Fifihes of the Familij Stromateuloi. 121 



a. Spinous dorsal with 10-11 slender spines, 



at le.ost as high as the soft dorsal. 



Teeth on vomer and palatines 1. Nomcus. 



Teeth on vomer and tongue at least in the young- ; 



bod}' oblong; veatrais behind pectorals 2. Cubiceps. 



Palate toothless ; body ovate; veutrals below pectorals. 3. Psmcs. 



b. Dorsal spi les short. 



lyiaxillary with small supplemental bone 4. Seriolella. 



Maxillary without supplemental bone 5. Pseiiopsis. 



13. Lateral line curved anteriorly, becoming 

 straight before reaching the caudal peduncle. 



Body elongate 6. Centrolophus. 



Body ovate 7. Lirus. 



II. Ventral fins absent in the adult ; oesophagus 

 without longitudinal plications. 



A. Gill-membranes not joined to the isthmus. 



Pelvis not projecting as a spine 8. Stromateus. 



Pelvis projecting as a spine 9. Peprilus. 



B. Gill-membrauesbroadly joined to the isthmus. 10. Stromateoides. 



In the following descriptions I have marked * species which 

 are not represented in the British Museum collection. The 

 descriptions of those not so marked are based on specimens in 

 the British Museum collection. I have marked f synonyms 

 which I have been unable to verify. 



NOMEUS. 

 Cuv. Regn. Anim. Ed. i, ii. p. 315 (1817). 



Body oblong, moderately compressed, covered with cycloid 

 scales of moderate size. Head scaly except the snout ; mouth 

 small; premaxillaries feebly prorractile; maxitlaries entirely 

 concealed when the mouth is shut, without supplemental 

 bone ; teeth on vomer and palatines ; opercular bones thin, 

 entire ; 6 branchiostegals ; gill-rakers of moderate length ; 

 pseudobranchiaj well developed; gill-membranes not united, 

 free from the isthmus. Spinous dorsal with 10 or 11 slender 

 spines, the middle spines longest and as long as the longest 

 soft rays, continued on to the soft dorsal, which is long and 

 has the anterior rays highest. Anal with 3 spines, similar to 

 the soft dorsal. Pectorals long, with 23 rays. Ventrals well 

 developed, attached to the abdomen by membrane and depres- 

 sible in a deep furrow. Caudal forked. Lateral line running 

 high, concurrent with the dorsal profile. Air-bladder present. 

 41 vertebrffi. 



This genus apparently consists of one species only, Nomeus 

 Gronovii^ Cuv. Cuvier and Valenciennes mention a second 

 species, characterized by white ventrals with two dark trans- 

 verse bands, which they call N. Peronii; and this may possibly 

 be identical with Fsenes ^naculatus, Liitken, or with Psenes 

 arafurensis^ Gthr,, both of which possess this character. 



