THE FISHES OF THE SERIES CAPRIFORMES, 

 EPHIPPIFORMES, AND SQUAMIPENNES, COL- 

 LECTED BY THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF 

 FISHERIES STEAMER ''ALBATROSS/' CHIEFLY 

 IN PHILIPPINE SEAS AND ADJACENT WATERS 



By Henry W. Fowler 



Of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 



and 



Barton A. Bean 



Of the United States National Museum 



The spiny rayed fishes of the series Capriformes, Ephippiformes, 

 and Sqiiamipennes, as limited by Jordan, form the subject of this vol- 

 ume,, which is the second devoted to the report on the fishes collected 

 during the cruise of the United States Bureau of Fisheries steamer 

 Albatross in Philippine seas and adjacent v/aters in 1907-1910. The 

 first report, embracing the families Pomacentridae, Labridae, and 

 Callyodontidae formed volume 7 of the present bulletin. 



Under the Capriformes we unite the Antigonidae with the Capro- 

 idae, to include Capros and Antigonia. Though suggestive of the 

 Zeidae they differ in the ventrals having one spine and five soft 

 rays. Like the Squamipennes, both have the post-temporal solidly 

 united with the skull. Both the Capriformes and the Zeidae differ 

 from the Squamipennes in the gill membranes free from the isthmus. 



The Ephippiformes include the Scorpidae, Monodactylidae, Plata- 

 cidae, and Ephippidae, as we merge the Drepanidae with the last. 

 They differ from both the Capriformes and the Squamipennes, like- 

 wise the Zeidae, in the post-temporal not joined solidly with the 

 skull. They agree with the Squamipennes especially in their densely 

 scaled bodies and fins and the lateral restriction of the gill openings. 



The Squamipennes include the Toxotidae, Scatophagidae, Chaeto- 

 dontidae, Zajiclidae, Hepatidae, and Siganidae. 



Though these groups have all been more or less loosely used, we have 

 preferred simply to accept them without further detailed definition. 



In the preface to the first report of the splendid work of the sci- 

 entific staff of the Albatross during this cruise, consisting of Dr. Hugh 



