THE MOONEYES 



Family XI. Hiodontida 



BODY elongate, compressed, covered with moderate-sized, 

 brilliantly silvery, cycloid scales; head naked, short, the snout blunt; 

 mouth moderate, oblique, terminal, the jaws about equal; premaxil- 

 laries not protractile; dentition very complete; premaxillary and 

 dentary bones with small, wide-set, cardiform teeth; maxillaries 

 with weak teeth ; a row of strong teeth around the margin of the 

 tongue, the anterior canine and very strong; between these is a 

 band of short, close-set teeth; vomer with a long, double series of 

 close-set, small teeth; similar series on the palatines, sphenoid and 

 pterygoids; eye very large, the adipose eyelid not much developed; 

 preorbital very narrow; nostrils large, those of the same side close 

 together, separated by a flap; gill-membranes not connected, free 

 from the isthmus, a fold of skin covering their base; no gular 

 plate; branchiostegals 8 to 10; gill-rakers few, short and thick; no 

 pseudobranchiae; lateral line straight; belly not serrated; dorsal fin 

 rather posterior; anal elongate, low; ventrals well developed, 

 caudal strongly forked; no adipose fin; stomach horseshoe-shaped; 

 without blind sac; one pyloric coscum; air-bladder large; no ovi- 

 duct, the eggs falling into the cavity of the abdomen before 

 exclusion. 



This family contains a single genus, with 3 species, inhabit- 

 ing the fresh waters of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 

 Valley. They are all handsome and gamy fishes, of little value as 

 food. 



GENUS HIODON IE SUEUR 



Characters of the genus included above. 



a. Belly in front of, ventrals carinated; dorsal with 9 developed 



rays ; alosoides, 9 1 



aa. Belly in front of ventrals not carinated; dorsal with n or 

 12 developed rays. 



b. Belly behind ventrals carinated; eye 3 in head;. . .tergisus, 92 

 bb. Belly nowhere carinated; eye 2^ in head; selenops, 93 



90 



