822 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



Family CVIII. 



(THE BARRACUDAS.) 



Body elongate, subterete, covered with small cycloid scales. Head very 

 long, pointed, pike-like, scaly above and on sides. Mouth horizontal, 

 large. Jaws elongate, the lower considerably projecting ; upper jaw non- 

 protractile, its border formed by the premaxillaries, behind which are the 

 broad maxillaries ; large, sharp teeth of unequal size on both jaws and 

 on palatines ; none on the vomer ; usually a very strong, sharp canine 

 near the tip of the lower jaw. Opercular bones without spines or serra- 

 tures. Gill openings wide, the gill membranes not united, free from the 

 isthmus ; gill rakers very short or obsolete. Branchiostegals 7 ; gills 4, a 

 slit behind the fourth. PseudobranchiaB well developed. Air bladder large, 

 bifurcate anteriorly ; many pyloric cosca. Lateral line well developed, 

 straight. Pectoral fins short, placed in or below the line of the axis of 

 the body ; ventrals I, 5, abdominal, in ;;dvance of the middle of the body; 

 first dorsal over ventrals, of 5 rather stout spines ; second dorsal remote 

 from first dorsal, similar to anal and opposite to it; caudal fin forked. 

 Vertebra) 24. First superior pharyngeal not present. Second, third, and 

 fourth separate, with teeth. Lower pharyngeals separate. A single 

 genus of about 20 species ; carnivorous pike-like fishes, often of large size, 

 active and voracious, inhabiting warm seas, many of them highly valued 

 as food. (Sphyrcenidttj Giinther, Cat., n, 334-341, 1860.) 



369. SPHYR^ENA* (Artedi) Bloch & Schneider. 

 (BARRACUDAS.) 



tsphyrsena (ARTEDI) BLOCK & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Tchth., 109, 1801, (sphyrsena). 

 Sphserina, SWAINSON, Class'n Fishes, n, 175, 1839, (europsea = spfiyrsend). 



Characters of the genus included above, (atyvpaiva, the ancient name, 

 " hammer fish," from ctyvpa, a hammer.) 



a. Scales large, 75 to 85 in lateral line; origin of first dorsal behind root of ventrals, over last 

 third or fourth of pectorals; body compressed; lower jaw with fleshy tip; maxillary reach- 

 ing past front of orbit ; teeth large. PI CUD A, 1199. 



aa. Scales moderate, 110 to 130 in lateral line; body subterete or compressed. 



b. Pectorals reaching front of spinous dorsal ; maxillary reaching front of orbit , origin of 

 spinous dorsal behind root of ventrals. 



c. Lower jaw with fleshy tip; teeth very strong; scales in lateral line 110. ENSIS, 1200. 

 cc. Lower jaw without fleshy tip; teeth strong; lateral line 130. GUACHANCHO, 1201. 



bb. Pectorals not reaching front of first dorsal; maxillary not reaching front of orbit. 



d. Eye large; teeth small; interorbital area convex; median ridge of frontal groove 



not well developed. PICUDILLA, 1202. 



dd. Eye small; teeth larger; interorbital space flattish; median ridge of frontal groove 



prominent. BOREALIS, 1203. 



aaa. Scales very small, 150 to 170 in lateral line; origin of spinous dorsal well behind tip of 



pectorals, before the vertical from root of ventrals; lower jaw with fleshy tip. Body 



slender, subterete. 



* For a detailed account of the American species of this geuus see Meek & Newland, Proc. Ac. 

 Nat. Sci. Phila., 1884, 67, et seq. 



