Jordan and Evertnann. — Fishes of North America. 865 



(jij. Vomer toothless; palatines with a single row of rather stroug, conical teeth; 



body elongate, slightly compressed; vertebra; 50 to 54. Sarda, 393. 



/. Teeth of jaws strong, subtriangular or knife-like, more or le.ss compressed; villi- 



fiirm tectli on vomer and palatines; gill rakers comparatively few; coreelet 



obscure; pectorals inserted near level of eye; dorsal spines 14 to IS; body 



elongate, compressed; head short: snout short; vertebra; 45. 



SCOMBEROMORUS, .394. 

 AcANTII(irVl!IIN.T5 : 



W. Dorsal spines about 25; gills with the lamina; forming a network as in Xijildas; teeth 

 large, compressed, serrated, 

 i. Dorsal spines 24 to 20; body elongate, fusiform; snout long; vertebra; .32 + 34 = GG. 



ACANTHOCYBIUM, 395. 



388. SCOMBER (Aitedi) Liuuii-us. 

 (Mackerels.) 



Scomber (.\RTEDi) LrNN.'EUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 297, 1758, {scombrus). 



Cordi/lus, Gronow, Cat. Fishes, 1G3, 1854, {scomhriis), 



Pueioiiatophoriia, Joudan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 593, (jJiicHwwtop/ionis). 



Body fusiform, rather elongate, somewhat compressed ; caudal pedun- 

 cle slender, without median keel, but with two small keels on each side. 

 Mouth wide, with a single row of rather small, slender teeth in each 

 jaw and on the vomer and palatines ; maxillary slipping under the broad 

 preorbital, a fleshy lobe on each side of lower jaw near its junction with 

 maxillary. Scales very small, not forming a corselet. First dorsal of 9 

 to 12 feeble spines, separated from the second by an interspace greater 

 than the base of the fin ; second dorsal small, followed by 5 to 9 detached 

 finlets; anal similar to second dorsal, with similar fiulets ; pectorals and 

 ventrals small, the former placed high, on the level of the eyes; caudal 

 fin small, widely forked. Pyloric appendages exceedingly numerous. 

 Air bladder small or wanting. Vertebraj normally formed, 14 + 17=31. 

 Gill rakers long and slender. Species few, widely distributed, usually 

 swimming in large schools; carnivorous and migratory; everywhere 

 highly valued for food. ((T«6,u/3pof, Scomher, the ancient name of the com- 

 mon mackerel.) 



Scomber : 

 a. Air bladder wanting. 



b. Dorsal spines 11 or 12; sides of body below median line silvery. scoMuur.s, 1252. 



Pneumatophorus (nvevfj-a, air; (fiopeiu, to bear): 

 aa. Air bladder present. 



C. Dorsal spines 9 or 10; sides of body below median line in adult mottled, colias, 1253. 



Subgenus SCOMBER. 

 1252. SCOMBER SCOMBRUS, Linna;us. 



(Common Mackerel.) 



Head 3; depth 3i; eye less than snout, 5 in head. D. XI-12-V ; A. I, 

 11-V. Skull with inconspicuous parallel ridges ; suborbital somewhat 

 triangular, posterior border of eye not covered by radiating scales ; first 

 dorsal about as high as long, height of second about ^ its length ; a 

 groove connecting dorsals ; air bladder wanting. Snout rather long and 

 F. N. A 56 



