348 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



Branchiostegals 6 or 7. Air-vessel large, commonly bifurcate in 

 front and with 2 slender horns behind. Pyloric cceca few. Ver- 

 tebrae 10 -f 14=^ 24. Scales moderate, or small, ctenoid, densely 

 covering soft parts of vertical fins. A large accessory scale in 

 SparidcB. Lateral line present, following curve of back. Dorsal 

 fins 2, somewhat connected, first of VII to XI spines, which are 

 depressible in a groove. Soft dorsal and anal anteriorly high, 

 their bases thickened by scales. Anal spines III or IV, short. 

 Caudal truncate or doubly concave. Pectorals short, rays all 

 branched. Ventrals thoracic, normally I, 5, sometimes rudi- 

 mentary. 



Shore-fishes mostly of large size in warm seas, and often valued 

 as food. 



Genus Ch^Todipterus Lacepede. 



The Spade Fishes. 

 Ch^todipterus faber (Broussonet). 



Plate 71. 

 Angel Fish. 



Head 31^ ; depth i>4 ; D. IX, 23 ; A. Ill, 18 ; 52 tubes in lat- 

 eral line; 12 scales between origin of spinous dorsal and lateral 

 line; 30 scales in a vertical series between origin of rayed anal 

 and lateral line; snout 2j4 in head; eye 47^^; interorbital space 

 2^/7; maxillary 3%; second dorsal spine ij^; least depth of 

 caudal peduncle 2 ; upper caudal lobe i ; pectoral i -A, ; ventral i ; 

 longest dorsal ray 2 in head and trunk; longest anal ray 3. Body 

 deep, much compressed, elevated, nearly orbicular, and anterior 

 profile nearly vertical. Head deep, compressed. Snout robust, 

 convex. Eye circular, high, anterior. Jaws heavy, upper pro- 

 truding a little. Lips thick and fleshy. Teeth in jaws slender, 

 somewhat movable. X^ostrils separated widely, anterior circular 

 and inferior, posterior slit-like, close before front of eye. Inter- 

 orbital space convexly swollen. Preopercle finely serrate. Pre- 

 orbital nearly as wide as eye. Gill-rakers 5 -j- 12, little elongate, 

 thick. Scales small, crowded, minute and very numerous on 



