NO. 1714. JAPANESE SEA BASS.^TORDAN AND RICHARDSON. 423 



h'^. Epinephelin^. Inner teeth of jaws depressible or hinged; canine 

 teeth more or less distinct, in front of each jaw; scales small, 

 firm, the top of head more or less scaly; lateral line running 

 low (except in Gonioplectrus, etc.); supraoccipital crest usually- 

 more or less encroaching on the top of the skull, so as to leave 

 no distinct smooth area at the vertex (except in Variola) ; tem- 

 poral crests usually distinct; gill rakers various. Dorsal rays 

 VI to XIV, 12 to 20, the number of spines usually not 10; 

 anal rays III, 7 to III, 12; ventral fins inserted more or less 

 behind axil of pectorals; soft dorsal scaly; scales of lateral line 

 usually triangular and cycloid; vertebrae almost always 

 10-1-14=24, rarely 26 or 27. 



n^ Dorsal spines 6 to 8; preopercle with strong recurved 



teeth below; anal spines weak Plectropomus, 9. 



n^. Dorsal spines 11 (rarely 10, never 9). 



oK Parietal crests not produced forward on the frontals; 

 frontals with a process or knob on each side, be- 

 hind interorbital area; premaxillary processes 

 fitting into a cavity or emargination at the an- 

 terior extremity of the frontals; anal rays III, 8, 

 or III, 9. Scales of the lateral line normal, 

 marked by radiating ridges. Cranium narrow 

 above the interorbital space, deeply concave in 

 cross section; occipital crest meeting interorbital 



region; vertebrae 24 Epinephelus, 10. 



0-. Parietal crests produced forward on the frontals. 

 Frontals without processes on the upper surface; 

 parietal crests extending to between orbits; pre- 

 maxillary processes not extending to the fron- 

 tals. Anal fin elongate, its rays III, 10 to III, 

 12; caudal fin lunate or truncate; spines slender, 

 those of the anal fin graduated; lower jaw 

 strongly projecting; cranium rather broad, 

 transversely concave between the eyes, its lat- 

 eral crests very strong, nearly parallel with the 

 supraoccipital crest and extending farther for- 

 ward than the latter, joining the supraocular 

 crest above the eye; scales small, largely cy- 

 cloid, those of the lateral line simple; pyloric 

 caeca few (12 to 20); dorsal rays XI, 16 to 18. 

 p^. Nostrils close together, the posterior scarcely en- 

 larged Trisotropis, 11. 



g'^. Maxillary without supplemental bone; canine teeth, if present, usu- 

 ally developed on the side of the lower jaw as well as in front; 

 depressible teeth few or none; scales mostly ctenoid, including 

 those of the lateral line; tubes of lateral line straight or with an 

 ascending tubule, covering most of the length of scale. Temporal 

 crests on cranium almost obsolete. 



5*. Serranin/e. Gill rakers comparatively short 

 and wide apart; lateral line not running very 

 close to the back; dorsal rays X, 11 to 15; 

 anal rays usually III, 7; supraoccipital crest 

 not extending far forward on top of the 



