GLYPHIDODONTID.E. 375 



Body more or less short and compressed. Teeth in jaws feeble, 

 palate edentulous ; inferior pharyngeal bones coalescing, with or 

 without a median longitudinal suture. A single dorsal fin with 

 the spinous part well developed ; the soft anal similar to the soft 

 dorsal, and with two or three spines ; ventrals thoracic, 1/5. Scales 

 ctenoid. Air-bladder present. Pyloric appendages few. 



Geographical Distribution. Tropical seas ; a few species in tem- 

 perate regions. 



Miiller separated from the rest of the Acanthopterygian fishes 

 under the name of Pharyngognaihi the families (such as Pomacen- 

 tridce or Glyphidodontidce, Labridce and Chromides) which had the 

 inferior pharyngeal bones coalesced. Subsequently it was pointed 

 out by Xner that in the genus Gerres (Percidce, see Vol. I. p. 535) 

 several species have this conformation, but that G.macrosoma has not. 

 Professor Peters has shown that G. plumieri and some other Easb- 

 Indian species are also exceptions. A structural peculiarity which 

 is insufficient for generic distinction in the case of Gerres cannot 

 be employed for dividing the Acanthopterygian order of fishes into 

 two. 



Synopsis of Indian Genera. 



A. All the opercles denticulated. 



Preorbital denticulated, but without a spine. 1. AMPHIPRION. 

 Preorbital ending behind in a long spine . . 2. PREMNAS. 



B. The preoperculum serrated, other opercles not. 



Teeth in a villiform band 3. TETBADBACHMUM. 



Teeth in a single row 4. POMACENTBUS. 



C. None of the opercles serrated. 



Teeth compressed 6. GLYPHIDODON. 



Teeth conical 6. HELIASTES. 



1. Genus AMPHIPRION, Bl. Schn. 



Syn. Cvracinus, sp., Gronov. ; Prochilus (Klein), Cuv. 



Branchiostegals five. All the opercles and preorbital denticu- 

 lated, the denticles on the opercle and subopercle being almost 

 spinose. Teeth in the jaws in one row, conical and small. Scales 

 of moderate or rather small size. Dorsal fin with from 9 to 11 

 spines ; anal with two. Lateral line ceases in a tubular form be- 

 low the end of the dorsal fin, or is continued lower down in the 

 form of a simple orifice in each scale. Air-bladder present. Py- 

 loric appendages few. 



The fishes forming this genus have as a rule very vivid and 

 decided colouring, vertical bands of a more or less white tint being 

 present in the majority and more vivid in the young than in 

 adults, consequently their presence alone should not be accepted 

 as sufficient to constitute a species. The caudal fin seems more 

 rounded in the young than in adults. 



GeoyrapJtical Distribution. Bed Sea, east coast of Africa, seas of 

 India, Malay Archipelago, and Western Pacific. 



