75. CARANGIDiE — SELENE. 439 



adult, very oblique in the young. First rays of dorsal and anal fila- 

 mentous, exceedingly long, becoming shorter with age. Lateral line 

 with a wide arch, the curved portion about equal to straight. Scaly 

 sheath of fius little develoi^ed. Scutes become stronger and blunter 

 with age. Ventrals broad. Occipital keel sharp. Pectorals long and 

 falcate, longer than head. Head 3 J in length 5 depth I4 to 2. D. VI-I, 

 19; A. II-I, IC. Scutes 12. Cape Cod to South America; not very 

 abundant northwards. 



(Zeus crinitun Akvrly, Amcr. Joar. Sci. xi, 144; Dek. N. Y. Fauna, Fisb. 123: Caranx 

 sutor Giiuther, ii, 454.) 



223.— SEL.EME Lacdpede. 



Moon fishes. 

 {Argyriosiis lLsic6\}hAii : Vomer Cuvier.) 

 (Lac6p&de, Ilist. Nat. Poiss. iv, 560, 1803: type Selene argentea Lac.) 



Bod}' very closely compress: d and much elevated, the profile very 

 obhque or nearly vertical ; edges of body everywhere trenchant, especially'" 

 anteriorly. Head short and very deep, tlie oi^ercle very short, and the 

 preorbital extremely deep; an abrupt angle at the occipital region. 

 Mouth rather small; premaxillaries protractile, fitting into a notch 

 between the bases of the raaxillaries; maxillaries broad, each with a 

 supplemental bone. Tongue narrow, free. Tetth minute, on jaws, 

 tongue, vomer, and iialatines. Gill-rakers long and slender. Spines of 

 fins usually weak, more or less filamentous in the young; free anal 

 spines immovable, sometimes obsolete in the adult. Soft fins falcate 

 or not. Nofinlets. Head naked. Scales minute. Lateral line unarmed. 

 Coloration silvery. {(TzXrj'^rj, the moon.) 

 a. Soft dorsal and anal with the anterior ra^'s nnich produced in the adult. (Selc7ie.) 



693. S. voBMcr (L.) Liitken. — Moon-fish', Look Doum; Horsc-hcad. 



Bluish above, sides and below silvery with golden reflections ; ante- 

 rior edge of soft dorsal black; axil dusky. Diameter of eye, length of 

 opercle, and distance from eye to i)rofile about equal ; eye 2 in maxillary, 

 2J in preorbital ; mandibles A'ery deep, the dcntary bones thin, approxi- 

 mate; one or two of the dorsal spines greatly elongate and filamentous 

 in the young, short in the adult ; ventrals variable in length, usually 

 about as long as the eye ir the adult, variously elongate in partly grown 

 specimens. Head 3 in length; long dorsal rays 2; pectoral 23 ; long- 

 anal rays 22; depth 1^. D. VII-T, 22; A. II-I, 20. Warm seas; 

 rather common southward, north to Long Island, and Lower California. 



(Zeus vomer Linn. Syst. Nat.: Zeus capillaris Mitch. Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. 



