SPAROID FISHES OF AMERICA AND EUROPE, 425 
dd, Prefrontals with the posterior areas solid and somewhat tumid; ptery- 
goids, hyoid bone, and tongue toothless; dorsal spines 10; soft dorsal 
and wan aleNenlOlebsc we axes! seit Liss iE EAs ce Sees NAS Fie APSILUS, 5. 
aa. Interorbital area flat, separated by a transverse line of demarcation from the 
occipital, by which the median as well as the lateral] crests are limited; 
frontals wide in front; tongue and pterygoids toothless; soft rays of 
dorsal 10 or 11. 
e. Dorsal fin continuous; frontals not cavernous; supraorbital margin 
crenate; periotic region much swollen outwards and with the bones 
thin and polished; preorbital moderate; frontals behind, with funnel- 
shaped foramina; soft dorsal and anal sealeless; last rays of dorsal 
SL ECU POO UNCON pak ioe. space pala Nae Sogcinictnn aie os 4 =. -~A PRION; 6: 
ee. Dorsal nearly or quite divided into two fins by a deep notch; eyes very 
large; preorbital very narrow. 
f. Frontals not cavernous, simply normally perforate; supraorbital mar- 
gins crenate; periotic region little convex and with the bones thick, 
unpolished; prefrontals behind, with funnel-shaped foramina; body 
comparatively elongate; head naked above and on snout; soft dorsal 
and anal naked; peritoneum and lining of gill-cavity pale; caudal 
deeplyitorked -kcolomienimsonet Jt 5 a2 5.530 52 Sey ee ETELIS, 7. 
Sf. Frontals cavernous (like those of Sciwnoids), with longitudinal, osse- 
ous bars, leaving interspaces in front of transverse ridge and on each 
side near the front; supraorbital margins smooth; prefrontals behind, 
; with simple foramina for olfactory nerves; body comparatively short 
and deep; head scaly above and on jaws and snout; soft dorsal and 
anal scaly at base; peritoneum and lining of gill-cavity black; caudal 
lunate. Deep-water species, blackish-purple in color. ---- VERILUS, 8. 
Subfamily II.—XENICNTHYINE. 
(Sparida, with minute subequal teeth on jaws and vomer; none on pala- 
tines; and with the upper jaw moderately protractile. ) 
Body compressed, covered with small, thin, ctenoid, silvery scales; top of head, 
cheeks, opercles, part of preorbital and crown scaly; mouth small, oblique, with 
small recurved teeth in jaws; preorbital narrow; a rhomboid patch of small teeth 
on yvomer; few teeth or none on the tongne and palatines; gill-rakers long and slen- 
der; dorsal fins nearly separate, the anterior of slender spines; the soft rays scaly. 
Intestinal canal short; the pyloric ceca not examined. Skull not stndied, the 
crests conspicuous, the temporal running forward to join the supraoccipital. 
Shore fishes, the species few, confined to the eastern Pacific, where three genera 
are known. They show many resemblances to the Serranide, especially to the genus 
Kuhlia. 
a. Dorsal rays, X or XI-t, 12 or 13, the spinous part of the fin at least half longer 
than soft part; anal rays, m1, 10 or 11. 
b. Dorsal fins entirely separated, interval between them four-fifths of eye; the 
spinous dorsal half longer than soft; nostrils small, close together. 
XENOCYS, 9. 
bb. Dorsal fins connected at base, the spinous part about double length of soft 
TD SUL Ui e  eroeerre aerate ro eT ce la aeee pases a ore (do wiccstae,- XENISTIUS, 10. 
aa. Dorsal rays, XI-1, 18 or 19, the soft part longer than the spinous part; anal 
PAY Sy AO Vibe Weis ae ceeieste clan) wereistels walsivicie <icisinin s «m=, MENICHTHYS, Jil 
