174 BULLETIN 10 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Family SERRANIDAE 



Body oblong, more or less compressed, dorsal and ventral profiles 

 usually not exactly alike. Caudal peduncle of moderate depth. 

 Mouth moderate to large, not very oblique. Premaxillaries protrac- 

 tile and wide maxillary usually not slipping its whole length into 

 sheath formed by preorbital, which mostly narrow. Each premaxil- 

 lary branch with hind expansion internal to maxillary. Supplemental 

 maxillary present or absent. Teeth conic or pointed, in bands in 

 jaws and usually present in bands on vomer and palatines. Nostrils 

 double each side. Preopercle edge usually more or less serrate, rarely 

 entire. Opercles usually with one or two terminal flat spines. Gill 

 membranes separate, free from isthmus. Gills 4, slit behind last. 

 Gill rakers long or short, usually stiff, armed with teeth. Pseudo- 

 branchiae present, large. Branchiostegals 5 to 8. Lower pharyn- 

 geals rather narrow, with pointed teeth, separate. Skull without 

 conical spines and usually without well developed cavernous structure. 

 Subocular shelf present. No suborbital stay. Vertebrae typically 

 24, of which 14 caudal, number sometimes increased, never over 35. 

 All or most ribs attached on transverse processes, when latter develop. 

 Front vertebrae without transverse processes. Air vessel present, 

 usually small and adherent to wall of abdomen. Stomach coecal, 

 with few or many pyloric appendages. Intestine short, as usual in 

 carnivorous fishes. Scales adherent, moderate or small, usually, but 

 not always ctenoid. Cheeks and opercles always seal} 7 ". Lateral line 

 single, not extending on caudal fin. Dorsal spines mostly stiff, 2 to 

 15. Soft dorsal with 10 to 30 rays. Anal rather short, soft rays 7 

 to 12, spines when present, always three, sometimes absent. Caudal 

 usually with 17 principal rays. Pectoral well developed, with narrow 

 base, rays branched. Ventral with spine and 5 rays, thoracic, 

 normally developed and without distinct axillary scale. 



A large family of marine fishes in all warm seas, a few living in 

 tidal waters where brackish or even fresh. All are carnivorous and 

 among the most valued of food fishes. About 70 genera known. 

 We unite the Latidae, Moronidae, Oligoridae, Niphonidae, Epineph- 

 elidae, Serranidae, and Plesiopidae of Jordan, all as the present 

 family. In such a greatly diversified group further subdivision into 

 subfamilies will doubtless be found necessary, though at present 

 those of the Philippine region fall as we set forth below. Many of 

 the species are little known and many are very variable, especially 

 with age. In a few of these cases we have attempted to illustrate 

 a few of the more striking variations by means of the accompanying 

 pen sketches. 



