576 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Genus bairdiella Gill 

 This genus is characterized by the oblique mouth, little 

 cavernous skull, few rows of small teeth, slender gill rakers, and 

 the preopercle armed with a plectroid spine. It is certainly a 

 very natural group, and worthy of recognition as a distinct 

 genus, though its relationships with Ophioscion and 

 specially with S t e 1 1 i f e r are YeTj close. The numerous 

 species are all American, all small in size and silvery in colora- 

 tion, and some of them are remarkable for the great size of the 

 second anal spine. In others this spine is quite small. These 

 variations among species unquestionably closely allied show 

 how slight is the systematic value to be attached to the size of 



this spine. 



Subgenus bairdiella 



281 Bairdiella chrysura (Lacepede) 

 Yelloivtail; Silver Perch 



Dipterodon clirysurus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poissi. Ill, 64, 1802, South 



Carolina. 

 Bodianus argyroleucus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N, Y. I, 417, pi. 6, 



fig. 9, 1815, New York. 

 Corvina argyroleuca Guvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 105, 



1830; De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 74, pi. 18, fig. 51, 1842, New York; 



GuNTHEE, Cat. Pish. Brit. Mus. II, 299, 1860. 

 Homoprion xantliurus Holbrook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 170, pi. 24, 1856 (not 



Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepede). 

 Sciaena punctata Joedan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 570, 1883. 

 Sciaena chrysura Jordan & Gilbert, op. cit. 933, 1883. 

 Bairdiella chrysura Goode, Fish. & Fish. Ind. TJ. S. I, 375, pi. 126, 1884; 



Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 141, pi. I, fig. 9, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. 



Fish. N. Y. 259, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1897; Jordan 



& EvERMANN, Bull. 47, V. S. Nat. Mus. 1433, 1888, pi. OCXXII, fig. 



566, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 106, 190O. 



Body oblong, compressed, rather robust, its greatest depth 

 one third of total length without caudal; least depth of caudal 

 peduncle one eighth of total without caudal. Head compressed, 

 conical, not depressed nor broadened, its length three tenths of 

 total without caudal; eye equal to snout and about one fourth 

 length of head; interorbital region depressed, transversely con- 

 vex, narrower than the eye; mouth rather large, somewhat 

 oblique, jaws about equal in front, maxillary long, reaching 



