i. Fam. ELOPSIDAE. 



Oblong or elongate, more or less compressed. Scales cy- 

 cloid, silvery. Head naked, with an occipital collar of thin, 



large scales. Mouth large, terminal; 

 lower jaw prominent. Intermaxillaries 

 short, not protractile. Lateral border 

 of mouth formed by maxillaries, which 

 have two supplemental bones. An 

 elongate bony gular plate between 

 branches of mandibula (Fig. i). Villi- 

 form teeth on jaws, vomer, palatines, 

 pterygoids and tongue. A straight 

 lateral line with simple or radiating 

 tubes. An axillary scale above pectorals 

 and ventrals. Dorsal slightly behind 

 origin of ventrals. Pectorals low down, 



Underside of head of Elops ri ... . A lr . . j 



hawaiensis Regan. folding like ventrals. Anal far behind 



g gular plate. dorsal. Gillrakers 13 30. Gillmem- 



branes separated, free. Branchiostegals numerous. Pseudo- 

 branchiae present or absent. 



Synopsis of the genera. 



a. Large pseudobranchiae. Dorsal and anal depressible in a 

 scaly sheet. Dorsal fin without produced rays, longer 



than anal. Scales small Elops p. 2. 



b. No pseudobranchiae. Dorsal and anal without a scaly 

 sheet. Dorsal fin with last ray produced, shorter than 



anal. Scales large Megalops p. 4. 



i. Elops Linne. 



(LiNNfe. Syst. nat. ed. XII a , I, 1766, p. 518). 



Elongate. Scales thin, small, forming sheets for the depres- 

 sible anal and dorsal; those along the straight lateral line with 

 a simple -tube; a scaly occipital collar. Pectorals and ventrals 

 witlratf accessory scale. Mouth bordered above by well developed 

 intermaxijlaries and very long maxillaries, which have two 

 supplemental ' bones. Dorsal slightly behind origin of ventrals, 

 none of its rays prolonged, longer than anal. Pectorals and 

 ventrals moderate. Fine teeth on jaws, vomer, palatines, pte- 

 rygoids and tongue. Pseudobranchiae large. Branchiostegals 



