204 BULLETIN 100, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Dorsuarius Lacep^de, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 5, p. 482, 1803. (Type, Dorsuarius 



nigrescens (Commerson) Lacep:^de, monotypic.) 

 Xyster Lac^p^de, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 5, p. 484, 1803. (Type, Xyster fuscua 



(Commerson) Lacep^de, monotypic.) 

 Xysterus Rafinesque, Analyse de la nature, p. 95, 1815. (Type, Xyster fuscus 



(Commerson) LACEPfeoE. Xysterus Rafinesque proposed for Xyster 



Lacepede.) 

 Saleima Bowdich, Excursion to Madeira, p. 238, fig. 37, 1825. (Type, Saleima 



aurata Bowdich, monotypic.) 

 Opisthistiiis Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1862, p. 245. (Type, 



Sciaena tahlmel RtJppELL, monotypic.) 

 Segutilum Whitley, Australian ZooL, vol. 6, pt. 4, p. 319, 1931. (Type, Pinie- 



lepterus sydneyanus Gunther, orthotypic.) 

 Leptokyphosus Whitley, Australian Zool., vol. 6, pt. 4, p. 320, 1931. (Type, 



Kyphosus gihsoni Ogilby, orthotypic.) 



Body elongate, ovate, regularly elliptical, moderately compressed. 

 Head short. Snout blunt. Eye large. Mouth small, horizontal. 

 Maxillary barely reaching eye. Each jaw with single row of rather 

 narrow obtusely lanceolate incisors, with conspicuous compressed 

 roots posteriorly; behind narrow band of vomerine teeth; fine teeth 

 on vomer, palatines, and tongue. Preopercle obtusely serrate. 

 Preorbital narrow, covering but little of maxillary. Gill rakers 

 long. Pseudobranchiae present. Branchiostegals 7. Air bladder 

 divided posteriorly into 2 horns, sometimes notched anteriorly. 

 Vertebrae 25 or 26, of which 15 or 16 caudal. Pyloric coeca very 

 numerous. Intestinal canal long. Scales small, ctenoid, thick, about 

 60 to 80 in lateral line. Space about eyes and interorbital naked. 

 Small scales entirely cover vertical fins and extend up on pared fins. 

 Dorsal depressible in groove of scales. Lateral line scales small, 

 continuous. Dorsal low, continuous, spines 11, but last so low to 

 form depression; rays 11 to 14, fin low forward, not falcate, pointed 

 behind. Anal spines 3, soft fin like soft dorsal, rays 11 to 14. Caudal 

 moderately emarginate. Pectorals small, pointed. Ventrals well 

 posterior to pectorals. 



analysis of species 



a^. Kyphosus. Spinous dorsal higher than soft dorsal. 



¥. D. XI, 12; A. Ill, 11; depth 2 to 3; preorbital scaleless. 



c*. Scales 63 along above lateral line to caudal base sydneyanus. 



c^. Scales 76 to 80 along above lateral line to caudal base bigibbus. 



62. D. XI, 13; A. Ill, 12; depth 2>^; preorbital naked oblongior. 



b». D. XI, 14 to 15; A. Ill, 13 or 14. 



d^. Depth 2 to 2)4; scales 70 to 75 along above lateral line; preorbital 



naked vaigiensis. 



d^. Depth 2>4; scales 80 to 88 along above lateral line; preorbital finely 



scaled bleekeri, 



a 2. Opisthistius. Soft dorsal and anal higher than either spinous fin; D. XI, 

 12; A. Ill, 11 cinerascens. 



