ISTOMENCLATURE AND MOEPHOLOGY. 31 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES OP MICROPTERUS. 



Common characters. — Body elongated, ovate-fusiform ; slightly 

 compressed; arched and thick along the back, thinner 

 and straight along the belly; lower jaw longest; both 

 jaws armed with broad bands of villiform teeth of uni- 

 form size; villiform teeth also on vomer, palatine and 

 pharyngeal bones; teeth on gill-rakers; spinous and soft 

 portions of dorsal fin partly divided by a notch; anal fin 

 with three spines; caudal fin emarginate; opercule 

 emarginate behind, ending in two flat points; supple- 

 mental maxillary bone well developed. 



* Mouth large ; angle of mouth anterior to the posterior border of 

 the eye. 



t Third dorsal spine only one-half higher than the first. 



a. Notch between spinous and soft rays of dorsal comparatively 

 shallow. 



6. Scales small on body, much smaller on breast and back of neck, 

 and quite small on cheeks, in 17 rows; 11 rows of scales 

 between lateral line and dorsal fin; 70 to 80 scales along 

 the lateral line ( exclusive of small pre-caudal scales ) . 



c. No scales on preopercular limb. 



d. Anal fin almost without scales. ( ? ) 



e. Head moderate in size; slightly convex between the orbits. 



/. Color, slaty or dusky green on back and sides, shading to white 

 on belly and lower jaw; young brighter green, and more 

 or less spotted and marked with vertical bars; tail in 

 young ( in some localities ) , yellow at base, middle black, 

 tip white; opercle with three oblique olivaceous streaks; 

 D. X, 13; A. Ill, II DOLOMIEU. 



** Mouth very large ; angle of mouth extends beyond the posterior 

 border of the eye. 



tt Third dorsal spine twice ( at least ) as high as the first. 



no. Dorsal notch deep, almost dividing the fin into two. 



66. Scales moderate ; not much smaller on cheeks, nape or breast ; 

 scales on cheeks in 10 rows; 8 rows of scales between 

 lateral line and dorsal fin; 65 to 70 scales along lateral 

 line (exclusive of small pre-caudal scales). 



cc. A single row of scales on preopercular limlj, 



dd. Anal fin somewhat scaly. (?) 



ee. Head large; flat between the orbits. 



