FISHES OF THE PHILLIPINE SEAS AND ADJACENT WATERS 117 



Nemipierus Swainson, Nat. Hist. Animals, vol. 2, pp. 172, 223, 1839. (Type, 



Dentex filameniosus Valenciennes, monotypic.) 

 Polysteganus Klunzinger, Verh. zool. bot. Ges. Wien, vol. 20, p. 762, 1870. 



(Type, Polysteganus caeruleopimctatus Klunzinger, designated by Jordan, 



Genera of Fishes, pt. 3, p. 359, 1919.) 

 Taius Jordan and Thompson, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 41, p. 570, 1912. 



(Type, Chrysophrys tumifrons Schlegel, orthotypic.) 

 Opsodentex Fowler, Amer. Mus. Nov., No. 162, p. 4, 1925. (Tj'pe, Sparus 



macrophthalmijs Bloch, orthotypic.) 



Body oblong ovate to partly ovate, usually rather elevated, com- 

 pressed. Head moderate or large, front profile variously steep. Some- 

 times frontal gibbosity developed in old males. Snout moderate or 

 long. Eye moderate or large. Mouth cleft m.ore or less horizontal, 

 jaws nearly equal. Row of sharp conic teeth in both jaws, anterior 

 4 to 6 enlarged as canines ; behind several rows of small pointed teeth, 

 lateral vmiserial; no molars. Hind nostril oval or elongate slit, 

 equals or larger than front nostril. Preopercle entire. Opercle with- 

 out prominent spine. Preorbital wide, deep, entire. Gill rakers lan- 

 ceolate. Pseudobranchiae present. Air bladder with notch behind. 

 Pyloric coeca 4 or 5. Vertebrae 24, of which 14 are caudal. Scales 

 moderate or small, ctenoid. Cheek with more than 3 or 4 rows of 

 scales and preopercle flange scaly. Soft dorsal and anal scaleless, 

 without scaly basal sheaths. Lateral line complete, tubules with 

 ascending branch, bifurcate. Dorsal continuous, spines 10 to 13, 

 rays 10 to 12. Anal spines 3, rays 8 or 9. Caudal more or less forked. 

 Pectoral nearly long as head, ventral little shorter. 



Fishes of the warm or tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. Some 

 reach a large size and most valued as food. Many are brilliant rosy 

 or with golden. The designation of Dentex Jilamentosus Valenciennes 

 as the type of Dentex Cuvier, as given by Bleeker (Arch. Neerland. 

 Sci. Nat. Harlem, vol. 11, p. 279, 187G) is invalid, owing to tautonomy. 

 Likewise the designation of Dentex furcosus Valenciennes for Nemip- 

 ierus Swainson by Jordan and Fesler (Rep. U. S. Fish Comm., pt. 17, 

 p. 1505, 1889 [1893]) is unnecessary, as Swainson's genus is monotypic 

 and rightly a synonym of Dentex. 



The two following doubtfully belong with Dentex: 



Dentex trivittatus (Bloch) 



Lahrus triviltatus (Bloch), Naturg. Ausland. Fische, pt. 5, p. 106, 1791 (type 



locality: "Japan"). 

 Sparus vittatus Bloch, Naturg. Ausland. Fische, pt. 5, p. 275, 1791. 



This may represent some species of Dentex, though from Bloch's 

 description unidentifiable. The figure shows 9 rov/s of scales on the 

 cheek, inclusive of the preopercle flange. Three longitudinal blue 

 bands from eye along side of body. Paired fins rosy, others pale. 

 Jaws with 4 upper and 2 lower front canines. 



