1398 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



2 in head, reaching to below posterior margin of eye; lower jaw with a 

 knob at its symphysis which fits in a notch in the upper jaw; teeth all 

 small, subequal, those of the lower jaw in a single series, except at the 

 symphysis, where there are two or three series; teeth of the upper jaw 

 in two series, the inner ones much recurved; gi]l rakers long and slender, 

 f length of eye, 7 -|-16; lower pharyugeals narrow, linear, fragile; scales 

 moderate, weakly ctenoid, those about the head cycloid; lateral line 

 straight; dorsal spines weak, the highest 2f to 3 in head; soft dorsal 

 falcate, the anterior rays much the longer; anal similar, its base at least 

 as long as that of the soft dorsal; interspace between dorsals 2$ in head; 

 ventrals 2 in head; pectorals If; caudal lunate. Color bluish above, sides 

 and belly bright silvery, finely punctate; vertical fins all bright yellow; 

 in life, base of pectorals blackish. Coast of southern California, from 

 Point Conception to Cerros Island; common on sandy shores, about San 

 Diego in shallow waters. It reaches the length of about a foot, and is 

 an excellent pan fish, (politus, polished.) 



Seriphus politus, AYRES, Proc. Cal. Ac. Nat. Sci., n, 1861, 80, no locality; JORDAN <fc 

 GILBERT, Proc. U.S.Nat. Mus. 1880, 456; JORDAN <fc GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 

 1881, 48; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 582, 1883; JORDAN & EIGENMANN, I. c., 352, 1889. 



570. ISOPISTHUS, Gill. 



Isopisthus, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1862, 18 (parvipinnis) . 



This genus is intermediate between /Seriphus and Cynoscion. It has the 

 canine teeth of the latter, with the long anal and short second dorsal of 

 the former. The second dorsal has 24 rays; it is well separated from the 

 spinous dorsal, and its base is only J longer than that of the anal. Another 

 genus (Archoscion Gill) is intermediate between Isopisthus and Cynoscion, 

 having the anal shorter and the dorsals closer together than in Isopisthus, 

 but less so than in Cynoscion. Canines strong, the lateral teeth of lower 

 jaw more or less canine-like. The separation of these groups as genera is 

 perhaps hardly justified. Species few, in tropical America, (i'&og, equal; 

 oTtiti&e behind, the soft dorsal and anal equal.) 



a. Anal rays II, 19; pectorals rather long, 1 in head; axil brownish. REMIFER, 1771. 

 aa. Anal rays II, 16 or 17; pectorals shortish, H in head; axil pale. PARVIPINNIS, 1772. 



1771. ISOPISTHUS REMIFER, Jordan & Gilbert. 



Head 3 (3f in total); depth 4J (4f) ; eye 4f D. VIII-I, 20; A. II, 19; 

 scales 15-73-16, about 55 pores. Body elongate, compressed, the back not 

 elevated; head compressed; snout rather short, not prominent; anterior 

 profile slowly rising from snout to front of dorsal; premaxillaries extend- 

 ing beyond front of snout, anteriorly on the level of the upper part of the 

 pupil; mouth large, very oblique, the maxillary extending to below the 

 middle of eye, its length 2 in head. Lower jaw strongly projecting at tip ; 

 chin without pores. Front of premaxillaries with a long, sharp, curved 

 canine on each side (1 of these often smaller or absent) ; sides of upper jaw 

 with smaller teeth, wide-set, mostly in 1 row; lower jaw with about 2 

 series of small, slender teeth in front, laterally with a single series of small 

 teeth, besides 3 to 6 large canines, much smaller than the canines of the 



