FISHES OF WEST COAST OF PERU. 65 



of body, reaching ventrally from beneath middle of second dorsal; 

 spinous dorsal with a rather indefinite black spot on its anterior 

 part; soft dorsal tipped with black anteriorly; caudal sometimes 

 slightly tipped with black ; a horizontal black stripe, varying in dis- 

 tinctness in different specimens, passing from eye to eye around end 

 of snout. 



A comparison of these specimens with examples of A. dovii from 

 Perico Island, Panama Bay, leads us to the same conclusion as that 

 reached by Gilbert and Starks in Fishes of Panama Bay, that the 

 only apparent difference between the two species is one of coloration. 

 These examples of A. dovii have a brown area on caudal peduncle; 

 soft dorsal and anal tipped with dusky black ; a very indistinct trace 

 of a band across opercles, through eye, around tip of snout. 



Family SERRANIDAE. 



THE SEA BASSES. 



KEY TO GENERA. 



a*. Maxillary with a distinct supplemental bone (rarely obscured by the skin) ; 

 dorsal usually divided or deeply notched. 

 &\ Inner teeth of jaws not depressible or hinged. 



&. Canine teeth more or less developed Acanthistius, p. 66. 



c^ No canine teeth Hemilutjanus,i-).Q7. 



h'. Inner teeth of jaws depressible or hinged. 



d\ Parietal crests not produced forward on the frontal. 



Epinephelus, p. 69. 

 if. Parietal crests pi'oduced forward on the frontals. 



e\ Frontals with a process or knob on each side behind the inter- 

 orbital area ; premaxillaries fitting into a cavity at anterior ex- 

 tremity of frontals : anal rays III, 8, rarely III, Q^.Alphestes, p. 69. 

 e^ Frontals without processes on the upper surface; parietal crests 

 extending to between orbits ; premaxillary processes not extending 

 to the frontals. Anal fin elongate, its rays III. 11 or III, 12, (very 



rarely III, 9 or III. 10) Mijcteroperca, -p. 70. 



«^ Maxillary without supplemental bone. 



/'. Gillrakers comparatively short and wide apart; lateral line not 

 running close to the back. 

 <f. Dorsal rays XVI, 16; anal rays III. 13; palatine teeth 



absent Epelytes,\). 71. 



g'. Dorsal rays X, 11 to 15 ; anal rays usually III, 7. 



W. Ventral fins inserted below or more or less behind axil of 

 pectoral ; branchiostegals 7. 

 i\ Dorsal fin with 4 or 5 spines produced in long filaments; 

 dorsal rays X, 12; or X, 13; preopercle evenly serrate; 

 preorbital comparatively broad ; top of head, cheeks, and 

 preorbital finely and closely scaled to tip of snout ; snout 

 long and low, the lower jaw much projecting; caudal 

 lunate ; scales rather small ; craninum with a large 

 smooth area, much as in Serraniis and Prionodes; body 

 elongate, little compressed; gillrakers few and short. 



Cratinus, p. 72. 



