THE CROAKERS 



Family LVI. Scicenidce 



BODY compressed, more or less elongate, covered with rather thin 

 scales which are usually more or less ctenoid; lateral line continuous, 

 extending on caudal fin; head usually large, scaly; bones of head cav- 

 ernous, the muciferous system highly developed, the surface of the 

 skull very uneven; chin usually with pores, sometimes with barbels; 

 mouth small or large, the teeth in one or more series, the outer some- 

 times enlarged; canines often present; no incisors or molars; no teeth 

 on vomer, palatines, or tongue; maxillary without supplemental bone; 

 premaxillaries somewhat protractile; nostrils double; pseudobranchia; 

 usually present and usually large; branchiostegals 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 deeply notched or 

 divided into 2 fins, the soft portion being the longer, the spines de- 

 pressible into a groove; anal with never more than 2 spines; caudal 

 usually not forked; ear-bones or otoliths very large; air-bladder usu- 

 ally large and complicated (wanting in Menticirrhus). 



This is a very large and very important family of some 30 genera 

 and 150 species, found on sandy shores in all warm seas; some 

 species ranging northward and a few confined to fresh water. None 

 occurs in deep water and none about rocks. Many of them reach a 

 large size, and nearly all are valued as food. All are carnivorous, and 

 some are of interest as game-fishes. Most of the species make a 

 peculiar noise, variously called croaking, grunting, drumming, or snor- 

 ing, supposed to be produced by forcing air from the air-bladder into 

 one of the lateral horns. Only the more important genera are included 

 in the following key : 



a. Vertebrae 14 or 1 5 + 10 or 1 1 ; abdominal portion of body long. 



b. Anal fin long, of 1 5 to 21 rays Seriphus, 455 



bb. Anal fin moderate or short, of 7 to 13 rays Cynoscion, 455 



aa. Vertebrae 9 to 12+13 to 2O 5 abdominal portion of body shorter. 



c. Lower pharyngeals separate. 



d. Lower jaw without barbels. 



e. Teeth well developed, permanent in both jaws. 



/. Gill-rakers long and slender Bairdiella, 460 



ff. Gill-rakers short and thick Scitznops, 461 



454 



