534 Btilletin 4"/, United States National Museum. 



First superior pharyngeal cartilaginous ; second without teeth ; third 

 and fourth separate, with teeth ; lower pharyngeals separate. Body 

 elongate, subterete. Head depressed, the snout triangular, rather pointed, 

 luterorbital region transversely concave. Mouth very wide ; premaxil- 

 laries not protractile, very long and strong, more than half length of 

 head ; maxillaries closely connected with them, very small or obsolete ; 

 premaxillaries with one or two series of large, compressed, knife-shaped 

 teeth, the inner and larger depressible; palatine teeth similar, smaller, 

 in a single broad band ; lower jaw with a band of rather large teeth, the 

 inner and larger teeth depressible ; a patch of strong, depressible teeth 

 on the tongue in front, and a long row along the hyoidbone ; jaws nearly 

 equal iu front. Eye rather large, anterior; supraorbital forming a pro- 

 jection above the eye. Pseudobranchite well developed. Gill rakers 

 very small, spine-like. Gill membranes slightly connected. Top of head 

 naked ; cheeks and opercles scaled like the body ; body covered with 

 rather small, adherent, cycloid scales ; lateral line present; no luminous 

 spots. Dorsal fin short, rather anterior ; pectorals moderate, inserted 

 high; ventrals anterior, not far behind pectorals, large, the inner rays 

 longer than the outer; anal short; caudal narrow, forked. Vent pos- 

 terior, much nearer base of caudal than base of ventrals. Branchioste- 

 gals 12 to 16. Stomach with a long, blind sac and many pyloric co^ca. 

 Skeleton rather firm. Species numerous. Voracious fishes of moderate 

 size, inhabiting sandy bottoms at no great depth, in most warm seas. 

 ((TVPoJrwf, ancient name of some fish, from avvodovq^ teeth meeting, not 

 shutting past each other like scissors.) 



a. Scales large, 43 to 50 iu the lateral line, whieh has a blunt keel posteriorly. 



6. Tips of first rays of dorsal not reaching tips of last rays when depressed; snout short, 

 broad, 4^^ i" head; shoulder girdle with a large black blotch, anal rays 10 or 11;* 

 scales 4-48-6. intermedius, 806. 



f)(). Tips of first rays of dorsal reaching tips of last rays when depressed. 



c. Shoulder girdle chiefly black; snout short, rounded, 4 in head; ventrals 1| in head; 



anal rays 10; scales 4-4S-5. evermanni, 807. 



cc. Shoulder girdle with the black spot very small or wanting; snout rather pointed, 



3% in head; ventrals IJ^ in head; anal rays 10 to 12. poeti, 808. 



aa. Scales small, 58 to 68 iu lateral line. 



d. Anal fin very short, its rays 8 only; pectoral fin short. 



e. Scales moderate, 58 in the lateral line; snout 4 in head; shoulder girdle slightly 



dusky; dorsal mottled. synodus, 809. 



ee. Scales small, 68 in the lateral line; snout 41.5 in head; shoulder girdle pale; dorsal 



mottled. I.ACKRTINUS, 810. 



<hL Anal fin moderate, its rays 10 to 13; shoulder girdle chiefly yellowish. 



/. Snout very broad, broader than long; alxmt 10 scales in .a cross series from dorsal 

 to ventral; jaws subequal; scales 4-60 to 64-5; tail with a slight keel. 



SAURUS, 811. 



ff. Snout not broader than long; more than 10 scales in a cross series from dorsal to 



ventral; lower jaw included; tail not keeled. 



g. About 4 rows of scales (6 counting obliquely) between lateral line and adipose 



fin; scales on cheeks in 4 to 7 rows. 



h. Head very small, 4;'^ to 4g in length; first ray of dorsal coterminous with 



last ray when the fin is depressed; cheeks with 4 rows of large scales: 



ventrals IJ iu head. Scales 6-61-6. scitiiliceps, 812. 



* In the count of rays in the species of Synodus, only those fully developed are enumerated, 

 the rudimentary simple ray being omitted. 



