334 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
hh. Anal fin elongate, its rays III, II or III, 12; caudal tiu luuate or truncate; spines 
slender, those of the anal tin graduated; lower jaws strongly projecting; 
cranium rather broad and transversely concave between the eyes, its lateral 
crests very strong, nearly parallel with the supraoccipital crest and extending 
farther forward than the latter, joining the supraocular crest above the eye ; 
scales small, largely cycloid, those of the lateral line simple; pyloric caeca 
few (12 to 20); dorsal rays XI, 16 to 18 Mycteroperca, 11. 
grj. Scales all smooth (said to be ciliated in D. angustifrons); canine teeth small or obso- 
lete; head small, much compressed, the interorbital area in the adult not 
broader than the eye; supraoccipital crest low; soft dorsal unusually long, 
the rays XI, 17 to 20; dorsal spines low; vertical fins all rounded pos- 
teriorly Dermatolepis, 12. 
ff. Dorsal spines, 9. 
j. Soft dorsal of moderate length and height ; dorsal rays IX, 13 to 15 ; anal rays III, 
7 or 8 ; caudal fin rounded or luuate ; skull and head essentially as in Epine- 
pkelios^ the snout not very short, the frontal region flat or convex, the supra- 
occipital crest continued forward over it, the lateral crests short, low and 
diverging ; mouth and teeth as in Epineplielus Bodianus. 13. 
jj. Soft dorsal long and very low ; dorsal rays IX, 18 or 19 ; caudal fin deeply forked, 
the lobes attenuate; snout very short, convex in profile; frontal region flat- 
tish or transversely concave, the median crest very prominent ; mouth small, 
the teeth slender Paranthias, 14. 
Subfamily III.-SERMNINiE. 
{Serranidce without supplemental bone to the maxillary, with no depressible teeth 
and with more or less distinct lateral canines in the lower jaw; the gill-rakers com- 
paratively short and few in number; the dorsal fin continuous, its number of spines 
normally 10, and the lateral line usually normal in direction.) 
a. Body short and deep, with elevated back, the depth more than two-tifths the length, usually nearly 
half ; preopercle with a few autrorse serrae on its lower limb ; top of supraocci- 
pital crest very high, about as long as the smooth area on vertex of cranium ; 
top of head naked ; dorsal rays usually X, 14 Hypoplectrus, 15. 
aa. Body comparatively elongate, the depth one- third to one-fourth the length ; no hooked spinules on 
lower limb of preopercle. 
b. Smooth area on top of cranium, very short and small ; the long supraoccipital crest encroaching on 
the jiosterior border of cranium so that the latter in profile is not nearly vertical 
along the occipital region. 
0 . Caudal fin more or less distinctly lunate or concave, the middle rays shortest ; dorsal spines 
strong, very unequal, the third or fourth more or less elevated; (scales small; 
dorsal rays X, 14; top of head usually more or less scaly.) Paralabrax, 16. 
cc. Caudal fin not lunate, ending in three points, the middle rays produced like the outer ones ; 
dorsal spines slender, the third little elevated, some of them with dermal 
apijendages or filaments; (teeth small, in broad bands; top of head naked; 
scales large ; dorsal rays X, 11.) Centropristis, 17. 
bh. Smooth area on top of cranium very large, longer than the low supraoccipital crest, which is low 
and short ; posterior border of cranium at occipital region nearly vertical in 
profile. 
d. Dorsal spines very unequal, one or more much produced ; dorsal rays, X, 12, or X, 13 ; pre- 
opercle evenly serrate ; preorbital comparatively broad, 
e. Dorsal spines most of them produced in long filaments ; branchiostegals 7 ; top of head, 
cheeks and preorbital finely and closely scaled; onout long and low, the lower 
jaw much projecting ; caudal lunate ; scales rather small Cratinus, 18. 
ee. Dorsal with the third spine only produced in a long filament ; branchiostegals 6, the first 
being obsolete; top of head naked; scales large; caudal subtruncate.. Dubes, 19. 
