864 Bulletin ^7, U7iited States National iWuseu/n. 



Mouth rather large, with lateral cleft; premaxillary not protractile; 

 maxillary without supplemental bone; Jaws with sharp teeth, large or 

 small. Vomer and palatines toothed or not. Preopercle entire ; opercle 

 unarmed. In the very young the preopercle is armed with radiating 

 spines, which are later ahsorhed and lost. Gill openings very wide, the 

 membranes not united, free from the isthmus. Gill rakers usually long. 

 Pseudobranchia* present, large. Gills 4, a slit behind the fourth. Bran- 

 chiostegals 7. Dorsal fins 2, the first of rather weak spines, depressible 

 in a groove, the second similar to the anal ; the elevated anterior lobe 

 always distinct ; anal spines weak ; last rays of dorsal and anal detached 

 and separate, forming in each case a series of finlets; caudal peduncle 

 extremely slender, keeled, the caudal lobes abruptly diverging, falcate, 

 the fin adapted for rapid motion; ventral fins well developed, thoracic, 

 I, 5. VertebriB iu greater number than in Caraiujidd, the number rang- 

 ing from 31 to 66. First upper pharyngeal present, without teeth ; second 

 with teeth; third and fourth coossified, with teeth ; lower pharyngeals 

 separate. Stomach sac-shaped. Pyloric cceca numerous. Air bladder 

 small, sometimes absent. Coloration metallic, often brilliant, the pre- 

 vailing shade steel blue. Genera about 12; species about 60. Fishes of 

 the high seas, many of them cosmopolitan, and all having a wide range; 

 most of them are valued as food-fishes, the flesh being firm and oily, but 

 sometimes coarse. {Scomhrida', part, Giinther, Cat., 11, 349-373.) 



SCOMBRIN.I', : 



a. Caudal peduncle without median keol on each side; dorsal fins well separated, the inter- 

 space being less than half length of head; spinous dorsal short, of 9 to 12 spines; 

 liody scaly; vertebra; normally formed; slender teeth on vomer and palatines; maxil- 

 lary entirely covered by preorbital; a fleshy lobe on each side of lower jaw near its 

 junction with maxillary; corselet very small or obsolete; gill raters long, slender, and 

 numerous; pectorals inserted high, on level of ej'e; vertebra' 14 J 17 = 31. 



Scomber, 388. 

 (Id. Caudal peduncle with median keel; a small keel above and one below this; pectoral 

 usually inserted below eye. 

 Saruin.t, : 

 h. Dorsal spines 10 to Ifi; gills normal, the lamina? not forming a network; teeth entire. 



c. Body ecaleless, excepting about the lateral line and corselet; abdominal vertebra' with 

 their lower foramina enlarged, and a portion between the vertebra; proper and the 

 ho:mapophyses developed in the form of a network or trellis. 

 d. Dorsals well separated, the interspace more than half head; corselet well devel- 

 oped; teeth small, some present on vomer, none on palatines; gill rakers long, 

 slender, and numerous; pectorals rather high; vertebra' 39. Aixis, 389. 



(hi. Dorsals contiguous, the interspace more than 5 in head; palatine teeth villiform; 

 pectorals low. 

 e. Vomer toothless; dorsal spines 15 or 16; vertebra: 38. Gvmnosarda, 390. 



cc. Body wholly covered with small scales, those on the corselet and lateral line sometimes 

 larger; dorsal spines 14 to 2fi; vertebra' normally formed, nut as in .4».ii,sand Oi/m- 

 nonarda. 

 f. Teeth of jaws slender, subconical, little, if at all, compressed; gill rakers numer- 

 ous; corselet distinct; pectorals inserted low. 

 g. Vomer and palatines with villiform or sand-like teeth; body robust, not com- 

 pressed; vertebra; 39 to 41. 

 h. Pectoral short, not reaching much beyond tip of the moderate ventral; 

 size enormous. TniNNUS, 3'.il. 



hh. Pectoral very long, ribbon-shaped, reaching much beyond front of anal; 

 size moderate. Germo, 392, 



