600 
Body rather robust. Head large or short, without strongly 
marked ridged and more or less pronounced suborbital ridge not 
extending to preopercle. Snout variably short or long, obtuse 
or truncated, high; projects beyond mouth, not produced; usually 
soft to touch, except bony center. Mouth small to moderate, 
inferior to terminal. Barbel small or absent. Teeth various, 
uniserial or partly so, sometimes only so in lower jaw; some¬ 
times in villiform bands when outer series may be enlarged. Ho 
teeth on vimer, palatines or pterygoids. Gill openings wide, 
membranes broadly united in front, adnate to isthmus, with pos- 
posterior free fold, strong, spiny, tubercular, fewer than 15 
on lower limb of second arch. Branchiostegals 6, Bony ridges 
of head sometimes prominent and rough, or membrane bones of 
sides soft and papery. Scales moderate or large, spinous with 
age, keeled, imbricated, very rough; sometimes cycloid, especially 
in young, fluted longitudinally with slightly radiating strial, 
lateral line axial, lateral, slightly arched or nearly straight 
above pectoral, complete. Second or elongate dorsal ray finely 
spinous to serrate in front. Second dorsal long, low, with 
numerous short rays. Sometimes soft dorsal lower than anal. 
Pectoral rays 10 to 22. Ventral and pectoral below first dorsal. 
Ventral rays 8 to 10, outer ray usually extended, origin somewhat 
behind pectoral origin. Vent close before or remote from anal 
origin. 
