Suttonia lineata — Gosline 
31 
lacking from the closely related Aporops as well 
as from the other three genera. 
Nasal and Circumorbital Bones. In Epine- 
phelus, Plesiops (Fig. 3 a), and Pseudochromis 
the nasal bone is merely a weakly S-shaped tube 
bearing the front of the supraorbital lateral line. 
In Pseudo gramma (Fig. 3 b) the S-shaped tube 
is present but bears a flange that extends laterally 
over the upper end of the enlarged nasal organ. 
In Epinephelus the first circumorbital (pre- 
orbital) is considerably expanded dorsoventrally; 
its upper surface articulates with the bottom 
edge of the lateral wing of the prefrontal, and 
its posterior edge is suturally joined to the small 
second element of the circumorbital series. It is 
the relatively narrow (dorsoventrally) third ele- 
ment that provides the subocular shelf. In Pseu- 
do gramma (Fig. 3 b), Plesiops (Fig. 3 a), and 
Pseudochromis the circumorbital series are sim- 
ilar though the preorbital covers relatively less 
of the surface of the head. 
Jaws. The jaws and jaw teeth in Epine- 
phelus, Pseudo gramma, and Plesiops are similar. 
The gape is wide and the maxillary extends be- 
hind the eye; the pedicel of the premaxillary is 
shorter than the toothed portion; the maxillary 
extends well beyond the premaxillary maxillary 
and has a splintlike supramaxillary on its straight 
upper border (Figs. 3 a, b)\ many of the teeth 
are depressible; and the teeth in the lower jaw 
extend well behind those of the upper and are 
Fig. 3. First three circumorbital bones, nasals, pre- 
maxillaries, maxillaries, and supramaxillaries; teeth 
not shown, a, Plesiops, right side, with the nasal organ 
indicated; b, Pseudo gramma, left side. 
in two or more rows throughout. In Pseudo- 
chromis the jaws are shorter and the teeth are 
all rigid; the premaxillary pedicel is at least as 
high as the toothed portion; the maxillary curves 
down around the end of the premaxillary and 
lacks a supramaxillary; and the teeth in the 
lower jaw are in a single row laterally. The teeth 
on the vomer, palatines, and pharyngeals of 
Pseudochromis are all rigid, as compared to the 
partly depressible teeth on these bones in the 
other three genera. 
Suspensorium. The chief difference in the 
suspensoria of the four genera studied seems to 
be that the palatine of Pseudochromis is loosely 
articulated ( apparently by ligament ) to the rest 
of the structure, whereas in the other three it is 
rigidly united by suture to the ectopterygoid and 
mesopterygoid (Fig. 5). 
TABLE 2 
Taxonomic Treatment of Certain Percoid Groups by Various Authors 
SMITH, 
1949, 1953 
195 4a, 195 4b 
WEBER and 
DE BEAUFORT, 
1929, 1931 
REGAN, 
1913 
NORMAN, 
1957 
SCHULTZ, 
1953 
Pseudogrammidae. 
Pseudochromidae 
Pseudochrominae. . . 
Pseudoplesiopsinae 
Plesiopidae 
Acanthoclinidae. ........ 
Anisochromidae 
to Serranidae 
Pseudoplesiopidae 
Plesiopidae 
Acanthoclinidae 
to Serranidae 
Pseudoplesiopidae 
Plesiopidae 
to Serranidae 
j Plesiopidae 
Acanthoclinidae 
Pseudochromidae 
