THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 311 
Known only from Dr. Abbott’s record of an example at that 
time in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and 
labelled from Cape May. I have, however, been unable to locate 
the specimen. It, like other tropical American fishes, is probably 
a waif of the Gulf Stream. 
Dules auriga Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 807. 
Family PRIACANTHIDZ. 
The Catalutas. 
Body oblong or ovate, compressed. Head deep. Eye very 
large, forming about ™% length of side of head. Mouth large, 
very oblique, lower jaw prominent. Villiform teeth on jaws, 
vomer and palatines, none on tongue. Premaxillaries protractile. 
Maxillary broad, without supplemental bone, not slipping under 
very narrow preorbital which is usually serrate. No suborbital 
stay. Posterior nostril long, slit-like, close to eye. No barbels. 
Preopercle more or less serrated, I or more strong spines at 
angle. Opercle very short, ending in 2 or 3 points behind. Gill- 
membranes separate, free from isthmus. Gills 4, a slit behind 
fourth. Gill-rakers long. Branchiostegals 6. Air-vessel large. 
Pyloric cceca few. Vertebrze in reduced number, 9 or 10 + 13 = 
22 or 23, first vertebra being very small or absent. ‘Transverse 
process beginning on seventh (sixth) vertebra, last 2 precaudal 
bridged across. Ribs attached to transverse processes. Epi- 
pleurals absent on last 3 precaudal vertebrae. Supraoccipital 
crest very low, continued forward to over front of orbit 
where it is joined by parietal crests. Processes of pre- 
maxillaries moderate. Body covered with small firm rough 
scales. All parts of body, even snout and maxillary, densely scaly. 
Each scale with a more or less developed plate on its posterior 
border, and most developed in young. Spines of fins generally 
rough, with small serre. Lateral line continuous, not extending 
on caudal. Dorsal fin continuous, X spines depressible in a 
groove, g to 15. Anal II, 9 to 15, rayed part long, similar to rayed 
dorsal. Spines strong. Caudal truncate or lunate. Pectoral 
small, pointed, not symmetrical, of 19 or 20 rays, upper longest. 
