﻿SIX 
  SUBFAMILIES 
  OF 
  ATHERINIDAE 
  — 
  SCHULTZ 
  19 
  

  

  Genus 
  ATHERINASON 
  Whitley 
  

  

  FiGUBE 
  le 
  

  

  Atherinason 
  Whitley, 
  Victorian 
  Nat., 
  vol. 
  50, 
  No. 
  10, 
  p. 
  241, 
  1934 
  (genotjrpe: 
  

   Atherina 
  dannevlgi 
  McCulloch, 
  Zool. 
  Results 
  EndSavour, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  p. 
  31, 
  

   pi. 
  16, 
  fig. 
  li, 
  1911). 
  

  

  This 
  genus 
  is 
  monotypic 
  and 
  comes 
  from 
  Spencers 
  Gulf, 
  South 
  

   Australia, 
  and 
  Oyster 
  Bay, 
  Tasmania. 
  I 
  have 
  studied 
  several 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  and 
  the 
  diagnosis 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  them 
  and 
  the 
  descriptions 
  by 
  

   McCulloch. 
  In 
  four 
  counts 
  the 
  first 
  dorsal 
  was 
  VIII, 
  the 
  second 
  dorsal 
  

   I, 
  i,^ 
  in 
  one, 
  I, 
  i, 
  10 
  in 
  three, 
  and 
  the 
  anal 
  was 
  I, 
  i, 
  11 
  in 
  four. 
  

  

  Taeniomembrasinae, 
  new 
  subfamily 
  

  

  Now 
  that 
  the 
  Atherininae 
  are 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  European 
  silversides 
  

   and 
  one 
  Australian 
  genus 
  that 
  have 
  the 
  air 
  bladder 
  tapering 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  

   posteriorly 
  and 
  entering 
  three 
  to 
  six 
  haemal 
  arches 
  with 
  broadened 
  

   hypophyses, 
  there 
  remains 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  genera, 
  previously 
  referred 
  to 
  

   the 
  Atherininae, 
  that 
  are 
  without 
  a 
  subfamily 
  name. 
  This 
  is 
  easily 
  

   remedied 
  by 
  assigning 
  the 
  new 
  name 
  Taeniomembrasinae 
  to 
  that 
  group 
  

   of 
  genera 
  with 
  straight 
  or 
  convex 
  anterior 
  edges 
  of 
  premaxillaries, 
  

   whose 
  posterior 
  tips 
  are 
  not 
  broadened 
  or 
  dilated, 
  and 
  the 
  air 
  bladder 
  

   and 
  vertebrae 
  are 
  not 
  modified 
  as 
  above. 
  Thus 
  restricted 
  this 
  sub- 
  

   family 
  includes 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  genera 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  Pacific 
  Oceans, 
  

   and 
  probably 
  westward 
  across 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ocean 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  Coast 
  of 
  

   Africa, 
  although 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  examined 
  any 
  specimens 
  from 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   Ocean. 
  

  

  Although 
  Hubbs 
  (Occ. 
  Pap. 
  Mus. 
  Zool, 
  Univ. 
  Michigan, 
  No. 
  488, 
  

   pp. 
  1-10, 
  1944) 
  discusses 
  recent 
  generic 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  all-inclusive 
  

   genus 
  Atherina 
  Linnaeus 
  and 
  proposes 
  a 
  new 
  one, 
  Alepidomus^ 
  his 
  

   treatment 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  did 
  not 
  reveal 
  the 
  distinctive 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  

   vertebrae 
  and 
  air 
  bladder 
  in 
  the 
  genera 
  Atherina^ 
  Hepsetia, 
  and 
  

   Atherinason. 
  Gilbert 
  P. 
  Whitley, 
  in 
  his 
  generous 
  naming 
  of 
  new 
  

   genera, 
  apparently 
  relied 
  largely 
  on 
  hunches 
  rather 
  than 
  on 
  careful 
  

   diagnosis, 
  leaving 
  to 
  later 
  ichthyologists 
  the 
  complicated 
  task 
  of 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  comparisons 
  that 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  when 
  the 
  new 
  genera 
  

   were 
  proposed. 
  My 
  comments 
  and 
  generic 
  diagnoses 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  

   materials 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum 
  or 
  on 
  specimens 
  examined 
  through 
  

   loan 
  or 
  exchanges. 
  It 
  is 
  sincerely 
  hoped 
  that 
  this 
  treatment 
  is 
  a 
  step 
  

   forward 
  in 
  working 
  out 
  the 
  generic 
  limits 
  of 
  this 
  complex 
  subfamily. 
  

  

  Since 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  have 
  specimens 
  available 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  silver- 
  

   sides 
  described 
  and 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  subfamily, 
  I 
  shall 
  leave 
  the 
  

   assignment 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  to 
  the 
  proper 
  genus 
  until 
  the 
  types 
  

   can 
  be 
  examined 
  by 
  those 
  ichthyologists 
  working 
  in 
  the 
  museums 
  where 
  

   the 
  material 
  is 
  preserved. 
  

  

  