1392 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



Family CLV. S 



(THE CROAKERS.) 



Body compressed, more or less elongate, covered with rather thin scales 

 which are usually more or less ctenoid. Lateral line continuous, usually 

 more or less concurrent with the hack, extending' on caudal fin. Head 

 prominent, covered with scales ; bones of the skull cavernous, the nmcif- 

 erous system highly developed, the surface of the skull, when the flesh is 

 removed, very uneven. Suborbital bones without a backward projecting 

 "stay." Chin usually with pores, sometimes with barbels. Mouth small 

 or large, the teeth in one or more series, the outer of which are sometimes 

 enlarged; canines often present. No incisor nor molar teeth; no teeth on 

 voiner, palatines, pterygoids, nor tongue, Maxillary without supplemental 

 bone, slipping under the free edge of the preorbital, which is usually 

 broad. Prernaxillaries protractile, but not very freely movable. Nostrils 

 double. Pseudobranchiitt usually large, present in most of the genera. 

 Gills 4, a slit behind fourth. Gill rakers present. Branchostegals 7. 

 Gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus. Lower pharyngeals 

 .separate or united, often enlarged, the teeth conic or molar. Preopercle 

 serrate or not. Opercle usually ending in 2 flat points. Dorsal fin 

 deeply notched or divided into 2 fins, the soft dorsal being the longer, 

 the spines depressible into a more or less perfect groove. Anal fin with 

 1 or 2 spines, never more than 2. Ventral fins thoracic, I, 5, below or 

 behind pectorals. Pectoral fins normal. Caudal fin usually not forked. 

 Ear bones or otoliths very large. Pyloric caeca usually rather few. Air 

 bladder usually large and complicated (wanting in Menticirrhus) . Most 

 of the species make a peculiar noise, called variously croaking, grunting, 

 drumming, and snoring; this sound is supposed to be caused by forcing 

 the air from the air bladder into one of the lateral horns. An important 

 family of 30 genera and 150 species, found on sandy shores in all warm 

 seas, a few species being confined to fresh waters. None occurs in deep 

 water and none among rocks. Many of them reach a large size, and 

 nearly all are valued for food. All are carnivorous and some are of inter- 

 est as game fishes.* (Sciasnidce, Giinther, Cat. Fishes, n, 265-318.) 



We begin our series of Scicenidce with the genus Seriplms, which is per- 

 haps most primitive of the existing genera, and we close it with Eques, 

 which stands at the opposite extreme from Seripluis. In passing down the 

 series from Nebris and Odontoscion, the most Otolitlms-like of the Sciamina*, 

 to Sciwna, Menticirrhns, Eques, and the other extreme forms, we find no 

 very sharp line of division. The middle line, if we may so speak, lies 

 between Bairdiella chrysoleuca and Ophioscion scierus, two species really 

 closely allied to each other. 



The Sciwninw constitute an irregularly graduated series, the characters 

 changing by small and often scarcely perceptible gradations from the 

 forms allied to Cynoscion on the one hand to those approaching Eques on 

 the other. 



* A review of the Seicenidce of America and Europe has been published by Jordan & 

 Eigemnann, Report U. S. Fish Comin. for 1886 (1889), 343-446, pis. 1-4. 



