89. APOGONIDiE — APOGON. 563 



Family LXXXIX.— APOGONID^. 



Body obloug, elevated, covered with usually large, loose, deciduous 

 scales, which are striated and ctenoid or sometimes cycloid; cheeks 

 scaly; lateral line continuous; cleft of mouth wide, oblique; villi- 

 form teeth on jaws and vomer; canines sometimes present; preopercle 

 commonly -with a double ridge, its edge entire or slightly serrated; 

 lower pharyngeals separate, with sharp teeth ; pseudobranchise present ; 

 branchiostegals 6 or 7. Dorsal fins well separated, the first with 6 or 7 

 rather strong spines ; anal fin short, usually with 2 spines ; ventral fins 

 thoracic, I, 5. Fishes mostly of the Eastern seas, some of them in fresh 

 waters. Genera about 10 ; species about 120. 



(Pereidce part: group Apogon'ma Giinther, i, 222-250.) 



a. Branchiostegals?; no canines; no recumbent dorsal spine; palatine teeth present ; 

 anal spines 2. ( Apogonime. ) 

 b. Lateral line commencing at the head ; preopercle with a double ridge ; teeth on 

 the palatines Apogon, 29k 



291.— APOGON Lac^pMe. 



King of the Mullets. 



{Amia Grouow, not of Linuteus.) 



(Lac^pfede, Hist. Nat. Poiss. iii, 411, 1802 : type Apogon ruher Lac. = Mullus imherhis L. = 

 Apogon rex-muUoruin C. & V.) 



Body oblong, compressed, covered with very large ctenoid scales. 

 Lateral line continuous. Head large; mouth wide, oblique, the max-^ 

 illary extending to below the middle of the large eye; villiform teeth 

 on jaws, vomer, and palatines ; no canine teeth ; preopercle with a 

 double ridge, entire or somewhat serrate ; opercle with a spine behind. 

 Gill-rakers rather long. Dorsal spines G or 7, strong ; second dorsal 

 remote, short ; anal with 2 spines, the second much the longer, the 

 soft part similar to the soft dorsal ; pectorals and ventrals moderate. 

 (a-w^wv, without beard ; thus distinguished from the bearded mullet, 

 Mullus.) 

 a. Edges of preopercle serrulate ; scales very large. {Apogon.) 



8§9. A. amcricanus Castelnau. 



Violaceous, scales all with dark points ; a dark spot on opercle. Body 

 comparatively elongate, little elevated; jaws equal ; muzzle short; eye 

 large, 3^- in head ; preopercle very finely denticulated. Second dorsal 

 spine stoutest, as high as the third ; pectorals nearly reaching anal. 



