174 



FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



of the order must be sought in the formation of the border of the mouth solely by 

 the premaxillaries, in the anterior attachment of the ventral fins (which nor- 

 mally have 1 spine and 5 rays) , in the absence of a duct connecting the air-bladder 

 with the mouth cavity, in the laminated gills, and in various cranial and pelvic 

 pecuHarities. 



Family APHREDODERIDtE. The Pirate Perches. 



This family, which contains a single genus, has the following leading char- 

 acters: Oblong body, compressed posteriorly, elevated in front of dorsal fin; 

 depressed head; moderate-sized, oblique mouth, with projecting lower jaw; 

 villiform bands of teeth on jaws, vomer, palatines, and pterygoids; serrated 

 margins to preopercle and preorbital; spine on posterior part of opercle; ctenoid 

 scales on body, opercles, cheeks, and top of head; short, dentate gill-rakers; 

 obsolete pseudobranchiae; imperfect or absent lateral line; vent placed far for- 

 ward, beneath preopercles in adult; single, high dorsal fin with 3 or 4 spines; 

 2 anal spines; thoracic ventral fins, with 1 short spine; rounded caudal fin; large 

 simple air-bladder; about 12 pyloric coeca. 



Genus APHREDODERUS LeSueur. Pirate Perches. . 



Characters of the genus indicated in family description. One small species, 

 confined to United States. (Aphredoderus, excrement throat, in allusion to the 

 position of the vent.) 



Fig. 68. Pirate Perch. Aphredoderus sayanus. 



151. APHREDODERUS SAYANUS (GUliams.) 

 Pirate Perch. 



Scolopsis sayanus Gilliams, Journal Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, iv, 81 , 1824; near Philadelphia. 



Aphredoderus sayanua, Cope, 1870&, 455; tributaries of Neuse River in Wake County. Jprdan, 18896, 126, 

 ] 29; Tar River at Rocky Mount, Little River at Goldsboro. Smith, 1893o, 199; Roanoke River at Ply- 

 mouth. Evermann & Cox, 1S9Q, 305; Neuse River near Raleigh. Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 786,, pi. 

 cxxii, fig. 331. 



Diagnosis. — Depth .33 total length; head equal to depth; maxillary reaching anterior 

 edge of eye; eye equal to snout, a little less than .2 length of head; scales in lateral series 45 to 

 55, those on opercle rather la,rger than on body, those on cheeks smaller; origin of dorsal fin 



