ACANTHOPTERYGII. 433 



VII. Preopercle not articulated with orbit. Teeth 

 feeble, but dentition more or less complete. 



Lateral line interrupted or absent. Nandidac. 



VIII. Preopercle not articulated with orbit. A 

 posterior canine tooth in premaxillaries, no 

 teeth on palate. Dorsal and anal fins with 

 many rays, the first few of the former being 



simple. Body elongate Malacanthidae. 



IX. Preopercle not articulated with orbit. Each 

 ventral fin having a spine at each end and 



three intermediate soft rays Teuthididae. 



Second group. BERTCIFORMES. 



Body oblong or elevated. Head with large, subcutaneous, muciferous 

 cavities. Ventral tins thoracic, each with a spine, and less or more than 

 five soft/rays. 



X Berycidae. 



Third group. KUKTIFOKMES. 



Body strongly compressed. A single dorsal fin, much less 

 developed than the anal. 



XI Kurtidae, 



Fourth group. POLYNEMIFOEMES. 



Body oblong, rather compressed. Mouth on the lower side of a pro- 

 minent snout; muciferous system on the head well developed. Two 

 rather short dorsal fins ; several free and articulated filaments below 

 each pectoral. Scales more or less covering the vertical fins. 

 XII Polynemidae. 



Fifth group. SCI^ENIFORMES. 



Body rather elongate, compressed. Muciferous system on the head 

 well developed. The second dorsal fin much more developed than the 

 first, or the anal ; no pectoral filaments. 

 XIII '.'. Sciaenidae. 



Sixth group. XIPHIIFOEMES. 



The upper jaw produced into a long sword-like process. 

 XIV Xiphiidae. 



Seventh group. TEICHIUEIFOEMES. 



Body band-like and compressed. Cleft of mouth deep. Teeth in jaws 

 and valate, several being strong and conical. Doreal and anal fins many- 

 rayed ; ventrals, when present, generally in the form of a pair of scales ; 

 caudal absent or forked. 



XV. . Trichiuridae. 



2* 



