FISHES OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
223 
pectoral rounded, shortish, nearly symmetrical, of 15 to 20 rays; ventrals moderate, inserted below 
pectoral, close together, each with a strong spine. Species very numerous, most of them of large size, 
abounding in all the tropical seas, where they are valuable food-fishes. This is the largest and most 
important genus of the Serranidie , and its species are most widely distributed. 
Only one species known to occur among the Hawaiian Islands. 
Epinephelus Bloch, Ichthyologia, 1793 ( marginalia, brunneus, merra , ruber , etc.; restricted to marginalis by authors). 
Cerna Bonaparte, Intr. Classe Pesci, Fauna Italica, III, pt. 1, 1833 (gigas=guaza). 
Cijniclitkys Swain son, Nat. Hist. Class. Fishes, H, 201, 1839 (flavo-purpuratus), 
Cromileptes Swain son, 1. c. ( gigas , etc.). 
Iiyporthodus Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1861, 237 ( flavicauda=niveatus) .' 
Schistorus Gill, 1. c. (mystacinus) . 
Labroperca Gill, op. ci t. , 1863, 80 - (labriformis) . 
.Veras Poey, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y., X, 1871, 39 (gigas). 
Priacanthichthys Day, Proc. Zooi. Soc. Lond. 1868, 193 (maderaspatensis; ..young). . 
Homalogrystes Aileyne & McCIeay, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, I, 1876, 268, PI, VI, fig. 3 ( guntheri ). 
Ilvmser'ranus Klunzinger. Fische des rothen Meeres, 3, 1884 ( morrhua ). 
172. Epinephelus quernus Seale. “ HapxV u piV it.” Figs. 89 and 90 (juv). 
Head 2.4 in length; depth 2.6; eye 7 in head; snout 3.6; maxillary 2; interorbital 4.65; D. xi, 
15; A. in, 9; about 130 scales in lateral line. 
Body short, deep, and moderately compressed, back considerably elevated, the curve from tip of 
snout to caudal peduncle being quite uniform, somewhat more abrupt at origin of spinous dorsal; head 
large; snout moderate, pointed; mouth large at an angle of about 45°, the lower jaw slightly pro- 
jecting, the tip rounded; maxillary strong, reaching posterior edge of orbit; supplemental bone 
Fig. 89 . — Epinephelus quernus Seale. 
present, width of tip about equaling diameter of eye; teeth in cardiform bands in jaws and on vomer 
and palatines, the outer row on jaws somewhat enlarged and canine-like, depressible, especially 
the inner series, 2 or more larger canines near tip of each jaw; tongue without teeth; eye small, in 
anterior half of head, and entirely above axis of body; interorbital space convex, rather broad, about 
half greater than eye; nostrils close together, the posterior the larger, vertically ovoid; preopercle ser- 
rate, strongest at the angle; opercle with a long, pointed soft flap and 3 flat spines, the middle the 
largest, closer to the lower than to the upper, lower edge of opercle serrate, branch iostegals 7; gillrakers 
short and stout, very blunt on short arm, 7-fl6, pseudobranchite well developed; tongue long and 
