FISHES OF THE PHH,IPPINE ISLANDS AND ADJACENT SEAS 65 



trils paired. Postorbital region of head shortened. Preorbital 

 often serrated. Opercle very short, ends in 2 or 3 points behind. 

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

 fourth. Pseudobranchiae very large, all along whole length of 

 opercle. Air bladder large. Pyloric coeca few. Vertebrae 22 or 

 23, of which 13 caudal. Scales firm, small, rough, more or less de- 

 veloped plate on hind edge. Ventral base without scaly flap. Lat- 

 eral line complete, not extending on caudal base. Fin spines usu- 

 ally rough with small serrae. Dorsals continuous, spines depress- 

 ible in groove, rays 9 to 15. Anal spines 3, rays like dorsal. Caudal 

 with 16 principal rays. Pectoral small. Ventral large, with spine 

 and 5 rays, close together before pectoral base and joined to belly 

 by membrane which closes in groove. 



Fishes of tropical and subtropical seas, usually in deep water, 

 mostly moderate in size and bright rosy red in life. 



ANALYSIS OF GBNEBA 



a '. Body oblong, depth less than half its length ; scales small, 68 to 120 along 

 or in lateral line to caudal base; dorsal and anal each with 11 to 16 

 branched rays Priacanthus. 



a '. Body deeper, ovate, depth more than half its length ; scales large, rough, 

 30 to 56 in or along lateral line to caudal base ; dorsal and anal each with 

 9 to 12 branched rays Pseudopriacanthus. 



Genus PRIACANTHUS Oken 



Priacanthus Oken, Isis, 1817, p. 1183. On Les Priacanthes Cxtvikr, Regne 



Animal, vol. 2, 1817, p. 281. Type Anthias macrophthahnus Bloch, mono- 



typic, 

 Abuhamnir Fobskax, Descript. Animal., 1775, p. 44. Type Sciaena hamrur 



FoRSKAL, by vernacular tautonym. (Inadmissible.) 

 Boops (not CtTviE2i 1815) Gray, Cat. Fish. Gronow, 1854, p. 58. Type Boops 



asper GnAY=Anthias boops Sohneidbs, monotypic. 

 Bogota Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. 29, 1860, p. 139. Type Bogota in- 



fuscata BLYTH=yoimg Priacanthus, monotypic. 

 Cookeolus FowLEE, Mem. Bishop Mus., vol. 10, 1928, p. 190. Type Anthias 



hoops ScHNKDER, orthotyplc. 



Body oblong, strongly compressed, more than twice long as deep. 

 Mouth large, protractile; cleft very oblique or nearly vertical. 

 Maxillary broad, without supplemental bone. Teeth villiform, in 

 jaws, on vomer and palatines. Tongue edentulous. Interorbital ex- 

 ternally and transversely convex, cranium itself concave, elevation 

 formed by muscle; prominent foramin in interorbital. Hind nostril 

 long, slit-like. Preopercle denticulate, more or less flat spine devel- 

 oped at angle. Gill rakers large. Branchiostegals 6. Scales 

 very small, 80 to 100 in lateral line, smooth or spinulose, with cres- 

 centic or angular sclerous plate on hind edge, less developed with 

 age. Lateral line extends upward and backward from upper angle 



