66o 



TELEOSTEI 



GitAMMiSTiNAE. — Grwmmistes, Ehypticus. Peiacanthinae. — 

 Frkwctnthus, Pseudopriacanthus. Centropominae. — Lates, Psam- 

 mopeo'cu, Centropomios. Poiiatominae. — Pomatomus, Scomhrops. 

 Ambassinae. — Amlassis. Chilodipteeinae. — Chilodipterus, 

 Apogon. Lutjaninae. — Lutjanus, Glaucosoma, Therapon, Hop)lo- 

 fcigrus, Melis, Aprion, Ajiharevs, Odontonedes. Cirehitinae. — 

 CirrJdtes, Cirrhiticlitliis. Pentaceeotinae. — Pentaceros, Penfa- 

 ceropsis, Histiopterus. 



The number -of recent species amounts to about 550, the 

 great majority of which are marine. 



Fig. 40-3. — HeaYnrah (Serranus cabrUla). x J. (After Cuvier and Valeiieiennes.) 



The earhest fossil form is Prelates, from the Upper Cretaceous 

 of France. Morone, Serranus, Percichthys, Arithias, and Apogon 

 are represented in Eocene and later strata. 



The range of the family is almost cosmopolitan ; few of the 

 Marine Perches descend to any great depth. Some of the species 

 of Stereolepiis and Epinep)Tielus grow to a length of 6 to 10 feet. 

 Several species of Serranus (S. cabrilla, S. scriba, S. liepatus), 

 inhabiting the ^Mediterranean and neighbouring parts of the 

 Atlantic, and some Lutjanus are normally hermaphrodite. Some 

 Ghilodip)terus and Aiwgon are remarkable for their nursing habits, 

 the male sheltering the eggs in his mouth. 



The curious genera Anomalop)S and PhotoUepliaron, of each 

 of which a single species is known from the Malay Archipelago 

 and the South Pacific, have been made the types of a family, 

 Anomalopidae, the systematic position of which remains un- 

 certain since the osteological characters have not been examined. 



