828 liiilletin 4J, United States National Museutn. 



Polisionemus, Polynemns, and Fohjdacli/lus; tlie last 2 only are found iu 

 America ; species about 25, inhabiting sandy shores of tropical seas, and 

 sometimes entering rivers. Most of tiiem are valued as food-fishes, their 

 flesh resembling that of the tSciivnidxe. The relations of this peculiar fam- 

 ily appear to be with the Sciwuidw on the one hand, and with the Miujilidd 

 on the other, but all these resemblances may be superficial, {rohincmidu., 

 Giinther, Cat., 11, 331-340, 1860.) 



a. Anal fin much longer than soft dorsal, of about 30 rays; vomer without teeth; jiroopercu- 

 lum entire; free filaments of pectorals longer than body. Polynemvs, 370. 



aa. Anal fin not much longer than soft dorsal, of about 13 or 14 rays; vomer with teeth: pre- 

 operculum serrate; free filaments of pectorals mostly shorter than bodj'. 



POLYDACTVLUS, 371. 



370. POLYNEMUS (Gronow) Linnams. 



Pohinemtis, Guunow, Mus. Ichthj'ol., 31, 1754, {qumqunriits). 



PeutaHemus, Artedi, Seba; Thesaurus, iir, 74, 1758, (qninqmirius). 



Polynemns, Linn.f.us, Syst. Nat , Ed. x, 1758, 317, (in part; qninqnarius; virgitiicns; jiaradinseiu). 



Pentanermis, Gunther, Cat., il, 331, 18G0, {qiiinquarins). 



Polynemns, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 272, 1861, (restricted to qniuqvarinx). 



Anal fin much longer than soft dorsal, of about 30 rays ; vomer without 

 teeth; preoperculum entire ; free filaments of pectorals longer than body. 

 In other respects essentially as in Polydactylus. {iro'kvc, many; vyna, 

 thread.) 



liJOfi. POLYNEMUS QUINCJUARIl'S, Linnaus. 



D. VIII-I, 12; A. Ill, 30; scales 7-73-17. Anal fin much longer than 

 soft dorsal, of about 30 rays ; vomer without teeth ; preoperculum entire ; 

 free filaments of pectorals 5 in number, longer than body. Atlantic 

 Ocean ; West Indies to coast of Africa ; recorded from Cuba, Ashantee, 

 and the Eiver Niger ; very rare, and for a long time unknown in collec- 

 tions; not seen by us. {quinquarius, from the Latin qiiinqiie, five.) 



Polynemns, Gronow, Mus. Ichthyol., 31, 1754, American Ocean, fnmi a specimen in the 



Museum of Seba. 

 Pentanernns, Artedi, "Seba; Thesaurus, lii, 74, 1758," Museum of Seba. 

 Polynenms qninqnarius, LiNN.T.rs, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, 317, America; after Gronow; Gronow, 



Cat., Ed. Gray, 170, 1854, " Oceano America." 

 Pentmienms qninqnarius, GiiNTHER, Cat., ii, 331, ISCO; from Cuba. 

 Pohjncmus arledii, Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1831, 140, Africa. 

 Polynemns macronenms. Pel, Bydrage tot de Dierk., '.), 1851, Africa. 



371. POLYDACTYLUS, LacepMe. 

 (Barbudos.) 



Tricliidion, Klein, Historia Piscium, Missus., v, 28, 1749, (I'iracoaha, MARCi;RAVE = i'(V3!jiici(s), 

 (non-binomial). 



Polynemns, LlNNj:us, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, 317, (in part, quinquarius; virginicus; paradisicus). 



Potijdactylns, LACfipfinE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., viil, 181, 1832, (^jZuniim = virginicus), thus leaving Poly- 

 nemns as the name of quinquarius. 



Polynemns, GiiNTHER, Cat., 11, 319, 1860, {paradiaseus). 



Tricliidion, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, 274, {phimieri = virginicua). 



