A KEVIP:W of the fishes of the FAMH.Y (^ERRID.l^: 

 FOUND IN THE WATERS OF JAPAN. 



By David Starr Jordan, 



Of Stanford University, Valifor-nia. 



Ill this paper is given an account of the species of fishes belonging 

 to the family Gerrida; found in. the waters of Japan. It is based on 

 the collections of Professors Jordan and Snyder, series of which are 

 in the United States National Museum. The species, two in number, 

 are known to the Japanese as Kurosagi {l't//v, l)lack, ■'<'((jl, heron, 

 the same word used for smelt). 



Family GERRID.E. 



Bod}" oblong or elevated, compressed, covered with large, smooth 

 scales; lateral line continuous, concurrent with the back; mouth mod- 

 erate, extremely protractile, descending when protruded, the spines of 

 the premaxillary extending to above eye, closing a deep groove in the 

 top of head; maxillary without supplemental bone, not slipping under 

 the very narrow preorbital, its surface silvery, like the rest of the head; 

 base of mandible scaly, a slit l^etween it and the preorbital to permit 

 its free motion; jaws each with slender, villiform teeth; no incisors, 

 canines, nor molars; no teeth on vomer or palatines; preopercle entire 

 or serrate; sides of head scaly; nostrils double, round; pseudobranchia^ 

 concealed; gillrakers short, broad; gill-membranes separate, free from 

 the isthmus; dorsal tin single, continuous or deeply notched, the spinous 

 and soft portions about equally developed, with a scaly sheath along the 

 base; dorsal spines 9 or 10; anal with 2, 3, or 5 spines, usually with 8 

 spines, the soft portion of the fin similar to the soft dorsal, but shorter; 

 ventral fins thoracic, 1, 5, rather close together, slightly behind pecto- 

 rals, branchiostegals 6; lower pharyngeal bones close together, often 

 appearing to be united; the teeth blunt; air-bladder present; pyloric 

 c(eca rudimentary; vertebra? 10 + 14 = 24. Oviparous. Carnivorous 

 fishes of moderate size inhabiting sand}^ shores of tropical and sul)- 

 tropical seas. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum. Vol. XXXII— No. 1525. 



245 



