[3] REVIEW OF THE SCLENIDA. 345 
Scicena, is no better, as very many of the species have this spine neither 
large nor small, and could as well be placed in the one group as the 
other. Bleeker divides this group into Pseudosciena, species with the 
mouth oblique and the jaws subequal, the lower jaw with the teeth of 
the inner row enlarged, and Johnius with the mouth horizontal and the 
lower jaw included, the teeth of the lower jaw being in villiform bands. 
This arrangement is better than the other onlyin theory. The charac- 
ters chosen are of more value as indicating relationship, but they cannot 
be applied in practice, as there are intermediate gradations of all sorts. 
The type of Pseudoscicena (Sciena aquila) is in fact much more nearly 
related to the type of Johnius than to most of the species associated 
with it in Pseudoscicna. 
As we proceed along the series of Scicenine from Larimus towards 
Menticirrhus, the following changes are notabie: In the Larimus type the 
pores on the snout are small and few, and there are no distinct slits or 
lobes on the snout above the upper jaw; in the othertype the pores be- 
come large and conspicuous, 4 to 6 in number, and the thickened snout 
above the upper jaw has twoslits on each side, bounding two dermal lobes. 
The mouth becomes smaller, narrower, more horizontal as we proceed 
towards Menticirrhus, the lower jaw shorter, and the bands of teeth in 
both jaws more and more broad, those in the lower more decidedly vil- 
liform ; the pores on the chin become larger and more numerous, the 
number rising from 2 to 5; the lower pharyngeals become larger, and 
their teeth larger and less acute; the preorbital becomes wider and 
more gibbous, the gill-rakers shorter, fewer, and more like tubercles; 
the anal fin is placed farther forward, and the spines of the fins gen- 
erally are less slender ; the scales, as a rule, become rougher, and the 
rows of scales less regular in their direction. The flesh, as a rule, be- 
comes firmer, coarser, less agreeable in flavor, and of less value as food, 
but this, like some of the other characters mentioned above, is subject 
to much variation. 
It may be noted that in some Scienide the middle rays of the caudal 
are more produced in young ‘specimens. In some also the serrations 
on the preopercle become weaker or even obsolete with age. 
The two subfamilies recognized by us may be thus distinguished : 
ANALYSIS OF THE SUBFAMILIES OF SCILANIDA. 
ha Vertebre typically 14 + 10, the number in the abdominal region always greater 
than that of the caudal; lower jaw prominent; teeth not villiform; edge ot' pre- 
opercle entire; second anal spine weak and adnate to the first ray; the first spine 
munnte.and often Ghsoletepases seen te seks so testises se 5) ese ess OTOLITHINA, I. 
aa, Vertebrx typically 10 + 14, the number in the caudal region always greater than 
that in the abdominal; second anal spine usually well developed and usually joined 
to the first soft ray by a distinct membrane..........-...----.----- ScLENINA, II. 
