

Figure iS.—Cryptobalisles brevis: lateral 

 view of holotype, with insets from left to 

 right showing the spiny dorsal fin, the 

 pelvis in dorsal view, scale plates, and 



the pelvic spine, ca. 88 mm SL, 



Oligocene of Canton Glarus, Switzerland 



(Rath I859:fig. 4 of pi. 5). 



Infraorder Balistoideo 



Comparative diagnosis (contrast with that of the 



Triacanthoideo).— Premaxillary without a pedicel or 

 ascending process, the blunt posterodorsal end of the 

 premaxillary rotating around the anterior ends of the 

 ethmoid and vomer; premtixillary immovably articu- 

 lated with the maxillary, often by suture, and the upper 

 jaw not even slightly protractile; maxillary only slightly 

 if at all indented dorsally for articulation with the 

 anterior end of the palatine; palatine varying from T- 

 shaped (as seen laterally) to a simple rod and not sutured 

 to other bones, or as a bony column sutured to the 

 palatopterygoid arch; ethmoid with a laterally expanded 

 dorsal or dorsolateral region, at least anteriorly, and 

 never narrower dorsally than ventrally, forming a strong 

 buttress for the rotation of the upper jaw; a prootic shelf 

 of varying size developed under the orbit in front of and 

 above the major articulation of the posterior region of the 

 parasphenoid with the prootics, except secondarily lost 

 in two closely related genera of highly specialized mona- 

 canthids; dorsal end of the hyomandibular articulated 

 only with the prootic and pterotic, not in direct contact 

 with the sphenotic; interoperculum a short rod extending 

 posteriorly no further than the level of the epihyal and 

 interhyal, connecting to the suboperculum or operculum 

 around the anterior edge of the region of overlap of these 

 two bones only by way of a long unossified ligament; dor- 

 sal fin spines three, two, one, or absent altogether, if pres- 

 ent supported by one or two basal pterygiophores; the 

 first dorsal spine capable of being locked in an erected 

 position through the agency of the second spine, if pres- 

 ent, but without an independent locking mechanism 

 between the base of the first spine and its basal pterygio- 

 phore; first basal pterygiophore of spiny dorsal fin 

 without a high dorsomedial flange and no anteropos- 



terior canal present in the basal region of the first dorsal 

 spine; pelvic fin present or absent, when present never as 

 a prominent erectile and lockable spine at about the 

 middle of the pelvis, but as a rudiment at the extreme 

 posterior end of the pelvis consisting of delicate, poorly 

 ossified, partially fused together flexible filaments or 

 bony nubbins mostly, or entirely, hidden from external 

 view by modified scales; pelvis present or absent, when 

 present laterally compressed and shaftlike throughout its 

 length, and with or without a dorsal lobe posteriorly; 

 pelvis usually slightly to greatly rotatable around its 

 anterior articulation with the cleithra and a slightly to 

 greatly expansible dewlap of skin usually present 

 between the posterior end of the pelvis and the anus; 

 uroneurals rarely present; vertebrae (6-10) -I- (8-23) = 18- 

 30, but rarely, if ever, 8 + 12 or 9 -t- 11; no more than two 

 pharyngobranchials with prominent large protruding 

 teeth; posteromedial edges of epiotics not inturned and 

 neither they nor the exoccipitals and neural spine of the 

 first vertebra associated with the articulation of the first 

 basal pterygiophore of the spiny dorsal fin, when present; 

 articulation of the mesopterygoid varying from direct 

 contact with both the quadrate and ectopterygoid to in- 

 direct contact with both of them through the agency of, 

 respectively, the symplectic and mesopterygoid. 



SUPERFAMILY BALISTOIDEA 



Comparative diagnosis (contrast with that of the 

 Ostracioidea). — Head and entire body (except in the 

 relatively naked monacanthid Paratuteres prionurus and 

 in the snout region of several balistids) covered with a 

 more or less continuous field of scales whose edges are 

 either slightly separated from one another (the balistid 

 Canthidermis and several monacanthids) or slightly 

 overlapping, but never with apposed interdigitated 

 edges, the basal plates thick and usually rhomboidal in 

 balistids but thin and variously rounded to rectilinear in 

 monacanthids; body outline in cross section a simple 

 gently rounded and laterally compressed oblong; a spiny 

 dorsal fin of one to three spines; soft dorsal and anal fins 



