The Weakfishes 



ee. Teeth very small, subequal, those in lower jaw deciduous or 

 wanting Leiostomiis, 462 



dd. Lower jaw with i or more barbels. 



g. Lower jaw with slender barbels, usually several in number. 



Micropogon, 463 



gg. Lower jaw with a single thickish barbel at tip. . Menticirrhus, 464 



cc. Lower pharyngeals very large and completely united, covered with 

 coarse, blunt, paved teeth. 



h. Lower jaw with numerous barbels; preopercle nearly entire; 

 marine species Pogonias, 466 



hh. Lower jaw without barbels; preopercle slightly serrate; fresh- 

 water species Aplodinotus, 467 



The genus Seriphits, sufficiently characterized in the foregoing 

 key, contains but 1 species. This is 5. politiis, the queenfish or white 

 croaker, which occurs on the Pacific coast from Point Conception to 

 Garros Island. It is common on sandy shores, especially about San 

 Diego. It reaches a foot in length and is an excellent pan-fish. 

 Colour, bluish above, sides and belly bright silvery, finely punctate; 

 vertical fins bright yellow in life; base of pectoral blackish. 



GENUS CYNOSCION GILL 



The Weakfishes 



Body elongate, little compressed, the back not elevated; head 

 conic, rather pointed; mouth very large, terminal, not very oblique, 

 the lower jaw projecting; maxillary very broad; teeth sharp, not close- 

 set, in rather narrow bands; tip of lower jaw without canines; upper 

 jaw with 2 long canines, one of these sometimes obsolete; canines 

 tapering from base to tip; lateral teeth of lower jaw larger than anterior; 

 preopercle with its membranous edge serrulate, its bony edge entire; 

 lower pharyngeals separate, their teeth all pointed ; gill-rakers strong, 

 rather long; pseudobranchige well developed; dorsal spines slender, 

 the fins closely contiguous, the second long and low, more than twice 

 length of anal. 



An important genus of large fishes, chiefly American, closely re- 

 lated to the Old-World genus Otolithus. All rank high as food-fishes, 

 the flesh being rich, but in some species tender and easily torn, hence 

 the popular name weakfishes. 



a. Scales not very small, the lateral line with 55 to 75 pores, the num- 

 ber of scales 55 to 85. 



455 



