 10. NOTHUS, 1779. 



ff. Coloration brownish silvery above, with many dark brown spots, 

 arranged in undulating streaks; body more or less compressed; 

 eye moderate, 5 to 7 in head ; maxillary extending to below pos- 

 terior margin of eye, 2J in head ; canines large ; color brownish 

 silvery, with iridescent reflections, and marked with many small, 

 rather irregular dark-brown spots, some of which form undulat- 

 ing lines running upward and backward ; upper tins dusky, lower 

 yellowish. 

 3030 -11 



