THE ORDERS OF TELEOSTOMOUS FISHES 491 



ctenoid scales, and a percoid mouth [Acanthopterygian charac- 

 ters] with the adipose fin [also open air duct], abdominal ventrals,. 

 and naked head of the Isospondyli" (Jordan and Evermann). 

 "The relations of the Percopsidse with such archaic spiny- rayed 

 fishes as Aphredoderus and Elassoma are certainly not remote, 

 and the close resemblance of the head oiPercopsis to that of 

 Gymnocephalus {Acerina) [ttie Ruffe of the Percidae] may be 

 more than accidental" (Jordan). The family is made a suborder 

 (Salmopercse) of the Acanthopteri by Jordan and Evermann 

 with the following definition: "Adipose fin present; dorsal and 

 anal with spines in very small number; ventral fins abdominal, 

 with more than 5 soft rays [9], vertebrae about 35." On the other 

 hand, Boulenger believes that "an analysis of their characters 

 shows them to belong to the Haplomi, of which they may be 

 regarded as highly specialized members having evolved in the 

 direction of the Acanthopterygii. " By Boulenger the degree 

 of separation from other Haplomi is indicated in the synopsis of 

 families (p. 606) asjlollows: "Dorsal and anal fins with true 

 spines; scales ctenoid; an adipose dorsal; ventral fins with 9 

 rays." These characters taken together appear to us to justify 

 the ordinal separation of the Percopsidse from the Haplomi. 



(5) Cobitopsidae. The Oligocene genus Cobitopsis may belong 

 with the Haplomi or Synentognathi. The family Ammodytidse 

 may be relatad to the Cobitopsidae (Boulenger), or since one of 

 them, Embolichthys, has the ventrals beneath the throat (jugular) 

 the family may b3 allied to the Percophiidae among the Acan- 

 thopterygii Jugulares (Gill, Jordan) — another instance of the 

 confusingly close analogical remembrances so frequent among 

 teleostome fishes. 



Superorder Mesichthyes (cont'd) 



Order Synentognathi 1 Gill. 

 (Plate XXIX.) 

 The Needle Fishes and Flying Fishes. 

 Jordan (1905, pp. 208-214) divides the group into two families 



i avv, together, evros, within, yva#os, jaw, in allusion to the fusion 

 of the lower pharyngeals. 



