THE FISHES OF PORTO RICO. 
199 
Family XLVI. SPAR1D£. The Porgies. 
Body oblong, or more or less elevated, covered with rather large, adherent scales, which are 
never truly ctenoid. Lateral line well developed, concurrent with back, not extending on caudal fin. 
Head large, crests on skull usually largely developed. No suborbital stay. Mouth small, terminal, 
low, and horizontal. Premaxillaries little protractile; the maxillary short, peculiar in form and in 
articulation, without supplemental bone, for most of its length slipping under edge of the preorbital, 
which forms a more or less distinct sheath ; preorbital usually broad; teeth strong, those in front of 
jaws conical, incisor-like or molar; lateral teeth of jaws always blunt and molar; no teeth on vomer or 
palatines; posterior nostril largest, usually more or less oblong or slit-like; lower pharyngeals separate; 
gills 4, a large slit behind the fourth; pseudobranchiae large; gillrakers moderate; gill-membranes 
separate, free from the isthmus; preopercle entire or serrulate; opercle without spines; sides of head 
usually scaly; dorsal fin single, continuous, or deeply notched, spines usually strong, depressible in a 
groove; spines heteracanthous, that is, alternating, the one stronger on the right side, the other on 
the left, 10 to 13 in number; anal fin rather short, similar to soft dorsal, and with 3 spines; ventral 
fins thoracic, rays i, 5, with a more or less distinct scale-like appendage at base; caudal fin usually 
more or less concave behind; air-bladder present, usually simple; pyloric caeca few; vertebrae usually 
10 -j- 14 = 24; intestinal canal short. 
Carnivorous shore fishes of the tropical seas, especially abundant in the Mediterranean, the Red 
-Sea, and the West Indies. 
a. Teeth in front of jaws conical or incisor-like, not molar; dorsal fin continuous; posterior nostril oblong; preopercle 
entire. 
b. Second interhaemal bone enlarged, hollowed anteriorly, or pen-shaped, receiving the posterior end of air-bladder 
in its anterior groove; posterior nostril slit-like. 
c. Front teeth narrow, compressed, forming lanceolate incisors; first spine-bearing interneural with an antrorse 
spine; temporal crest obsolete; lateral crest nowhere coalescing with supraoceipital crest; interorbital area 
r ilattish, with two low ridges; a small foramen in each of these above front of pupil; interorbital area much 
contracted anteriorly; a strongly projecting prefrontal process, which makes an acute angle with supraorbital. 
d. Frontal bones partly porous and gibbous; antrorse dorsal spine attached directly to interneural: third dorsal 
spine very long, longer than the head Otrynter 
del. Frontal bones not gibbous nor porous; antrorse dorsal spine attached to interneural by a long process or spur; 
third dorsal spine about half head Stenotomus 
cc. Front teeth conical or canine-like; first spine-bearing interneural without antrorse spine; temporal crest very thin 
and high, joining lateral crest which forms part of margin of orbit above middle of eye, both crests coalescing 
with supraoceipital in cavernous anterior part of interorbital area; interorbital area somewhat contracted 
anteriorly; prefrontal process very strong, making an obtuse angle with supraorbital, this process forming a 
conspicuous knob above the long posterior nostril Calamus, 87 
bb. Second interheemal spine normal, not “pen-shaped.” 
e. Front teeth conic, not compressed; no incisors; occipital crest coalescent with temporal crests: no antrorse spine 
on first interneural; dorsal spines usually 11 to 13. 
/. Anterior teeth in both jaws strong, decidedly canine-like; body more or less deep and compressed Pagrus 
ee. Front teeth incisor-like; no canines. 
g. Incisors broad; molars in 2 to 4 series in each jaw. 
h. First spine-bearing interneural with an antrorse spine in front. 
i. Supraoceipital and temporal crests nowhere coalescent, interorbital area not swollen; frontal bone in interorbital 
area thin, concave in transverse section; temporal crest low, separated from supraoceipital crest by a flattish 
area which extends forward on each side of supraoceipital crest and to groove of premaxillary spines. Incisors 
conspicuously notched Lagodon 
ii. Supraoceipital and temporal crests coalescent anteriorly, both disappearing in the gibbous interorbital area; 
frontal bone between eyes transversely convex and more or less honeycombed; temporal crest separated from 
occipital crest by an excavated area bounded anteriorly by lateral crest, which merges intcTsupraoccipital 
above eye. Incisors entire or with a shallow notch Archosargus, 88 
hh. First spine-bearing interneural without antrorse spine above; skull essentially as in Archosargus, frontal bone 
more cavernous Diplodus 
Genus 87. CALAMUS Swainson. Pez de Plumas. 
Body oblong, compressed, back elevated; head large, preorbital deep; mouth small, teeth strong, 
those in front conical or pointed, those on sides molar; preopercle entire, posterior nostril slit-Ti ke ; 
dorsal fin rather low, not much notched, soft rays low, not scaly; caudal well forked; anal spines small ; 
pectoral rather long. Second interhsemal bone enlarged, hollowed anteriorly, or pen-shaped, receiving 
posterior end of air-bladder in its anterior groove; first spine-bearing interneural without antrorse spine; 
temporal crest very thin and high, joining lateral crest which forms part of margin of orbit above middle 
