Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1759 



usually with 2 spinous processes ; preopercle with 4 or 5. Mouth terminal, 

 usually large, with villiform teeth on jaws and vomer, and usually on the 

 palatines. Premaxillaries piotractile; maxillary broad, without supple- 

 mental bone, not slipping under preorbital. Gill openings wide, extending 

 forward below; the gill membranes separate and free from the isthmus; 

 usually no slit behind the fourth gill. Scales ctenoid, or sometimes 

 cycloid, usually well developed, sometimes nearly obsolete. Lateral line 

 single, continuous, concurrent with the back ; a narrow bony stay extend- 

 ing backward from the suborbital toward the preopercle. Ventral iins 

 thoracic, of the normal percoid form, I, 5, the rays branched; dorsal fin 

 continuous, sometimes so deeply notched as to divide it into 2 parts, with 

 8 to 16 rather strong spines and about as many soft rays ; anal rather short, 

 with 3 spines and 5 to 10 soft rays; soft rays in all the fins branched, 

 except some or all of rays of the pectorals ; pyloric caica in moderate or 

 small number (less than 12). Pseudobraiichite large. Air bladder usually 

 present. Actinosts moderate, inserted on the posterior edges of hy percora- 

 coid and hypocoracoid ; ribs borne on enlarged pleurapophyses. Post- 

 temporal bifurcate, normally connected ; myodome more or less developed. 

 Genera about 30; species about 250, inhabiting all seas, but especially 

 abundant in the temperate parts of the Pacific Ocean, where they form a 

 large proportion of the fish fauna. They are nonmigratory fishes living 

 about rock... Most of thorn are of large size, and all are used as food. 

 Many of them are viviparous, the young being produced in great numbers 

 when about inch in length. (Triglidw, group Scorpaeninaj Gunther, Cat., 

 n, 95, 1860.) 



SEBASTINyE : 



a. Dorsal spines more than 12 ; vertebrae more than 10 + 14. 



b. Dorsal spines 15 or 16; vertebrae about 12 + 19; palatine teeth present; top of 



head scaly, scales ctenoid. 

 c. Anal III, 7 or 8; pectorals long, narrow; vertebrae 12 + 19 = 31. 



SEBASTES, 688. 



cc. Anal III, 5 ; pectorals with lower rays broadened or prolonged into lingui- 

 form lobe ; vertebrae 11 + 18 =: 29. SEBASTOLOBUS, 689. 



bb. Dorsal spines 13 or 14; vertebrae 12 + 15 = 27. 



d. Palatine teeth present. SEBASTODES, 690. 



dd. Palatine teeth none. SEBASTOPSIS, 691. 



ad. Dorsal spines 12; vertebrae 10 + 14 = 24. 



e. Palatine teeth present; anal rays usually III, 5. 



/. Bones of head scarcely cavernous; occiput with 2 pairs of spines; scales 



ctenoid or provided with dermal flaps. 

 g. Pectoral with some of its median rays more or less branched. 



h. Scales on top and sides of head ctenoid; cranium much as in 



Sebastodes, the armature moderate. HELICOLENUS, 692. 



hh. Scales on top and sides of head cycloid or wanting; cranium 



with many spines. SCORP^ENA, 693. 



gg. Pectoral rays all simple; head more or less scaly, the scales ctenoid. 



PONTINUS, 694. 



/. Bones of head with large muciferous cavities ; occiput with only 1 pair of 

 spines; scales cycloid; pectoral rays 20 or more; head scaleless above; 

 no groove at occiput ; some of the pectoral rays branched. 



SETARCHES, 695. 



