EXPLORATIONS ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. 



Genus MORONE, Gill. 



Synonymy. 



tchiU, Report in part on the Fishes of New York, p. 18. (Not defined.) 

 //, Proceedings Academy of Nat. Sciences of Phila., 1860, p. 115. 



Lahraees with a pectinated preoperculum, strouyly ctenoid cheek and opercular scales, 

 liuyuut teeth developed only in a maroiual hand, and shad with swollen diaphanous brain-case 

 and mastoid protuberances projecfiuy toward the foramina for the last two branches on each 

 side of the jifih nerve. 



The body is oblong-ovate and slightly gibbous at the commencement of the 

 dorsal fin. 



The head is compressed, laterally oblong-conic. The operculum has two spines, 

 the upper of which is smaller ; the preoperculum pectinated behind and beneath • the 

 suborbital bones entire. The muciferous cavities of the lower jaw are very perceptible. 



The teeth on the intermaxillary, dentary, vomerine, and palatine bones are villi- 

 form. There is only a marginal band on the tongue, which is less perfect at the tip 

 the asperities being there more scattered. The interbranchial osselete are smooth. 



The scales are ctenoid on the body and the entire head. 



The lateral line anteriorly convex, but not parallel with the back. 



The dorsal fins are united by a low membrane ; the anterior has nine spines : the 

 posterior, one The anal fin has three spines. The caudal is emarginated. 



lhe skull has the brain-case with inflated sides below, swollen and developing 

 into mastoid prominences projecting toward the foramina for the last two branrl.es of 

 the fifth pair of nerves no vacuity between the basioccipitel and alisphenoid bones, and 

 the postfrontals laterally contracted. 



The chief distinctive characters of the genus are the presence of strongly-pecti- 

 nated scales on the cheeks and opercular bones, and the band of villiform teeth on the 

 sides and of more scattered ones at the tip, as well as the cranial peculiarities. 



In the armature of the preoperculum and operculum, it resembles the genus 



hoeeas. J he shgM j g^^ ^ ^ ^ Qf ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 



ment of the second ana spine are secondary features, which support the natural 

 characters < 4 Morone as distinguished from the genus Moccus. 



hov the name of the genus, one used by Mitchill for a group founded in error 

 has been adopted, lhe name of Mitchill resulted from a misunderstanding of that 



tiSs : y t ( ; oi the r ,,s made nse ° f ^ Li — • ^ g^ ^ 



a 1 el h } the ^lish naturalist in his section of TUraeiel Mitchill, believing 



1 the Mo. one a i; wrwa m , IWea americana (Perea flavescens Cv.), and Pouotis aureus 



hstnu t hem Perea, and consequently gave to them the generic name Morone. It 



7Z^:TT7 t0 ^ l 1 ^ f the ^ ~»*> l ^ the normal position 

 of the ventials of Perea, and that therefore Morone of Mitchill was a mere synonym of 



