594 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.41. 



and by the plain black color. The opercular flap is black. This 

 may be the Crenidens leoninus described by Richardson from Canton 

 as having 14 dorsal spines, but his scant account applies equally well 

 to Girella mezina. We have therefore adopted the name which is 

 not open to question. 



(jjsMc, black; ^x^'JC, fish.) 



19. Genus KYPHOSUS Lacepede. 



Kyphosus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 3, 1802, p. 114 (bigibbus=/uscus) . 



Pimelepterus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 4, 1803, p. 429 (bosqui=sectatrix). 



Dorsuarius Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 5, 1803, p. 482 (nigrescens=fuscus). 



Xyster Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. 5, 1803, p. 484 (fuscus). 



Saleima Bowdich, Excursion Madeira, 1825, p. 238, (aurata). 



Opisthistius Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vol. 14, 1862, p. 245 (tahmel). 



Body elongate-ovate, regularly elliptical, moderately compressed, 

 head short, with blunt snout; eye large; mouth small, horizontal; 

 maxillary barely reaching front of eye; each jaw with a single series 

 of rather narrow obtusely lanceolate incisors, implanted with com- 

 pressed conspicuous roots posteriorly; behind these a narrow hand 

 of villiform teeth; fine teeth on vomer, palatines, and tongue. 

 Branchiostegals 7; gill-rakers long. Preopercle obsoletely serrate; 

 preorbital narrow, covering but little of the maxillary. Squamation 

 very complete, the space between and about the eyes being the only 

 naked part; scales smallish, thick, ctenoid, 50 to 70 in the lateral line, 

 which is continuous; similar scales entirely covering the soft parts of 

 the vertical fins, and extending up on the paired fins. Dorsal fin Ioav, 

 with about 11 spines, which are depressible in a groove of scales, the 

 fin continuous, but the last spines low, so that a depression occurs 

 between the two parts of the fin, the bases of the spinous and soft parts 

 about equal; soft dorsal rather low or elevated in front, not falcate, 

 pointed behind; anal similar to soft dorsal, with three spines; caudal 

 fin moderately forked; pectoral fins small, ventrals well behmd them. 

 Intestinal canal long. Pyloric caeca very numerous. Vertebrae 9 or 

 10 + 15 or 16 = 25. This genus contains some 10 species, chiefly 

 confined to the Paciflc Ocean, and most of them found in the East 

 Indies. 



(ku(J)oc, a hump, referring to a deformed specimen with a hump 



back.) 



Key to species. 



a^. Kyphosus; soft dorsal not elevated in front, its longest rays not longer than long- 

 est dorsal spine; dorsal rays X, 14; anal rays III, 13. Scales in lateral line 

 53 lembus, 33. 



a^. Opisthistius; soft dorsal elevated in front, its longest rays longer than longest 

 dorsal spine; dorsal rays XI, 12, anal rays III, 11. Scales in lateral line about 

 56 cinerascens, 34, 



