Anisotremus 



has been confounded with the preceding, from which it may be distin- 

 guished by the fewer gill-rakers, 8+15, and the deeper body, the 



///'••'>•, 



\^' 



depth being 2§ in length. The species reaches a length of 9 inches or 



more. 



GENUS ANISOTREMUS GILL 



Body ovate, short, deep, and compressed; mouth rather small, 

 the lips thick, the maxillary rather short; inside of mouth not red; 

 teeth in jaws only, all pointed, those of the outer series in upper jaw 

 enlarged; chin with a median groove, besides smaller pores; dorsal 

 spines strong; soft rays of dorsal and anal scaly at base; anal spines 

 strong; caudal usually lunate; scales large; lower pharyngeals broad, 

 with coarse, blunt teeth. This genus, like Ha^niitlon, to which it is 

 closely related, contains numerous species, all of them living on the 

 shores of tropical America. All of the species undergo considerable 

 change in form with age, and all of them are valued as food-fishes. 

 The young are marked with 2 or 3 blackish lengthwise stripes, which 

 disappear with age, very soon in the brightly coloured species, but 

 persisting longer in those less brightly coloured. 



There are in our waters 12 species, several of which are suffi- 

 ciently abundant to be of commercial value. 



430 



