544 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 
the vertical from posterior margin of orbit. One continuous dorsal; 
dorsal and anal fins higher posteriorly, the longest rays reaching base 
of caudal. Eye twice the length of snout. Head more than one third 
length of body; depth D. II, 27; A. 15; Lat. 1. 90; L. transv. - 3 %. 
{Goode Bean.) Key West, Fla. 
(Goode & Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. ii, 341, 1879.) 
Family LXXXVIL— PEIACANTHID^. 
{The Big Eyes.) 
Body oblong or ovate, compressed, covered with small, firm, rough 
scales; all parts of the body and head, even the snout and maxillaries, 
being densely scaly. Head deep. Mouth large, very oblique, the lower 
jaw iiromiuent. Villiform teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines, none on 
the tongue. Premaxillaries protractile. Maxillary broad, without sup- 
plemental bone, not slipping under the very narrow preorbital. Eye 
very large, forming about half the length of the side of the head. 
Posterior nostril long, slit-like. Preopercle more or less serrated, one or 
more strong spines at its angle; operculum veiy short, ending in two or 
three points behind. Gill-membranes separate, free from the isthmus. 
Pseudobrauchice large. Gills 4, a slit behind the fourth. Gill-rakers 
long. Branchiostegals 6 . Lateral line continuous. Dorsal fin continu- 
ous, with about 10 spines, which are depressible in a groove; anal spines 
3, the soft part long, similar to the soft dorsal; veutrals large, thoracic, 
I, 5; pectorals small, rounded; caudal fin truncate or lunate. Spines 
of fins generally rough with small serrm. Air-bladder large. Pyloric 
coeca few. Small carnivorous fishes of the tropical seas; mostly rose- 
colored in life. Genus 1 ; species about 20 . 
{PercidcB, groui) Priacanthina Gunther, i, 215-221.) 
2§0.— PRIACANTHUS Cuiver. 
Big Eyes. 
(Cuvier, Ri-gne Auim. ii, 1817: type Priacanthus macrophtlialmus Cuvier.) 
Characters of tlie genus included above, {-piiov^ saw; ay.av0a^ spine; 
from the serrature of the spines.) 
a. Body more than twice as long as deep; scales small. {Prlacanthus.) 
85§. P. macrophthalnius Cuv. & Val. — Big Eye. 
Uniform red, fins edged with dusky. Body oblong, compressed, but 
little elevated. Gajie of mouth subvertical, maxillary passing front of 
