Families of Teleostean Fishes. 179 



2. Ventrala with not more than 5 soft rays. 



a. Lower pharyngeal bones not completely united, showing at 

 least a median suture, 

 u. ( j ill-membranes free from isthmus. 



* Ventrala little if at all behind the pectorals. 



t Third vertebra without transverse processes or with 

 sessile ribs. 

 \ A more or less developed sub ocular shelf, or inner 

 lamina of the suborbitals supporting the eyeball, 

 sometimes reduced to a mere process of the second 

 suborbital. 

 § Ribs inserted on the transverse processes, when 

 these are developed. 

 Body covered with very large bony scales ; 

 ventrals with a very strong spine and 



2 or 3 very short soft rays 2. Monocent rides. 



Dorsal very short, with few graduated, adnate 



spines ; anal very long 3. Pempheridce. 



Spinous dorsal usually well developed, soft 



dorsal usually not much more developed 



than the anal ; palate usually toothed. .. . 11. Serranidce. 



Dorsal and anal fins elongate and formed 



mostly of articulated soft rays, the spines 



feeble and few 12. Pseudochromididce. 



Dorsal and anal fins much elongate, without 



distinct spines ; body band-like 13. Cepolidee. 



Teeth in the jaws fused to form a beak 14. Hoplvgnathida. 



Soft dorsal and anal much elongate ; a separate 



spinous dorsal 15. Sillaginidce. 



Soft dorsal much longer than the anal; a 



separate spinous dorsal 10. Scianidce. 



§§ Ribs mostly sessile, behind the parapophyses; 

 body deep ; mouth moderately large and pro- 

 tractile. 



Supratemporal forked, distinct from skull .... 25. Scorpidides, 

 Supnitemporal completely ankylosed to the 



skull ; mouth very protractile 20. Caproidce. 



X\ No subocular shelf. 



§ Ribs mostly sessile, behind the parapophyses ; 

 anal spines 3 to 14. 

 Teeth conical ; palate toothed ; mouth freely 



protractile 4. Centrarchidee, 



Teeth incisor-like ; fins densely scaled 5. Cyphosid(/>. 



Teeth conical ; palate toothless G. Lobotidce. 



Maxillary very slender, mouth very protractile . 7. Toxotidce. 

 No entopterygoid ; mouth very protractile .... 8. Nandiche. 



§§ Ribs inserted on the transverse processes when 

 these are developed; not more than 3 anal 

 spines. 

 Mouth not or but feebly protractile ; palate 

 toothed ; spinous dorsal usually longer 

 than the soft ; anal with 1 or 2 spines .... 9. Pereida. 

 Mouth moderately protractile ; palate toothed ; 

 spinous dorsal not longer than the soft ; 



anal with 2 or 3 spines 10. A<.rar>n>n<(tid(.v, 



12 s 



