Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 1235 



Family CXL VII. LOBOTIDiE. 

 (The Triple-tails.'* 



This family is thus defined by Dr. Gill : * 



" Per CO idea with an oblong, compressed body,,equally developed above 

 and below ; a short snout and anterior eyes; edentulous palate; dorsal 

 and anal with the soft portions equal and opposite, the former preceded 

 by a much larger spinous portion, the latter with 3 spines; vertebrie 24, 

 12 abdominal and 12 caudal, the fifth to eleventh with short but gradu- 

 ally lengthening parapophyses projecting sideways and behind downward, 

 and the twelfth with the parapophyses elongated, converging at their 

 extremities, and fitting into a groove of the first hu'inal spine, the costif- 

 erous pits excavated obliquely in the developed parapophyses, and 

 gradually ascending forward on the vertebra;, and finally on the neura- 

 pophyses ; the skull with its frontal portion broad, expanded forward 

 and outward, and entering into the posterior borders of the orbits, which 

 are advanced far forward ; the postfrontals elongated forward and under- 

 lying the frontals; ethmoid short, decurved, and expanded sideways." 

 This family contains a single species, a large fish closely allied to the 

 Serranida', but lacking vomerine and palatine teeth, and with the fore 

 part of the head very short. Its relations are decidedly with the Serra- 

 nida' and not with the HamuUda', with which group it agrees in the 

 absence of teeth on the palate. (Pristipomatidce, genus Lohotes, Giintber, 

 Cat., I, 338.) 



520. LOBOTES, Cuvier. 



Lobotes, Cuvier, Rf gne Animal, Ed. 2, ii, 177, 1829, {erate = siirinamensis) . 



Body oblong, compressed, and elevated, covered with moderate-sized, 

 weakly ctenoid scales; profile of head concave, the snout prominent; 

 mouth moderate, oblique, with thick lips; upper jaw very protractile, 

 the lower the longer; maxillary without supplemental bone; jaws with 

 narrow bands of villiform teeth, in front of which is a row of larger conical 

 teeth directed backward ; no teeth on vomer or palatines ; preorbital nar- 

 rower than eye; preopercle strongly serrate. Branchiostegals 6. Dorsal 

 fin continuous, with 12 spines which may be depressed in a shallow 

 groove ; soft rays of dorsal and anal fins elevated ; anal spines gradu- 

 ated ; bases of soft dorsal and anal thickened and scaly ; caudal rou-nded. 

 Air bladder present. Pyloric c;eca 3 (Xofioroclohed: the soft parts of 

 dorsal, anal, and caudal thought to resemble one 3-lobed fin.) 



1623. LOBOTES SCRIXAMENSIS (Bloch). 

 (Fl.\sher ; Tkiple-t.\il ; Dormeifr.) 



Head 3 ; depth 1^ to 2J. D. XII, 15 ; A. III. 11 ; scales 47. Head small. 

 Profile from dorsal to occiput strongly convex, from occiput to snout con- 

 cave ; maxillary reaching beyond middle of orbit. Scales around eye very 



*Proc. U. S, Kat. Mus., 1882, 560. 



