﻿42 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol.98 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  restricting 
  the 
  subfamily 
  Atherinopsinae 
  to 
  that 
  group 
  of 
  

   genera 
  now 
  known 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  Americas 
  that 
  have 
  the 
  premaxil- 
  

   lary 
  dilated 
  or 
  broadened 
  posteriorly, 
  its 
  anterior 
  edge 
  concave, 
  in 
  

   combination 
  with 
  the 
  air 
  bladder 
  tapering 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  posteriorly 
  and 
  

   extending 
  opposite 
  or 
  into 
  five 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  broadened 
  hypophyses 
  

   of 
  the 
  haemal 
  arches, 
  these 
  specialized 
  hypophyses 
  mostly 
  intercon- 
  

   necting 
  with 
  one 
  another 
  by 
  flattish, 
  broadened, 
  spinelike, 
  bony 
  proc- 
  

   esses 
  opposite 
  the 
  tapering 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  bladder. 
  In 
  certain 
  genera 
  

   such 
  as 
  Atherinops^ 
  Atherinopsis, 
  and 
  Leuresthes 
  the 
  haemal 
  arches 
  

   are 
  small 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  one 
  occurs 
  six 
  or 
  more 
  vertebrae 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  broadened 
  hypophyses; 
  thus 
  the 
  air 
  bladder 
  does 
  not 
  actually 
  

   enter 
  the 
  haemal 
  arch 
  but 
  enters 
  a 
  modified 
  haemal 
  arch 
  farther 
  pos- 
  

   teriorly 
  where 
  the 
  vertebral 
  hypophyses 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  broadened. 
  

  

  One 
  cannot 
  help 
  but 
  believe 
  unless 
  parallel 
  evolution 
  has 
  occurred 
  

   that 
  these 
  American 
  Atherinopsinae 
  with 
  air 
  bladder 
  and 
  specialized 
  

   vertebrae 
  are 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  European 
  Atherininae 
  and 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   derived 
  from 
  a 
  common 
  ancestral 
  type. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  have 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  African 
  Atherinidae 
  for 
  

   examination 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  these 
  fundamental 
  characters. 
  

  

  Thus 
  restricted, 
  all 
  those 
  other 
  American 
  genera 
  with 
  unmodified 
  

   vertebrae 
  and 
  the 
  air 
  bladder 
  ending 
  abruptly 
  and 
  not 
  extending 
  into 
  

   the 
  haemal 
  arches 
  as 
  described 
  above 
  must 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  a 
  new 
  sub- 
  

   family, 
  the 
  Menidiinae, 
  erected 
  for 
  their 
  reception. 
  

  

  Genus 
  AUSTROMENIDIA 
  Hubbs 
  

  

  FiGUBES 
  4a, 
  5c 
  

  

  Austromenidia 
  Hubbs, 
  Proc. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sei. 
  Pbiladelphia, 
  vol. 
  69, 
  p. 
  307, 
  1918 
  

  

  (genotype: 
  Basilichthys 
  regillus 
  A\)hott^= 
  Atlierina 
  regia 
  Humboldt). 
  

   Atherinichthys 
  (in 
  part 
  but 
  uot 
  of 
  Bleeker) 
  Gunther, 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  

  

  British 
  Museum, 
  vol. 
  3, 
  p. 
  402, 
  1861 
  (emended 
  spelling). 
  

   Basilichthys 
  of 
  authors 
  (not 
  of 
  Girard 
  1854) 
  EvsatMANN 
  and 
  Radcijtffe, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  

  

  Mus. 
  Bull. 
  95, 
  p. 
  47, 
  1917. 
  

   Menidia 
  Eigenmann 
  (not 
  Bonaparte), 
  Rep. 
  Princeton 
  Univ. 
  Exped. 
  Patagonia, 
  

  

  vol. 
  3, 
  p. 
  290, 
  1909. 
  

   CauquG 
  Eigenmann, 
  Mem. 
  Nat. 
  Acad. 
  Sci., 
  vol. 
  22, 
  Mem. 
  2, 
  p. 
  56, 
  1927 
  (genotype: 
  

  

  Chirostoma 
  mauleanum 
  Steindachner). 
  

   Patagonina 
  Eigenmann, 
  Mem. 
  Nat. 
  Acad. 
  Sei., 
  vol. 
  22, 
  Mem. 
  2, 
  pp. 
  56, 
  60, 
  1927 
  

  

  (genotype: 
  Patagonia 
  hatcheri 
  [Eigenmann] 
  =lfe?iidia 
  hatcheri 
  Eigenmann, 
  

  

  1909, 
  from 
  Lake 
  Pueyrredon, 
  Patagonia). 
  

   Patagonia 
  Eigenmann 
  (Z. 
  c. 
  in 
  footnote, 
  variation 
  in 
  si3elling), 
  same 
  type 
  (name 
  

  

  preoccupied, 
  however). 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  examined 
  three 
  specimens 
  from 
  Lake 
  Llanquihue, 
  the 
  type 
  

   locality 
  of 
  Chirostoma 
  mauleanvmi 
  Steindachner, 
  labeled 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Eigen- 
  

   mann 
  as 
  '■''Oauque 
  mauleanum 
  (Steind.)," 
  now 
  U. 
  S. 
  N. 
  M. 
  No. 
  84334, 
  

   and 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  hesitate 
  to 
  place 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  genus 
  Austromenidia 
  Hubbs. 
  

   One 
  of 
  these 
  specimens 
  had 
  a 
  vertebral 
  count 
  of 
  24+23 
  vertebrae. 
  A 
  

  

  