196 



without supplemental bone. Mouth moderate or small. 

 Teeth usually small, not implanted in sockets or 

 absent. Pectorals in or above middle of height. Third 

 and fourth upper pharyngeals of each side anchylosed. 

 Gillrakers long and slender (Mugiloidei Klunzinger). 



a . First dorsal with no more than 4 stiff spines ; anal 

 with 3 weak spines. Mouth usually with a rather 

 wide transverse part, the lateral cleft usually short. 

 Superior pharyngeals without teeth, forming to- 

 gether with gillrakers a filtering apparatus. Verte- ,'. 



brae 2426 Mugilidae p. 229. 



b. First dorsal formed 'otherwise. Anal with a single 

 weak spine. Cleft of mouth not transverse. Supe- 

 rior pharyngeals bearing teeth, forming no filtering 



apparatus with gillrakers. Vertebrae more than 30. Atherinidae p. 266. 



I. Fam. POLYNEMIDAE. 



Oblong, compressed, covered with large, feebly ciliated scales. 

 Lateral line continued on the tail. Head scaly, with the snout 

 more or less obtusely conical and projecting over the mouth, 

 which is rather large. Intermaxillaries protractile, bordering the 

 upper jaw. Maxillaries styliform and slightly or strongly widened 

 posteriorly and then reaching far behind eye; a supplemental 

 bone is wanting. Eyes rather large with an anterior and pos- 

 terior gelatinous eyelid. Small villiform teeth on jaws, pala- 

 tines and sometimes on vomer. First dorsal with 7 8 feeble 

 spines, remote from second dorsal, which is of equal height 

 but generally longer, consisting of n 15 rays. The anal is 

 opposite and similar to it or much longer. Caudal fin deeply 

 forked. Second dorsal, anal and caudal more or less covered 

 with minute scales. Ventrals with I spine and 5 rays, abdo- 

 minal but near to pectorals (subabdominal). Pelvic bones not 

 attached to cleithra but firmly connected with the postclavi- 

 cles. Pectorals placed low down, consisting of two portions, 

 the upper one or main fin attached to the scapula. The lower 

 one consists of free, articulated pectoral filaments, which can 

 be moved independently and are organs of touch; they are 

 attached to a fenestrate bone plate formed by the coalesced 

 pterygials and anchylosed with the scapula and coracoid. Gill- 



