NO- 3582 GENUS ENTOMACRODUS — SPRINGER 9 



Description. — Dorsal fin spines 13 (rarely 12 or 14); dorsal fin 

 rays 13-18; anal fin spines 2; anal fin rays 14-19 (see methods); 

 segmented caudal fin rays typically 13 (7 rays on upper half of hypural 

 vertebra, 6 on lower half), typically 2 most dorsal and 2 most ventral 

 rays simple, central 9 rays branched; pectoral fin rays 12-15 (14 in 

 over 90 percent of specimens of all species); pelvic fin rays 1,4; total 

 gill-rakers on first arch 9-30 (number increasing with increase in 

 SL in some species); pseudobranchial filaments 3-17 (number in- 

 creasing with increase in SL in some species); vertebrae, including 

 hypural, 33-36; 11th vertebra always bears first haemal spine; supra- 

 orbital cirri 1-38 (number increasing with increase in SL in some 

 species); nuchal cirri 0-20 (rarely lacking cirri on both sides except in 

 E. thalassinus and E. macrospilus; number increasing with increase in 

 SL in some species); cirri present on posterior margin of tube rim of 

 anterior nostril; predorsal commissural pores 2-69 (normally 3 or more, 

 increasing in number with increase in SL in most species, constant in 

 only one species); preopercular series of pores occupying 6 positions 

 (rarely 5 or 7) and varying from all positions with simple pores to all 

 positions with pairs or multiples of pores; pores before each anterior 

 nostril 1-7; posterior nostrils present; paired, or multiples of, pores 

 in circumorbital series at at least one position (usually along dorso- 

 posterior margin of orbit); lateral line pores on body side continuous 

 (sometimes with short side branches anteriorly) and arched in area 

 above appressed pectoral fin, composed of short disconnected bipored 

 tubes on midside, terminating posteriorly in area below and between 

 posterior dorsal spines and caudal fin origin; over 100 freely movable 

 teeth supported by each pair of premaxillaries and dentaries (more on 

 premaxillaries than dentaries), implanted in connective tissue (rather 

 than on bones of jaws); a relatively small to large recurved canine 

 (rarely absent) inserted posteriorly on each articular bone; 1-11 short, 

 truncate teeth on vomer (rarely absent, frequently easily removed); 

 6 branchiostegals; 4 pectoral fin radials (none fused together); 2 post- 

 cleithra; posttemporal forked; basisphenoid present; 5 circumorbital 

 bones (dorsalmost is probably the dermosphenotic) ; interopercle 

 reduced, internal to preopercle, well removed from subopercle, not 

 extending posterior to connection with epihyal; premaxillary concave 

 ventrally (to accept dental plate); dentary concave anteriorly (to 

 accept dental plate) ; ascending wing of parasphenoid reaching descend- 

 ing wing of frontal; pterosphenoid and prootic excluded from orbit 

 by ascending wing of parasphenoid; no pharyngobranchials; one upper 

 pharyngeal bone on each side, bearing several strong, pointed teeth; 

 2nd, 3rd, and 4th epibranchials attached to upper pharyngeal bone. 



Moderately small (to 153 mm SL) fishes with a deeply incised dorsal 

 fin between spinous and rayed portions; first spine over opercle; 



