Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 727 



at base mesially ; margin of the upper jaw chiefly formed by the premax- 

 illaries ; the short maxillaries entering the lateral margin ; maxillary free 

 from the premaxillary, its edge slipping under the front of the preorbital. 

 Dentition various, the teeth small and weak. Dorsal fin without spines, 

 inserted on the posterior part of the body, opposite the anal and more or 

 less similar to it ; ventrals abdominal, of several soft rays, inserted pos- 

 teriorly ; pectoral fin inserted high, used as an organ of flight; shoulder 

 girdle and pectoral muscles very strong ; caudal fin forked, the lower lobe 

 the longer. No finlets. Vent close in front of anal. Nostrils large, double, 

 near the eye. Lower pharyngeals enlarged and fully united, forming a 

 large, transversely concave plate, covered with large, close-set, blunt, 

 tricuspid teeth ; third upper pharyngeal greatly enlarged, not united with 

 its fellow, both covered with large, blunt, tricuspid teeth; fourth supe- 

 rior pharyngeal wanting in the adult (probably co-ossified with the third) ; 

 (these characters verified on Exocactus calif ornic us) ; vertebrae without 

 zygopophyses. Gill membranes not united, free from the isthmus. Pseu- 

 dobranchite hidden, glandular. Gill rakers various. Gills 4, a slit behind 

 the fourth. Air bladder very large, not cellular, so far as known, and 

 extending far backward among the hsemopophyses of the caudal verte- 

 brae. Vertebras about 50. Intestinal canal simple, without coeca. Car- 

 nivorous or herbivorous. Genera 4; species, about 65; abounding in all 

 warm seas, mostly pelagic, swimming near the surface, and skipping or 

 sailing through the air, sometimes for considerable distances. (Scombre- 

 j part, Giinther, Cat., vi, 277-298, 1866.) 



a. Roof of mouth (vomer, palatines, pterygoids) and tongue provided with teeth; body uot 

 angular in outline (elliptical in cross section); pectoral fins moderate, not reaching 

 heyond middle of dorsal fin; ventrals rather long, inserted behind middle of body; dor- 

 sal fin elevated; anal long, its base scarcely shorter than that of dorsal. 



b. Snout long, slender, and pointed, much longer than eye; lower jaw acute, the tip much 



projecting (approaching Hemiramphus). FODIATOR, 332. 



bb. Snout short, much shorter than eye; lower jaw scarcely produced at tip. 



PAREXOCXETUS, 333. 



a. Roof of mouth and tongue with fewer teeth or none (the vomer and palatines toothed or 

 not) ; body angular in outline (a cross section subquadrate) ; pectoral fi us very long, their 

 tips usually reaching nearly to base of caudal; lower jaw little prominent; snout short. 



c. Ventral fins inserted anteriorly, much nearer tip of snout than base of caudal, not used 



as organs of flight, their tips not reaching nearly to front of dorsal; anal fin long, 

 its base nearly equal to that of dorsal. HALOCYPSELUS, 334. 



cc. Ventral fins inserted posteriorly, more or less nearer base of caudal than tip of snout; 

 used as organs of flight, their tips reaching past middle of base of anal. 



Exoc(ETU8, 335. 



332. FODIATOR, Jordan & Meek. 



Fudiator, JORDAN & MEEK, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1885, 45, (acu/us). 



Body rather elongate; snout long, slender, and pointed, much longer 

 than eye; lower jaw acute, the tip produced. Dentition as in Farexocce- 

 tus. Pectoral fins moderate ; ventrals long, inserted posteriorly ; dorsal 

 high. One species known, widely distributed in tropical America. This 

 genus marks the transition from Hemiramphus to Exocwtus. (Fodiator, one 

 who stabs.) 



