Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1381 



shore fishes, feeding largely on green or olive algae ; chiefly of the Medi- 

 terranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean; most of them valued as food. Gen- 

 era 20, species about 70. (Sparidce, groups Canlharina and Pimelepterina, 

 Giinther, Cat. Fishes, i, 413-432; 497-499, 1859.) 



GlRELLIN.33 : 



a. Soft part of dorsal and anal fins naked or partly scaled ; head more or less naked ; 

 teeth in broad bands, all freely movable, none on vomer ; pyloric caeca very numer- 

 ous ; vertebraa in somewhat increased number. Pacific Ocean. 

 b. Incisors all tricuspid. 



c. Dorsal spines 14 or 15; each jaw with a series of flat, movable, tricuspid 



incisors, behind which is a broad band of similar smaller ones ; dorsal 



continuous, its spines low. GIRELLA, 563. 



cc. Dofsal spines 12 or 13; "in both jaws series of flat, tricuspid teeth, behind 



which is a band of similar teeth, less developed and replacing the 



former;" soft dorsal and anal elevated. DOYDIXODON, 564. 



KYPHOSINJE : 



act. Soft parts of vortical fins closely scaly ; teeth more or less fixed, usually present 



on vomer ; pyloric cicca numerous. 



d. Top of head as far back as posterior margin of eyes, naked; incisor teeth nar- 

 row, equal, rounded; spinous dorsal much longer than soft dorsal; soft 

 anal higher and shorter than soft dorsal. HERMOSILLA, 565. 



dd. Top of head as well as sides and jaws closely scaled; broad bands of teeth 

 behind the incisors; villiform teeth on vomer, palatines and tongue; dor- 

 sal spines low ; incisor teeth lanceolate. 

 c. Incisor teeth strong, with horizontal, backward projecting roots; soft 



dorsal and anal not much elevated. 



/. Incisor teeth well developed, each with a conspicuous horizontal proc- 

 ess or root; caudal fin moderate, about as long as the head, the 

 outer rays not 3 times as long as the middle rays; junction of gill 

 membranes forming an angle. KYPHOSUS, 566. 



ff. Incisor teeth small, with inconspicuous roots ; caudal much longer 

 than head, the lobes falcate, the outer 5 times length of middle 

 rays; gill membranes not forming an angle at junction. 



SECTATOR, 567. 

 ee. Incisor teeth very narrow, without evident roots. 



</. Anal tin short, 3| in length of body, its rays III, 19 ; dorsal spines 

 gradually increasing in height to the sixth, then decreasing 

 backward ; soft dorsal and anal not falcate ; preopercle slightly 

 serrate ; teeth narrow but evidently compressed. 



MEDIALUNA, 568. 



563. GIRELLA, Gray. 



Girella, GRAY, Illustrations of Indian Zoology, about 1840 (punctata). 



Melanichthys, TBMMINCK &. SCHLEGEL, Fauna Japonica, Poissons, 75, 1850 (punctatus). 



Camarina, AYRES, Proc. Cal. Ac. ,Sci. 1860, 81 (nigricans). 



Body oblong-ovate, compressed, covered with rather large scales. 

 Mouth small, with a series of tricuspid, movable incisors, behind which is 

 a broad band of similar smaller ones; no molar teeth; no teeth on vomer 

 or tongue ; lower pharyngeal teeth slender. Cheeks with very small scales ; 

 opercles and top of head chiefly naked. Gill rakers slender. Dorsal fin 

 rather low, with about 14 spines, on the bases of which the scales extend, 

 forming an imperfect sheath ; no groove at base of dorsal ; no procumbent- 

 dorsal spine; anal spines small, graduated; caudal lunate. Air bladder 

 divided into 2 posterior horns. Pyloric cteca numerous; intestinal canal 



