444 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 37. 



less scaly. Cranium narrow above. Parietal crests not produced 

 on frontals, which are without transverse ridge posteriorly; frontals 

 with a process or knob on each side behind interorbital area; pre- 

 maxillary processes fitting into a notch or cavity on the anterior end 

 of the frontals. Preopercle moderately serrate behind, its lower 

 limb entire, without distinct antrorse spine; opercle with 2 strong 

 spines. Nostrils well separated. Mouth large; maxillary large, 

 with a well-developed supplemental bone, its surface usually with 

 small scales. Canine teeth few, large in the front of the jaws; 

 enlarged teeth of the inner series of each jaw depressable. Gill 

 rakers short and rather few. Dorsal spines usually 11, rarely 10, 

 not filamentous, the last ones somewhat shorter than the middle 

 ones. Anal spines 3, the second usually the larger; the number of 

 soft rays 7 to 9. Caudal fin rounded or lunate. Pyloric coeca few 

 (usually 10-20). Pectorals rounded, shortish, nearly symmetrical, 

 of 15 to 20 rays. Ventrals moderate, inserted below pectorals, close 

 together, each with a strong spine. Species very numerous, most 

 of them of large size, abounding in all the tropical seas, where they 

 are valuable food fishes. This is the largest and most important 

 genus of the Serranidse, and its species are most widely distributed. 

 Although numerous species are found in Japan, they are relatively 

 few in individuals and form an insignificant part of the food supply. 

 {e7Zive(f)sXoc, clouded over, in allusion to the membrane supposed 

 to cover the eye in the typical species.) 



ANALYTICAL KEY OP JAPANESE SPECIES OF EPINEPIIELUS. 



aK Dorsal fin with 11 spines and 14 to 18 soft rays; anal with 8 or 9 soft rays. 

 6'. Teeth in sides of mandibles in 2 rows. 

 c'. Caudal fin sub truncate or slightly emarginate. 

 d^. Caudal fin subtruncate, slightly concave when stretched, or very broadly 

 rounded with squarish corners; dorsal XI, 17 or 18; scales 14-110-40; 

 body and fins covered everywhere with very numerous roundish or hex- 

 agonal brownish spots, less than size of pupil in adults, separated by very 



narrow line-like intervals of the paler ground color chlorostigma, 11. 



dp. Caudal distinctly though not strongly emarginate; dorsal XI, 16 or 17; scales 

 15-114-44; color in spirits brown; head, body, and fins alike marked with 

 roundish or hexagonal darker areas not much smaller than eye and 

 separated by narrow paler interspaces; caudal with a conspicuous white 



edge craspedurus, 12. 



c^. Tail rounded. 



e^. Nostrils subequal. 



p. Pectorals noticeably longer than head behind eye; dorsal XI, 16 or 17; 



scales 13-98-42; eye unusually large, 2 in maxillary; nose short, 4.5 in 



head; body with large unequal polygonal brown spots, about 10 or 12 



in a row from gill-opening to base of caudal; pectorals, ventrals, and 



anal dark toward ends; other fins marked as body megachir, 13. 



p. Pectorals noticeably shorter than head behind eye. 

 g^. Body without stripes or crossbars. 



