long-based, with 23 to 52 dorsal rays and 20 to 66 anal 

 rays, and usually a slightly lesser number of basal 

 pterygiophores; caudal fin with 12 rays; pelvis always 

 present but a modified rudimentary pelvic fin either pres- 

 ent (balistids and some monacanthids) or absent at the 

 posterior end of the pelvis; teeth relatively large and 

 compressed, more or less notched and incisorlike, six to 

 eight in an outer series and four to six in an inner series in 

 the upper jaw and four to eight in a single series in the 

 lower jaw; lateral line associated with grooves or spiny 

 processes of the scale plates (with the possible exception 

 of the monacanthid Pseudaluteres nasicornis); branchios- 

 tegals usually 2-1-4, but sometimes 1 -I- 4 or 1 -I- 3, with 

 none of the rays in the posterior division as broad and 

 laterally compressed as those in the anterior division; 

 distal end of last branchiostegal ray usually not closely 

 held to inner surface of suboperculum; elements of the 

 hyoid arch less compacted together anteroposteriorly and 

 most elements more elongate or less deep bodied; 

 urohyal relatively large and more or less L-shaped, with a 

 ventral flange of varying degrees of development; fifth 

 ceratobranchial either toothed or toothless; pharyngo- 

 branchials consisting of two elements bearing large 

 protruding teeth, with an anterior toothless suspensory 

 element present or absent; epibranchials usually four, 

 but three in the monacanthid Psilocephalus; gill rakers 

 present or absent along anterior edge of fifth cerato- 

 branchial (posterior edge of last gill slit); caudal fin sup- 

 porting structures only moderately consolidated, always 

 having at least the epural and parhypural autogenous 

 and usually having an autogenous uppermost hypural as 

 well; haemal spine of penultimate vertebra autogenous; 

 neural and haemal arches of the last vertebra in- 

 complete, the neural and haemal canals at least partially 

 open respectively above and below; uroneurals rarely 

 present; vertebrae normally 7 -I- 11 = 18 (balistids) or (6- 

 8) -I- (12-23) = 19-30 (monacanthids), but never nine or 

 more abdominal vertebrae; the first vertebra of normal 

 size and firmly sutured but not fused to the rear of the 

 skull; five (balistids) or four to eight (monacanthids) ab- 

 dominal vertebrae with neural spines anterior to the first 

 basal pterygiophore of the soft dorsal fin; four to six 

 caudal vertebrae posterior to the last basal pterygio- 

 phores of both the soft dorsal and anal fins; at least three 

 and usually four soft dorsal fin basal pterygiophores plac- 

 ed between at least some of the successive neural spines; 

 most neural spines positioned only slightly obliquely in 

 relation to the axis of the vertebral column; haemal 

 spines above the anal fin basal pterygiophores with rela- 

 tively long stout shafts similar to those of the neural 

 spines and penetrating into the proximal region of the 

 series of anal fin basal pterygiophores; soft dorsal fin 

 basal pterygiophores 22 to 51; anal fin basal pterygio- 

 phores 20 to 64; prominent thin lateral flanges present 

 along at least a part of the length of the soft dorsal and 

 anal fin basal pterygiophores; distal pterygiophores pres- 

 ent as ossified single or paired pieces in both the soft 

 dorsal and anal fins, except often absent or unossified 

 under the more posterior rays in both fins; all anal fin 

 basal pterygiophores in the midline of the body; one or 



two basal pterygiophores supporting the anteriorly placed 

 spiny dorsal fin of one to three spines, but no supraneural 

 element present anteriorly from the dorsal end of the first 

 basal pterygiophore of the solt dorsal fin; epipleurals 

 always present on some of the abdominal vertebrae and 

 sometimes on some of the more anterior caudal 

 vertebrae, while ribs are rarely present; uppermost pec- 

 toral fin ray never of two relatively well -developed halves 

 of about equal length, either a single piece without a 

 foramen or a larger medial half and a much smaller 

 lateral nubbin; actinosts flexibly articulated with the 

 scapula and coracoid, not sutured to them or to one 

 another; coracoid and cleithrum not especially enlarged; 

 coracoid not expanded ventrally, much less wide there 

 than dorsally, without prominent flanges; coracoid 

 always with a well-developed posterior prong just below 

 the lowermost actinost; scapular foramen usually com- 

 plete, incomplete only in a few monacanthids; cleithrum 

 without an anterior flange from its lower anteromedial 

 edge; postcleithrum usually as a single piece, rarely with 

 two halves, in the form of a long sturdy rod directed 

 strongly obliquely toward the end of the pelvis; at least 

 the proximal end of the supracleithrum not in contact 

 with the cleithrum, and usually slightly less firmly held 

 to the cleithrum and posttemporal; Baudelot's ligament 

 not ossified; posttemporal usually relatively small; 

 palatine varying from T-shaped to a simple rod of bone 

 representing the top of the T and not sutured to any of 

 the bones with which it articulates, the foot of the T con- 

 nected by ligament to the anterodorsal edge of the ecto- 

 pterygoid and the top of the T primarily connected to the 

 maxillary and ethmoid; vomer not especially enlarged, 

 having a moderately laterally expanded anterior end and 

 a long posterior tapering shaft fitting into a deep concavi- 

 ty in the parasphenoid; ventral edge of the ventral flange 

 of the parasphenoid not at all laterally expanded; ventral 

 flange of parasphenoid with a deep indentation at about 

 the level of the prefrontal; parasphenoid without a dorsal 

 flange in the medial septum of the orbit, the para- 

 sphenoid and pterosphenoids not being in contact there 

 and there being no anteroventral extensions of the ptero- 

 sphenoids into the medial septum; the medial edges of 

 the pterosphenoids in contact in the posterior wall of the 

 orbit, usually in light contact dorsally and broader 

 sutural contact ventrally; myodome large; apposed sur- 

 faces of parasphenoid and basioccipital excavated to 

 form a canal leading anteriorly into the myodome cavity; 

 epiotics broadly in contact and sutured to one another 

 medially on the posterior surface of the skull, not 

 separated there by the more anteriorly placed supraoc- 

 cipital; supraoccipital never with a posterior crest, but 

 with or without an anterior crest on the surface of the 

 main body of the bone; prootic shelf usually relatively 

 smaller, never with a prominent ventral or ventrolateral 

 flange from its lateral edge; the major foramen in the 

 prootic shelf relatively small and rounded, and complete- 

 ly enclosed by the prootic alone; anterior edge of upper 

 part of preoperculum articulated only along the rear edge 

 of the hyomandibular; hyomandibular a more or less 

 flattened shaft, not greatly expanded. 



