Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 1771 



nn. Skull some what papery; ridges smooth; interorbital space concave; 

 mesethmoid processes directed upward : ventral process of baai- 

 spheuoid well developed in botli young and old. constellatus; 



HOSACEUS; KHODOCHLORIS ; CHLOROSTICTUS ; KUPESTRIS. 



mtn. Supraocular spine absent. 



o. Interorbital space not widening markedly backward. 



p. Parietals not meeting ; skull papery. elongatus. 



pp. Parietals meeting; skull bony. 



q. Nuchal spines none. rubeivinctus; levis. 



qq. Nuchal spines present; ridges thick and high. 



SERRICEP.S; NIGROCINCTUS. 



00. Interorbital space widening markedly backward; parietals not 

 meeting. 

 r. Coronal spines present; skull bony. auriculatus. 



rr. Coronal spines none. 



«. Skull thick; bones striated; interorbital space slightly 



convex. rastrelliger. 



ss. Interorbital space concave and the cranial ridges strong 



and high. VEXILLARIS; MALIGER; CARNATUS; 



CHRYS0MELA8; NEBULOSUS; GILBERTI. 



The interorbital space becomes more concave and narrower and the ridges stronger 

 and higher from the beginning to the euo of the series. 



Messrs. Eigenmann & Beeson have attempted to subdivide this genus 

 into several on the basis of cranial characters. Mr. Cramer has given in 

 detail in tlie paper above qnoted his reasons for rejecting these proposed 

 genera and for reverting to the sequence of species in Jordan & Gilbert's 

 Synopsis. The character especially put forward by Eigenmann & Beeson, 

 that of the contact (not union) of the parietals, seems to us of very slight 

 value, even as a specific distinction. 



The following is the analysis of genera of Sebastime given by Eigen- 

 mann & Beeson.* 



SEBASTIN.H : 



a. VertebriB 27 or more. 



b. Dorsal spines 14 to 16; the lower pectoral rays thickened, unbranched, and 



l)roduced; ventrals directly under pectorals. Suborbital stay strong spi- 



'^>'''^™»«- Sebastolobus. 



bb. Dorsal spines 13 ; vertebra' 27. 



c. Palaiines with teeth. Lower pectoral rays unbranched, their tips pro- 

 jecting. 

 d. Parietals meeting above the supraoccipitaI,t except sometimes in 

 Primospina. 

 e. Jaws equal; head narrow above; high and prominent cranial 

 keels ending in spines. Preocular, supraocular, tympanic, 

 and parietal present. Gill rakers usually short, spatulate 

 or clavate, their broadened tips spiniferous. Scales usually 

 very strongly ctenoid; accessory scales numerous; sub- 

 orbital stay directed obliquely downward and backward; 

 second anal spine much heavier than and at least as long as 

 third. Body short and deep, back arched, mouth very large 

 but rather narrow, head heavy. Inter and sub opercle with- 

 out .spine. Branchio-stegals and lower Jaw naked. Three or 

 4 large pores along each ramus of the lower jaw. Species 

 usually with cross bands. Sebastichthys. 



* Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xvn, 1894, 375-407. 

 t See Sehastomus cereus and elongatus. 



