Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1243 



M. Top of head naked ; an oblique band of scales on eacb 

 side of nape; parietal crest not confluent with the 

 fronto-occipital crest, either fading away ante- 

 riorly or running into the ocular rim ; preopercle 

 with a shallow notch or eraarginatiou only. 



NEOM^ENIS, 525. 



gg. Fronto-occipital crest continued forward along top of head 

 to nearly opposite nostrils ; prefrontals with the pos- 

 terior area short, excavated above and in front, 

 i. Gill rakers short and few, about 12; anal fin long and 

 low, its rays III, 10 or 11. RABIRUBIA, 526. 



ii. Gill rakers long and numerous, about 25 ; anal rather 

 high, its rays HI, 9 ; pterygoid teeth present (in 

 the adult) in a narrow band ; caudal fin very deeply 

 forked. OCYURUS, 527. 



Jf. Prefrontals with the articular facets developed from simple 

 tubercles and not V-shaped; basisphenoid not lobigerous; 

 canines small; soft r;i\ s of dorsal 10 or 11. 



j. Prefroutals with the posterior areas cribriform ; pterygoids 

 with a broad patcli of teeth (in adult) ; hyoid bones and 

 tongue with teeth; canines very small or obsolete; dorsal 

 spines 12 (or 13); soft dorsal and anal somewhat scaled; 

 top of head scaled to before middle of eye; gill rakers 

 numerous. EHOMBOPLITES, 528. 



jj. Prefrontals with the posterior areas solid and somewhat 

 tumid ; pterygoids, hyoid bone, and tongue toothless ; dor- 

 sal spines 10; soft dorsal and anal scaleless. 



APSILUS, 529. 

 ETELIN.K : 



ee. Interorbital area flat, separated by a transverse line of demarcation 

 from the occipital, by which the median as well as the lateral 

 crests are limited; froutals wide in front; tongue and pterygoids 

 toothless; soft rays of dorsal 10 or 11. 



A:. Dorsal fin continuous; frontals not cavernous; supraorbital 

 margin creuate ; periotic region much swollen outward and 

 with the bones thin and polished; preorbital moderate; 

 frontals behind with funnel-shaped foraminae; soft dorsal 

 and anal scaleless ; last rays of dorsal and anal produced. 



APBION, 530. 



kk. Dorsal nearly or quite divided into two fins by a deep notch; 

 eyes very large ; preorbital very narrow. 



I. Frontals not cavernous, simply normally perforate ; supra- 



orbital margins crenate ; periotic region little convex 

 and with the bones thick, unpolished; prefrontals 

 behind with funnel-shaped foramina; body compara- 

 tively elongate ; head naked above and on snout ; soft 

 dorsal and anal naked; peritoneum and lining of gill 

 c*avity pale ; caudal deeply forked ; color crimson. 



ETELIS, 531. 



II. Frontals cavernous (like those of Scicenoids) , with longi- 



tudinal, osseous bars, leaving interspaces in front of 

 transverse ridge and on each side near the front; 

 supraorbital margins smooth ; prefrontals behind with 

 simple foramina for olfactory nerves ; body compara- 

 tively short and deep ; head scaly above and on jaws 

 and snout; soft dorsal and anal scaly at base; peri- 

 toneum and lining of gill cavity black ; caudal lunate. 

 Deep-water species, blackish-purple in color. 



VEBILUS, 532. 



