Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 829 



Anal fin not much longer than soft dorsal, of about 13 or 14 rays ; vomer 

 with teeth ; preoperculum serrate ; free filaments of pectorals mostly 

 shorter than body. Teeth in villiform bands on both jaws, vomer, pala- 

 tines, and pterygoids. Preopercle sharply serrated on its posterior mar- 

 gin, its angle with a scaly flap. Scales rather small, finely ctenoid. 

 First dorsal with 7 or 8 feeble, rather high spines, the first and last short. 

 Soft dorsal and anal fins about equaling each other ; pectoral filaments 3 

 to 9. Pyloric coeca in great number. Species numerous, in warm seas. 

 (7ro/lt>f, many; Ja/cruAof, finger.) 



a. Pectoral filaments 6 (rarely 5). APPBOXIMANS, 1207. 



aa. Pectoral filaments 7. VIRGINICUS, 1208. 



aaa. Pectoral filaments 8 or 9. 



b. Maxillary less than % length of head. Pectoral filaments 8. OCTONEMUS, 1209 



bb. Maxillary more than % length of head. Pectoral filaments usually 9. 



OPERCULARIS, 1210. 



1207. POLYDACTYLUS APPKOXIMANS (Lay & Bennett). 

 (RATON.) 



Head 3J- ; depth 3. D. VIII-1, 12 ; A. Ill, 13 or 14 ; scales 6-62-10. Body 

 rather deep, compressed, the back elevated, anterior profile from snout to 

 spinous dorsal slightly convex ; maxillary 2fc in head; snout 7 in head; 

 eye large, less than interorbital space, 5 in head. Scales rather large. 

 Longest dorsal spine li in head; caudal lobes somewhat longer than 

 head ; pectoral fin 1 in head ; pectoral filaments 6 (rarely 5) in number, 

 longer than head, reaching to front of anal fin in adult. Color yellowish 

 white, darker above ; pectorals black in adult. Length 1 foot. Pacific 

 Coast of tropical America, from Guaymas to Panama ; a common food-fish, 

 known from Guaymas, Mazatlan, Chiapam, Punta Arenas, and Panama. 

 ( approximans, approaching. ) 



Polynemus approximans, LAY & BENNETT, Beechey's Voyage, Zoiil. Fish., 57, 1849, Mazatlan; 



GUNTHER, Fish. Centr. Amer., 423, 1869; JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 



365, 376; JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. Amer., 66, 1885. 

 Polynemus calif orniensis, THOMINOT, Bulletin de la Societe Philomathique de Paris, Seance du 27 



Juin, 1886, California. 

 Trkhidion approximans, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 258, 1862. 



1208. POLYDACTYLUS VIRGINICUS (Linnams). 

 (BARBUDO ; BARBU.) 



Head 3$ } depth 3. D. VIII-I, 9 to 12 ; A. Ill, 13 or 14 ; scales 7-71-10. 

 Body deep, compressed, anterior profile nearly straight; maxillary 2 in 

 head ; length of snout 5 in head ; eye large, equal to interorbital space, 

 5 in head. Scales moderate. Longest dorsal spine equal to longest ray 

 of soft dorsal and li in head ; caudal lobes about as long as head ; pecto- 

 ral fin 11 in head ; pectoral filaments 7 in number, somewhat longer than 

 head, reaching to front of anal fin, in adult. Color yellowish white, 

 darker above; scales on back with dark punctulations on their margins; 

 the young silvery white. West Indies, north to the Florida Keys, the 



