346 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [4] 



ANALYSIS OF THE GENERA OF SCIMNIDJE.* 



Subfamily L-OTOIITHINJE. 



(Sciwnidce with the vertebrae 14 or 15 -4- 10 or 11, the abdominal por- 

 tion of the spinal column having always more vertebrae than the caudal 

 portion, the anal fin being posterior in its insertion ; body more or less 

 elongate, the mouth large, the lower jaw projecting, the preopercle with 

 a crenulate, membranaceous border ; snout without distinct pores or 

 slits; preorbital narrow; gill-rakers slender, moderate, or rather long; 

 anal fin with one or two very weak spines, the second closely connected 

 with the first soft ray ; scales small, smoothish.) 



a. Anal fin long, of 15 to 21 soft rays, its length more than half that of soft dorsal ; 

 dorsal fins more or less separated (soft dorsal and anal fins closely scaled). 

 b. Teeth small, sharp, subeqnal, uniserial below, in a narrow hand above; no ca- 

 nines ; anal and soft dorsal with 20 to 22 rays each, the former but little 

 shorter than the latter ; dorsal fins well separated; body compressed; scales 

 large, ctenoid; gill-rakers long and slender; caudal fin lunate.. Seriphus, 1. 

 bb. Teeth larger, very unequal, tip of upper jaw with one or two strong canines; 

 enlarged teeth or canines on sides of lower jaw; anal fin shorter than soft 

 dorsal, with 15 to 18 soft rays ; dorsal fins more or less separated; body com- 

 pressed; scales rather small, cycloid Archoscion, 2. 



aa. Anal fin moderate, or short, of 7 to 13 soft rays ; its length less than half that of 

 second dorsal ; dorsal fins contiguous, 

 c. Canine teeth, if present, not lance-shaped, tapering from base to tip. 



d. Lower jaw without canines at its tip ; some of its lateral teeth sometimes 



enlarged ; tip of upper jaw usually with canines Cestreus, ;?. 



dd. Lower jaw with a pair of very strong canines at its tip, larger than the 

 canines at tip of upper jaw ; lateral teeth small ; body very slender ; anal fin 



small ; gill-rakers short. (Contains only Asiatic species. ) OxoLiTHUS.t 



cc. Canine teeth lance-shaped, widened toward the tip, then abruptly pointed ; 

 canines of front of premaxillary largest ; about two- canines on front of lower 

 jaw on each side ; outer teeth of upper jaw enlarged, somewhat lance- 

 shaped; outer teeth of lower jaw compressed; air-bladder with two horn- 

 like processes; gill-rakers moderate, slender; (soft dorsal and anal fins 

 scaly) : Ancylodon, 4. 



Subfamily H.-SCIJENINJE. 



(Scicenidce with the dorsal fins contiguous, the soft dorsal being long, 

 much longer than the anal ; vertebras 9 to 12 -f- 13 to 20, typically 10 + 

 14, the number of vertebras in the abdominal part of the body being 

 always less than in the caudal part.) 



*For completeness' sake we include in the following analysis, besides the American 

 genera, Otolithus, Sciwnoides, Collichthys, and Pseudotolithus, the only well-defined 

 genera without American representatives with which we are acqnaiuted. 



t Otolithus Cuvier, Regne Animal. Type, Johnius ruber Bloch. The characters here 

 given are drawn from Otolithus argenleus (specimen from Hong-Kong, China). 



