THE GRUNTS 



Family LI I. HcemuUdce 



Body oblong, more or less elevated, covered with moderate-sized 

 scales which are adherent and more or less strongly ctenoid or al- 

 most cycloid; lateral line well developed, concurrent with the back, 

 usually not extending on the caudal fin; head large, the crests of 

 the skull usually largely developed; mouth large or small, usually 

 low, horizontal, and terminal; premaxillaries protractile; no supple- 

 mental maxillary bone; teeth all pointed, none of them forming 

 marked canines; no teeth on vomer, palatines, or tongue; pseudo- 

 branchiae large; gill-membranes separate, free from the isthmus; oper- 

 cle without spines; side of head usually scaly; dorsal fin continuous 

 or deeply notched, sometimes divided into 2 fins, the spines usually 

 strong, depressible in a groove, the spines heteracanthous, that is, 

 alternating, the one stronger on the right side, the other on the left; 

 anal similar to soft dorsal, with 3 spines; caudal usually more or less 

 concave behind; air-bladder present. 



This family is a very large one, the species being very numerous. 

 They are all carnivorous fishes chiefly of warm seas, and most of them 

 highly valued as food. Thirteen genera and about 55 species are 

 represented in our waters. 



a. Chin with a central groove behind the symphysis of the lower jaw. 



b. Mouth rather wide, the jaws scarlet posteriorly in life; soft parts 



of vertical fins densely scaled to their margins. 



c. jaws subequal, the lower included; mouth little oblique; gill-rakers 



comparatively few and short. 



ci. Dorsal spines 12, rarely 11 Hcvnnilon, 421 



dd. Dorsal spines n Batliystonia, 428 



cc. Lower jaw projecting Lythriiloii, 429 



bb. Mouth more or less narrow, not scarlet within; soft parts of ver- 

 tical fins naked or with scales only on their bases. 



e. Anal fin short, its rays III, 7 to 10; dorsal spines rather robust. 



/. Body ovate, the depth greater than head; lips thick. 



Auisotremus, 410 



ff. Body oblong, the depth usually less than length of head ; lips not 

 so thick. 



g. Soft parts of dorsal and anal with series of small scales on mem- 

 branes Brachydentenis, 432 



gg. Soft parts of dorsal and anal without scales, except a low sheath 

 at base Ponmdasis, 4 ^2 



ee. Anal fin long and low, its rays 111, 10 to i^; dorsal fin low, not 

 deeply emarginale Oithopristis, 43^ 



420 



