6o6 TELEOSTEI 



Synopsis of the Families. 



I. Parietals separating the frontals from the supraoccipital ; post- 

 temporal simple ; praecaudal vertebrae with autogenous parapophyses. 



Margin of the upper jaw formed by the praemaxillaries and the maxil- 



laries ; basis cranii simple ; no adipose dorsal fin 



1. Gcdaxiidae. 

 Margin of the upper jaw formed by the praemaxillaries only ; basis cranii 



double ; adipose dorsal fin present . . 2. Haplochitonidae. 



II. Frontals in contact with the supraoccipital. 



A. Praecaudal vertebrae without parapophyses. 



1. Margin of the upper jaw formed by the praemaxillaries and 



the maxillaries. 

 Body without or with minute scales, usually with rows of scutes ; adipose 



dorsal fin usually present .... 3. Enchodontidae.\ 

 Body scaly ; post-temporal forked ; no adipose dorsal fin ; ventrals with 



6 to li rays . . . . 4. Esocidae. 



Body scaly ; post-temporal incompletely ossified ; pectoral fin without 



pterygials ; no adipose dorsal fin ; ventrals with 3 rays only 



5. Dcdliidae. 



2. Maxillaries excluded from the oral border. 



a. Adipose dorsal fin usually present ; ventral fin with 



7 to 10 rays. 

 Post-temporal forked ; dorsal fin formed of articulated rays 



6. Scopelidae. 

 Post-temporal simple ; dorsal fin very long, formed of slender, non- 

 articulated, simple or bifid rays . . 7. Alepidosauridae. 



b. No adipose dorsal fin ; head and mouth enormous, 



dentition feeble ; body naked ; ventral fins, if present, 

 with 5 rays ... 8. Cetomimidae. 



B. Praecaudal vertebrae with well-developed parapophyses ; maxil- 



laries excluded from the oral border. 



1. Dorsal and anal fins without spines ; scales cycloid, or 



with erect spines ; no adipose fin. 

 Mouth not protractile ; ventral fins far forward, with 7 to 1 7 rays. 



9. Ghii-othricidae.j 

 Mouth not protractile ; ventral fins remote from the pectorals, with 9 



rays . . ... 10. Kneriidae. 



Mouth protractile ; ventral fins, if present, with 5 to 7 rays 



11. C'ljprinodontidae. 

 Mouth scarcely protractile ; ventral fins rudimentary or absent ; vent 



close to the gills . . . . .12. Amhlyopsidae. 



Mouth slightly protractile ; ventral fins with 5 or 6 rays 



13. StephanoherycidMe. 



2. Dorsal and anal fins with true spines ; scales ctenoid ; an 



adipose dorsal ; ventral fins with 9 rays 



14. Fercopsidae. 



t Fossil only. 



