THE MOONEYES 



Family XI. HiodotitidcB 



Body elongate, compressed, covered with moderate-sized, 

 brilliantly silvery, cycloid scales; head naked, short, the snout blunt; 

 mouth moderate, oblique, terminal, the jaws about equal; premaxil- 

 laries not protractile; dentition very complete; premaxillary and 

 dentary bones with small, wide-set, cardiform teeth; maxillaries 

 with weak teeth; a row of strong teeth around the margin of the 

 tongue, the anterior canine and very strong; between these is a 

 band of short, close-set teeth; vomer with a long, double series of 

 close-set, small teeth; similar series on the palatines, sphenoid and 

 pterygoids; eye very large, the adipose eyelid not much developed; 

 preorbital very narrow; nostrils large, those of the same side close 

 together, separated by a tlap; gill-membranes not connected, free 

 from the isthmus, a fold of skin covering their base; no gular 

 plate; branchiostegals 8 to lo; gill-rakers few, short and thick; no 

 pseudobranchiae; lateral line straight; belly not serrated; dorsal fin 

 rather posterior; anal elongate, low; ventrals well developed, 

 caudal strongly forked; no adipose fin; stomach horseshoe-shaped; 

 without blind sac; one pyloric coecum; air-bladder large; no ovi- 

 duct, the eggs falling into the cavity of the abdomen before 

 exclusion. 



This family contains a single genus, with 3 species, inhabit- 

 ing the fresh waters of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 

 Valley. They are all handsome and gamy fishes, of little value as 

 food. 



GEl^US HIODON IE SUEUR 



Characters of the genus included above. 



a. Belly in front of ventrals carinated; dorsal with 9 developed 

 rays ; alosoides, 9 1 



aa. Belly in front of ventrals not carinated; dorsal with 11 or 

 12 developed rays. 



/'. Belly behind ventrals carinated; eye 3 in \\eAd\- ■ .tcigisns, 92 



bb. Belly nowhere carinated; eye 2^' in head; ....... .56'/t';;o/)i', 93 



90 



