THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 315 



Family LUTIANID^. 

 The Snappers. 



Body oblong or more or less elevated. Head large, crest on 

 skull usually largely developed. Mouth moderate or large, 

 usually terminal, low and horizontal. Premaxillaries moder- 

 ately protractile, spines not extending to occiput. Maxillary long, 

 without supplemental bone, for most of its length slipping under 

 edge of preorbital, which forms more or less distinct sheath and 

 its form essentially as in Serranidce. Teeth various, unequal and 

 sharp, never incisor-like, ,some of them sometimes molar. Vomer 

 a,nd palatines usually with villi form teeth, these sometimes molar, 

 very small and wanting. Preopercle serrate or entire. Opercle 

 without spines. No suborbital stay. Gills 4, a slit behind fourth. 

 Cill-membranes separate, free from isthmus. Gill-rakers moder- 

 ate or long, slender. Pseudobranchiae large. Lower pharyngeals 

 separate. Air-vessel present, usually simple. Intestinal canal 

 short. Pyloric cceca few. Vertebrae usually 10+ 14 = 24. No 

 distinct tubercles from cranium for articulation of epipharyngeal 

 bones. Enlarged apophyses for articulation of palatine and pre- 

 orbital bones. Anterior 4 vertebrae without parapophyses. Body 

 covered with moderate-sized adherent scales, more or less strongly 

 ctenoid or almost cycloid. Lateral line well developed, concur- 

 rent with back and not extending on caudal. Dorsal fin single, 

 continuous, or deeply notched, sometimes divided into 2 fins, 

 spines usually strong, depressible in a groove, heteracanthous, and 

 X to XII in number. Anal similar to rayed dorsal, with III 

 spines. Caudal usually more or less concave behind. Ventral 

 fins thoracic, rays I, 5, with a more or less distinct scale-like ap- 

 pendage at base. 



A large family of active voracious carnivorous shore-fishes of 

 warm regions. All are valued as food-fishes. Two species occur 

 on our shores. 



Genus Lutianus Bloch. / 

 The Snappers. / 



Key to the species. 



a. Anal rounded, middle rays less than half of head. griseus 



'aa. Anal angulated, middle rays at least half of head. blackfordii 



