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OFFICIAL DONATION.
Ti ie i ie i
Published monthly by the
University of the State of New York
BULLETIN 278 FEBRUARY 1903
N ew York State Museum
HIE H. MERRILL Director
Bulletin 60
ZOOLOGY: 9
CATALOGUE OF THE
FISHES OF NEW YORK
BY
TARLETON H. BEAN M.S. M.D.
'
PAGE PAGE
Ie onan nines ins ous sp 06 0.cn\sie a's oh conics oe Nip pUdessi Gels sccm ets Sees iiss eet oe. 169
Introduction ..... sdatosccohesasebasSssco. WE Isospondyli, isospondylous fishes.......... 177
Marsipobranchii, lampreys........+sss.+. IZ Iniomi, lantern fishes..............2... sees 285
Hypervartii, lampreys.......-cccecsveecses IE Haplomi, pikelike fishes...... -.-.eceeeeees 287
Pisces, the fishes..... aiaieieio!\s ota = sets sivieiniors\s' ET, Synentognathi, synentognathous fishes.... 317
Asterospondyli, typical sharks............ 17 Hemibranchii, half-gills ........ Sptoecoos) See
Cyclospondyli, cyclospondylous sharks.... 43 Lophobranchii, tuftgills ........ee0. =9hod BUY,
Batoidei, rays ..... 5 uPOsddesescussunanos, ek Acanthopteri, spiny-rayed fishes.....-.++. 351
Selachostomi, paddlefishes .........- saseag ee Plectognathi, fishes with ankylosed jaws.. 608
Chondrostei, sturgeons ...... Sringo2scc 5006 BOS: Pediculati, pediculate fishes....... Seeaiies ot 7S
Rhomboganoidea, gar pikes........++- Soy Lee) Recorded distribution of New York
Cycloganoidea, bowfins.........+.05+ stew en 93 TiS Tees Geet eee Se chase mais ees cee ee ae
Nematognathi, catfishes ..........s.+0ee6. 76 | Index Sannotonbuastan seosrssseceeeses TAZ, 9,
Plectospondyli, carplike fishes.......... oat 107 : 2 22 . : 2 » ; 2 P
Sees) Sa Pag
ALBANY eR ee 22
UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
os
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University of the State of New York
REGENTS
With years of election
WILLIAM CROSWELL Doane D.D. LL.D.
Chancellor, Albany
WHITELAW REID M.A. LL.D. Vice Chancellor — New York
MarTIN I. TowNsEND M.A. LL.D. = _ Troy
CuHauncey M. Derpew LL.D. zs eR Fs are — New York
CHARLES E. Firch LL.B. M.A. L.H.D. - ~ Rochester
Wiituiam H. Watson M.A. M.D. LL.D. = — Utica
Henry. E. DURNER ie oc Gh ee i eee Lowville
St Crain McKetway M.A. L.H.D. LL.D. D.C.L. Brooklyn
DANIEL Beach, Ph.D) LD eo = - Watkins
CARROLL (Ey SMiTHy «LL: D: (34 ~ = e+) =) peepee
Puiny T.Sexton LL.D. - = - = = Palmyra
T. GUILFORD SMITH M.A. C.E. LL.D. = — Buffalo
Lewis A. Stimson B.A. LL.D. M.D. - = New York
ALBERT VANDER VEER M.A. Ph.D. M.D. - — Albany
CHARLES R. SKINNER M.A.LL.D. _
Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex officio
CHESTER S. Lorp M.A. LL.D. - * = Brooklyn
Tuomas A. Henprick M.A. LL.D. —- = — Rochester
BENJAMIN B. ODELL jr LL.D. Governor, ex officio
Ropert (C.PRauyn ) MuAs se = = ~ = — Albany
Wittiam Notrincuam M.A. Ph.D. - \- — Syracuse
Frank W. Hiccins Lieutenant Governor, ex officio
Joun F. O’Brien Secretary of State, ex officio -
CHARLES A. GARDINER B.A. LL.B. M.A. Ph.D. — New York
. SECRETARY
Elected by Regents
<<©g900 JAMES RUSSELL Parsons jr M.A. LL.D.
DIRECTORS OF DEPARTMENTS
Macivti,. DEWEY M.A. LL.D. State Library and Home Education
James. RuSSELL Parsons yr M.A. LL.D. ©
Administrative, College and High School Dep'ts
FREDERICK J. H. Merritt Ph.D. State Museum
University of the State of New York
_ New York State Museum
FREDERICK J. H. Mprritt Director
Bulletin 60
ZOOLOGY 9
CATALOGUE OF THE
FISHES OF NEW YORK
PREFACE
In 1836, under the infiuence of public interest, Secretary of
State John A. Dix presented to the legislature a plan for a
natural history survey of the state, which was carried out with
success and credit and resulted in the publication of a large
number of valuable reports. Not the least important of these
were the contributions of James E. De Kay to the zoology of
New York, which appeared in 1842 and 1843.
Since that time comparatively little official recognition had
been given to the progress of biologic study, till in 1897 the
writer secured the able services of Mr Gerrit S. Miller jr in
preparing a preliminary list of New York mammals. Follow-
ing this appeared in October 1900 a key to the land mammals of
northeastern North America by the same author, and in April
1900 a check list of the birds of New York by Dr Marcus S. Farr,
who is now engaged in the preparation of a detailed catalogue
of the birds of New York. A list of reptiles and batrachians by
Messrs Eckel and Paulmier has recently appeared; and in the
present bulletin Dr Tarleton H. Bean gives to the citizens of the
state the benefit of his natural talent and long training as an
Albany N.Y. July 1902
INTRODUCTION
New York has an extensive water area and a great diversity
of surface. Its principal drainage basins are: the Great lakes,
the St Lawrence river, including Lake Champlain, the Ohio basin,
the Susquehanna, the Delaware, the Hudson and several small
streams adjacent to it in the southeastern part of the state.
The inland lakes, in the central and western part of the
state, almost all communicate with Lake Ontario. Chautauqua
lake belongs to the Ohio basin. Lake Otsego and two small
lakes east of Keuka lake, empty into the Susquehanna. The
Adirondack lakes for the most part belong to the St Lawrence
drainage basin, some of them emptying into Lake Champlain,
and a few into the upper waters of the Hudson.
Long Island has a larger number of species than all the re-
mainder of the state. The number of marine species in its
waters is 217, and its fresh waters contain 27 species, of which
13 have been recently introduced.
In the bays of the south side of the island, wherein the water
is brackish or nearly fresh, and where there is a luxuriant
growth of water plants, young menhaden and alewives are ex-
tremely abundant.
One of the fresh-water fishes is a hybrid trout, artifically pro-
duced; another is the black-nosed dace, which is perhaps doubt-
fully recorded from Long Island; and 18 species have been
recently introduced, as before remarked.
The permanent residents in fresh water are the following:
horn pout, chub sucker, roach, brook trout, striped mud minnow,
banded’ pickerel, chain pickerel, fresh-water killy, pirate perch,
fresh-water silverside, sunfish, yellow perch, and Johnny darter.
Most of these 13 species, or perhaps all of them, could easily
have been introduced by man within the last century or two.
Mitchill recorded only three fresh-water species from Long
Island. These are: yellow perch, brook trout and pickerel. To
the pickerel he applied the name Esox lucius,a species
6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
which does not occur on the island. He mentioned also the
bony-scaled pike, E SOX osseu S, concerning which he says:
“A few years ago I had a large and complete specimen from
Long Island, which agrees in the main with the descriptions
extant.” This was doubtless a mistake of locality. The yellow
perch was transplanted by Mitchill in 1790 from Ronkonkoma
pond to Success pond, in Queens county, a distance of 40 miles.
Prior to 1790, he states, there were no yellow perch in Success
pond. De Kay also knew only a few species of fresh-water
fishes in Long Island waters—the yellow perch, roach, banded
pickerel, and brook trout.
It seems probable that some of the early writers on New York
fishes must have had access to collections from Long Island,
and yet a number of species might have existed without dis-
covery during the time of their observations. The present num-
ber of species whose date of introduction is not recorded is very
small, and most of the so called native fishes represent species:
which lend themselves readily to the purpose of artificial intro-
duction.
It is a matter of record that some species of fresh-water
fishes identical with those found in Long Island waters, have
been swept out of the Hudson river by spring floods, and several
such species have been seen at Gravesend bay, Long Island. It
is certain that incursions of fresh-water forms could have taken
place from time to time in the streams of the north side, and
also on the south side of Long Island. Once established in that
way, their wider dissemination through the agency of man,
aquatic birds, and even through their own movements could be
very easily accomplished.
Of the fresh-water fishes known to Mitchill and De Kay, the
brook trout can live in fresh and salt water indifferently; the
chain pickerel is frequently found in brackish water; the yellow
perch is one of the fish which have been brought down from the
Hudson by floods into Gravesend bay; the roach is a common
resident of lakes in New York and Brooklyn parks, and its dis-
tribution has been greatly extended through the agency of man.
.
FISHES OF NEW YORK fy
The number of fishes included in this catalogue is 375, of which
371 are named, and the following four, which have only recently
been discovered in the state, should be added to the list: no. 765
_ bullhead minnow, no. 915 silver-jawed minnow, no. 944 silver
chub, no. 2554 northern darter. Of these species 217 are marine,
141 fresh-water, and 17 anadromous. The number of intro-
duced species is 15, and the number whose occurrence in New
York waters is doubtful is 18. The small number of fresh-
water species would be remarkable but for the fact that no
extensive investigations have recently been made of the fresh
waters of the interior of the state, and the catalogue is in that
respect simply incomplete.
The anadromous species are the following: no. 1 sea lamprey,
ro. 35 common sturgeon, no. 37 short-nosed sturgeon, no. 101
eel, no. 112 hickory shad, no. 113 branch herring, no. 114 glut
‘ herring, no. 115 shad, no. 130 quinnat salmon, no. 131 Atlantic
salmon, no. 134 steelhead, no. 137 rainbow trout, no. 143 smelt,
no. 170 10-spined stickleback, no. 171 two-spined stickleback,
no. 260 striped bass, no. 261 white perch. Besides these, the
~ following marine species occasionally run up into fresh water
for shorter or longer distances: no..158 silver gar, no. 223 blue-
fish, no. 224 crab-eater, no. 321 naked goby, no. 346 tomcod,
no. 368 hogchoker.
The introduced species are: no. 71 tench, no. 74 golden ide,
no. 99 goldfish, no. 100 carp, no. 1380 quinnat salmon, no. 151 At-
jantic salmon, no. 132 landlocked salmon, no. 133 Lake Tahoe
trout, no. 134 steelhead, no. 135 brown trout, no. 136 Lochleven
trout, no. 137 rainbow trout, no. 138 Swiss lake trout, no. 141
saibling, no. 142 golden trout.
The fishes whose pertinence to the New York fauna is doubt-
faut are the following: no. 13; Leuciscus,margarita,
no.162 longbeak, no. 208 amberfish, no. 226 small dolphin, no. 262
wreckfish, no. 253 spotted grouper, no. 265 coachman, no. 290
Zenopsis, no. 3801 globefish, no. 302 hairy bowfish, no. 303 bur-
fish, no. 3L7 sea poacher, no. 327 shanny, no. 328 blenny, no. 329
snakefish, no. 337 red gurnard, no. 356 cusk, no. 359 rough dab.
=<... ee ee on ee!) ee fa 6G ee | ee. Seo RR A4a ee a ”
. ;
8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The fishes represent 99 families. The lampreys include 4
species; the sharks 18 species; the catfishes 14 species, of which
2 are marine; suckers 9 species; minnows or carps 39 species;
herrings 10 species; salmon family, which includes the trout
and whitefish, 20 species, one half of which number have been
introduced; pikes 6 species; killy fishes 5 species; sticklebacks.
5 species; silversides 5 species; the mackerel family 10 species;
the pompano family 18 species; sunfishes 13 species; pérches,
including the darters, 17 species; sea basses 8 species; weakfish
family 10 species; sculpins 8 species, equally divided between
the fresh and salt waters; sea robins 5 species, one of which,
the red gurnard, probably never occurred in our waters, though
it has been assigned to New York; codfishes 12 species, one of
them a permanent resident in fresh water; flounders 10 species,
but one of these is of doubtful occurrence.
The species whose existence in New York waters has only -
recently been reported, and which are not numbered in this
catalogue, are the bullhead minnow, Cliola vigilax Baird
& Girard, the silver-jawed minnow, Ericymba buccata
Cope, silver chub, Hybopsis amblops Rafinesque, and
the northern darter, Etheostoma boreale Jordan. The
first three of these species have been found in the western part
of New York, and the northern darter has been recorded in the
basin of St Lawrence river, from Montreal to Lake Ontario.
The names used in this catalogue are substantially those
employed by Jordan and Evermann in bulletin 47, United States.
National Museum; and I am indebted to these authors for many
of the descriptions of the genera. There are some departures,
however, from the names employed in that bulletin, for reasons.
which appear to me satisfactory; for example, the name
Etrumeus sadina is discarded for the round herring,
and the specific name teres of De Kay is used in its stead,
because Mitchill’s type bore a close resemblance to the shad.
It has a spot behind the gill cover, a wide and toothless mouth,
a projecting lower jaw, and 15 anal rays. There is no prob-
ability that Mitchill had the round herring before him for this
description.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 9
“The glut herring in my list is called Clupeacyanonoton
Storer; Mitchill’s name, aestivalis, appears to be a synonym
of mediocris and mattowaca ofthe same author. Its
relation to the hickory shad was long since pointed out by Dr
Gill. Mitchill stated that the fish has seven or eight dark
roundish spots extending in the direction of the lateral line.
His figure shows a row. of eight dark spots on the side extending
to the end of the dorsal fin on the level of the eye.
The name Coregonus labradoricus, for the Labra-
dor whitefish, is omitted because that species is identical with
the common whitefish. The characters by which the Labrador
whitefish were supposed to be distinguished are untenable, pre-
cisely the same characters being found in the whitefish and
there being no other basis of separation.
The author has discovered that Kirtlandia laciniata
Swain is identical with K. vagrans Goode & Bean.
The species Querimana gyrans is believed to be the
young of Mugil trichodon Poey; and the genus Queri-
mana was found to be the young state of Mugil.
The name Neomaenis blackfordi is retained for the
red snapper for the reasons clearly given in the 19th Report of
the Commissioners of Fisheries of New York, 1890. There is
absolutely no proof that the name aya should be applied to
this species.
The synonymy given for the species is limited usually to
authors who wrote specially on the fishes of New York, or ad-
jacent regions, and to the well known general catalogues of
recent writers on ichthyology. One principal aim has been to
give aS many references as possible to illustrations of species.
The descriptions of the fishes are based chiefly on collections
studied by the author, many of which were obtained in his own
field work. The results of investigations made by parties for
the United States Fish Commission have also been incorporated
in the text.
Illustrations of the species would have added greatly to the
report; but the time was not available for obtaining drawings
feioo set
all
WS
10 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
for this purpose. Artificial keys also would have been an addi-
tional advantage; but, as references are given in every case to
bulletins 16 and 47 of the United States National Museum, which
contain complete series of artificial keys, this feature was
omitted. |
The author hopes ere long to prepare a new account of the
fishes of New York, containing illustrations of all the species,
together with keys for identification, but can not complete such
an undertaking till after the inland waters of the state have
been more thoroughly and systematically investigated.
TARLETON H. Bman
Washington D. C. 1902
FISHES OF NEW YORK 11
Class MARSIPOBRANCHII
Order HYPEROARTII
Family PETROMYZONTIDAE
Lampreys
Genus PETROMYZzON (Artedi) Linnaeus
Lampreys with the supraoral lamina armed with two or three
separate teeth, pointed, and close together, not forming a cres-
cent-shaped plate; anterior lingual tooth with a median depres-
sion; buccal disk large, with numerous teeth arranged in con-
centric series; dorsal fins separate, the second joined to the
caudal.
1 Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus
Great Sea Lamprey ; Lamprey Eel
Petromyzon marinus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 230, 1758; MITCHILL,
Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 461, 1815; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. VIII, 501, 1870; JorpDANn & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
11, 1883; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 10, pl. I, fig.
3, 1896.
_ Petromyzon americanus LE SvuEuR, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. Phila. I, 383, 1818;
Der Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 379, pl. 66, fig. 216, 1842; StorER, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 275, pl. XX XVIII, fig. 4, 1867.
Petromyzon appendiz DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 381, pl. 64, fig. 211,
1842 (young).
Body cylindric, eellike, stout, somewhat compressed behind.
The mouth is terminal, subcircular in shape and suctorial. It
is strongly armed with large conical teeth or cusps mounted on
papillae, those of the inner series being bicuspid. Guarding the
throat are crescent-shaped plates, bearing pectinate lingual
teeth; a pair of these plates on either side and another pair
below them. The mandibulary plate has seven cusps.
There are seven branchial apertures on each side of the head,
the first not far behind the eye; the distance of the last opening
from the tip of the snout is contained about five times in the
total length. Eye rather small, covered by membrane. The
first dorsal originates in about the middle of the length; it is
little developed and well separated from the second dorsal
which is confluent with the anal. The anal is very low and
12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
only about half as long as the second dorsal. The vent is far
back, opposite the origin of the second dorsal.
The specimen described, number 10654 in the U. S. National
Museum collection, is 28 inches long.
The sea lamprey or lamprey eel inhabits the north Atlantic,
ascending streams to spawn and sometimes becoming land-
locked. In some interior waters of New York the landlocked
form has received the name, unicolor, of De Kay. The
species ranges southward on our coast to Virginia. In the Dela-
ware, Susquehanna and their tributaries this is a common fish.
Its larval form, which is blind and toothless, is extremely
abundant in muddy sandflats near the mouths of small streams
and is a very important bait for hook and line fishing.
The sea lamprey grows to a length of 3 feet. It is dark brown
in color, mottled with black and white. In the breeding season in
spring the males have a high fleshy ridge in front of the dorsal.
The spawning is believed to take place in May or June. The
eels cling to the rocks by means of their suctorial mouths and
the eggs are deposited in shallow water on a rough bottom
where the current is swift. Some observers state that they
make nests by heaping up stones in a circle and deposit the
eggs under the stones. The ovaries are large, but the eggs are
very small.
The food of the lamprey is chiefly animal matter and the fish
is somewhat of a parasite, burrowing into the side, of shad,
sturgeon and some other species. The teeth are adapted for
this method of feeding. The tooth-bearing bone of the upper
side of the mouth contains two teeth which are placed close
together. On the bone corresponding with the lower jaw there
are seven or nine stout cusps. There are numerous teeth
around the disk, the first row on the side of the mouth con-
taining bicuspid teeth; the others are simple. The tooth on
the front of the tongue has a deep median groove. The species
is adapted for fastening itself. to other fishes and extracting
from them their blood.
FISHES OF NEW YORK ey
The lamprey is considered a good food fish in some localities,
but in other places it is rarely eaten. In Connecticut and
Massachusetts the species is highly esteemed. It is preserved
by salting for several weeeks before using. The fish is some-
times caught with the hands or by means of a pole armed with
a hook in the end. As it is found in shallow water and will
not usually relinquish its hold on the bottom, its capture is
easily effected.
The sea lamprey has been obtained in Gravesend bay in small
numbers in March, April and June. It is not adapted to cap-
tivity because of the impracticability of furnishing it with
proper food. |
2 Petromyzon marinus unicolor (DeKay)
Lake Lamprey
Ammocetes unicolor DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 383, pl. 79, fig. 250, 1842.
Petromyzon marinus subsp. dorsatus WILDER in JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. ©
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 869, 1882.
Petromyzon marinus unicolor MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. 284, 1886; JornpAn
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 10, 1896.
De Kay described this lamprey under the name Ammocoe-
tes unicolor in Zoology of New York; or the New York Fauna,
pt 4, Fishes, p. 388, pl. 79, fig. 250. His description was made
from a specimen 4 inches long and 34; of an inch in depth.
The plate represents it as having the dorsal scarcely percept-
ible, beginning to rise at about the middle of its length, but
at no point exceeding +5 of an inch in hight. The anal is sim-
ilar to the dorsal and like the latter continuous with the caudal.
Dr De Kay received specimens from the Rey. Zadock Thompson,
who obtained them from Lake Champlain.
This variety is distinguished from the common marine lam-
prey only by its size, its uniform dark coloration, more pro-
nounced dorsal ridge, and the less degree of separation of the
dorsal. fins. It inhabits the lakes of northern and central New
York and is not anadromous.. © |
Prof. Seth E. Meek has published in the Annals of the New
York Academy of Sciences 4:299, the following notes on the
species.
14 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The lake lamprey is found in larger numbers than the brook
lamprey, and reaches a much larger size.
During the spring of 1886 more than a thousand individuals
were taken from Cayuga lake inlet, and all of them within 5
miles of Ithaca. They began to ascend the inlet to spawn on
May 21, and continued to do so until late in June.
Their nests are excavations made in the bed of the sirens
in shallow water, usually just above ripples. . The eggs are
deposited in the fine sand and gravel at the bottom of these
nests, and the embryos developed there. The larvae live in the
sand along the edge of the stream just below the water line.
This species is parasitic on bullheads, suckers, and other large,
soft-rayed fishes.
Of the whole number captured and brought to the university
by fishermen within two weeks, 480 were males and 265 females.
The longest male specimen was 17 inches, and the shortest
9 inches. The longest female measured 14 inches, and the short-
est 10 inches. A small female 7 inches long, taken later, con-
tained eggs which were quite immature.
During the spring a crest is developed upon the back of the
male between the nape and the dorsal fin. A smaller crest is
developed upon the ventral surface of the female, between the
vent and the caudal fin. This was at first supposed to be char-
acteristic of the males of Cayuga lake, and was made the basis
of a new specific name; but it has since been found in specimens
from the Atlantic slope, and it is said by Seeley to occur in
European specimens during the breeding season. This crest
is seasonal and sexual. The sexes, at other seasons, can not
be easily distinguished, if at all. 3
More recent accounts of this lamprey are those of Prof..H. A.
Surface in the Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission for 1897 and the
4th annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and
Forest of the State of New York. |
Genus 1cnTHYomyzon Girard
Differs from Petromyzon in having the anterior lingual
tooth divided by a median groove and the dorsal fin notched,
but not separated into two portions. Size small. Habitat,
fresh waters of eastern: United States.
3 Ichthyomyzon concolor (Kirtland)
Silver Lamprey
Ammocetes concolor KirTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 473, 1840,
with plate (larva).
Petromyzon concolor JORDAN & Forpicr, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. 282, 1886.
ee
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:
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FISHES OF NEW YORK 15
Ichthyomyzon argenteus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 10,
1882.
Ichthyomyzon concolor JORDAN & EVERMASN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 11,
1896. —
The silver lamprey belongs to. the subgenus Ichthyomy-
zon of Girard. The tooth on the front of the tongue is divided
in two parts by a median groove and the dorsal fin is continu-
ous but deeply notched. The maxillary tooth is bicuspid;
the teeth on the disk are in about four series and all small.
The tooth-bearing bone of the lower part of the mouth has
‘seven cusps. The head (from tip of disk to first gill opening)
is two fifteenths of the total length : with the gill openings its
length is contained four and three fourths times in the total.
There are 51 muscular impressions from gills to vent. The
body is rather stout, compressed posteriorly. The head is broad
and the buccal disk large with its edges not conspicuously
fringed. Color bluish silvery, sometimes with blackish mott-
lings. Above each gill opening there is a small bluish blotch.
The silver lamprey or mud eel is found in the Great lakes
region and the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. It grows to a
length of 12 inches and is usually found in deep water, but runs
up the small streams to spawn in the spring. It is a trouble-
some parasite on the lake sturgeon, the paddlefish, yellow
perch and some other species. It becomes fixed to the skin by
means of its suctorial disk and the irritation of its teeth some-
times causes deep ulcers at the point of attachment. This
lamprey has the same peculiarities of development as the sea
lamprey and sometimes remains in the larval condition, blind
and toothless, till it has reached a length of 8 inches.
Genus LAMPETRA Gray
Small lampreys inhabiting brooks of Europe and North Amer-
ica. The dorsal fin either notched or divided into two paris,
the posterior part continuous with the anal around the tail;
supraoral lamina broad, crescentic, with a large obtuse cusp’
at each end and sometimes a minute median cusp; lingual teeth
small, with a crescentic toothed edge, the median denticle en-
16 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
larged; buccal disk small, with few teeth which are never
tricuspid. |
The genus Lampetra is best distinguished from Pe-
tromyzon by the structure of its so called maxillary tooth,
which has the form of a crescent-shaped plate with terminal
cusps and, sometimes, an additional median cusp. In Pe-
tromyzon this bony plate is short and contains two or three
teeth which are very closely placed.
4 Lampetra wilderi (Gage)
Small Black Lamprey; Pride
Lampetra wilderit GAGE, in JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
13, 1896.
Petromyzon nigrum RAFINESQUE, Ich. Ohien. 84, 1820. (Name preoccupied).
Ammocetes niger JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 9, 1882.
Ammocetes branchialis JORDAN & ForpicE, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. 293, 1886;
GAGE, in Wilder Quarter-Century Book, 436, 1898.
The high dorsal fin is divided into two parts by a deep notch.
Several of the teeth on the side of the buccal disk are bicuspid
and the rest simple. The mandibulary plate is nearly straight
and has eight or 10 cusps of nearly equal size. The length of
the head including the gills is contained four and three fourths
times in the total. There are 67 muscular impressions from gills
to vent. In the spring a prominent anal papilla is present. The
head is larger than the space occupied by the gill openings and
is contained eight and one third times in the total; the depth, 14
times. The eyes are large; the mouth moderately small. The
lips are conspicuously fringed with papillae. The teeth change
considerably with age; young examples have no median cusp on
the maxillary plate.
This lamprey is bluish black above, the lower parts silvery.
The brook or mud lamprey, also known as the small black
lamprey, is found in the Great lakes region, the Ohio valley and
the upper Mississippi valley. It occurs also in Cayuga lake,
New York. According to Jordan it ranges west to Minnesota
and south to Kentucky. It grows to a length of 8 inches. Dr
Jordan considers it identical with the common brook lamprey
of Europe, A. branchialis.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 17
This lamprey ascends the small streams in the spring to
spawn just «s ‘he silver lamprey does. It is parasitic and its
Spawning habits are similar to those of ‘the sea lamprey. It
clings to stones and clods of earth while depositing its eggs and
is believed by some persons to die after spawning. The prob-
ability is that it goes to deep water where it remains till the
spawning season again approaches.
May 8, 1886, Prof. Gage and Dr Meek caught five specimens in
Cayuga lake inlet. More of them were seen but not captured.
May 22 they visited the inlet a second time but saw no speci-
mens.
The five individuals obtained were all males, and all were
busily engaged in building nests. They ascend-the inlet to
spawn about two weeks earlier than the large lake lamprey, and
in smaller numbers.
The life history of the brook or small black lamprey is well
related by Prof. Surface in the articles referred to in the notes
on the lake lamprey.
Class PISCES
Subclass SELACHII
Sharks and Skates
Order ASTEROSPONDYLI
Typical Sharks
Family PSEUDOTRIAKIDAE
Genus PSEUDOTRIAKIS Capello
Body elongate; mouth wide, with a very short labial fold
around the angle; snout depressed, rounded, moderately long;
nostrils inferior, near the mouth, but not confluent with it; eyes
oblong, lateral, without nictitating membrane; spiracles well
developed behind the eye; gill openings moderate, in advance of
the pectoral; jaws armed with numerous rows of small, tricuspid
teeth; first dorsal fin, opposite the space between pectorals and
ventrals, long and low, gradually increasing in hight posteriorly;
second dorsal behind ventrals, opposite and similar to anal; ven-
_ trals and pectorals well developed; no pit at the root of caudal
pad
(96)
NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
fin, the basal lobe of which is very low and long; skin with
minute asperities.
5 Pseudotriakis microdon Capello
Peixe Carago (Portugal)
Pseudotriakis microdon CAPELLO, Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. e nat. Lisboa, I,
321, pl. V, 1868; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., VIII, 395, 1870; BEAN,
Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. VI, 147, 1883; Jornpan & Evermann, Bull. 47,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 27, pl. IV, fig. 14, 1896.
The greatest hight of the body is at the origin of the first
dorsal; it is contained eight and three sevenths times in the total
length. The hight at the origin of ventrals is contained nine
and one half times in total length. The hight of head at the
first gill opening is a little greater than that of body at the ven-
tral origin, while its hight at the angle of the mouth is a little
less than one eleventh of the total length. The least hight of
the tail equals the hight of the anal, and is contained 25 times.
in total length.
The head is somewhat depressed in front, with moderately
sharp snout, which is nearly twice as long as the distance of its.
tip from the mouth. The distance from snout to last gill open-
ing is contained five times in total length. The distance from
snout to first gill opening, measured horizontally, equals twice
the hight of body at origin of second dorsal. The distance
between the first and last gill openings equals nearly twice the
length of the eye. The hight of the first gill opening is about
equal to the distance between the angle of the mouth and the
spiracle. The hight of the head at angle of mouth is contained
11 times and at the first gill opening nine times in total length.
The length of the snout equals one half the body hight at origin
of first dorsal. The distance of mouth from snout, measured
on the axis of the fish, equals one third width of mouth. The
distance from snout to angle of mouth, obliquely taken, equals
one fourth the distance from snout to last gill opening. The
distance between eye and spiracle equals that from mouth to
nostril. The distance from angle of mouth to spiracle is about
equal to hight of first gill opening. The spiracle is moderately
\
FISHES OF NEW YORK 19
large, the length of its opening being contained twice in the
hight of fourth gill opening. The oblong eye is placed near the
dorsal profile; the length of the orbit is about one half the
greatest hight of second dorsal; the length of the eye equals
about one fourth width of mouth. The length of upper jaw is
slightly more than that of lower, and nearly equals the distance
between the spiracles. The distance from the mouth to the
nostril is about one fourth least hight of tail; the distance
between nostrils equals four times the distance from eye to
spiracle. The interorbital space equals one half the length of
second dorsal base. The distance between the spiracles equals
four times their greatest length. _
The first dorsal is very long and low, highest behind its mid-
dle, the length of its base equal to seven times its greatest
hight; its distance from the snout is a little more than twice the
greatest length of pectoral. The second dorsal is distant from
the end of the first a length equal to nearly twice its greatest
hight; the length of its base is somewhat more than the body
hight at origin of first dorsal. The second dorsal begins at a
distance from the end of the first, which is equal to the hight
of body at ventral origin; the length of its base equals twice the
interorbital distance; its hight equals nearly twice the length of
the orbit. The anal is entirely under the second dorsal, but its
base is a little less than five sevenths as long as that of the
latter; the greatest hight of the anal equals the least hight of
caudal peduncle.
The caudal originates at a distance from the end of the second
dorsal about equal to the hight of the anal; it is divided by a
notch into a short upper portion, whose length is very little
more than the greatest hight of first dorsal, and a very low and
log lower portion, the longest margin of which is nearly twice
as long as the snout. The distance of the caudal from the end
cf anal base equals one fourth the length of second dorsal base.
The distance of pectoral from snout is contained five times in
total length; the length of pectoral equals nearly twice the width
of its base, and is a little more than one ninth of total length.
20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The greatest width of pectoral equals twice the hight of anal,
and is contained 12; times in total length.
The origin of the ventral is slightly in advance of the end of
first dorsal, and is behind the middle of total length a distance
equal to the interorbital space. The length of ventral equals
that of lower jaw. The width of ventral base equals that of
pectoral base; the greatest width of ventral slightly exceeds its
length. el |
Color. When received the margins of the fins were apparently
faded; the original color was probably grayish brown with dark
margins on all the fins except the first dorsal. Capello states
that his example was chestnut brown.
Remarks. The gills and mouth were obstructed by sand. The
only parasites discovered on the animal were a couple of
isopods, one of which was found in the eye cavity. '
Hundredths
MEASUREMENTS Millimeters of length
PDO g LETVO Tae aye caeteens andtese eile fake ebans soocua Ok Sea eee ae 2950.. 100.
Body
Mish at ionigin of HrSst dorsalis... si. see ere: i 850 12
Biche at-oricin. Oboventrals) 20. een iceeeom ues 310: 10.5
‘Hight at origin of second dorsal.............. 210 G
Hight at end of ventral base. ................ eee) 7
Least hight of caudal peduncle............... 118 4
Width at origin“of Nrst. dorsal cee fie ee. c tia. 250 8.5
Head :
Distance from tip of snout to first gill opening
ELomiZoia tally seu sey ictal « eh ehoken. henote Goel va dia (sles 425 14.4
Obliquely, keke cs ae es lee ei oe AD. 450 1533
Distance from tip of snout to last gill opening. 583 20:
Distance from first gill opening to fifth........ 133 4.5
Distance from first gill opening to fourth..... 102. \. Qeeee
Distance from first gill opening to third....... 62. Asie
Distance from first gill opening to second..... PA Gare wes Eckl)
ish Of MLSE Sul] OPC aisle ene oe ie oer TD Coat Sentara
Bicht of second cill’ opening... 63.24 6s... se wieels (3 eke ce
Birch or third <-ill Jopemimes\ 2. ous efoe. Pome 12 Oe
Hight of fourth gill opening.’ ...\. sis) china (0 Jahan
Bett, oF. DE vel OpemMino ei 4 ok tecteeoeraee 1GB i th eases Coat
Picht at angie Of MOURN ih wc Sos Yleeeee 265 9
Pent AL Hest sul OPM sy :2 eis c:2 ee ehetaeee ln ered aft
Ehiehtiat hase. (Of (pectoral ipso ise hea ee 342 11.6
i
FISHES OF NEW YORK
MEASUREMENTS
Distance from tip of snout to eye (horizontally).
Distance from tip of snout to mouth (horizon-
RT die es Ve EON as ar ciatnes aig eR Mb bee wleloteta
Distance from tip of snout to mouth (obliquely).
Distance from tip of snout to angle of mouth
USSTIMAC IO: 0291081 pCR 5 0S Sas an saree ea ea
Distance from tip of snout to angle of mouth
MOM UEIY) A. 5.5, 3 eek Sada, OY A SR SS Os re
Distance from tip of snout to spiracle (horizon-
CELL Rip SL 2 eat eines ie edi 7 Vleet heel een a eee be Pe
Greatest length of spiracle...................
fener tho of opening’ of spiracles... 0... ij. coe e
Distanee from eye to spiracle................
Distance from angle of mouth to spiracle.....
eee a TMON ET OIEIDLL or sc, ca sae Sia oo ikes we cin ocd ole ose oie
eat SHEP S ENC heise a ore Nias bee ace ree were she
BMAP acre ULI ls oe bn ok sete oo oe RISE
Length of upper jaw to angle of mouth.......
Length of lower jaw to angle of mouth.......
masiames from mouth to nostril ... 0.6.6... 5
PAStANEe Helwee»l NOSLVIUS fs... es dee Se hee ee
Distance between spiracles ...............0..
First dorsal
Persamee IroOIm SHOUL % yo o6 ek Oso cw ees ae ae
OAT MADD SE ne Seed ode i he onsale ah ee de lo Shas evi eta meiers
EYEE) TEST EAS TNC 17) Sa i pers ieee as eter ee Fea
Second dorsal
Distance from end of first dorsal........ fee ae
Distance from: snout .......0:.. Sieteiataters etic! o(erere
Tens thot Dase- «6. 3.00 Fo Set ek eS ieee Ala eas
SHEE TURES GALT 0 Ame pgaeee peer a Pena Arte PSEC et agen eran
eens. Of FOSLCTION WANTON 20 ee wets ie ce oe ne
Anal
ISANCE PROM: “SHOUG Sire te te Sees ee yee ole Oe
ESE GMO E ASCH: 2, tye AEE ROSES 8 srs Wh ee ee
ESTES SS a (i a ge te, a Bi ea
GMS Wb ee ATE OPIOT AAT OV ob e welts Ssee le chooks os
Mees WOE POSTELIOn NATO . dos oe 8 osc © 03
Caudal
Distance from end of second dorsal...........
Distance of tip from end of second dorsal.....
NEES AV LR See ee ee a Re
Millimeters
176
90
147
21
Hundredths
of length
6
cee ee ee ese
*, Che) 01s ee. 6 16; 16
cere ee es eee
eeeererereeee
oor ecece ee &
99
aL NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Hundredths.
MEASUREMENTS Millimeter: of length
eneth of woper: TODGG A sata ccs erectnerehateeyy apes wis 98 ° iis
Greatest width of upper lobe................. Lit. Uae eee
Distance of lower lobe from anal base........ O11 i Chee
Length of anterior margin of lower lobe....... 2284 ee eee
Length of longest margin of lower lobe....... 8452 eee eee
Pectoral
PASS TOUS SO Olek fo dine os where, Sales otoahn ewere ae 590 20:
TEASE Wem ies eum cepel a ecg Boeke Scie onde dete oS aelgdle 330 Use?
VV EOE WISE a ta tuned Sate adeno tk tet ret Barn ee eee 169 5.7
GECALESE WAGE Soc eie i's, Oe eatin tees otha atte nae eae 240 8
Ventral
DIUSEANCE ENG SMG eae See ae eed asta ces cae coe mens 1655 56
Greatest demotih on ae fae Mtoe ress enews ee ace eats i 215 7.3
Length of posterior margin (last ray)......... 108) > ieee
[Width of base ........... SAN OAS Cp a3 170 5.7
GQPORTES TE WiaCitliih yo rete heie’s witete tath leledlersyre ee eto temcens De, 7.5
Only two specimens of this shark have been recorded—the
type described by Capello from the coast of Portugal, and an
example about 9 feet, 8 inches long which came ashore in ex-
cellent condition at the Amagansett life-saving station on Long
Island, Feb. 8, 1883. The latter specimen was forwarded to the
U.S. National Museum, Washington D. C.
A figure of the species is published in Oceanic Ichthyology, pl. 5,
hie A,
Family GALEIDAE -
Requiem Sharks
Genus MUSTELUS Cuvier
Body slender, elongate; mouth small, crescent-shaped, with
well developed labial folds at the angles, snout rather long and |
depressed; teeth in both jaws very blunt, small, rhombic, many-
rowed, arranged like pavement; spiracles small, just behind the
eyes; eye large, oblong; pectorals large; ventrals well de-
veloped; first dorsal large, not far behind pectorals, somewhat
larger than second dorsal; anal opposite to and smaller than
second dorsal; basal lobe of caudal little developed, the tail
nearly straight; embryo without placental attachment to the
uterus.
Ya: <>." , => Ms oe
FISHES. OF NEW YORK 23
6 Mustelus canis (Mitchill)
Dog Shark ; Smooth Dogfish
Squalus canis Mitcuity, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 486, 1815.
Mustelus canis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 355, pl. 64, fig. 209, 1842;
‘STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 251, pl. XX XVII, fig. 2, 2a, 1867; JoRDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 20, 1883; JornpDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 29, 1896.
Body cylindric, elongate, tapering greatly from the dorsal fin
to the tail; head flattened above, one fourth of total length
without caudal; snout obtusely pointed, one third as long as the
head. Hight of body equals one half length of head. Nostrils
large, semilunar, midway between tip of snout and angle of
mouth. Eye two fifths as long as the snout. Teeth in about
10 rows, smooth, flattened, the posterior edges of each tooth
slightly elevated. Spiracles small, circular, near the lower
posterior angle of the eye. Gill openings moderate, half length
of snout, the last two over the base of the pectorals. Hight of
dorsal fin, measured from middle of its base, slightly greater
than depth of body. Length of pectoral equal to base of dorsal.
End of ventral base midway between tip of snout and tip of
caudal, the length of the fin scarcely one third length of head.
Caudal fin-as long as the head, its lower lobe short, blunt, about
one third as long as the upper. Color ashen gray above, some-
times with pale spots, white beneath; outer edges of the dorsals
and anal with a black margin, specially in young; iris ereenish
yellow. Length 8 feet.
This is known as the dogshark, smooth dogfish and hound-
fish. It is extremely common in the north Atlantic and is a
source of great annoyance to anglers. The shark is not eaten
but it is used in making fertilizers and oil is prepared from its
liver. It occurs in Gravesend bay in August, September and
October. In captivity it is restless and delicate, often coming
to the surface of the water and struggling as if trying to escape.
Its food consists of small crustaceans, seaweed, etc.
Genus GALEOocERDO Miiller & Henle
Body cylindric, elongate, tapering; mouth crescentic; teeth in
doth jaws large, oblique, coarsely serrate on both margins;
24. NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
outer margin with a deep notch; spiracles present; the last two
gill openings over the pectoral base; caudal fin with a pit at the
root above and below; first dorsal fin above the space between
pectorals and ventrals. Size large. ,
7 Galeocerdo tigrinus Miiller & Henle
Tiger Shark; Leopard Shark
Galeocerdo tigrinus MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 59, pl. 23, 1838; Guy-
THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 378, 1870; Jonpan & GILBERT, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 21, 1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 82, 1896; SmitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898.
The caudal fin forms about one third of the total length and
exceeds the space between the dorsals; the second dorsal is in
advance of the anal; upper jaw with a long labial fold; teeth
23. Color yellowish gray, whitish beneath, brown on the
middle of the back and with numerous brown cross bands and
spots on the sides; adults nearly uniform brown. Said to reach
a length of 30 feet.
Tropical seas, occasionally found in summer northward to
Cape Cod and to San Diego.
Dr H. M. Smith has published the following record of its
occurrence near Woods Hole Mass. “Present every year in
variable abundance, and caught in traps in Vineyard sound and
Buzzards bay. The last species of shark to appear in this
region, rarely coming before August. It remains until October.
Usual length, 5 feet.” The writer has seen a tiger shark fully
9 feet long in a trap at Marthas Vineyard.
Genus PRIONACE Cantor
Body and head slender; teeth in both jaws strongly serrated
in adults, broad in the upper jaw, narrow, straight and clavi-
form in the lower; spiracles absent; first dorsal large, its origin
midway between axils of pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal
much smaller than first, usually equal to anal; embryo without
placental attachment to uterus; size large; inhabiting warm
seas.
bo
OX
FISHES OF NEW YORK
8 Prionace glauca (Linnaeus)
Great Blue Shark
Squalus glaucus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 235, 1758.
Carcharias (Prionodon) glaucus MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 36, pl. IT,
1838.
- Carcharias glaucus GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 364, 1870.
Carcharhinus glaucus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 22, 1883.
Prionace glauca JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 33, pl. IV,
fig. 16; pl. V, fig. 16a, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. 8. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898.
Snout very long; nostrils rather nearer to the mouth than to
the tip of snout; a slight groove at the angle of the mouth; teeth
of the upper jaw oblique, slightly constricted near the base;
lower teeth narrow, lanceolate, with a broad base in the adult,
triangular in the young. Pectoral fin long, falciform, extending
to below the dorsal. Color light bluish gray above, paler below.
The great blue shark is common in the Mediterranean and is
found occasionally on our Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Dr H. M. Smith records it as a very rare species at Woods
Hole Mass., only a single individual being certainly known from
that locality, taken from a trap in July 1877.
Genus carcHaRHinus Blainville
Body rather robust, the head broad and depressed; mouth
inferior, with the teeth in both jaws strongly serrated in the
adult, less so or entire in the young; those in the upper jaw
broad or narrow, those below narrow, straight, and nearly erect.
No spiracles. First dorsal large, placed not far behind pec-.
torals; pectorals faleate; second dorsal small. Embryos at-
tached by placenta to the uterus.
9 Carcharhinus obscurus (Le Sueur)
Dusky Shark
Squalus obscurus LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 223, pl. 9, 1818.
Carcharias (Prionodon) obscurus MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 46, 1841.
Carcharias obscurus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 350, pl. 61, fig. 201,
1842. (Copy of LE SUEUR); STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 248, pl. XXXVI,
fig. 2, 1867; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 366, 1870.
Carcharhinus obscurus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 22, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 35, 1896; Smiru, Bull,
U.S. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898.
Head broad, somewhat pointed, flattened above and below;
snout sharp edged, rounded and wide at the end; eyes large,
°6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
nearly circular; nostrils oblique, near the tip of the snout; gill-
openings unequal, the first large, the last small and over the
origin of the pectoral; the second dorsal smaller than the anal,
and much produced behind; pectorals very long, narrow, falci-
form, their outer margin four times the inner. Color dusky
above, dark clear blue in young, white below. Size large, length
9 or 10 feet.
The dusky shark inhabits the middle Atlantic and occurs fre-
quently on our coast in summer. Abundant in Great Egg
bay where it is called the “man-eating shark.” A specimen
weighing 150 pounds was reported there July 23, and during the
same week a larger one weighing 200 pounds was landed.
Young individuals measuring 214 to 24 inches in length, caught
with hooks July 29, 1887, still bore the umbilical scar. A young
example was caught in a pound at Islip L. I. in the summer of
1898.
De Kay had no specimen of the dusky shark for examination,
but depended on Le Sueur for the description and figure pub-
lished in his New York Fauna. Mitchill has made no reference to
the species.
Smith publishes the following on its occurrence at Woods Hole
Mass. “ Very common, but less so than the sand shark. Taken
in traps and on lines fished from wharves. Comes about June
1 and remains through a part of November. The largest :ob-
served here are 12 to 14 feet long; the average are 8 or 9 feet,
and the smallest are 24 feet.” Storer says it is not a common
species in Massachusetts waters; it sometimes floats ashore in
the night or becomes entangled in the mackerel nets.
The dusky shark feeds chiefly on menhaden when they are
schooling. |
10 Carcharhinus milberti (Miller & Henle)
Milbert’s Shark
Carcharias (Prionodon) milberti VALENCIENNES in Mutter & HENLE, Pla-
giostomen, 38, pl. 19, fig. 3 (teeth), 1842.
Carcharias caeruleus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 349, pl. 61, fig. 200,
1842; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 873, 1883.
Eulania nilberti GILtu, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 262, 1864.
FISHES OF NEW YORK Zi
Carcharhinus milberti JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 37,
1896; SmiTH, Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898.
Small blue shark MitcHity, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 487, 1815.
Lamna caudata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 354, pl. 62, fig. 205, 1842.
Body stout, its depth one fifth of the length without caudal;
head two sevenths of total length to caudal base, snout promi-
nent, pointed, broad, thin, and firm, its length from mouth
equal to width of mouth; distance between nostrils two thirds
length of snout; upper teeth very broad, triangular, erect, ser-
rate on both edges, without notch; lower teeth narrower and
more finely serrated; gill openings comparatively narrow; first
dorsal begins close behind origin of pectoral, its hight somewhat
greater than its base and equals one half interspace between
dorsals; second dorsal very small, its base one fifth interspace
between dorsals; caudal moderate, its length contained two and
two thirds times in length of body, its lower lobe less than one
half as long as the upper; pectorals rather small, not falcate,
the length contained three and one half times in total length
without caudal.
The young are slate blue on the upper parts, the same color
but less pronounced on the sides, and the lower parts whitish;
adults are uniform bluish gray above, lighter on the sides of
head and body, white beneath, the iris greenish blue. Some
examples taken at Woods Hole Mass. in 1873, were said to be of
an intense almost indigo blue.
The blue shark occurs along our east coast in summer from
Cape Cod to Florida. Young examples are not uncommon in
the waters of New York. An example taken at Brenton’s reef,
on the coast of Rhode Island, measured 7 feet, 4 inches and
weighed 161 pounds.
Mitchill states that it is often taken by nets in New Yorx
waters, as it commonly bites off the line when hooked. Indi-
viduals seen by him were 4 or 5 feet long. De Kay refers to this
shark a second time under the name long-tailed porbeagle, of
which he saw several young from New York harbor and an adult
from Brenton’s reef, on the coast of Rhode Island,
28 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
This shark was reported at Woods Hole Mass., in 1871 by Prof.
Baird. Dr Smith records four examples, each about 4 feet long,
from a trap near Woods Hole, Aug. 8, 1873, since which time
none have been observed.
The species feeds chiefly on fish.
Genus aprronopon Gill
Snout conical, more or less produced; teeth not serrated, nar-
row, on a broad base, erect in both jaws or sometimes slightly
oblique in the upper; dorsal over the interspace between pec-
torals and ventrals. :
11 Aprionodon isodon (Val. in Miiller & Henle) j
Tiburon
Carcharias isodon VALENCIENNES in MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 32,
1841. !
Carcharias (Aprionodon) isodon DuMERIL, Elasmobranches, 349, 1870.
Aprionodon punctatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 24, 1883.
Carcharias punctatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 361, 1870.
Aprionodon isodon PorEy, Hnum.,. Pisce. Cubens. 200, 1875; JornpAn & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 42, 1896.
Snout short, compressed, and rounded; nostril one third of
the distance from tip of snout to angle of mouth, nearly as
large as the eye; the distance between the nostrils equals that
from tip of snout to mouth; teeth in upper jaw small, on a broad
base, without serrations, those of lower jaw similar but smaller,
a small median tooth as usual; number of teeth 37; first dorsal
much higher and longer than the second and is separated from
the last gill opening by a space equal to two thirds the length
of its base; pectorals reach to below end of first dorsal; caudal
pit very apparent, specially below; scales rounded posteriorly,
with five kéels; color above dark gray (greenish brown, Duméril),
whitish below. :
The species is recorded from New York, Virginia, and Cuba.
The type specimen in the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, is O.
65m == 252 inches long. The following measurements from the
type are given by Miiller and Henle.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 297
Inches Lines
Eine Ay Ol SHOU Cy MOSER de grotacis gine vie Se eo toy oie eee lg mn ee 10
ety TSEC bor MOU EN Aerts i. aeeeee s Bos wb > fas. = a ve ce 'Ghe ma eheveiede ales = 10-
iat Tall HO" ATG Nevers tee Aca. sR) ose vidi a's, Ge Ap 10 6
TES ETC UPRE EES Fc ee LEE Fa C19 hs A = SR 2 ee Pare as 2 6
Base of anal fin<......... ee era een. nts! ack doStabata 3 SBE Sse ra
LE CLZSE Sy CROC BO Tae pee eg od eae 0 ee ee ene a eo Re eer
cietie ithe iin? orca Wied betee uk aae 2e S aie ees hee we ores wae 1 9
ae Satu LO Cast) TT Sein se ge ty eee wee Edel e eco oye Wie Se Scales PR es a aes
Distance frem pectoral to ventral. 23... 6. ek ee ee ie 4 6
SENSOR ALT i OTSA LeIID oi hour te om eee aeleneynce Caucus tie < «c= 2 3
Pea aia ESE COPS TI A epee Ce ieee sae Sige we nino 2 5
Paseo SECON OGLESa li ose. ys See alee a eee okie wee ok ws Dei age
sel Aare SEC OTE CLOESAL TAM so Feo c eee she scien Gea slat tue ve ob oo Lee eeers fi
Maaee Sule DCCUOTAL ELIT So '.cc. ci cert emote wie wend Fae ene one oS 3 +
Width of pectoral fin..... oe aes ERS PAE De ES eg 2, 4
Diswamce between: nostrils’ sss Sieve 2. es Ve hay ey eee iF 6
NEE bE TIVOLI. Gace ois; slates eek ae OOS Cam oe tetin eae she 2
eco eo eee
Genus scotropon Miller & Henle
Body siender; snout depressed; no spiracles; teeth entire or
little serrated, oblique and flat, the points directed sidewise so
that the inner margins are more or less nearly horizontal, the
teeth in front more nearly erect; teeth not swollen at the base,,
each of them with a deep notch on the outer margin below the
sharp point; labial folds conspicuous; first dorsal over the inter-
space between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal very small;
ventrals small; size small.
12 Scoliodon terrae novae (Richardson)
Sharp-nosed Shark
- Squalus (Carcharias) terrae-novae RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. 289, 1836.
Carcharias terrae-novae GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 360, 1870.
Carcharias (Scoliodon) terrae-novae GiLu, Cat. Fish. East Coast N. rE
1861. \ ;
Squalus punctatus MitcHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 483, 1815.
Scoliodon terrae-novae JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 24,
1888; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 43, 1896.
Snout moderately rounded; mouth U-shaped, with a short
labial groove at its angle extending on both jaws; distance from
tip of snout to nostril less than distance between nostrils; gill
openings narrow; first dorsal moderate, midway between pec-
30 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
torals and ventrals; second dorsal very small, slightly behind,
and rather smaller than anal; anal fin much shorter than dis-
tance from anal to ventrals; pectorals rather large, reaching
about to middle of first dorsal; ventrals small.
Color gray; caudal fin with a narrow blackish edge. Cape
Cod to Brazil, very common on the southern Atlantic coast.
The green-backed shark, Squalus punctatus, of Mitchill is said
to belong to this species. His example was 31 inches long, but
he was incorrectly informed that the shark reaches two or three
times that size. Mitchill wrote:
“ When this shark ig in the water his back and sides appear
greenish. But soon after his exposure to air, and immediately
after his death, the hue becomes a pale ash, leaden, or dove, with
but trifling variegations. The parts about the mouth, neck,
and belly are cf a clear white. The upper side of the pectoral
fins resembles the color of the back; the lower partakes of the
complexion of the belly. The openings of the excretory ducts
on the snout and lips are blackish.
_ “he shark is very common on the coast of our southern
‘states; it reaches the length of 3 feet.”
Family sPHyYRNIDAE
Hammerheaded Sharks
Genus sPHyRNA Rafinesque
Head laterally extended, hammer-shaped or kidney-shaped,
the eyes on the ends of the “ hammer ” and the nostrils anterior;
mouth inferior, crescentic; teeth in the jaws similar, oblique,
notched on the outside near the base; no spiracles; last gill-
opening over the pectoral; first dorsal large, nearer pectorals
than ventrals; second dorsal and anal small; pectorals large; a
pit at. the root of the caudal; caudal fin notched near its tip, its
lower lobe developed.
18 Sphyrna tiburo (Linnaeus)
Shovelhead Shark; Bonnethead
Squalus tiburo LinnAEus, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 234, 1758.
Zygaena tiburo GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 382, 1870.
Reniceps tiburo Git, Ann. N. Y. Lyc. Nat. Hist. VIII, 412, 1861; JoRDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 25, 1883.
Sphyrna tiburo JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 44, pl. V,
fig. 19, 1896.
_ FISHES OF NEW YORK OL
Body slender and little compressed; head flat, semicircular in
‘front, posterior margins of “hammer”. short, free, the lateral
margins continuous with the anterior; first dorsal high, midway
between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal much smaller,
produced behind, higher and shorter than anal; ventral and
caudal fins moderate; pectorals large; mouth small; teeth
small, very oblique, deeply notched on the outer margin. Head
one sixth of total length to tip of caudal, slightly longer than
wide.
Color uniform ashy, whitish beneath. Length 5 feet. At-
lantic and Pacific oceans, occurring on our coast from Long
Island southward. 3
Neither Mitchill nor De Kay mentions the shovelhead shark,
though both record the hammerhead. Prof. Baird found it a
common fish in Great Egg bay in 1854, but the species was not
seen there by the writer in 1887.
14 Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus)
Hammerhead Shark
Squalus zygaena LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 234, 1758; MitTcHILL, Trans.
Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 482, 1815.
Zygaena malleus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 362, pl. 64, fig. 204, 1842;
SrorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 262, pl. XX XVIII, fig. 3, 1867.
Sphyrna zygaena JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 26, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN; Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 45, 1896; Smiru, Bull.
eS. He. Ci VIL S88, 1898.
Body elongate, cylindric; head hammer-shaped, its width two
or three times its length; nostril near eye, prolonged into a
groove which runs along nearly the entire front margin of the
head; eye large, placed near the angle formed by the anterior
and lateral margins of the “hammer ”, enabling the animal to
look above and beneath; three rows of white, hyaline teeth in
each jaw, those in upper jaw entire, acute, triangular, their tips
directed outward from the center, with a shoulder on the outer
side; in the center a few with shoulders on both sides; gill open-
ings short and small, the last smallest and placed over the pec-
toral base; first dorsal large, quadrilateral, slightly behind pec-
torals, higher than wide, deeply concave behind, and pointed
32 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
posteriorly; second dorsal rhomboidal, very small, produced pos-
teriorly, its base extending farther backward than the anal base;
pectorals placed low, subtriangular, broad, slightly concave be-
hind; ventrals small, broad, nearly midway between the dorsal
fins, produced behind; anal similar to second dorsal but some-
what larger, more concave behind; caudal equal in length to
width of head, its lower lobe short, the upper ending in a small
triangular portion; color uniform dusky gray, paler beneath.
The hammerhead shark reaches a length of 15 feet; it is a
voracious species, found in all warm seas. Mitchill records the
capture of three individuals in a net at Sag Harbor, in Septem-
‘ber 1805, the largest measuring 11 feet; and on opening its belly
many detached parts of a man, together with his clothing, were
found in it. He had a specimen from the bay of New York.
De Kay had a specimen 25 inches long which was taken in a
seine in New York harbor and he saw examples 4 feet long in
Hell Gate. Dr Smith publishes the following about its occur- |
rence at Woods Hole: | ,
Usually common; some years abundant. Taken in traps from
July to October, being most numerous in July and August.
‘Generally swims with its dorsal and caudal fins out of the water.
‘The largest ones taken here are 7 or 8 feet long; the smallest are
under 14 feet; and the average are 4 feet. The name “ rake-
head ” is an old local designation of this species.
In Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., small examples, measuring
about 2 feet or less, are occasionally caught with hooks in Au-
gust and larger ones, 5 or 6 feet long, have been seen. It is called
““ shovelnose shark ” there. This shark is not common in Grayves-
end bay, but is sometimes found in August and September.
Family ALOPIDAE
Thresher Sharks
Genus aLopras Rafinesque
Body fusiform, moderately elongate, the snout short and
- blunt; mouth horseshoe-shaped; teeth distant, flat, triangular,
entire, the third tooth of upper jaw on each side much the small-
est; gill openings moderate, the last smallest and placed just
FISHES OF NEW YORK ae
anterior to or slightly over the pectoral base; no nictitating
membrane; spiracles minute, just behind the eye, or absent, first
dorsal high, triangular, midway between pectorals and ventrals;
second dorsal and anal very small; pectorals long and wide,
deeply concave behind; ventrals wider than high, below the
interspace between the dorsals; caudal without keel, exceed-
ingly long and narrow, its lower lobe moderate, its upper lobe
with a deep pit at its root and a notch near its tip; size large;
a Single species inhabiting most warm seas, and easily known by
its long tail. -
15 Alopias vulpes (Gmelin)
Thresher Shark; Swingle-tal Shark
Squalus vulpes GmEtin, L. Syst. Nat. I, 1496, 1788 (fide GUNTHER); MITCHILL,
Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 482, 1815.
Carcharias vulpes DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 348, pl. LXI, fig. 199, 1842;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 245, pl. XXXVI, fig. 3, 1867.
Alopecias vulpes GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 393, 1870.
Alopias vulpes JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 27, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 45, pl. VI, fig. 20,
1896; SmitrH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898.
Body fusiform, moderately elongate, its greatest hight one
fourth of the length to the pit at the root of the caudal; head
two sevenths of the same length; eye one ninth as long as head;
no nictitating membrane; snout short, twice as long as the eye,
Flat, triangular teeth of moderate size, with entire edges, in
both jaws, the third tooth of the upper jaw on each side much
smaller than the others; spiracles just behind the eyes, minute
or wanting; gill openings moderate, the last one over the base
of the pectoral; first dorsal large, midway between pectorals
and ventrals; second dorsal and anal very small; caudal elon-
gate, slender, forming about one half of the total length; a pit
at its base, upper. lobe notched near the tip, lower lobe
moderate; no caudal keel; ventrals one half as long as the pec-
torals; pectorals falcate, reaching to below the middle of the
first dorsal.
The thresher shark is abundant in the Mediterranean and
warm parts of the Atlantic and Pacific, occasionally seen off
the south shore of Long Island in summer and frequently taken
in Vineyard sound. It reaches a length of 20 feet.
34 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Mitchill described, in the Medical Repository, 8:77, an individual
measuring 13 feet and 1 inch, which was found, in 1803, on the
South side of Long Island. De Kay describes the species but
without mentioning any locality of its capture. His figure was.
based on a female specimen, about 13 feet long, in the American
museum.
At Woods Hole Mass. the thresher comes in April and remains.
till late in the fall. It is common in Vineyard sound and is
found also in Buzzards bay. In the fall the boat fishermen, fish-
ing for cod at Gay Head, catch them with lines baited with
iresh -herring. Individuals 20 feet long have been caught at
Menemsha.
The shark feeds on mackerel, menhaden, herring and other
small fishes.
Family cARCHARIDAE
Sand Sharks
Genus carcHartias Rafinesque
Body moderately elongate; the snout pointed; mouth large,
crescentic; teeth long, narrow, awl-shaped, not serrated, most of
them with one or two small basal cusps; spiracles minute, pore-
like; no nictitating membrane; gill openings in advance of the
pectorals, moderately large; dorsal fins nearly equal, not large,
the first well behind the pectorals; caudal well developed, with-
out keel, its basal lobe short, a notch near its tip; pectorals.
short, not reaching to beginning of dorsal; size moderate.
16 Carcharias littoralis (Mitchill)
Sand Shark
Squalus littoralis MircHitt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 328, 1818; Le SUEUR,.
Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 224.
Carcharias littoralis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 351, 1842; JoRDAN &-
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 46, 1896; Smrru, Bull. U. S. F. C..
XVII, 89, 1898.
Eugomphodus littoralis Git, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 260, 1864.
Odontaspis americanus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 392, 1870.
Carcharias americanus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 27,
1888.
Body moderately elongate, its greatest hight contained five
to six and one half times in the total length; head moderately
FISHES OF NEW YORK OD
‘pointed, its length nearly one fourth of the total in half grown
individuals; eye small, longer than deep, its length one fifth that
of the snout, which is nearly one fourth as long as the head.
The spiracle is located behind the eye at a distance equal to
three times the diameter of the eye. Two rows of teeth in func-
- tion in upper jaw and three rows in lower; longest tooth of the
lower jaw as long as the eye, slightly longer than the longest
tooth of the upper jaw; teeth long, awl-shaped, mostly with one
cr two small cusps at the base, the first and fourth of upper
jaw and the first of lower jaw without cusps. Space occupied
- by gill openings equals one fourth of the length of the head;
the depth of the gill openings equals four times the length of
the eye. The distance from the snout to the nostril equals the
distance between the nostrils. The width of the mouth, includ-
ing the labial folds, equals two fifths of the length of the head.
The first dorsal base is entirely within the first half of the total
length; it is about one third as long as the head, and somewhat
exceeds the hight of the fin. The pectoral is one half as long as
the head and, when extended, does not quite reach the vertical
through the dorsal origin. The ventral origin is slightly behind
the end of the first dorsal base; the length of the fin is nearly
one third of that of the head. The caudal, measured from the
pit at its root, forms two sevenths of the total length.
This small but voracious shark is common on our Atlantic
coast, specially from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. It preys on
the smaller fishes. The last individual observed by me in Great
South bay during the summer of 1898 was swimming close to
the surface near the inlet at Fire Island, September 16.
Mitchill described this shark under the name of the ground
Shark (Squalus littoralis) in the American Monthly
Magazime for March 1818, p. 328. His specimen was caught in a
set net near New York city, and measured about 5 feet. He
mentions a larger individual, 8 feet 9 inches long, which weighed
upward of 150 pounds. The fishermen called the fish ground
shark because it is usually found along shores, er within
soundings.
36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
According to Dr Smith this is the commonest shark of the
Woods Hole region; it is found in Vineyard sound from June to
November. The largest are 12 feet long. Fish, crabs and other
animals are found in its stomach.
Some of the teeth of a large individual were secured from
A. P. Latto at Southampton in July. Instead of a single basal
cusp, aS usual, certain teeth had two such cusps on each side.
The last sand shark seen by me during the summer of 1898, in
Great South bay, was observed September 16 near the inlet at
Fire island, swimming slowly westward near the surface. A
list of specimens follows. ;
(Teeth) Southampton, Atlantic ocean July
d Clam Pond cove, Great South bay Sep. 6
2 Clam Pond cove, Great South bay Sep. 6
A young male received from Gravesend bay June 26, 1895,
lived in captivity till Dec. 19, 1895, when the temperature of the
water in its pool was 58° F. The following notes were made |
from the recently dead specimen:
Color, bronze gray with light brown blotches, the largest
about as long as the eye; belly and other lower parts white; eye
yellowish; tips of pectorals, ventrals, dorsals, anal and caudal.
- above and below with a narrow black streak; numerous minute
dark specks on the under surface of snout and suborbital
region, extending back to angle of mouth.
Two rows of teeth in function above and three below. Length
of longest tooth in lower jaw, one half inch; in upper jaw, three
eighths inch.
MEASUREMENTS
Feet Inches
TGO@ GT 0 kek eo fees lai seavala's wide endear ae ale eons: wanvee Sale yl 6
DEDUh? OF “DOD Sse. Se eee ee Ce ee Gee Berm 64%
Least depth of caudal pedunele. i. ene oe ce scp cage 15%
Tip of snout to perpendicular through last gillopening .... 10
From: first to: lastetllopeninies: 9.40 Sct ee ect 20d tee ss ee 2%
Depth of Sill OPeNiMGS te ea aoa e ee, ahem hem meen wrsaate 2
STS A se: oo rekia tie oe beter Se ie eae TT Miron Co 1h, aac men a 214
REV SO ‘SPIT A CLE: oath hie ns ve cue o's he An's > oar ee 1% .
BOO laa Foo coho ida ab OE ee ice Ee oats ORS Take hs) eae neem Ylong % deep
GNOME TO, MOSES La coop ooo eee street ake be ane ete a ceniinya rea reco or? 14%
7,” ae es oe
FISHES OF NEW YORK 37
MEASUREMENTS
Feet Inches
MTEL TIOGUEI A ooas ats 8 tages oiafa lec wiles wee oe ceases ods A ely 58
Mistance between NOstrils. 2... 6... ce ete eee oe. od tues Pact 1144
th O OTE OF, MUOWLM stores o's\ siren a 2 yics)a) see rate a! oe isle ee 1%
emenn OL TOUT, OPENING 4.525 2% vac ce Seals. ot die e's Be he 258
Maden of mouth, including labial folds............... see +
eared OLN POU Ci s tesa Steere sae Xan sles oieis oo 8 ale eal « ET at 1
Beorantold.ito first sill opening. 2.6000. 66. ee wees ees Sestoee 334
PROM IEE SE CLOT SAN o'5 !5 dors she atone s fe cece dies bie Sie eles Soete eae 16
BERETS TT ASE cers ne See eiate Sone eo tierel eco e's 0 9 8’ s'e gee eet sates 314
Baaele of dorsal base to-top Of. fim... ee ald. we oe oh ia 3
Length of posterior margin of dorsal................ a re 1%
MaesinMeEst to SCCONd GOrsal.. Ho. lec. tees ces selec wwe bade 4)
meneth of second dorsal base: 20... ek ec ee Bch ads 234
Middle of second dorsal base to top rl bg: (0 9 Nahe ep fie Se eae RMS 2,
Posterior margin of second dorsal................... ee 1%
serene Gorsal to Caudal pity oc... e se ec ce ewe we tens Sete 3
Caudal from LIRA al Base a TCE Uae ay ast ae Sevier ate SPE Seateths mente hos
EE (O70 1G 120 (0) 0 Sees Ser ee a Ae ee ataise 984
STS TREE ERCR WoT £2 1 (63) 02 en are sean 3
Pitino pectoral, ODIIQUCLY 2. oo see ee de we as we wees Sdabate 10%
Meera Ot PCCLOTAL 0. ae eG) cas as ote oe oe Pia tee ae eae ote 5
Peete oI: OF PCCtOLAl. ci. 5 See te ins wie wd walls sels PES 24
Extended pectoral not quite reaching to perpendicular
through front of dorsal.
Ventral origin slightly behind end of first dorsal base
MIG GVOTMDEAUS cio ess 6 over ce eideee se cieee ae 8 pe Ties serene ete 3 314
MEENA OMNI Ot VETLLEAL. oe lsacc eos Se ales wleje odes eins doabate eave 13%
iene b> Ot CIASDOR: Joi) s).5055. Sica ba Sete a ce tise wets whee ie 1%
Hind of ventral base to origin of anal................. ae 33%
MMM ISP Y 3 Nes ot 5 Sao AP rs ND hae a9 ele Syd Listas SEE Shei al anorets Agee 3
MNES TIC COE ANIA) sclscaiels oic,c.c os Graf ooh hie Oa ow cela Ss aks cna 1
MnP AIAN. 300) oe eke ois wee SE eee Ee ae ee ae 2
Anal base to origin of lower caudal lobe............. eorae 13%
Family LAMNIDAE
Mackerel Sharks
Genus isurus Rafinesque Z
Body fusiform, stout; mouth wide, with long, sharp edged,
lanceolate, entire teeth having no basal cusps; spiracles minute
or absent; gill openings wide, all in advance of pectorals, lateral,
not extending under the throat; first dorsal large, not far be-
hind origin of pectoral; second dorsal and anal very small; pee-.
38 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
torals large; ventrals moderate; tail slender; a pit at the root
of the caudal; the caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side;
caudal fin lunate, its two lobes nearly equal. Size large.
17 Isurus dekayi (Gill)
Mackerel Shark
Lamna punctata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 352, pl. 63, figs. 206,
207, 1842 (not Squalus punctatus MITCHILL); STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass.
249, pl. XX XVII, fig. 1, 1867. (This is probably Lamna cornubica).
Isuropsis dekayi GILL, Ann. N. Y. Lye. Nat. Hist. 153, 1861.
Isurus dekayi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 874, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 48, pl. VI, fig. 21, 1896.
Body fusiform, cylindric, its greatest depth equaling one fifth
of the total length, and slightly exceeding the length of. the
head. The caudal lobes are nearly equal in length, the upper
about equal to depth of body. Gill openings wide, the last
over the anterior edge of the pectoral base; middle teeth very
long, much longer and narrower than the crowded, triangular
lateral teeth; first dorsal inserted behind pectorals at a distance
equal to one fourth of length of head; falcate, its base equal to
- one third of its distance from tip of snout, its hight nearly one
eighth of the total length; pectoral faleate, more than one fifth
of total length, and longer than upper caudal lobe; anal and
second dorsal small; caudal keel nearly one fifth of total length;
deep pits at the root of the caudal above and below.
Color dark slate, lighter beneath. De Kay was informed that
it is of a deep bottle green in life and the tongue is mottled with
black. Storer states that all the upper part of the body is
greenish, which becomes of a slate color after death; pupils
black; iris dusky.
The mackerel shark reaches the length of 10 feet. It occurs
_ from Cape Cod to the West Indies; but is rarely captured in
most localities. |
De Kay described a specimen 10 feet 2 inches long, taken in
New York harbor, October 1840. A somewhat smaller example
was caught near the light-ship off Sandy Hook by Capt. C. H.
Barnard 16 years earlier than the date of De Kay’s description.
Storer refers to it as the most common species of shark found in
fae
d
aoe,”
ea
see
;
\ eee
zy.
=
4
Wo * Ait wv
Shales:
ae
i
fF
;
msde uy
Ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 39
Massachusetts, which is not the case at present. In 1845 about
150 at least were captured in nets at Monhegan Me. during three
weeks of mackerel fishing. _
The fish was valued for its oil, of which 114 gallons have been
taken from a single liver.
This species feeds on many kinds of fish, but persistently fol-
lows the mackerel schools, and is generally known as the
mackerel shark. At Provincetown it is called the blue shark.
Genus LAMNA Cuvier
Body short, stout, the back considerably elevated; snout
prominent, pointed; teeth entire, pointed, triangular, with a
small basal cusp on each side, one or both cusps sometimes
wanting on some teeth in the young; gill openings wide, and all
of them in advance of the pectoral fin; first dorsal falcate, in-
serted over the axil of the pectoral; second dorsal and anal very
small, nearly opposite each other; pectorals falcate; caudal
peduncle strongly keeled on each side; deep pits at the root of
the caudal above and below; caudal lobes nearly equal in length.
Size large.
18 Lamna cornubica (Gmelin) ©
Porbeagle
Squalus cornubicus GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. I, 1497, 1788. .
Lamna cornubica GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 389, 1870; JorDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 30, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U.S. F. C.
IX, 198, pl. LVI, 1891; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
49, pl. VI, fig. 22, 1896. ;
Body short, stout, fusiform, its greatest depth equaling nearly
one fifth of the total length including caudal, and slightly less
than the length of the head. The caudal lobes are nearly equal
in length, the upper as long as the head and exceeding depth of
body; caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side; deep pits
at the root of the caudal above and below. The snout is conical,
pointed, its length somewhat more than the width of the mouth.
Teeth entire, triangular, pointed, with a basal cusp on each side,
the cusp sometimes wanting in young, i; or +o on each side in
an individual about 34 feet long, the third tooth of the upper
40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
jaw on each side small; gill openings wide and all of them in
advance of the pectoral base; first dorsal falcate, inserted over
the axil of the pectoral; second dorsal and anal very small,
nearly opposite each other; pectoral falcate, its length nearly
equal to greatest depth of body and equals distance from angle
of mouth to last gill opening.
Color dark slate, whitish beneath. Found in the Atlantic
and Pacific, north to Massachusetts bay and the Gulf of Alaska;
called salmon shark at Kadiak. Reaches a length of 10 feet.
The porbeagle, salmon shark, or mackerel shark is a very
powerful and destructive species, and it has a wide distribution.
If the figure of Lamna punctata Storer be correct, his
mackerel shark| must be Lamna cornubica and not
Isurus dekayi. The advanced position of the first dorsal
seems to indicate this. ,
Genus CARCHARODON Smith
Agrees with Isurus and Lamna except in dentition;
teeth large, flat, erect, triangular, serrate; first dorsal moderate,
nearly midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal
and anal very small; pectorals large; ventrals moderate; caudal
peduncle stout; caudal lobes large and strong; deep pits at the
base of the caudal fin above and below.
19 Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus)
Great White Shark ; Man-eater
Squalus carcharias LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 235, 1758.
Carcharias atwoodi SToRER, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. III, 72, 1848; Hist.
Vish. Mass. 246, pl. XXXVI, fig. 4, 1867. ?
Carcharodon carcharias JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875,
1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 50, 1896.
Body stout, its greatest depth contained about five or five and
one half times in the total length, and equaling about three
fourths of the length of the head; eye perpendicularly oblong,
and about one third as long as the snout; caudal lobes large and
strong, nearly equal in length, the upper about six sevenths of
depth of body; caudal peduncle stout, strongly keeled, its least
depth two thirds of snout, deep pits at the base of the caudal
~
FISHES OF NEW YORK 41
fin above and below; the snout obtusely pointed, about one fifth
to one sixth of length of head; mouth very large; both jaws
with large, triangular, serrated teeth in five rows, those in the
lower jaw narrower, about 24 in each row above and 22 below;
spiracles minute or wanting; gill openings wide and all in
advance of the pectoral fin; first dorsal moderately large, in-
serted nearly midway between pectoral and ventral bases;
second dorsal and anal very small, subequal, their bases scarcely
more than one half as long as the snout; pectoral large, reach-
ing te below the end of the dorsal when extended, ventral
moderate, its length equal to nearly one fourth of that of the
head. Color leaden gray, lower parts white; tips and edges of
pectoral black. This shark reaches a length of 30 feet and a
weight of nearly 2 tons. It is found in the temperate and tropi-
cal parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but is rare in New
York waters.
The ferocity of the man-eater shark may be inferred from the
following account of a specimen 13 feet long taken at Province-
town Mass. and brought to Boston, for exhibition.
My specimen was captured at Provincetown June 16
When first seen it was swimming in about 10 feet of water on
the Long point side of Provincetown harbor. A boat’s crew
having given chase, a harpoon was thrown into it, when it in-
stantly turned toward the boat and seized it with great ferocity
near the bows, in which act several of its teeth were broken
off. It was eventually killed by being frequently lanced.
Jordan and Evermann record an individual about 30 feet long,
eaught near Soquel Cal. which had in its stomach a young sea
lion weighing about 100 pounds. |
Family CEeTORHINIDAE
Basking Sharks
Genus cerorninus Blainville
Body stout, the skin much wrinkled and beset with small
spines; snout blunt; head small; mouth moderate, with numer-
ous small, conical teeth without cusps or serrations; spiracles
minute, above the corners of the mouth; gill openings very wide
rr ______
42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
extending from the back almost around the throat, all of them
in advance of the pectorals; first dorsal large, midway between
pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal and anal small; caudal fin
lunate, the upper lobe considerably the larger; caudal peduncle
keeled; pectorals and ventrals large. Brain very small. Size
very large. .
20 Cetorhinus maximus (Gunner)
Basking Shark; Elephant Shark
Squalus maximus GUNNER, Trondhj. Selsk. Skrift., III, 83, tab. 2; IV, 14,
tab. 3, 1765; Mircuiti, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 486, 1815.
Selachus maximus DE Ikay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, p. 357, pl. 68, fig. 208
_ (partly copied from Le Sueur), 1842; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 253,
pl. XX XVII, fig. 3, 1867.
Cetorhinus maximus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 31, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51, pl. VII, fig. 23, —
1896.
Body very stout, the skin wrinkled, rough, beset with small
spines, its greatest depth contained about five times in the total
length, and equaling about three fourths of the length of the
head; caudal fin lunate, the upper lobe the larger, about equal
to the depth of body; caudal peduncle keeled; snout smooth,
blunt, nearly half the length of head; mouth moderate; the teeth
very small and numerous, conical, without cusps or serratures,
each jaw with six or seven rows, about 200 in each row; spiracles
minute, above the corners of the mouth; eye very small, with-
out nictitating membrane; gill openings very wide, extending
from the back almost around the throat, all of them in front
of the pectorals; gill-rakers slender, long and close.set, resemb-
ling whalebone, whence the name, bone shark; first dorsal large,
triangular, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second
dorsal small, but larger than the anal; pectoral large, reaching
a little past the dorsal origin when extended; ventral large, its
length nearly one third the length of the head. Color dark
slate or leaden above, lighter beneath.
The basking shark reaches a length of nearly 40 feet and is
the largest of the sharks. It is an inhabitant of Arctic seas,
coming southward as far as Portugal, Virginia and California.
—. . }? oy
Ns ee Tactic oe
FISHES OF NEW YORK . 43
Mitchill refers to its capture at Provincetown Mass. and to
_ its name of bone shark because of the peculiar structure of its
gills. De Kay mentions the specimen which was captured in
the lower harbor of New York in 1822, from which he made
some alterations in a drawing partly copied from Le Sueur’s
sketch of the same fish. Storer described an individual measur-
ing 33 feet 3 inches. He says it is rarely observed on the coast
of Massachusetts. It becomes gregarious only in the breeding
season.
The oil made. from the liver of the basking shark was at one
time considered valuable.
Order CYCLOSPONDYLI
Suborder CYCLOSPONDYLI
Family SOUALIDAE
Dogfishes
Genus squaxtus (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body slender, elongate; mouth slightly arched, with a long,
straight, deep, oblique groove on each side, without labial folds;
teeth small, simple, equal in both jaws, their points turned aside
so that the inner margins form a cutting edge; spiracles well
developed, near the eye; gill openings moderate, all in advance
of pectorals; first dorsal larger than the second, far in front of
the ventrals, which are behind the middle of the body; second
dorsal behind ventrals; dorsal spines strong, not grooved;
caudal fin with unequal lobes, the upper elongate, broad, sub-
truncate at the end, the lower short and rounded; pectorals
large and long, placed low déwn; ventrals midway between end .
of first and beginning of second dorsal. No anal fin.
21 Squalus acanthias Linnaeus
Spined Dogfish
Squalus acanthias LINNAEwvS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 233, 1758; JornpAN & GIL-
BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 16, 1883; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 54, 1896.
Spinaxz acanthias DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 359, pl. 64, fig. 210, 1842.
Acanthias americanus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 256, pl. XX XVIII, fig. 1,
la, 1867. {
Acanthias vulgaris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 418, 1870.
44 NEW YORK STATE MUSEHUM
Body slender, moderately long, its greatest depth about one
eighth of the total length, and about three fourths of the
length of the head; caudal fin scarcely bent upward, its length
nearly one fifth of the total length; snout pointed, its length
equaling about one fourth of the length of the head; mouth
slightly arched, with a long, straight, deep, oblique groove on
each side, without labial folds. Teeth small, equal in both
jaws, their points turned aside so that the inner margins form
a cutting edge ; spiracles well developed, just behind the eye;
eye large, oblong, its diameter two thirds of the length of the
snout; no nictitating membrane; gill openings narrow slits, in
front of the pectorals; first dorsal moderate, larger than the
second, far in advance of the postmedian ventrals, which are
in front of the small second dorsal; pectoral when extended
reaches to below the first dorsal spine, its length contained
about seven times in the total, including caudal fin; ventral one
fourth as long as the head.
Color dark slate or gray on upper parts, whitish below, numer-
ous white spots on the back, becoming faint or obsolete with
age. The spined dogfish reaches a length of 34 feet and the
weight of 20 pounds. It inhabits both coasts of the Atlantic
and is recorded also from Cuba. It is found in Gravesend bay,
Long Island, only in October, and young examples have been
taken at Southampton in the same month. The species is
common in summer and fall on the fishing banks off the New
Jersey coast. It is not hardy in captivity. |
At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it is less abun-
dant than formerly,and was comparatively scarce in1897. When
the fish fertilizer factory was established at Woods Hole, this
was the principal fish utilized in the manufacture of oil and
guano; later, the scarcity or irregularity of the supply necessi-
tated the use of menhaden.
When the horned dogfish first comes, in May, it feeds largely
on ctenophores.
In Massachusetts bay the species arrives in June and remains
only a few days, but returns again in September’ and stays till
Pa i ae CF”
ie? ge oe eee ee OT = ‘ee
at wth aK SS nos us Hi
ad 2) te ol
Se eo ere
FISHES OF NEW YORK 45
the middle of November. These fish are usually caught with
the hook and often entangle themselves in nets, to which they
do great damage. They feed on mackerel, whiting and other
fishes.
The oil of the liver is an article of commerce, the flesh is use-
ful for fertilizers, and the skin has been used for polishing; on
some parts of Cape Cod the fish has been dried for fuel.
Mitchill mentions the spined dogfish only in one of his minor
papers. De Kay recorded it as common on the New York coast.
He found remains of the soft clam and scales of fishes in its
stomach.
Suborder TEHECTOSPONDYLI
Family SQUATINIDAE
Angel Sharks
Genus squaTiIna Duméril
Body flat, depressed as in the rays, the snout obtuse or
slightly concave in front; nostrils on the front margin of the
snout with skinny flaps; mouth anterior; teeth in many series,
conical, pointed, distant; spiracles wide, transverse, behind the
eyes; gill openings wide, very near each other, partly inferior
and partly hidden by the pectoral fins; two small, subequal
dorsal fins on the tail behind the ventrals; no anal fin; caudal
small, the lower lobe longer than the upper; males with small
prehensile organs; vertebrae tectospondylous.
22 Squatina squatina (Linnaeus)
Angel fish; Monkfish
Squalus squatina LinNAEvs, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 233, 1758.
Squatina dumerili DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 368, pl. 62, fig. 203, 1842.
Rhina squatina GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 430, 1870.
Squatina angelus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 35, 1883.
Squatina squatina JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 58;
Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. ©. XVII, 89, 1898.
Body raylike in shape, flat, depressed, its greatest depth less
than one fourteenth of the total length and about one third of
the length of the head; caudal peduncle stout; caudal fin small,
its lower lobe the longer; snout short, rounded; nostrils on its
front margin, with skinny flaps. Mouth anterior, its width
46 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
about equal to the interorbital width; teeth acute, small, con-
ical, distant; spiracles large, crescentic, behind the eyes; eye
small, its diameter one fourth of the distance between the eyes;
gill openings wide, subinferior, partly covered by the pectoral
fin; two small dorsal fins, close together, behind the ventrals;
anal fin wanting; pectoral fins very large, widely expanded,
deeply notched at the base; ventrals very large, their length
greater than that of the head; skin covered with stiff prickles,
largest on the median line of the back.
Color bluish ashy gray or brown above, sometimes blotched
and speckled, pale below. The monkfish reaches a length of
4 feet. It is easily recognized by its peculiar shape. It in-
habits the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of -
the United States from Cape Cod and San Francisco south-
ward. It is not common in New York waters, but it appears
occasionally in Gravesend bay in summer and is believed to
occur in this state only in bays adjacent to the Atlantic.
Mitchill, apparently, was not familiar with the species. De
Kay knew the fish only from Le Sueur’s descriptions and the
writings of other ichthyologists. He gives the common names
employed in Europe; monk, monkeyfish, kingston, shark ray,
and fiddlefish. A New York fisherman informed De Kay that
it was known to him as the little bullhead shark.
A specimen weighing 35 or 40 pounds and measuring about 4
feet was taken in a trap at Menemsha bight, Marthas Vine- °
yard, Sep. 1, 1873. The writer saw one taken at the same place
a few years later.
Order BATOIDEI
Rays
Suborder SARCURA
Family RAJIDAE
Skates
Genus ragA (Artedi) Linnaeus
In the rays the disk is broad, rhombic; the pectorals extend
to, but not around the snout; the ventrals are large and deeply
notched; the tail is usually long, without serrated spine, slender,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 47
rounded, or depressed, with caudal fin small or absent, with two
small dorsal fins, close together, near its tip, and with a dermal
fold on each side. The skin is more or less covered with prickles
and spines, males having rows of erectile hooks near the outer
angles of the pectorals. No electric organs. Eggs laid in
leathery, four-angled cases, having two long tubular tendrils at
each end. Teeth in the middle of the jaws, sharp in males, blunt
in females.
23 Raja erinacea Mitchill
Common Skate; Prickly Skate; Hedgehog Ray
Raja erinaceus MitcHILL, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, [X, 290, pl. 6 (male), 1825;
Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 372, pl. 78, fig. 246, 1842.
Raja eglanteria GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, VIII, 462, 1870.
Raia erinacea JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 40, 1883.
Raja erinacea JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 68, pl. IX, fig.
29, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVIT, 89, 1898.
Disk rhomboid, with the angles rounded; its length nearly
equal to its width; spines largest on the anterior extensions of
the pectorals, where they are close set, strong, laterally com-
pressed and hooked backward; smaller spines scattered over the
head, above the spiracles, above and in front of the eyes, on the
back, the median line of which is comparatively smooth, without
enlarged spines except in the young; a triangular patch of spines
on the shoulder girdle; inner posterior angles of the pectorals
nearly smooth. Males have two rows of large, erectile hooks,
pointing backward, near the outer angles of the pectorals.
Females have groups of small scales on each side of the vent.
Tail about as long as the disk; a dermal fold on each side; dorsal
fins rough, connected at the base; mouth small; jaws curved,
with small teeth in about 50 rows above and 48 below, the mid-
dle ones sharp in males, all blunt in females. Color light
brown, with small round spots of dark brown. Length 1 to 2
feet. (After Garman)
A very common species on our coast, from Maine to Virginia.
It is one of the small rays and is not much valued for food.
Eggs of this skate have been obtained in Gravesend bay in
March. In captivity eggs have been deposited in winter. The
48 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
species will endure captivity during the spring, fall, and part of
the winter, but not at all in summer. |
Mitchill had the ray from Barnegat and from off Sandy Hook.
De Kay did not see the fish, but copied the description and figure
of Mitchill. Smith refers to it as the “ summer skate ” or “ bon-
net skate.” It is found at Woods Hole from June to October.
The names “ hedgehog ray” and “bonnet skate” are given in
allusion to its habit of rolling itself up when caught. At South-
ampton L. I. this species was taken in small numbers Aug. 8,
1898.
24 Raja ocellata Mitchill
Spotted Skate; Big Skate
Raja ocellata MITcHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 477, 1815; Jorpan
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 68, pl. X, fig. 30, 1896; Smirn,
Bull. U. 8. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898.
Raia ocellata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 369, not pl. 65, fig. 212, 1842;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 40, 1883.
Similar in shape to R. erinacea, but larger, with a wider
mouth and with many more rows of teeth. The length of the
disk slightly exceeds its width. The spines are arranged as in
R. erinacea, but additional rows are present down the back
and on the sides of the tail. Tail nearly as long as the disk;
caudal fin not separate, with small spines; mouth large; jaws
curved; teeth in about 90 rows above and 88 below. Color light
brown, with rounded dark spots; a translucent space on each
side of the snout; near the posterior angle of the pectoral there
is usually (but not always) a large white ocellus, with a dark
spot in the center and a darker border; two ‘smaller similar
spots often present. (After Garman)
The spotted skate reaches a length of nearly 8 feet; its egg
cases are more than twice as large as those of R. erinacea.
The species is found from New York to Massachusetts and
northward.
Dr Mitchill described a specimen which was 30 inches long
and 19 inches wide. Dr De Kay calls this species the spotted
vay. He found the stomach of one filled with rock crabs,
Cancer irroratus. To the fishermen this and allied spe-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 49
cies are known as skate. It has no commercial value in Great
South bay. In the traps at Islip skates reappear on October
first on their fall migration. A female was caught near the
inlet at Fire Island, Sep. 29, 1898. The species was more abun-
dant later in the fall.
At Woods Hole, according to Dr Smith, this is the big skate or
winter skate. It is common from February to June and from
October 15 to the end of the trap fishing; it is absent or very
rare in summer.
25 Raja eglanteria Bosc
Clear-nosed Skate; Brier Ray
Raja eglanteria Bosc in LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 104, 109, 1800; Gun-
THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 462, 1870; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 71, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898.
Raia eglanteria JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 41, 1883.
Raja diaphanes MiTcuHIi.u, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. 478, 1815.
Diners trom 2h. ¢rinacea: and KR.’ ocellata in its
acutely produced snout, smaller spines and translucent space on
each side of the rostrum. The length of the disk (12 inches)
equals four fifths of its width (15 inches). Spines small and very
sharp, most numerous on the front part of the pectoral, the
head, the snout, the middle of the back, and the tail between
the rows of enlarged spines; enlarged spines around the eyes
and spiracles, on the middle of the snout, in a median row along
the back, and in two rows along each side of the tail. The
Spines on the tail are very sharp, large and small ones alternat-
ing in the rows; a large spine in the middle of each shoulder;
a spine between the dorsal fins; tail as long as the disk, and
with a median and two lateral rows of moderately large spines
and one or more intermediate rows of much smaller ones; caudal
fin absent or very small; dorsals small, the anterior larger, one
ninth the length of tail in hight; mouth moderate; teeth in about
50 rows in upper jaw and 48 in the lower.
Color pale brown, with numerous bands, bars, lines and
blotches of darker; darker spots in the middle of the pectoral;
each side of the snout with a pale, translucent area.
50 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The clear-nosed skate, sometimes called brier ray, reaches a
length of 2 feet or more. It inhabits the eastern coast of the
United States from Cape Cod to Florida; it has been found
moderately common in Great South bay in and near Fire Island
inlet. Early in September both males and females were caught
at Fire Island inlet and Wigo inlet, but in October the species
appeared to be scarce. It has no commercial value in the bay
and is usually thrown away.
At Woods Hole Mass. it is not common. A few are taken
every year in traps at Menemsha, Marthas Vineyard. °
26 Raja laevis (Mitchill)
Barn-door Skate
Raja laevis MircuiLi, Am. Month. Mag. II, 327, 1818; Jornpan & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 71, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89,
1898.
Raia laevis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 370, 1842; JornpAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 42, 1883; ‘STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 266, pl.
XXXIX, fig. 2, 1867.
Similar in shape to R. eglanteria, but larger and with
fewer rows of teeth. The length of the disk equals three
fourths of its width. The spines of the body are few and
small; small patches of slightly enlarged spines on the anterior
extension of the pectorals opposite the eyes and spiracles;
slightly enlarged, hooked spines in several narrow rows on the
angles of the disk in males; a median row, more or less incom-
plete, of distant spines on the tail and usually a lateral row on
each side, many of these lateral spines sometimes obsolete;
small spines on the snout, along the anterior edges of the disk,
and on the top of the head. Tail nearly as long as the disk;
two subequal dorsal fins, scarcely half as long as the snout,
separated by a narrow interspace and extending to near the end
of the tail; no caudal fin; eye one fifth as long as the snout;
mouth large, jaws curved, teeth in about 30 rows in each jaw;
length of claspers of the male equals one third of the width
of the disk. Color usually brownish with paler spots, these
sometimes surrounded by dark rings.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 51
The barn-door skate reaches a length exceeding 4 feet; it is
used to some extent for food. The species has been taken in
Gravesend bay in October. It suffers in captivity for the want
of sand and mud and because of the lack of suitable food, its
average duration of life is 3 or 4 months.
Mitchill described an individual measuring 49 inches which
was caught at a wharf in the East river Noy. 5, 1815. At Woods
Hole Mass. it is common in spring and fall, rare in summer.
Family NARCOBATIDAE
Electric Rays
Genus TETRONARCE Gill
Rays with a large electric organ composed of many hexagonal
tubes between the pectoral fins and the head; disk very broad,
abruptly contracted at the tail; two dorsal fins, the first much
the larger, its origin not far in advance of the end of the ven-
trals; caudal fin well developed; ventral fins large, separate;
spiracles large, oblong, well behind the eyes, with entire edges;
mouth small; teeth sharp; skin smooth. Seas of Europe and
America.
27 Tetronarce occidentalis (Storer)
Torpedo; Cramp Fish; Numb Fish
Torpedo occidentalis STORER, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 165, pl. 3, 1843; Hist. Fish.
Mass. 271, pl. XX XIX, fig. 5, 1867; JornpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. 8S.
Nat. Mus. 39, 1883.
Raja torpedo MitcHiLL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 476, 1815.
Tetronarce occidentalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 77,
pl. XI, fig. 33, 1896; Smirn, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898.
Length of disk equals six sevenths of its width and more than
one half the total length; length of base of ventrals equals one
fourth the width of disk; eyes small, placed three times their
diameter from tip of snout, and about the same distance from
each other; length of first dorsal base nearly equals distance
between the spiracles; hight of first dorsal fin exceeds length
of snout; base of second dorsal scarcely more than one half the
Jength of first, the hight of the fin hardly two thirds of that of
}
;
;
i
‘3
:
52, NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
first; caudal slightly emarginate, its width and length nearly
equal, about two sevenths of width of disk. The upper surface
is dark purplish brown with a few darker spots distributed over
it; beneath white.
The torpedo is found on the Atlantic coast of the United
States from Cape Cod to Florida; it occurs also in the West
Indies. The fish is usually uncommon except in Buzzards bay
and Vineyard sound. It reaches the length of 5 feet and the
weight of 100 pounds. |
Mitchill placed a torpedo among the fishes of New York
on the authority of fishermen and others who had seen the
Species and knew of its peculiar electric properties. De Kay
did not see the fish and merely refers to the probability of its
occurrence and its relation to the genus Torpedo.
The existence of a torpedo on the coast of Massachusetts
was made known by Storer in 1848, when he described a speci-
men caught at Wellfleet, in November 1842. Capt. Atwood,
a well known former resident of Provincetown Mass. informed
Dr Storer that he had received a great many powerful shocks
from the fish which threw him to the ground; these were pro-
duced by touching the animal. He also received shocks by tak-
ing hold of a harpoon which was struck into the fish. . Storer
relates an anecdote illustrating the effect produced on a dog.
Mr Newcomb sr, the oldest fisherman in Boston market, stated
to me that his father, who resided at Wellfleet, had a dog which
frequently waded into the shallow waters of the coves and
brought out flounders which he had seized with his mouth. In
one of his fishing excursions he attacked a torpedo, which per-
fectly convulsed him. He dropped the fish and ran away howl-
ing most piteously, and could never be persuaded to resume
his fishing.
At Woods Hole Mass. the torpedo is most abundant in
October and November. At times aS many as six are taken at
one lift of a trap at Menemsha. The smallest weigh 4 or 5
pounds, the largest 75 pounds.
Cr
CO
FISHES OF NEW YORK
Suborder MASTICURA
Whip-tailed Rays
Family pASYATIDAE
Sting Rays
Genus DASYATIS Rafinesque
Disk usually broader than long; pectoral fins united in front
to form the tip of the snout; tail very slender and elongate, fin-
less, but often with one or two membranous folds, and with a
strong serrated spine near its base; skin rarely smooth, usually
more or less spinous or prickly, tail with numerous small spines
in some species; mouth small; teeth small, paved, usually more
or less pointed or tubercular; a few papillae, usually in the
mouth behind the lower jaw; nostrils close together; nasal
valves forming a rectangular flap, which is joined to the upper
jaw by a narrow frenum; spiracles large, placed close behind
the eyes. Ovoviviparous.
28 Dasyatis centrura (Mitchill)
!
Common Sting Ray
Raja centrura MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 479, 1815.
Pastinaca hastata STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 268, pl. XX XIX, fig. 3, 1867.
Dasibatis centrura JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 67, 1888.
(From Garman)
Trygon hastata GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 476, 1870.
Dasyatis centrura JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 88, 1896;
SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898.
Disk quadrangular, about one fourth wider than long; ante-
rior margins sinuous, concave opposite the eyes, convex toward
the slightly protuberant snout and rounded over angles; pos-:
terior straighter, very little convex; hinder angles blunt; ven-
trals truncate, with rounded angles; tail more than twice as
' long as the body, much compressed, rounded above, with keel
or cutaneous expansion below, with one or more strong serrated
spines at the termination of the anterior fifth of its length,
rough on all sides with spines or tubercles. Till half grown the.
young are naked; as they approach maturity broad stellate
based, conical pointed, irregularly placed bucklers appear on the
middle of the hinder part of the back and on the top and sides
54 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
of the tail. Wery large examples have the central part of the
back closely mailed with small flattened tubercles. The buck-
iers bear more resemblance to those of the R ajae, radiata
and clavata, than to the tubercles of pastinaca, has-
tata, or tuberculata. Mouth arched forward, with five
papillae; teeth in quincunx, blunt, smooth. Color of back and
tail olive brown; light to white below. From pastinaca,
which this species resembles in shape, it is distinguished by the
tubercles, by the length and compression of the tail, and absence
of all trace of keel or expansion on its upper side. A young
specimen measures from snout to tail 13.8, in length of tail
30.5, and width of pectorals 17.5 inches. The largest specimen
in the collection has a total length of 10 feet 3 inches (Coll. Mus.
Comp. Zool. Cambridge Mass.). Common south of Cape Cod.
Occasionally found northward. (After Garman)
| Formerly hundreds of individuals were caught annually in
Gravesend bay, but now it is seldom seen there. The species
will live in captivity several months in the spring and summer.
Mitchill records it as occurring on the coast of Long Island. The
tail, he states, is 5 feet or more in length. Storer described a
specimen 9 feet long. He was informed by Dr Yale that the fish
was abundant on the flats in the harbor of Holmes’s Hole, Mar-
thas Vineyard, in July and August. Near Woods Hole Mass. it
is common during summer, appearing early in July.
The sting ray is much dreaded by fishermen, who say that
wounds made by its spines are exceedingly painful and danger-
ous, the slime secreted by the fish acting as a poison.
Subgenus DASYATIS
29 Dasyatis hastata (De Kay)
Kit
Pastinaca hastata Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 378, pl. 65, fig. 214, 1842.
Trygon hastata STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 261, 1846.
Dasibatis hastata GARMAN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 70, 18838.
Dasyatis hastata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 83, 1896.
The sting rays of the subgenus Dasyatis differ from the
type centrura in having a narrow keel or expansion on the
tail both above and below.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 5D
Disk with the shape and proportions Obs een (run a 5
anterior margins nearly straight, meeting in a blunt angle on
the end of the snout, curved near the outer angle to meet the
slightly convex posterior margins; inner borders convex; outer
and hinder angles rounded; ventrals almost entirely covered by
the pectorals, their hinder margins convex; tail more than one
and one half times as long as the disk, with a low keel on the
upper side, a long, broad, membranous expansion below, rough-
ened with small asperities, and with one or more serrated spines
beginning in the first fourth of its length; body smooth in young,
with scattered small asperities in the old; a row of narrow, com-
pressed tubercles on the middle of the back and base of tail,
their points depressed and directed backward. On each
shoulder, parallel with the median row, there is a shorter row
varying in length according to age. Mouth with three papillae;
jaws more curved than in centrura and less than in
sabina. Color bluish or uniform olive brown above, white
beneath. West Indies to Brazil, north to Rhode Island.
De Kay’s description of his whip sting ray is based on a female
captured in September off the coast of Rhode Island by Carson
Brevoort of New York. The length of the fish was & feet 6
inches and its weight 110 pounds. Mr Brevoort stated that the
whip rays appeared to associate together, as he noticed many of
similar size and appearance swimming about at the same time.
They moved slowly together through the water, along the edges
of the rocks, about 3 feet below the surface. When captured,
the individual described by Dr De Kay whipped its tail about
with great activity in all directions. From this circumstance it
derives the name of whip ray.
30 Dasyatis say (Le Sueur)
Southern Sting Ray
Raja say LE SuEvR, Jour. Ac. Nat, Sci. Phila. I, 42, 1817.
Myliobatis? say DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 376, 1842.
Trygon sayi MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 166, 1841; Duwerit, Elas-
mobranches, 603, 1870.
Dasybatis sayi GARMAN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 69, 1883.
Dasyatis say JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 86, 1896. -
56 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM
Disk quadrangular, about one sixth wider than long, anterior
margins nearly straight, posterior and inner borders convex,
outer and posterior angles rounded; snout not protruding be-
yond the lines of the margins, ventrals rounded; tail strong,
rather more than one and one half times the length of disk,
with a strong serrated spine, bearing a short, low cutaneous
expansion behind the spine on the upper side, and a longer, little
wider one below, ending nearly opposite; upper jaw undulated,
lower prominent in the middle; teeth small, smooth in young
and females, sharp in adult males; three papillae at the bottom
of the mouth, and one at each side; body and tail naked. Color
olive brown in adult, reddish or yellowish in young; lower sur-
face whitish. New York to Florida and Brazil. (After Garman)
According to Garman, a young female measured from snout
to tail 7.1, length of tail was 11, and width of pectorals 8.2
inches.
Le Sueur’s type was from the New Jersey coast. . Miller and
Henle mention six specimens in the Museum of Natural History
at Paris, which were sent from New York by Milbert. The
species has not been reported recently in New York waters.
Genus PTEROPLATEA Miller & Henle
Disk much broader than long, its anterior margins meeting
in a very obtuse angle, its outer angles more or less acute, the
form, therefore, transversely rhombic; tail very short and
slender, shorter than the disk, without fin, armed with a very
small serrated spine or without spine; skin smooth or very
nearly so. Size large.
31 Pteroplatea maclura (Le Sueur)
Butterfly Ray
Raja maclura LE SuEvR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 41, 1817.
Pastinaca maclura Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 375, pl. 65, fig. 218, 1842.
Pteroplatea maclura MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 169, 1841; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 487, 1870; JogpaAn & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 46, 1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8. Nat..
Mus. 86, 1896; SuitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898.
Disk almost twice as broad as long, covered with smooth skin
(or with minute granulations according to Le Sueur), the snout
ee eRe ee eee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 57
very little projecting, so that the.anterior margin of each
pectoral is slightly concave; tail two fifths to one third the
length of disk, with a slight dermal fold above and below, and
with one or two spines very near its base or sometimes with-
out spines; eyes small and near the snout; spiracles large, near
the eyes; nostrils small, near the mouth, not extending to the
upper lip; teeth numerous, triangular, acute, each emarginate
at the base behind; ventrals short, broad and rounded, their
length less than one fifth of that of disk. Color brownish olive,
sometimes bluish, finely marbled with grayish, and finely
speckled; anterior edge of disk with blotches of paler; tail with
four dark blotches above, forming half rings. Cape Cod to
Brazil, common southward.
The species is now rarely seen in Gravesend bay. It does not
endure captivity.
Le Sueur’s description was based on a specimen 6 feet 7
inches wide, taken at Newport R.I. He was informed by fisher-
men that it reaches the width of 15 feet. De Kay copied Le
Sueur’s description and figure.
Dr Smith says it ig rare at Woods Hole, and appears in
August and September when present. It has the local name of
Angel fish at Woods Hole.
Family MyLIOBATIDE
Eagle Rays
Genus myntioBsatis Duméril
Disk broad; pectoral fins ending laterally in an acute angle,
not continued forward around the snout, but ceasing on the
sides of the head and reappearing in front of the snout as a
fleshy protuberance (cephalic fin); tail very long and’ slender,
whiplike, with a small dorsal fin near its root, and one or more
serrated spines; teeth hexangular, large, flat, tessellated, the
middle ones much broader than long in the adult; several series
of narrower teeth on each side of the median series; teeth chang-
ing considerably. with age; jaws about equal; free edge of the
nasal valye not deeply emarginate; skin smooth.
nt ee reece.
58 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
32 Myliobatis freminvillei (Le Sueur)
Hagle Ray
Myliobatis fréminvillei Le Surur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. TV, 111, 1824;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 376, 1842.
Myliobatis acuta STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 269, pl. XX XIX, fig. 4, 1867.
Myliobatis freminvillei JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51,
1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 89, 1896; Smit,
Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898.
Disk broader than long, width to length bearing the ratio of
» to 3; width of disk equal to length of tail. Diameter of eye
equals about one fourth of the interorbital distance; spiracles
behind the eyes and one and one half times as long. Width of
mouth one half its distance from tip of snout. Free edge of the
nasal valve not deeply notched. Reaches a length of 4 feet.
Body and head above, reddish brown; tail lighter at the base,
but nearly black toward the tip; lower parts whitish.
The species is not uncommon, from Cape Cod to Brazil. It
probably feeds on mollusks.
It was reported to me by men of the menhaden steamer Annie
Morris that about Aug. 20, 1887, off Hereford inlet, they saw
schools of sting rays at the surface “ flopping along like geese.”
The schools were large enough to have filled a menhaden seine.
The rays were said to have two spines on the tail.
Le Sueur’s description was based on a Rhode Island specimen.
De Kay copied briefly from Le Sueur, and placed the fish among
the extra-limital species. William O. Ayres found an individual
at Brook Haven L. I., which he described in the Boston Journal
of Natural History, 4:290, pl. 13. Dr Storer received portions of
a specimen from Holmes’ Hole Mass. Dr Smith records it as
not very common at Woods Hole Mass., but taken in small num-
bers every year in traps.
Genus RHINOPTERA Kuhl
Disk broader than long, its anterior angles more or less acute;
snout more or less emarginate on the median line; cephalic fin
emarginate and placed on a plane below the level of the pector-
als, the snout thus appearing four-lobed; free border of the
nasal valve not emarginate; teeth in 5 to 20 rows, the median
FISHES OF NEW YORK 59
teeth sometimes much enlarged, sometimes not much larger
than the outer teeth; tail long, whiplike, with a small dorsal
spine behind the dorsal fin which is at the base of the tail;
ventral fins oblong, truncated behind.
33 Rhinoptera bonasus (Mitchill)
Cow-nosed Ray
Raja bonasus MiITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 479, 1815.
Rhinoptera quadriloba Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 375, pl. 66, fig.
217, 1842; GunTuerR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 494, 1870; JonDAN &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51, 1883.
Rhinoptera bonasus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 90, 1896;
Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898.
The length of disk equals two thirds of its width; its anterior
borders almost straight, posterior undulated; pectorals acutely
produced; muzzle deeply emarginate; mouth wide; nostrils mid-
way between mouth and tip of snout; spiracles large, longer
than eye; teeth in seven rows in each jaw, the median teeth
more than four times as broad as long, the others gradually
diminishing in size outward; tail very slender, as long as the
body; a small dorsal fin at base of tail and a slender, serrate
spine behind it; skin smooth except a few protuberances on the
top of the head. Color olive brown above; beneath white. Cape
Cod to Forida; not rare.
This species is now rarely seen in Gravesend bay, where it
was at one time very common in the autumn. When Mitchill
wrote of the fishes of New York (1815) he stated that the cow-
nosed ray visits the coast, usually about September, in numer-
ous shoals, entering the bay and ranging very extensively over
the flats where the soft clam lives.
These shellfish he is supposed to devour; for a shoal of cow-
noses roots up the salt water flats as completely as a drove of
hogs would do. Ihave seen the water in violent agitation when
these fishes were at work in the bottom.- They render it so
muddy that they are concealed from sight. Frequently, how-
ever, they rise to the top and may be distinctly observed. I
have seen them swim near the surface in clear water. They then
Support and propel themselves in their element by their large
flaps as a crow or other bird, with slowly moving wings, passes
through the air. They may be said to fiy rather than to swim.
A. full grown individual weighs about 100 pounds.
60 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Mitchill also states that the fishermen usually allow these
rays to decay on the shores, but sometimes take out their livers
for conversion into oil.
According to Dr Smith, the cow-nosed ray is common at
Woods Hole Mass.
Subclass TELEOSTOMI
True Fishes
Series GANOIDEI
Ganoid Fishes
Order SELACHOSTOMI
’ Paddlefishes
Family POLYODONTIDAE
Paddlefishes
Genus Potyopon Lacépéde
Body fusiform, elongate, somewhat compressed; skin smooth
or with minute ossifications; snout produced into a very long
spatulate process, the inner part composed of the produced
nasal bones, the sides flexible and supported by a bony network;
mouth wide, terminal, but overhung by the snout, without max-
illaries, but with toothed premaxillaries; numerous fine, decidu-
ous teeth in the jaws and on palatines; no tongue; nostrils
double, immediately in front of the eye; spiracles present; oper-
culum rudimentary, its skin produced behind.into a long acute
flap; no pseudobranchiae; no barbels; no opercular. gill; gills
four and one half; gill rakers numerous, very long and slender,
in a double series on each arch, the two series divided by a
broad membrane; gill membranes connected but free from isth-
mus; one broad branchiostegal; lateral line continuous, its lower
margin with short branches; air bladder cellular, entire, com-
municating with the dorsal wall of the esophagus; pyloric caeca
in the form of a short, broad, leaflike organ, with four or five
larger divisions, each being subdivided; rectum with a fully
developed spiral valve; dorsal fin posterior, without spines; anal
similar, and more posterior; tail heterocercal, with well devel-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 61
oped lower caudal lobe so that the fin is nearly equally forked;
sides of the bent portion of the tail armed with small rhombic
plates; upper caudal fulerums narrow, numerous; pectorals mod-
erate, placed low; ventrals abdominal, many-rayed.
Rivers of the middle United States.
34 Polyodon spathula (Walbaum)
Paddlefish; Spoonbill Cat
Squalus spathula WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. 522, 1792.
Polyodon feuille LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. I, 403, 1800.
Polyodon folium BiocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 457, 1801 (after Lacé-
péde); Mitrcuitt, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, XII, 201, 1827; KIRTLAND,
Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 21, pl. 2, fig. 1, 1844; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. VIII, 346, 1870.
Polyodon spathula JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 83, 1888;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 101, 1896.
The body of the paddlefish is fusiform with the snout much
produced, spatulalike. Body scaleless, covered with smooth
skin; mouth broad, terminal, somewhat resembling that of the
Shark; teeth in jaws very numerous and fine, deciduous; spiracles
with a minute barbel. The operculum is rudimentary, its flap
of skin long, reaching almost or quite to the ventral fins; pseu-
dobranchiae absent; gill arches five, the last rudimentary; gill
rakers long and in a double series on each arch; gill membranes
connected, free from the isthmus; nostrils double, situated at .
base of blade; a continuous lateral line from upper part of head
along dorsal outline to tail; eye small, directed downward and
to the side; dorsal and anal fins far back, composed of soft rays,
nearly opposite; tail heterocercal, well forked; sides of the
bent portion of the tail armed with rhombic plates. The
pectoral fins are of moderate size and placed low; ventrals
many-rayed, abdominal. The distance from eye to end of snout
is about one third of the total length, including caudal. The
depth of the body is contained four and one half times in the
distance from eye to base of caudal. The hight of the dorsal
fin about equals the depth of the body.
This is known as the paddlefish, spoonbill or spoon-billed
sturgeon, shovel fish, billfish, and duck-billed cat. Called “ sal-
a I i —— = a ne a = = rap go - :
et asl 8 Se eS ee am > —— hapa LOS OS BR we ee ee a Rr Ee I er ay an oe
- poy Oe ere
is
62 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
mon” in western hotels. The names are derived from the re-
markable snout, which is produced into a long spatula-shaped
process, covered above and below with an intricate network and
with very thin flexible edges. The head and snout form nearly
half of the entire length of the fish. The fish can not be con-
founded with anything else in the waters of the United States.
There is in China a similar fish, which, however, belongs to a
different genus.
Distribution. The single species of American paddlefish is
confined to the Mississippi valley. It inhabits only the larger
streams in Pennsylvania. It is common in the Allegheny and
the Monongahela rivers.
Size. The paddlefish grows to a length of 6 feet, and a weight
of 30 pounds or more.
Habits. The species frequents muddy bottoms, but does not
feed on the mud and slime, aS many persons have supposed.
The long snout is useful in procuring its food, which consists
chiefly of entomostracans, water worms, aquatic plants, leeches,
beetles and insect larvae.
Prof. S. A. Forbes, director of the Illinois Laboratory of
Natural History, has published the first and most satisfactory
account of the feeding habits of this sharklike fish. He found
very little mud mixed with the food. Prof. Forbes was informed
by the fishermen that the paddlefish plows up the mud in feed-
ing with its spatulalike snout and then swims slowly backward
through the water. . t
“The remarkably developed gill rakers of this species are
very numerous and fine, in a double row on each gill arch, and
they are twice as long as the filaments of the gill. By their
interlacing they form a strainer scarcely less effective than the
fringes of the baleen plates of the whale, and probably allow
the passage of the fine silt of the river bed when this is thrown
into the water by the shovel of the fish but arrests everything
as large as the cyclops. I have not found anything recorded
as to the spawning habits of the paddlefish. The young have
the jaws and palate filled with minute teeth, which disappear
with age.”
FISHES OF NEW YORK 63
Mode of capture. The fish are generally caught by seining.
Edible qualities. The flesh of the paddlefish is frequently con-
sidered tough and sharklike, but individuals of 8 or 10 pounds
are skinned, and sold in some of the western markets freely,
and are thought by some persons to be fairly good for the
table.
Order CHONDROSTEI
Stwrgeons
Family ACIPENSERIDAE
Sturgeons
Genus AcIPENSER Linnaeus
Body elongate, subcylindric, armed with five rows of bony
_bucklers, each with a median keel terminating in a spine which
becomes obsolete with age; a median dorsal series of bucklers,
and a lateral and abdominal series on each side, the abdominal
Series sometimes deciduous; between these the skin is rough
with small, irregular plates. Head covered with bony plates
joined by sutures; snout produced, subconic; spiracles present;
mouth small, inferior, protractile, with thickened lips; no teeth;
gill rakers lanceolate; four barbels in a transverse series on the
lower side of the snout in front of the mouth; eyes small; nos-
trils large, double, in front of eye; gills four; an accessory oper-
cular gill; gill membranes united to isthmus; pseudobranchiae
small or obsolete; no branchiostegals; maxillary distinct from
the premaxillary; fin rays slender, all articulated; vertical fins
with fulerums; pectorals placed low; ventrals many-rayed, be-
hind middle of body; dorsal placed posteriorly; anal somewhat
behind dorsal, similar; tail heterocercal, the lower caudal lobe de-
veloped; the tail not depressed or mailed; air bladder large, sim-
ple, connected with the esophagus; stomach without blind sac;
rectum with a spiral valve; pancreas divided into pyloric ap-
pendages. (After Jordan and Evermann)
35 Acipenser sturio Linnaeus
Common Sturgeon
Acipenser sturio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 237, 1758; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. VIII, 342, 1870; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus, 105, 1896; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVI, 90, 1898,
64 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Acipenser oryrinchus MirconiLy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 462, 1815.
Acipenser oryrhincus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 346, pl. 58, fig. 189
(young), 1842.
Acipenser sturio var. oxyrrhynchus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 86, 1883.
The common or sharp-nosed sturgeon has a stout, roundish
and elongate body, its hight equaling one half the length of the
head and one sixth of the total without the caudal. The least
depth of the tail equals one third of the greatest body depth.
The head is long, one third of total without the caudal, and the
snout is as long as the rest.of the head in the voung. The eye
is one sixth as long as the snout. Two pairs of short, slender
barbels midway between the mouth and tip of snout. The front
of the mouth is nearly under the posterior edge of the pupil.
The nostrils are double, the posterior pair more than twice as
large as the anterior. The dorsal and anal fins are placed far
back and opposite to each other. The distance of the ventral
origin from the end of the lower caudal lobe equals the length
of the head. The upper caudal lobe is nearly twice as long as
the lower. D. 38 to 40; A. 28 to 26; V. 24. Lateral plates 27
(0329: dorsal shields 10 to 14; ventral shields 11 or 12.
The color of the upper parts is dark olive gray, sometimes
brownish; the lower parts are light gray or whitish. The pupius
are black; the iris golden.
The range of the common sturgeon includes the Atlantic
ocean southward to Africa and the West Indies. The northern
limit on our east coast appears to be Cape Cod. In the Dela-
ware river the fish has rarely ascended as far as Port Jervis. —
Dr Mitchill was the first to call attention to the similarity
between the American sharp-nosed sturgeon and the sturio
of Europe. The fish attains a length of 12 feet in America, and
it is stated that European examples measuring 18 feet have
been taken.
The sturgeon ascends the large rivers from the sea in spring
and early summer. It is very common in the lower part of the
Delaware river, where it forms the object of an important fish-
ery. This is the species concerning which so many stories have
-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 65
been related as to leaping into boats and injuring the occu-
pants. : |
The mouth of the sturgeon is furnished with a very protrac-
tile roundish tube having powerful muscles and intended for
withdrawing from the mud the various small shellfish and crus-
taceans on which the animal subsists. The mouth is surrounded
also with numerous tentacles, with tactile properties, which
are utilized in procuring food.
The reproductive habits of the sturgeon and the embryology
of the species have been made the subject of an exhaustive
study by Prof. John A. Ryder, of the University of Pennsylva-
nia, whose monograph forms a part of the Bulletin of the U.S.
Fish Commission for 1888. The eggs have been fertilized and
developed artificially by Seth Green and others many years
- ago, and in some parts of Europe the hatching of the species
has been carried on successfully. The U.S. Fish Commission has
also recently taken up the culture both of the marine and the
lake sturgeon, and these valuable fish may soon be reared on an
extensive scale.
The utilization of the flesh, the skin and air bladder and the
eggs of the sturgeon is so well known as to require little more
than passing mention in this place. The smoking of the flesh ©
and the manufacture of caviar from the eggs are very import-
ant industries along our eastern coast. |
The sturgeons are easily taken in gill nets and pounds, but
the great strength of the fish frequently entails considerable
loss of apparatus.
The common sturgeon appears every spring in Gravesend bay,
and sometimes in the fall. It is hardy in captivity.
A female 8 feet long was brought from the mouth of the
Delaware river May 20, 1897, to the New York aquarium. It
seemed to take no food till December 1, when it began to feed
freely on opened hard clams. Early in November 1898, the fish
_was still alive and healthy.
O6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
36 Acipenser rubicundus Le Sueur
Lake Sturgeon
Acipenser rubicundus LE SuEuR, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. I, 388, 1818; DE
Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 344, pl. 58, fig. 191, 1842: GunNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 388, 1870; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. 8. Nat. Mus. 87, 1888; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 106, 1896.
Acipenser macylosus Gunter, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 339, 1870.
The body of the lake sturgeon is rather more slender than
that of the common sturgeon. The snout is rather blunt; in the
young long and slender. The shields of the body are large,
about 14 on the back, 30 or more on the side, and eight or nine
along the abdomen, between pectoral and ventral fins. Each
shield is surmounted by a strong hooked spine. The head is con-
tained three and one third times in the length without tail.
Barbels four, rather long; eye small; dorsal and anal fins small,
placed far back as in the pike. D. 35; A. 26. |
This is known as the lake sturgeon, Ohio river sturgeon, rock
sturgeon, bony sturgeon, red sturgeon and ruddy sturgeon. It
inhabits the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and the Great lakes,
and is abundant in the Allegheny. From the lakes it ascends
the streams in spring for the purpose of spawning. Dr Richard-
son states the northern limit of the sturgeon in North America
to be about the 55th parallel of latitude.
Size. The lake sturgeon is smaller than the common marine .
sturgeon, the average adult being less than 5 feet in length.
The average weight of 14,000 mature sturgeon-taken at San-
dusky O. was about 50 pounds. It frequently reaches a length
of 6 feet.
Habits. In the lakes the species, according to observations of
James W. Milner, inhabits comparatively shoal waters. —
The food of this sturgeon is made up chiefly of shellfish,
including the genera Limnaea, Melantho, Physa,
Planorbis, and Valvata. Eggs of fishes are also to be
found in its stomach.
In Lake Erie the species spawns in June, for which purpose
it ascends the rivers in large schools till stopped by obstructions
~ i =e a ee oe on
Ree POO
,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 67
or insufficient depth of water. The breaching of the sturgeon
is a well known habit. Instances are recorded of serious injury
to persons by sturgeons throwing themselves into boats. The
sturgeon will occasionally take a baited hook, but its great
strength and unwieldiness make it an undesirable fish for the
angler.
Large numbers of sturgeon have been destroyed by fishermen
during the whitefish season simply on account of the annoyance
caused by their presence in the nets. Now that the flesh is
coming to be esteemed for smoking, and the demand for caviar
made from their eggs has largely increased, the wanton waste
of this fish has been checked. A troublesome parasite of the
sturgeon is the lamprey eel (Petromyzon concolor
Kirt.) which attaches itself to the skin presumably for the pur-
pose of feeding on the mucus, which is exuded from the pores
in great abundance, and remains fixed in one position so long as
to penetrate to the flesh and produce a deep ulcerous sore.
The lake sturgeon was formerly not very much prized, but is
rapidly growing in favor. The flesh is eaten in the fresh con-
dition or after boiling in vinegar or curing by smoking. Smoked
sturgeon is now considered almost if not quite equal to smoked
halibut, and the demand for it is increasing. From the eggs of
the sturgeon a good grade of caviar is produced. “The caviar
is made by pressing the ova through seives, leaving the mem-
branes of the ovaries remaining in the sieve, and the eggs fall
through intoa tub. This is continued until the eggs are entirely
free from particles of membrane, when they are put into salt
pickle and allowed to remain for some time.”
A large specimen now in the museum of Cornell University is
reported as being from Cayuga lake. Seth Green informed Dr
Meek that sturgeons had occasionally been taken in that lake;
but, so far as he knew, they had never been found in any other
of the small lakes of central New York.
H. V. Kipp of Montezuma N. Y. wrote Dr Meek as follows:
There have not been any sturgeons taken from Cayuga lake
since 1880, but quite a number before that date, and the largest
known weighed 35 pounds. ~
68 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM
37 Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur
Short-nosed Sturgeon
Acipenser brevirostrum LE SUEUR, Trans, Am. Phil. Soe. I, 380, 1818; RypER,
Bull. U. S. F. C. VIII, 237, 1890; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8S.
Nat. Mus. 106, 1896.
Acipenser brevirostris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 341, 1870;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 87, 18838; SmituH, Bull.
U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898.
In the short-nosed sturgeon the snout is very blunt.and only
about one fourth to one third as long as the head. The four
short barbels are a little nearer to the end of the snout than
to the mouth, and do not reach to the mouth. The head is
one fifth to two ninths as long as the total to the fork of the
tail; the distance between the eyes slightly greater than length
‘of snout and somewhat more than one third of length of head.
The average number of bucklers in the dorsal series is 10 to 11;
in the lateral series, 25; in the ventral row, seven to eight.
No preanal scutes. The unarmored part of the skin, according
to recent observations of Prof. John A. Ryder, is almost free —
from prickles and ossifications. D. 338; A. 19 to 22; V. 17 to 21;
P. 30 to 31; C. 60, its lower lobe two fifths as long as the upper,
measuring from the fork. The color of the skin of the upper
parts is reddish brown; lower parts nearly white; peritoneum
dark brown; viscera almost black.
This little-known sturgeon has not been generally recognized
anywhere except in the Delaware and in Gravesend bay; only
a few specimens have been obtained in the river, and it is
rare in Gravesend bay. Prof. Ryder collected five examples
at Delaware City in the spring of 1888 and has published a
description of the species in the Bulletin of the U. 8S. Fish Com-
mission for that year.
Size. The largest specimen known was 33 inches long; indi-
viduals 20 inches long are capable of reproducing the species.
Uses. At the present time the short-nosed sturgeon prob-
ably never comes into the markets, on account of its small Size,
which prevents its capture in the nets used for taking the
common sturgeon. About 1817, however, it was brought in
the shad season to Philadelphia and sold for 25c to 75c each.
ee Le a Pee ee eR ee eee ee eS ee ae ee) ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 69
Reproduction. Spawning takes place in the Delaware during
May. The eggs are deposited in depths of 1 to 5 fathoms on
hard bottom in brackish or nearly fresh water. Prof. Ryder
states that the eggs are extruded by rubbing the belly either
against hard places on the river bed or against the rough
bodies of the males, two or more of which accompany each
female. The gravid roe fish are larger than the males. Prof.
Ryder found the ova more or less adhesive immediately after
their removal from the abdomen, but the sticky mucous cover-
ing is soluble in water. The period of hatching varies from
four to six days.
_ Food. Up to the third month of its life the young sturgeon
has minute conical teeth in its jaws, and at this age it is be-
lieved to subsist on “rhizopods, unicellular algae, infusoria,
minute larvae of insects and worms, crustaceans, ete.” Still
following the observations of Prof. Ryder, we learn that the
sturgeon, when it has reached a length of 1 inch to 14 inches,
has minute teeth on the floor of the pharynx and feeds on
small water fleas, and probably algae, worms, embryo fishes,
insects and fresh-water copepods. Later in life the fish seeks
larger .crustaceans, and the adults occasionally contain frag-
ments of mussel shells. The young fish have been caught under
the ice in midwinter and are known to pass most of the year in
fresh water.
A single small example of this sturgeon was brought to the
New York aquarium from Gravesend bay May 18, 1896, and was
alive and in good condition in November 1898.
Dr Smith records the occurrence of the species along with
the common sturgeon at Woods Hole Mass., but says it is less
numerous. It is captured in the traps.
Order RHOMBOGANOIDEA
Gar Pikes
Family LEPISOSTEIDAE
Gar Pikes
| Genus LEPISOSTEUS Lacépéde
Body elongate, subcylindric, covered with hard, rhombic
ganoid scales or plates which are imbricated in oblique series
running downward and backward; both jaws more or less elon-
70 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM
gate, spatulate or beaklike, the upper jaw projecting beyond
the lower; premaxillary forming most of the margin of the
upper jaw; maxillary transversely divided into several pieces;
upper jaw with an outer series of small, sharp, even teeth,
then a series of large teeth, some of the anterior teeth being
usually movable; next a series of fine teeth, in one row in front,
becoming a band behind. In some species the inner row of
these teeth contains larger ones; next the vomerine teeth, also
in a long band, and posteriorly a palatine band. These bands
on the roof of the mouth are frequently somewhat confluent
or irregular. In young specimens some of the palatine teeth
are often enlarged, these sometimes forming regular series.
Lower jaw with an outer series of small teeth, next a series of.
large teeth, next again a broad band of fine teeth on each
side. Each of the large teeth fits into a depression in the
opposite jaw. Pharyngeals with rasplike teeth; tongue tooth-
less, short, broad, emarginate, free at tip; external bones of
skull very hard and rugose; eyes small; nostrils near the end
of the upper jaw; an accessory gill on the inner side of the
opercle; pseudobranchiae present; no spiracles; gills four, a
slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals three; gill membranes
somewhat connected, free from the isthmus; gill rakers very
short; air bladder cellular, lunglike, somewhat functional; fins
with fulcrums; dorsal fin short, rather high, posterior, nearly op-
posite the anal, which is similar in form; tail heterocereal, in the
young produced as a filament beyond the caudal fin; caudal
convex; ventrals nearly midway between pectorals and anal;
pectorals and ventrals moderate, few-rayed; stomach not caecal;
pyloric appendages numerous; spiral valve of intestines rudi-
mentary.
Fishes of the fresh waters of North America and China.
(After Jordan and Evermann) :
38 Lepisosteus osseus Linnaeus
Gar Pike; Billfish
Esoz osseus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 318, 1758; MircuHiui, Trans.. Lit.
& Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 444, 1815; Am. Month. Mag. II, 321, 1818.
Lepisosteus bison DE Kay, N. Y, Fauna, Fishes, 271, pl. 48, fig. 189, 1842.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 1
Lepidsosteus osseus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 1870; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 91, 1883.
Lepisosieus osseuS JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 109, 1896.
The garpike has an elongate, subcylindric body. Its depth
is contained about 12 times in the length without the caudal.
The jaws are greatly produced, the upper being the longer.
The length of the head is one third of the total without caudal.
Teeth in the jaws rather fine, sharp and stiff; a single inner row
of large teeth, and an outer row of small teeth on each side.
The snout is more than twice as long as the rest of the head, its
least width being from one fifteenth to one twentieth of its
length. D.7to8;A.9;V.6;P.10. Scales 62 to 65.
Color greenish; the sides silvery and the belly whitish; nu-
merous round, dark spots on the sides, most distinct posteriorly
and most conspicuous in the young, becoming obscure with age.
Very young individuals have a blackish lateral band. The fins
are generally plain, but the vertical fins have numerous round
dark spots.
The specimen described is no. 36098, U. S. National Museum.
Its length is 24 inches.
This is the common long-nosed gar pike of the Great lakes,
the Mississippi valley and the eastern states from Pennsylvania
to South Carolina. It ranges south to Mexico and west to the
plains. Additional names for the species are: billfish, sword-
fish, bony gar, bony pike, alligator, alligator gar, and buf-
falo fish. Prof. Cope recognizes two varieties of this gar
in Pennsylvania. One of these abounds in the Susquehanna
and the lower Delaware. He distinguishes it by its ro-
-bust form, short face and gill covers and the roughened
scales of the front part of the body. The other variety occurs
in lakes and in the Allegheny river and is to be known by its
slenderer face and gill covers, its smaller size, generally smooth
scales and the absence of dark spots on the body and fins. It
should be remembered, however, that the species is extremely
variable in these particulars, and all of the names based on
Such characters have been generally discarded.
72 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The garpike attains to a length of 5 to 6 feet, of which the
head and snout usually form about one third. The body is
comparatively slender, equaling about one twelfth of the entire
length.
This species is more abundant in the Great lakes and large
streams than in the small rivers. It is emphatically a fish of
prey and extremely tenacious of life. It spawns in shoal water,
or in the streams, in the late spring and early summer months.
Occasionally taken from the northern end of Cayuga lake, but
not so numerous as formerly. | sie
The garpike is said to be nowhere used for food, because its
flesh is tough and is believed to be unwholesome. I have seen
it, however, with the bill cut off and the skin removed, offered —
for sale in the market at Washington D. C.
39 Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque
Short-nosed Gar
Lepisosteus platostomus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 72, 1820; KrrRTLAND,
Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 20, 1844; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47,
U.S: Nat: Mass i210; pl. XXII, fig. 49, 1896.
Lepidosteus platystomus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 329, 1870;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 91, 1883. —
Lepisosteus platyrhincus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 273, pl. 48, fig. 137,
1842.
The short-nosed garpike has an elongated body, its depth
being contained seven and one half timesin the length; the length
of the head is less than one third of the length of body to base
of tail; distance from eye to tip of snout greater than from eye
to posterior edge of opercle; upper jaw slightly longer than the
lower; both jaws with many long, sharp teeth. Dorsal and anal
fins placed far back, near the tail; ventrals in middle of length.
D. 8; A. 9. About 55 rows of scales between head and caudal.
Fins all more or less black spotted. The specimen described,
no. 3241, U. S. National Museum, from Cleveland O., is 12 inches
long.
The short-nosed gar, because of its shorter snout, which even
in young specimens does not much exceed the rest of the head
in length, has been considered as representing a separate sub-
genus, Cylindrosteus of Rafinesque.
“FISHES OF NEW YORK 73
This fish seldom exceeds 3 feet in length. Its habits are pre-
sumably the same as those of the long-nosed gar, and it is
equally worthless for food. It may be readily distinguished
from the long-nosed species by the shape of its snout and by its
more robust form.
The short-nosed gar inhabits the Great lakes and the Ohio
and Mississippi valleys. It is more abundant in the southern
part of its habitat. It was not recorded from waters of New
York by either Mitchill or De Kay. f
Order CYCLOGANOIDEA
Bowfins
Family AMIIDAE
Bowfins
Genus amra Linnaeus
Body oblong, compressed behind, terete anteriorly; head sub-
conical, anteriorly bluntish, slightly depressed, its superficial
bones corrugated and very hard, scarcely covered by skin; snout
short, rounded; lateral margins of upper jaw formed by the
maxillaries, which are divided by a longitudinal suture; jaws
nearly even in front; cleft of the mouth nearly horizontal,
extending beyond the small eye; lower jaw broad, U-shaped, the
rami well separated; between them a broad bony plate, with
radiating striae, its posterior edge free; jaws each with an outer
series of conical teeth, behind which in the lower is a band of
rasplike teeth ; bands of small teeth on the vomer and ptery-
goids; palatines with a series of larger, pointed teeth; premaxil-
laries not protractile; tongue thick, scarcely free at tip; nostrils
well separated, the anterior with a short barbel; suborbital very
harrow; a bony plate covering the cheek, similar to the plates
on the top of the head; operculum with a broad dermal border;
branchiostegals 10 to 12; no pseudobranchiae or opercular gill;
no spiracle; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; gill membranes
not connected, free from the isthmus; two peculiar, long, lanceo-
late, obliquely striate appendages on each side of the isthmus,
projecting backward and covered by the branchiostegal rays,
74 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the anterior wholly adnate to the isthmus, the posterior free
behind; isthmus scaleless; gill rakers stoutish, very short; scales
of moderate size, rather firm, cycloid, with a membranous
border; lateral line present; dorsal fin long and low, nearly
uniform; the posterior rays not much higher than the others;
tail somewhat heterocercal (more so in the young), convex
behind; no fulcrums; anal fin short and low; pectoral and ventral
fins short and rounded, the ventrals nearer anal than pectorals;
vertebrae amphicoelian or double concave, as usual among
fishes, none of them specially modified; abdominal and caudal
parts of the vertebral column subequal; air bladder cellular,
bifid in front, lunglike, connected by a glottis with the pharynx,
and capable of assisting in respiration; stomach with a blind
Sac; no pyloric caeca; no closed oviduct; intestine with a rudi-
mentary spiral valve. Fresh waters of the United States. .
(After Jordan and Evermann)
40 Amia calva Linnaeus
Bowfin ; Mudfish
Amia calva LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 500, 1766; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. VIII, 325, 1870; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 270, 1842:
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 94, 1883; Jornpan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 113, 1896; DEAN, 4th Ann. Rep’t,
N. Y. Comm, Fish, Game, Forests, 246-56, pl. ¢ & 9 and fig. I-VIII,
1899.
Amia occidentalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 269, pl. XX XIX, fig. 125,
1842. .
The mudfish has a well rounded, robust body; head more or |
less conical; top covered with hard bony plates; body entirely
covered with cycloid scales. The mouth is large; maxilla ex-
tending far past eye. Depth of body equals three fourths of
length of head and is contained slightly more than five times in
length of body. Distance from tip of snout to origin of dorsal
equals one third of the total length including tail, the dorsal
fin beginning over the end of pectoral; length of dorsal base
equal to twice length of head; anal base very short, nearly one
third of length of head. Strong conical teeth in the jaws; in
the lower jaw there is a band of finer teeth behind the outer row
FISHES OF NEW YORK TD
of large ones. The vomer, palatine and pterygoid bones are
finely toothed. A small barbel at anterior nostril. Lateral line
continuous; through 62 scales. There are seven rows of scales
between dorsal and lateral line and 11 or 12 from lateral line
to ventral.. D:.50; A. 10 or 11.
The color in life is dark olive, the sides with greenish reticu-
lations, the belly whitish; round dark spots on the lower jaw
and gular plate. The male has a roundish black spot with an
orange border at the base of the caudal fin.
The bowfin has various common names, among them mudfish,
dogfish, lawyer, grindle, and John-a-grindle. Its range is as ex-
tensive as its character is generally worthless. It is found in
the Great lakes and tributary streams, in the Ohio and Missis-
sippi valleys southward to Texas, and in eastern waters from
Pennsylvania to Florida.
The female bowfin is larger than the male, reaching a length
of 2 feet, while the male seldom exceeds 18 inches. The male is
still further distinguished by the presence of a large black spot
or spots, margined with orange or crimson, at the base of the
tail fin. The female also has the caudal spot, but very faintly
developed. The greatest recorded weight of this fish is 12
pounds.
Habits. This is one of the most voracious of all fishes. It
feeds on all other fish of suitable size and also destroys other
animals within reach. The capture of the bowfin by means of
the trolling spoon has recently come into greatly increased favor
with anglers because of the game qualities of the fish and its
wonderful tenacity of life. The species has been known to live
out of the water, exposed to the sunlight, 12 hours or more.
The young may be kept in an aquarium or other receptacle with-
out change of water for months. The spawning season of the
bowfin is in May and June, and stagnant sloughs are favorite
localities for this purpose. The eggs and young are protected
by the parents, and the young remain in the pools after the
falling waters cause the departure of the adults. Dr Estes,
who has made the best observations on the reproduction of this
3
ee nl
_
76 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
species, states that the little ones are protected in the mouth
of the parent when suddenly alarmed. The jumping of the
bowfin is one of its most characteristic habits. Dr Estes saw
them turn complete somersaults while in the air.
The bowfin is not a food fish, its flesh being soft and un-
savory; yet Dr Goode found them highly esteemed as a sweet
morsel by the negroes.of the south. The young are in great
demand as bait for pike and pickerel, and both these and the
adults are interesting for the aquarium because of their colors,
the ease with which they endure captivity, the peculiarities of
their anatomic structure and their affinities with extinct
ganoids.
It is seldom taken near Ithaca and is not common at the
northern end of Cayuga lake. |
Series TELEOSTEI
Bony Fishes
Subclass oSTARIOPHYSI
Order NEMATOGNATHI
Catfishes
Family s1tuRIDAE
Catfishes
Genus FELICHTHYS Swainson
Body rather elongate, little compressed; head depressed,
broad above; mouth large, the upper jaw the longer; teeth all —
villiform, those on the vomer and palatines forming a more or
less perfectly crescent-shaped band; barbels four; maxillary
barbels bandlike, very long; two short barbels on chin; nostrils
close together, the posterior with a valve; nuchal region with
a granulated, bony buckler; fontanelle large, well forward; gill
membranes somewhat connected; dorsal fin short, in front of
ventrals, with one sharp spine and seven rays; pectorals witha
Similar spine; pectoral spines, and sometimes dorsal spines also,
ending in a long, striated, bandlike filament; anal fin emarginate,
shorter than caudal part of vertebral column; adipose fin mod-
FISHES OF NEW YORK Td;
erate, free behind; caudal fin widely forked; ventral rays six.
Species all marine; in tropical American waters.
1 tect _ 41 Felichthys marinus (Mitchill)
Sea Catfish; Gaff Topsail
Silurus marinus M1TCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 433, 1815.
Galeichthys marinus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Tishes, 178, pi. 37, fig. 118,
1842.
Alurichthys marinus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 178, 1864; JorDAN
& GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 111, 1883,
Felichthys marinus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 118,
Di MITT fe) 52; 1896; Suita, Bull, U. S. FF? oC. XVU, 90, 1898:
Body somewhat compressed, moderately elongate, its depth
at dorsal origin two ninths of length to base of middle caudal
rays; caudal peduncle slender, its least depth little more than
one third of greatest depth of body; head short, snout rounded,
length of head one fourth of total length to base of middle
caudal rays; occipital buckler small, oblong, nearly uniform in
breadth; band of palatine teeth nearly continuous, variable;
maxillary barbel, pectoral fin and dorsal fin about equal in
length; eye oblong, small, one fifth length of head; snout about
one fourth of length of head; maxillary barbel reaches nearly
to ventral origin; pectoral filament about to vent; dorsal, when
laid back, almost to adipose fin; ventral origin slightly nearer
tip of snout than base of middle caudal rays; caudal lobes un-
equal, the upper two sevenths of length to middle caudal rays,
the lower as long as the head; adipose fin small, one third higher
than wide, its length contained three and two thirds times in
that of head; anal base one sixth total length to base of middle .
caudal rays, longest anal ray two and one third times in head;
ventral one half as long as head. D.1, 7; A. 23 (16 developed);
P. 1, 12; V. I, 5; B. 6. Vetebrae 20+30. Color, glossy bluish
above, silvery or milk white below.
‘The sea catfish is found from Cape Cod to Texas; common
southward. Mitchill says it “is an exquisite fish for eating; ”
but the species is generally not valued for food. De Kay also”
was informed by persons who had eaten it that the fish has an
exquisite flavor. He states that it is frequently abundant in
eet A ETE A OR
ct lL A
78 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Communipaw creek, on the Jersey side of the harbor of New
York. It swims frequently with its long dorsal above the sur-
face, in the manner of sharks, and imitates those animals in
voracity. Mitchill had a specimen 20 inches long.
At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, the species is
quite rare, and few have been seen recently; one was caught in
a trap at Menemsha in 1886.
Genus HEXANEMATICHTHYS Bleeker
Body moderately elongate, subterete; head depressed, armed
with a bony shield above, behind which projects an occipital
shield; a smaller, crescent-shaped shield at the base of the dorsal
spine; these shields usually exposed but sometimes covered by
the skin; skull with a fontanel; mouth moderate, the upper
jaw the longer; teeth villiform or granular, in a band in each
jaw; teeth in one or two patches each on the vomer and pala-
tines, the palatine patches without a backward projecting angle —
on the inner margin; palatine teeth fixed; barbels six (no nasal
barbels), close together, the posterior with a valve; maxillary
barbels short, terete; eyes with a more or less free orbital mar-
gin, the upper edge sometimes adnate; dorsal fin short, in front
of the ventrals, with a sharp spine, and about seven rays; adi-
pose fin well developed, posteriorly free; caudal fin deeply .
forked; anal fin short; pectorals with spine; ventral rays six;
skin smooth, naked, except on the occipital and nuchal regions,
where it is usually confluent with the surface of the bony buck-
Jers. Species marine. ;
42 Hexanematichthys felis (Linnaeus)
Sea Catfish |
Silurus felis LINNEAUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 508, 1766.
Arius milberti GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 155, 1864.
Arius equestris GUNTHER, 1. c. 173, 1864; Barrp & Grrarp, Ichth. U. S. &
Mex. Bound. 32, pl. 15, 1859.
Arius felis and equestris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 110,
1883.
Galeichthys felis SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. ;
Hexanematichthys felis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 47,
_ 128, pl. XXIII, fig. 53, 1896.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 79
{
Body tapering, elongate, terete, its depth at dorsal origin one
fifth of length to base of middle caudal rays; caudal peduncle
short, its least depth two fifths of greatest.depth of body; head
rather elongate, pointed, its length contained three and two
thirds times in total to base of middle caudal rays; occipital
process with a median keel, about one third of length of head,
its tip convex; fontanel forming a narrow groove; top of head
comparatively smooth; maxillary barbei three fourths as long
as the head; longest mental barbel little more than one half of
length of head; eye oblong, placed high, its length one half the
length of snout, which is one third the length of head; dorsal
origin somewhat behind middle of pectoral fin; dorsal base about
equal to snout, highest ray slightly exceeds greatest depth of
body; pectoral fin reaches about to below end of dorsal base;
ventral origin midway between tip of snout and end of middle
caudal rays, length of fin two and one third times in head. Dis-
tance from vent to anal origin equals longest anal ray. Length
of anal base equals one half the length of head. Caudal lobes
unequal, the upper one fourth longer than lower. D.I, 7; P. I, 6;
mae Ao GS developed) 5°V. 1,5.
Color steel blue, sides and belly silvery, lower parts pale.
Cape Cod to Texas; common southward along the sandy coast.
Cuvier and Valenciennes received a specimen from New York,
forwarded by Milbert. Of its occurrence at Woods Hole Mass.
Dr Smith made the following record: “ Reported to have been
common in spring in Vineyard sound many years ago, being
often taken with cod; now (1898) very rare, and only occasionally
observed since the fish commission station at Woods Hole was
established. A specimen was taken in 1887, since which time
none has been reported.”
Genus toraLurus Rafinesque
Body slender, elongate, compressed posteriorly; head slender,
conical; superoccipital bone or process prolonged backward, its
emarginated apex receiving the acuminate anterior point of the
second interspinal, thus forming a continuous bony bridge from
80 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the head to the dorsal spine; mouth small, terminal, the upper
jaw longer; teeth subulate, in a short band on each jaw; dorsal
fin high, with one long spine and usually six rays; adipose fin
over posterior part of anal; anal fin long, with 25 to 35 rays;
ventral fins each with one simple and seven branched rays;
pectoral fins each with a stout spine, retrorse serrate within,
and about nine rays; caudal fin elongate, deeply forked, the
lobes pointed, the upper the longer. Coloration pale or silvery,
usually with dark spots on the sides. Fresh waters of North
America, specially in river channels and ripples in large streams.
43 Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque)
Channel Cat; Spotted Cat
Silurus punctatus RAFINESQUE, Am. Month. Mag. 3859, Sept. 1818, jide
Jordan.
Ictalurus punctatus JORDAN, Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Hist. 95, 1876; Man.
Vert. 300, 1876; Jonpan & GitBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 108,
1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 184, pl. X XV, fig.
58, 1896.
Amiurus cauda-furcatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 102. 1864.
~The body of the spotted catfish is rather long and slender, the
depth contained five times in the length without caudal and
equal to the length of the dorsal spine. The head is moderate,
convex above, its length being slightly less than one fourth
the total length. The maxillary barbels are very long, longer
than head; eye moderate, five and one half in head; pectoral
Spine two thirds of length of head; humeral process long and
slender, one half the length of pectoral spine; adipose fin well
developed; caudal deeply forked. The least depth of the caudal
peduncle equals one half the depth of body at last dorsal ray.
D. I, 6; A. 24; V.1, 8. | |
This species is variously styled the channel cat, white cat,
silver cat, blue cat and spotted cat. It is found over a vast
extent of country comprising the Mississippi and Ohio valleys ©
and the Great lakes region. In the eastern states it is absent
from streams tributary to the Atlantic, but occurs from Ver-
mont southward to Georgia, westward to Montana and south-
~ westward to Mexico. In Pennsylvania it is limited to the Ohio
and its affiuents.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 81
The adults of this species are bluish silvery, and the young
are spotted with olive. It is one of the handsomest of the
family of catfishes and an excellent food fish. The spotted cat
grows to a length of 3 feet and a weight of 25 pounds. It is
extremely variable in color and in number of fin rays, and has,
consequently, been described under more than 20 different
names. It is most abundant in large clear streams. This
species is less hardy than most of the other catfishes.
Genus ameEturus Rafinesque
Body moderately elongated, robust anteriorly, the caudal
peduncle much compressed; head large, wide, obtuse; super-
occipital extended backward, terminating in a more or less
acute point, which is entirely separate from the second inter-
spinal buckler; skin covering the bones thick; eyes rather small;
mouth large, the upper jaw usually the longer; teeth in broad
bands on the premaxillaries and mandibles; band of upper jaw
convex in front, of equal breadth, and without backward pro-
longation at the angle; dorsal over the space between pectorals
and ventrals, higher than long, with a sharp spine and about
six branched rays; adipose fin short, inserted over the posterior
half of the anal; anal fin usually short, with 20 or 21 rays, but
varying from 15 to 35 if certain fork-tailed species really be-
-long to the genus; caudal fin short, truncate in typical species,
more or less forked in forms approaching Ictalurus; ven-
trals with one simple and seven branched rays; pectoral fins
each with a stout spine, which is commonly retrorse serrate
behind; lateral line usually incomplete; species numerous in
nearly all fresh waters of the eastern United States.
44 Ameiurus lacustris (Walbaum)
Lake Catfish
Gadus lacustris WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. 144, 1792.
Amiurus borealis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 100, 1864.
Ictalurus lacustris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 108, 1883.
Ictalurus nigricans JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 882, 1883.
Pimelodus nigricans DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 180, pl. 62, fig. 170, 1842.
- Amewrus lacustris JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 187,
1896,
tt
82 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The great catfish has a stout body, a broad ‘and much de-
pressed head and a wide mouth. The depth of the body is con-
tained five times in total length, without caudal; the head
equals more than one fourth of this length. Maxillary barbel
as long as anal base, almost as long as the head; eye rather
small; dorsal base short, one half the hight of fin; adipose fin
well developed; caudal not deeply forked; pectoral spine as
long as dorsal spine, one half the length of head; least depth
of caudal peduncle less than one half the greatest depth of
body: 2. Diy 4065 7A 25s Vines.
This is the great fork-tailed cat, Mississippi cat, Florida cat,
flannel-mouth cat and great blue cat of various writers. It is
also called mud cat in the St Johns river, Fla. The species is
highly variable, as we should suppose from its wide distribu-
tion. 3
In 1879 Prof. Spencer F. Baird received from Dr Steedman
of St Louis a Mississippi river catfish weighing 150 pounds and
measuring 5 feet in length. The writer described this fish as a
new species related to the great black catfish of the Mississippi
valley, Amiurus nigricans. At the present time it is
somewhat doubtful whether or not this is merely an overgrown
individual of the species under consideration, and the matter
must remain in doubt till smaller examples of Amiurus
ponderosus have been obtained.
The great fork-tailed cat is a native of the Great lakes and:
the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, and in the southern states its
range extends southward to Florida; northward it ranges to
Ontario.
This catfish reaches a weight of 100 pounds or more, and, if
it include the giant form above referred to, we may place the
maximum weight at more than 150 pounds. Dr Steedman was
informed by an old fisherman that the heaviest one he had
ever seen weighed 198 pounds, but it is doubtful that such large
individuals are to be taken at the present time. In Lake Erie
this species usually weighs from 5 to 15 pounds, and the largest
Specimens reach 40 pounds.
°
FISHES OF NEW YORK 83
The habits of this fish are presumably about the same as
_ those of other species of the family. On account of the great
size,of the fish it naturally prefers lakes and large rivers.
It is a bottom feeder and will take almost any kind of bait.
This species is wonderfully tenacious of life. It spawns in the
spring and protects its young, which follow the parent fish in
great schools. Dr Theodore Gill has reviewed in Forest and
Stream the subject of the catfishes’ care of their young.
This is a valued food species, though not a choice fish. In
Lake Erie, according to the Review of the Fisheries of the Great
Lakes recently published by the U. 8S. Fish Commission, the cat-
fish rank next to whitefish in number of pounds taken.
In Lake Erie catfish are taken chiefly by means of set lines,
and the fishing is best during the months of June, July and
August. The method of fishing is thus described in the review
just referred to. ‘‘ The apparatus consists of from 2006 to 400
hooks attached by short lines to a main line, which is from 5
to 27 fathoms long, according to the place in which set, and
: is held in place by poles or stakes pushed into the mud. The
_ lines are usually set in the lake, but occasionally short ones
are fished in the barous and marshes. Catfish are taken with
a bait of herring, Coregonus artedi, or grasshoppers,
4 and are mostly used in the families of the fishermen and their
neighbors or sold to peddlers. . . The size of the catfish
j ranges from 5 to 25 pounds, averaging 8 or 10 pounds.” In
; some parts of Lake Erie the set line fishery for catfish begins
April 15. Some of these lines have as many as 2000 hooks. In
. } Toledo these fish bring 44¢ a pound. The pound nets also take
| a good many catfish in the spring and fall. Erie receives its
4 supply of catfish from fishermen who operate in the lake from
Erie to Elk Creek with set lines during the summer months.
i De Kay had the species from Buffalo, where he saw specimens
m1 | weighing from 25 to 30 pounds, and heard of individuals weigh-
_ ing 80 pounds. He states that it is usually captured by the
spear. 7
84 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
45 Ameiurus natalis (Le Sueur)
Yellow Cat
Pimelodus natalis LE SuruR, Mém. Mus, d’Hist. Nat. V, 154, 1819,
Pimelodus cupreus Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1842. (name only)
Amiurus natalis GuNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. V, 101, 1864; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883.
Ameiurus natalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 139, 1896.
The yellow catfish is robust, and has a rather broad head.
The mouth is wide, with the upper jaw usually longer than the
lower, sometimes equal. The dorsal profile gradually ascends
from the snout to the dorsal spine. The depth of the body at
dorsal spine is contained four and two third times in the total
length to base of tail. The length of the head is contained three
and two third times in the body length, and equals length of
anal base. Eye moderate; maxillary barbel reaching end of
head; humeral shield little developed; dorsal and pectoral spines
strong, shorter than soft rays; hight of dorsal equal to twice
the length of its base; adipose fin long as in Noturus, oppo-
site to and longer than anal; caudal rounded. D. 1, 6; A. 24;
Ved. |
The yellow cat, or chubby cat, is found from the Great lakes
to Virginia and Texas. It has many varieties; three of which
are mentioned by Prof..Cope as occurring in Pennsylvania, two
of them in the Ohio river and its tributaries and the third in
Lake Erie. The species is not credited to the region east of
the Alleghanies. Dr Meek saw only a single specimen from
Cayuga lake. is
The length of the yellow cat sometimes reaches 2 feet but
averages much less.
Nothing special is recorded about the habits of this species.
It is most abundant in sluggish streams.
46 Ameiurus vulgaris (Thompson)
Long-jawed Catfish
Pimelodus vulgaris THomrson, Hist. Vermont, 138, 1842.
Amiurus vulgaris NELSON, Bull. Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist. 50, 1876; Jonpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883. .
Amiurus dekayi JORDAN, Man. Vert. 302, 1876; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind.
U.S. I, pl. 234, 1884; Bran, Iishes Penna. 15, pl. 18, fig, 24.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 85
Ameiurus vulgaris Jorpan & EverMann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140,
1896.
This catfish has a stout body; its depth is one fourth of the ©
total length without caudal. The head is contained about three
and three fourth times in this length. Eye very small; mouth
large; jaws equal or sometimes lower jaw projecting; barbels
long; maxillary barbel as long as head. The length of the dorsal
base is less than one half that of the anal, while its hight is
five sixths of the same length; adipose fin well developed. The
pectoral spine is stout and about two thirds as long as the fin.
Caudal square; anal rounded; least depth of caudal contained
two and one third times in greatest depth of body. D.1I, 6; A.
LENZ) 5 'V. T'S:
The long-jawed catfish is found in the Great lakes region and
westward to Manitoba. It is believed to be very nearly related
to the common catfish, A. nebulosus, but its projecting
lower jaw will serve to distinguish it. This character, however,
we know by experience is not so satisfactory as it might be.
_ The species reaches the length of 18 inches and the weight of
4 pounds. It is occasionally taken in the Ohio river, but is more
abundant in Lake Erie. Jordan and Evermann state its range
to be from Vermont to Minnesota and Illinois, chiefly north-
ward. The U.S. National Museum has it from Manitoba. Dr
Meek found a single specimen which was caught near Ithaca
among more than 100 of the common bullheads. It seems to be
rare in that basin. Thompson, who described the fish, had speci-
mens from Lake Champlain. The long-jawed catfish is similar
in all respects except its projecting lower jaw to the common
catfish, A. nebulosus,, and may be found identical with it.
47 Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus)
White Cat; Channel Cat
Silurus catus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 305, 1758.
Pimelodus atrarius DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 185, pl. 36, fig. 116, 1842.
Ictalurus albidus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 107, 1883.
I[ctalurus lophius JORDAN & GILBERT, ]. c. 107, 1888. . |
86 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Amiurus albidus JORDAN, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 84, 1877, figs. 15 & 16,
1877; Bean, Fishes Penna. 14, pl. 18, fig. 23, 1893.
Ameiurus catus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 1388, 1896.
The body is stout, its depth equal to length of head, and con-
tained four times in the total length to base of caudal fin. The
maxillary barbels reach posterior end of head; mandibulary
barbels shorter; humeral process, above pectoral, half length
of pectoral spine, very rough; dorsal fin short, inserted nearly
midway between tip of snout and adipose dorsal; adipose fin
well developed; caudal fin slightly forked, the upper lobe longer;
anal fin long, one fifth to one fourth of total length to base of
caudal. D. I, 6; A. 19 to 22. Pale olive bluish, silvery below
without dark spots, but sometimes with mottlings or blotches.
New York to Texas, in coastwise streams and swamps. _ Intro-
duced into California and now abundant there.
This is the white cat or channel cat, in Philadelphia distin-
guished as the Schuylkill cat. The channel cat is one of the most
abundant of its family in the Potomac river. It is abundant
in the Susquehanna and common in the Schuylkill.
This species reaches a length of 2 feet and a weight of 5
pounds. It is extremely variable with age. Old examples have
the mouth so much wider than it is in the young that they have
been described as a distinct species. The big-mouthed cat of
Cope is now considered to be the old form of the white cat. The
habits of this species agree with those of other species already
mentioned. The name channel cat suggests a favorite haunt
of the fish.
As a food fish it is highly prized.
Eugene Smith! says this catfish occurs in all the larger
streams subject to the tide in the vicinity of New York city.
The caudal is furcate. The anal has 20 or more rays. ’
It is frequently caught on set lines with liver or killy bait and
bites best at night. The flesh is much better flavored than that :
of A. nebulosus.
‘Linn. Soc. N. XY. Proc:, 1897.1. mor 9,- pi hls
SS Re MN Cee Ee
FE ee a ee a
aw
FISHES OF NEW YORK ST
48 Ameiurus nebulosus (Le Sueur)
Horned Pout; Bullhead
Pimelodus nebulosus LE SuEuUR, Mém. Mus. d’Hist. Nat. V, 149, 1819.
Pimelodus catus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 182, pl. 37, fig. 119, 1842.
Amiurus catus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 104, 1883.
Silurus catus MiTcHILyu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 488, 1815. (not
Silurus catus Linnaeus)
Amiurus nebulosus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 16, pl. 19, fig. 25, 1893.
Ameiurus nebulosus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, ©
1896.
The common catfish has a very stout body, broad head and a
short stout caudal peduncle. The depth of body about equals
length of head, and is contained from three and one half to
four and one half times in the length. Barbels eight; maxil-
lary barbels as long as head; dorsal profile from tip of snout to
dorsal fin straight and rather steep; mouth wide and terminal;
teeth awl-shaped, in broad bands on the intermaxillaries and
dentaries; dorsal situated in front of middle of body; short and
high; adipose fin stout; anal large, its base equaling length of
head; caudal square or slightly emarginate. D. I, 6; A. 20-22;
“PH, 6.
This is known as the common catfish, bullhead, hornpout,
bullpout, and minister.
This species has a wider distribution than the white cat, its
range including New England and extending southward to
South Carolina, west to Wisconsin and southwest to Texas. It
has also been transferred from the Schuylkill to the Sacramento
and San Joaquin rivers, Cal. where it has multiplied so rapidly
that it is now one of the most common fishes of those streams.
This is the most abundant catfish in Lake Erie and its tribu-
taries.
The species reaches a maximum length of 18 inches and a
weight of 4 pounds, but the average size of market specimens
is much smaller. In the lower waters of the Susquehanna color
varieties of this species are not uncommon. One of them
appears to be the same as the Amiurus marmoratus
of Holbrook; this supposed color variety is found also from
Illinois to Florida. The lower Susquehanna has furnished also
some singularly colored examples of this fish, distinguished by
4)
8s NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
large areas of jet black combined with lemon and white. These ~
freaks are among the most interesting and beautiful observed
in this family of fishes.
From Jordan’s Manual of the Vertebrates I quote Thoreau’s ac-
count of the habits of this species:
The horned pout are “dull and blundering fellows,” fond of
the mud, and growing best in weedy ponds and rivers without
current. They stay near the bottom, moving slowly about with
their barbels widely spread, watching for anything eatable.
They will take any kind of bait, from an angleworm to a piece
of'a tin tomato can, without coquetry, and they seldom fail to
swallow the hook. They are very tenacious of life, “opening
and shutting their mouths for half an hour after their heads
have been cut off.” They spawn in spring, and the old fishes
lead the young in great schools near the shore, seemingly car-
ing for them as the hen for her chickens.
The species was obtained in Swan river at Patchogue N. Y.
Aug. 12, 1898. Young were seined in Bronx river in August.
Larger individuals were sent from Canandaigua lake and Sara-
nac lake in November. Several albinos were obtained from the
Hackensack meadows, N. J . in August 1897. In three months
they grew from 8 inches to 6 inches in length. In captivity
the fish feed freely on chopped hard clams and earthworms and,
occasionally, liver. :
The following notes are from Eugene Smith, in Proc. Linn.
Soe NY. 1897, pvt t12.
Very variable in color, from dark blackish and olive to brown
and yellowish above, becoming lighter below, and often clouded
on the sides. Those from tidal or running water are lighter
colored than those from stagnant places or ponds.
The largest specimen found by me in the near vicinity of New
York measured 134 inches in length and weighed 1 pound 2
ounces. a
At the end of the third year this fish is perhaps fully matured.
The ripe eggs are of the size of large pin heads and are of an
orange color; the very young fishes look like little black toad
tadpoles. The spines are strongly developed at an early age.
The old fish accompanies the brood for a certain time, always
swimming around the swarm of young in order to keep them
together. When alarmed the parent dashes off, followed by the
whole swarm.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 89
Dr Meek found the species very abundant throughout the
entire Cayuga lake basin. Dr Eyermann and Barton A. Bean
obtained the following specimens in the St Lawrence river basin
in 1894.
1, St Lawrence river, Cape Vincent N. Y. June 21.
3, Racket river, Norfolk N. Y. July 18.
Dr Evermann also collected specimens at the following
localities of the Lake Ontario region in 1894.
Stony creek, Henderson Harbor, July 3, 4
Black river, Huntingtonvyille, July 5
Mud creek, Cape Vincent, June 25
Mouth Salmon river, July 25
Chaumont river, July 10
Creek, Pultneyville, Aug. 7
Mouth Little Salmon creek, July 25
Sandy creek, North Hamlin, Aug. 20
Long pond, near Charlotte, Aug. 17
Stony Island, July 2, 3
Lakeview hotel, 7 m. n. e. of Oswego, July 17
Marsh creek, Pointbreeze, Aug. 21
49 Ameiurus nebulosus marmoratus (Holbrook)
Marbled Cat
Pimelodus marmoratus HOLBROOK, Jour. Ac. Nat, Sci. Phila. 54, 1855.
Amiurus marmoratus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 104, 1883.
Ameiurus nebulosus marmoratus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus, 141, 1896.
Body moderately elongate, its depth about one fourth total
length to caudal base; slope of profile very steep; jaws equal or
subequal; dorsal fin high, its spine more than one half as long
as head, and nearer to adipose fin than to tip of snout; head
long, three and one fourth times in total length to caudal base;
barbels long; anal rays 21; body much mottled with brown,
greenish and whitish. Lowland streams and swamps from New
York to southern Indiana and Florida. The type of the mar-
moratus of Holbrook was from South Carolina.
90 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM
50 Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque)
Black Bullhead; Brown Catfish
Silurus melas RAFINESQUE, Quart. Jour. Sci. Lit. Arts. Lond. 51, 1820.
Pimelodus pullus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 184, pl. XX XVII, fig. 117,
1842.
Amiurus pullus GILL, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 44, 1862; JorDAN, Bull. 10,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 93, figs. 46, 47, 1877; GoopE, Fish. & Fish, Ind. U. S._
I, pl. 238, fig. 1, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 16, 1893.
Ameiurus melas JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 141, 1896.
The body of the black bullhead is stout, short and deep. Its
depth is contained about three and one half times in its length
to tail; in very deep examples but three and one fifth times. The
length of the head is contained three and one half times in this
length. The head is broad, the dorsal profile straight and
rather steep from tip of snout to dorsal fin; eye rather small; —
barbels long; caudal peduncle stout. Dorsal I, 6; the spine
strong and sharply pointed. The hight of the dorsal fin equals
one half the length of head. The anal has 18 rays; its base is
two and one half times as long as. dorsal base.. The pectoral fin
has one sharp spine and seven rays. Tail truncate; adipose fin
well developed; teeth very fine, awl-shaped and in broad bands.
Its color is usually blackish or dusky brown, approaching to
black, while the lower parts are bluish white. The fins are
black, tinged with red, and the barbels are black. The color is
subject to considerable variation. The black bullhead reaches
the length of 1 foot. It is found in the Great lakes region and
in the Mississippi valley, westward to Kansas and southward to
Texas.
This species was known to De Kay as the brown catfish.
His specimens were from Lake Pleasant and Lake Janet, N. Y.;
and he states that it is also very common in many other lakes
of northern New York, where its principal use is to serve as bait
for the lake trout. Dr Jordan had it from the Genesee river.
Dr Evermann obtained a specimen in Mill creek at Sacketts |
Harbor N. Y. July 2, 1894, and doubtfully referred to this species
a young individual collected in Sandy creek, at North Hamlin
N. Y. Aug. 20, 1894. 3
FISHES OF NEW YORK 91
Genus norurus Rafinesque
Body moderately elongate, robust except in caudal part, which
is much compressed; head flat and broad; mouth terminal,
broad; teeth in broad villiform bands on premaxillaries and
dentaries; teeth of upper jaw prolonged backward into an elon-
gate, triangular extension; adipose fin adnate to the back; a
poison gland at the base of the pectoral spine. Represented by
a single species inhabiting rivers and channels.
51 Noturus flavus Rafinesque
| Stone Cat
Noturus flavus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 68, 1820; STorER, Syn. Fish. N. A.
154, 1846; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100, 1883;
’ GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; Bean, Fishes Penna. 18,
1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 144, 1896, pl.
XXVII, fig. 63, 1900. '
'Pimelodus flavus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1842 (after Kirtland).
The stonecat has a moderately elongate body, whose great-
est depth and width are nearly equal; the tail is much com-
pressed, and the head flat and broad. The greatest depth of the
body. is nearly one fifth of the total length without the caudal;
the least depth of the caudal peduncle equals nearly one half
the length of head. The mouth is terminal, horizontal, its width
equal to postorbital part of head and to length of maxillary
-barhbel; longer barbel on chin not quite one half as long as the
head. Nasal barbel when laid back reaches end of eye. The
width of the band of teeth in the upper jaw equals one third ths
length of head; the backward prolongation is little longer than
the eye. The distance between the eyes equals length of snout
and é¢ye. The snout is one half as long as the postorbital part
of the head. The dorsal origin is at a distance from tip of
snout nearly equal to one third of the total length without cau- |
dal. The dorsal base is one half as long as the head. The spine
is very sharp and as long as the snout. The longest ray is
nearly one half as long as the head. The ventral origin is not
far behind the end of the dorsal base; the fin reaches a little
beyond the vent, but not to the anal origin. The pectoral reaches
to below the third dorsal ray, its spine about two fifths as long
92 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
as the head. The anal origin is a little nearer to base of caudal
than to origin of pectoral; the base is as long as the head
without the snout, one fifth of total to base of caudal, and the
longest ray equals one half the length of head. The very low
adipose dorsal begins over the anal origin and continues into
the caudal; in older specimens it is deeply notched. The caudal
is rounded. D.I, 6; A. 16; V. 9; P. I, 9. Length of the speci-
men described (no. 35877, U. S. national museum), 64 inches.
In spirits the upper parts are grayish brown, and the lower
surface of head and body pale. In life the fish is nearly uni-
form yellowish brown. :
The stonecat is found from Ontario, throughout the Great
lakes region, south to Virginia and Texas, west to Montana and
Wyoming. It inhabits the larger streams. Dr Evermann ob-
tained two specimens at Nine Mile point, in the Lake Ontario
region, June 11, 1893. :
The species has very little value as food on account of its
small size. It seldom exceeds 12 inches in length, but it is a
very good bait for black bass. The stonecats are much dreaded
by fishermen because of the painful wounds sometimes pro-
duced by their pectoral spines. There is a minute pore in the
axil of the pectoral, which is the outlet of a noxious liquid
secreted by a poison gland. When this poison is discharged
into a wound, it causes an extremely painful sore.
Genus scuHitpEopEs Bleeker
Body moderately elongate, rounded anteriorly, compressed
posteriorly; head flat; skin very thick, concealing bones of head;
superoccipital not joined to the head of the second interspinal;
mouth large, anterior, the upper jaw somewhat the longer; awl-
shaped teeth in broad bands in the jaws, the band in the upper
jaw abruptly truncate at each end and not prolonged into a
backward extension as in Leptops and Noturus;
branchiostegals nine; dorsal fin nearer to ventrals than to pec-
torals, with a short spine and seven rays; adipose fin long and
low, adnate to the body and continuous with the caudal fin, the
adipose membrane sometimes high and continuous, sometimes
FISHES OF NEW YORK 93
emarginate; caudal fin very obliquely truncated or rounded, its
base also obliquely rounded; many rudimentary rays both above
and below the caudal peduncle; anal fin short with 12 to 23
rays; ventrals rounded; pectoral fins with a sharp spine of vary-
ing form; vent well in front of anal fin; lateral line complete.
A poison gland opening by an orifice in the axil of the pectoral,
so that wounds made by the pectoral spines are very painful.
Size small. Fresh waters of the eastern United States among
rocks and weeds, specially in small brooks. (After Jordan and
Everman)
52 Schilbeodes gyrinus (Mitchill)
Stone Cat
_ Silurus gyrimus Mircuityi, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 322, March,1818 (Wallkill
| River, N. Y.); DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 186, 1842 (generic distinc-
tion recognized).
Noturus gyrinus RAFINESQUE, Journ. de Physique, 421, 1819; Ichth. Ohien.
68, 1820; Jorpan, Man. Vert. 303, 1876, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 102,
figs. 66, 67, 1877; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 98, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 20, 1893.
Schilbeodes gyrinus BLEEKER, Act. Soe. Sc. Indo-Nederl, IV, 258, 1858, fide
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; JorpAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 146, 1896.
-The tadpole stonecat has a short and stout body, sloping
rapidly downward from the dorsal origin to the tip of the
snout; its greatest depth contained four and one third times in
total length without caudal; its width contained four and one
half times. The head is short, broad and depressed, its width
nearly equal to its length, which is one fourth of the total with-
out caudal. The width of the mouth equals two thirds the
length of the head; the jaws nearly equal. The width of the
maxillary band of teeth equals one third of length of head; there
are no lateral backward extensions. The snout is short, two
sevenths as long as the head. The eye is small, one seventh as
long as the head. The maxillary barbel reaches to the base of
the pectoral; the outer mandibulary barbel is slightly longer.
The nasal barbel is one half as long as the head. The distance
_ of the dorsal from the tip of snout equals that from origin of
_ ventral to end of anal. The base is as long as the snout and
eye combined; the spine is one third as long as the head, and the
}
94 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
longest ray equals length of postorbital part of head. The low
adipose fin begins over the anal origin and is continuous with
the caudal. The ventral origin is under the end of the dorsal
base, the fin does not reach to anal origin. The pectoral reaches
to below the middle of the dorsal. The anal base is one fifth of
total length without caudal; the longest ray equals postorbital
part of head. The caudal is rounded. The pectoral spine is one
half as long as the head. The humeral process is one third as
long as the head. D: I, 6; A. 13-15; P. 1, 8. Color im spies
dark brown; the belly and under surface of head paler.
The specimens described (no. 1508, U. S. National Museum) are
from 34 to 4 inches long. |
The general color is brownish, without blotches. Jordan in
the Manual says that it has a black lateral streak, sometimes
with two other streaks above this. I have found none with this
feature; it is the lateral line itself which looks darker in color.
The eyes are small, beadlike and at night glisten like adamant,
indicating a more nocturnal habit. These fishes are called stone-
catfishes, but they prefer still, muddy water. In the aquarium
it is even more hardy than the common catfish and often lies on
‘its side for hours as if dead, or remains suspended in the water
in various odd positions. (After Eugene Smith)’
Dr Meek had no knowledge of the occurrence of this species
near Ithaca. The museum of Cornell University has a few
specimens from the lake, but without definite locality. Dr Meek
and Mr Harris took several examples from a small stream near ©
Montezuma. Dr Evermann secured a specimen in Mill creek,
at Sacketts Harbor N. Y. July 2, 1841; one in Long pond, at Char-
lotte N. Y. Aug. 17; and one in Guffon creek, at Chaumont N. Y.
July 7 of the same year. In general it ranges in the Great lakes
region, through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and in New
York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its length does not exceed
5) inches. The species is too small to be of any value except for
bait, and on account of its tenacity of life it is greatly in demand
for hook and line fishing, specially in the capture of the black
bass, for which it is one of the best baits known.
1ZLinn, Soc. N.Y. Proc, 1897. no. 9, p.12-13:,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 95
53 Schilbeodes insignis (Richardson)
Margmed Stone Cat
Pimelodus insigne RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 132, 1836 (name only,
based upon the Pimelode livrée LE SuEuR, Mém. Mus. d’Hist. Nat.
V, 155), 1819.
Noturus lemniscatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; Jorpay,
Man. Vert. 303, 1876. :
Noturus insignis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes, Penna. 19, pl. 19, fig. 26, 1893.
Schilbeodes insignis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 147,
1896, pl. XXVIII, fig. 66, 1900.
The margined stone cat has a moderately elongate and low
body, its width greater than its depth, and the least depth of
the caudal peduncle about three fourths the greatest depth of
body. The head is rather long and depressed, one fourth of
total without caudal, the snout short and rounded. The eye
is small, its length one half the width of interorbital space and
little more than one half the length of snout. The lower jaw
is Slightly shorter than the upper; the width of the mouth equals
postorbital part of head. The width of the maxillary band of
teeth equals one third the length of head; there is no extension
backward. The maxillary barbel reaches nearly to the end of
the head. Six short gill rakers below the angle of the first gill
arch. The dorsal origin is about over the middle of the space
between the pectoral and ventral origins; the length of the
dorsal base equals the distance between the eyes, and also the
length of its spine. The longest ray is half as long as the
head. The ventral reaches beyond the vent and almost to the
anal origin, its length half the head. The pectoral does not
reach to the ventral origin, its spine half as long as the
head, rough along its front edge and coarsely serrate behind.
The adipose fin is little developed; it begins over the anal origin
and is continuous with the caudal. The anal origin is nearly
midway between the pectoral origin and the base of the caudal;
the base is scarcely two ninths of total length without caudal;
the posterior and longest rays are scarcely one half as long as
the head. The caudal is rounded. D. I, Tee is NOLO Gey
In spirits the upper parts are dark brown, the belly and under
i Hi
96 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
surface of head pale. The fins all have a narrow dark margin.
The specimen described (no. 18015 U. 8S. National Museum) is
4} inches long. |
This species, like the others of its genus, is called stone eat,
and it is very common in the Susquehanna, where it is highly
prized as a live bait for black bass fishing. The species occurs
also in the Delaware, but for some reason or other is not so
attractive to the black bass as the Susquehanna river race. It
grows to the length of 10 inches.
The species ranges from New York to South Carolina, east
of the Alleghenies.
The dorsal and caudal fins sometimes have a well defined
black margin, from which originated the later name, Noturus
marginatus. This is the Pimetodus livyreéerm
Cuvier and Valenciennes and the P. lemniscatus of Le
Sueur. Cuvier and Valenciennes make the following conclud-
ing remarks about the species: ‘The species is probably vivi-
parous, for the eggs are very large, and contain a well developed 7
embryo. The ovary contains many eggs of which the diameter
exceeds 2 lines, and moreover they are taken from a small
animal, for our example is 3 inches long.”
54 Schilbeodes miurus (Jordan)
Variegated Stone Cat
Noturus miurus JORDAN, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. 371, 1877, Bull. 10, U.S.
Nat. Mus. 100, figs. 60, 61, 1877; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 99, 1883. ‘
Schilbeodes miurus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 148,
1896, pl. XXIX, fig. 68, 1900. ;
Body rather stout, subterete, its greatest depth contained
from four and one half to five and one half times in total length
without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle three fifths of
greatest depth of body. Head one fourth of total length with-
out caudal; eye one fifth the length of head, snout about two
sevenths; maxillary barbels reach beyond end of head; man-
dibulary barbel three fifths as long as the head; lower jaw
included. Dorsal origin over middle of pectoral, slightly nearer
to anal than to tip of snout, the dorsal base one half as long as
‘
FISHES OF NEW YORK 97
the head; adipose fin with a deep notch but connected with the
caudal, its length about equal to head; caudal rounded, its
middle rays four fifths as long as the head; anal base as long as
the head without the snout; highest ray of dorsal equal to
dorsal spine, three fifths as long as head; longest anal ray one
half as long as the head, extending to middle of ventral base;
ventral fin one half as long as the head; humeral process short.
Body much mottled with black and gray and with four broad
dark bands or cross blotches; top of head, tip of dorsal, middle
of adipose fin, and edge of caudal blackish; occiput dark. D. I,
Beek rlo to bss V.2 15°83 Po d8.
The variegated stone cat has been assigned to the Mississippi
valley, south to Louisiana, to tributaries of Lake Michigan, and
to the Ohio valley, where it is common. It appears to have
been entirely overlooked by ichthyologists till 1876. Dr Ever-
mann collected five specimens of this fish in Sandy creek at
North Hamlin N. Y. Aug. 20, 1894. The probability is that it
will be found in other waters of the Great lakes region. The
individuals used for illustration are from 34 inches to 44 inches
long.
Order PLECTOSPONDYLI
Carplike Fishes
Suborder EVENTOGNATHI
Carps
Family cATOSTOMIDAE
Suckers
Genus carRPriopEs Rafinesque
Body oblong; the dorsal outline more or less arched; the
ventral outline nearly straight; depth from one half to one
third of length; sides compressed, the back sharp edged; caudal
peduncle short and deep; head short and deep; its upper surface
rounded; eye moderate, median or anterior; suborbital bones
well developed; fontanel present ; mouth small, horizontal and
inferior; mandible short; lips thin, the upper protractile, nar-
row, the lower narrow; lips feebly plicate or nearly smooth;
9S NPW YORK STATE MUSEUM
jaws without cartilaginous sheath; muciferous system moder-
ately developed; opercular apparatus well developed, the sub-
opercle broad; isthmus moderate; pharyngeal bones remarkably
thin, laterally compressed, with a shallow furrow along the an-—
terior margin on the inside, and another more central on the
outline of the enlarged surfaces; teeth very small, compressed,
nearly equally thin along the whole inner edge of the bone, form-
ing a fine, comblike crest of minute serratures, their cutting
edge rising above the inner margin into a prominent point; gill
rakers slender and stiff above, becoming reduced dowmward;
scales large, about equal over the body; lateral line well de-
veloped, nearly straight; dorsal fin long, nearly median, some-
what in advance of ventrals, falcate, its anterior rays elevated,
often filamentous; caudal fin well forked, the lobes equal; anal
fin comparatively long and low, few-rayed; ventrals rather
short, usually with 10 rays; pectorals short, placed low; air
bladder with two chambers. Size medium or rather large.
(After Jordan and Evermann) :
55 Carpiodes thompsoni Agassiz
Lake Carp; Drum
Catostomus cyprinus THOMPSON, Hist. Vermont, 133, 1842. |
Carpiodes thompsoni AGAssiz, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 191, 1855; Corr, Proc.
Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 285, 1864; JorDAN, Man. Vert. 297, 1876; JoRDAN,
Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 198, 1878; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 119, 1883.
Body short and stout, the back strongly arched, the greatest
depth two fifths of the length to base of caudal fin; head short,
about one fourth of length, the snout acutely pointed; lips thin,
white, meeting at a wide angle; tip of lower jaw much in ad- |
vance of nostrils; maxillary reaching to below front of orbit;
eye small, about one fifth length of head; dorsal about median,
its rays considerably produced, the longest two thirds as long
as base of fin; scales rather closely imbricated, 8-389 to 41-6.
D2T ALT Ve 10. |
Abundant in the Great lakes region. Found in Lake Cham-
plain.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 99
Genus carosromus Le Sueur
Body elongate, fusiform, rounded, tapering anteriorly and
posteriorly; head long, with pointed snout; eye small, placed
high; suborbital bones narrow; fontanel present, large; mouth
rather large, inferior, upper lip thick, protractile, papillose,
lower lip greatly developed, with a broad free margin, usually
deeply incised behind, so that it forms two lobes which are often
more or less separated; mandible horizontal, short; opercles
moderate; pharyngeal bones moderate, their teeth shortish,
vertically compressed, rapidly diminishing in size upward;
scales comparatively small; typically much smaller and crowded
anteriorly; lateral line well developed, straightish; dorsal nearly
median, with from 9 to 14 rays; anal fin short and high, with
seven developed rays; ventrals inserted under the middle or
posterior part of dorsal, with 9 to 10 rays; caudal: fin forked,
the lobes nearly equal. In males the fins are higher, and the
anal is swollen and tuberculate in the spring. Air bladder with
two chambers, the posterior large. Vertebrae 45 to 47. (After
Jordan and Evermann)
56 Catostomus catostomus (Forster)
Long-nosed Sucker
Cyprinus catostonus FORSTER, Phil. Trans. LXIII, 155, tab. 6, 1773.
Catostomus hudsonius Le SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 107, 1817;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 13, 1868.
Catostomus longirostris JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 175, 1878; JorDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 126, 1883.
Catostomus nanomyzon MATHER, App. 12th Rep’t Adirondack Sury. N. Y.
36, plate, fig. 1, 1886.
Catostomus catostomus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 17, 1885; Brean, Fishes
Penna. 25, pl. 20, fig. 30, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8S.
Nat. Mus. 176, 1896, pl. XX XII, fig. 77, 1900.
The northern sucker has an elongate body, round and taper-
ing, with a long and rather slender head. The depth of the
body is contained about four and one half times in the length
and equals length of head. The*snout is much longer than in
C. teres, considerably overhanging the mouth, which is large,
with thick coarsely tuberculated lips. Eye small, two fifths as
long as the snout and one sixth as long as head; its position
100 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
in the head is exactly median. Dorsal origin equidistant from
tip of snout and base of caudal; dorsal base as long as head
without snout; longest ray one sixth of total length without
caudal, twice as long as the last ray. Distance from ventral
origin to anal origin equals length of head. Anal base one half
as long as dorsal base; longest anal ray equal to longest of
dorsal and twice as long as last ray. Ventral origin is under
middle of dorsal; the fin equal to head without snout. Pec-
toral nearly one fifth of total length without caudal. D. 10 to
11; A. 7 to 8; V. 10. Scales usually about 100 in lateral line
and in 28 rows from dorsal origin to ventral origin.
The northern sucker, long-nosed sucker, or red-sided sucker,
as the above species is styled, occurs in the Great lakes and
northwest to Alaska in clear, cold waters. It is very common
in Lake Erie. It grows to a length of 2 feet and is largest and
most abundant northward, in Alaska reaching a weight of 5
pounds. Asa food fish the long-nosed sucker is little esteemed;
but in cold countries the head and roe are used in making a
palatable soup. :
The males in the. breeding season, in spring, are profusely
covered with tubercles on the head and fins and have a broad
rosy band along the middle of the body. In the Yukon river,
Alaska, Dr Dall found the fish filled with spawn in April. The
eges are of moderate size and yellow in color. Nelson has
seen this species seined by Eskimo in brackish estuaries of
streams flowing into Kotzebue sound. W. J. Fisher has col-
lected specimens on the peninsula of Alaska. °
This was not found in Cayuga lake basin by Dr Meek, but it
occurs in the Adirondack region, and Dr Meek believes it is a
member of the Cayuga lake fauna. Dr Evermann obtained five
specimens at Grenadier island, N. Y. June 28, 1894.
The smail race found by Fred Mather in the Adirondacks is
the ordinary dwarf form characteristic of mountain regions.
He discovered four individuals, only 44 inches long, but mature
and breeding “in a little mountain brook emptying into Big
Moose nearly north of the Big Moose club house, by a bark
FISHES OF NEW YORK LOL
shanty known as ‘Pancake Hall’.” The fish were spawning,
and he discovered many eggs under the stones. The females
_ were brown with white on belly, the male with red stripe on
the side.
57 Catostomus commersonii (Lacépéde)
Common Sucker
‘Cyprinus commersonnii LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 503, 610, 1803.
Cyprinus teres MITCHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 458, 1815.
‘Catostomus teres GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 15, 1868; BEAN,
Fishes Penna. 25, 1893.
Catostomus communis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 196, pl. 33, fig. 106,
ame pallidus Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 200, pl. 33, fig. 104, 1842.
Catostomus commersoni JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1883.
COatostomus commersoniti JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
178, 1896, pl. XXXIV, fig. 83, 1900. ;
The common sucker has a moderately stout body, heavy at
the shoulders and tapering to the tail. Its greatest depth is
contained four and one half times in its length to tail, slightly
more than length of head. Head conical, flattened on top;
mouth rather large and the lips strongly papillose; dorsal fin
situated in middle of length; ventral opposite dorsal; anal far
back; second and third branched rays of dorsal highest, two
thirds the length of head; third and fourth rays of anal longest,
almost equal to length of head. D. 12; A.7; V. 9. Scales 64;
from dorsal to lateral line 9, and from lateral line to ventral,
oor 10.
The common sucker is also known as the pale sucker, white
sucker, gray sucker, brook sucker, and, among the Canadian
French, as the carpe blanche. It is the commonest member of
its genus in waters east of the Rocky mountains. It is found
from Canada to Florida and westward to Montana. Covering
such a wide range of territory, the species is naturally variable,
and has been described over and over again by many authorities
under a great variety of names. The male of this sucker in
spring has a faint rosy stripe along the middle of the side.
The young are brownish in color and somewhat mottled and
have a dark median band or a series of large blotches. The
102 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
adults are light olive varying to paler and sometimes darker;
Sides silvery.
The species reaches a length of 22 inches, and a weight of
5 pounds. It is a very common inhabitant of ponds and
streams of the lowlands, and a small race occurs in certain cold
mountain streams of the Adirondack region, where it is dwarfed
in size and changed in color but does not differ in essential
characters. Dr Rothrock also obtained a:mountain race of this
sucker in Twin lakes, Col., at an elevation of 9500 feet above
the sea level. t:
The common sucker is a very indifferent food fish in the esti-
mation of most people, but, when taken from cold waters and
in its best condition, its flesh is very palatable. It takes the
hook readily. when baited with common earthworms.
Dr Richardson says:
It is a common fish in all parts of the fur countries, abound-
ing in the rivers and even in landlocked marshes and ponds,
but preferring shallow grassy lakes with mud bottoms. In the —
beginning of summer it may be seen in numbers forcing its
way up rocky streams, and even breasting strong rapids, to
arrive at its proper Spawning places in stony rivulets; soon after-
wards it returns to the lakes. Its food, judging from the con-
tents of the stomachs of those which I opened, is chiefly soft
insects; but in one I found the fragments of a fresh-water
shell. In the winter and autumn it is common in nets, and in
the spawning season (June) may be readily speared, or even
taken by the hand in shallow streams. It is a very soft, watery
fish, but devoid of any unpleasant flavor, and is considered to
be one of the best in the country for making soup. Like its
congeners, it is singularly tenacious of life, and may be frozen
and thawed again without being killed.
Dr Meek found this species abundant throughout the entire
Cayuga lake basin, where it is known as the common white
sucker.
Dr Evermann, in his manuscripts on the fishes of Lake Ontario,
taken in 1894, mentions this sucker from the following localities:
Stony creek, Black river, Mud creek, Cape Vincent, mouth Sal-
mon river, Chaumont river, creek at Pultneyville, mouth Little
Salmon creek, Sandy creek, Long pond, Stony Island, Lakeview
FISHES OF NEW YORK 103
hotel, 7 miles northeast of Oswego, and Marsh creek. In the
St Lawrence river basin he and Barton A. Bean obtained the
young in Racket river, Norfolk N. Y., July 18 and in the St
Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17. Inthe Lake
Champlain basin these two collectors secured young and half
grown specimens in the Saranac river, at Plattsburg July 28,
1894.
The writer received specimens from Canandaigua lake in
November of 1896 and 1897, and seined the young in Bronx river
in August 1897. The small mountain form was secured from
Saranac lake in November 1897. It is conspicuous for its small
Size and its red color. The Canandaigua lake suckers, received
in November 1896, throve in captivity till July 1897, when the
warm water killed them. .
Color brownish, olivaceous above, silvery below; the young
are much blotched and marked on sides and back. It is occas-
ionally caught on the hook. Young ones, in captivity, though
they always grub about, and though they take food offered
them, do not thrive and gradually starve. They remain wild
and take alarm easily and often leap out of their tank. This
Species enters slightly brackish water. Eugene Smith
58 Catostomus nigricans Le Sueur
Hog Sucker; Stone Roller
Catosiomus nigricans LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 102, 1817;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 17, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 130, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 26, pl. 21, fig.
31, 1898; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 181, 1896;
De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 202, 1842.
Exoglossum (Hypentelium) macropterum RAFINESQUE, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sct
Phila. I, 420, pl. 17, fig. 3, 1817.
The stone roller has a peculiar physiognomy. The head is
flattened on top, the interorbital space is concave and the fron-
tal bone short, broad and thick. The body is subterete, its
depth being contained four and one third times in the length
without caudal or equal to length of head. The eye is rather
small, being contained three times in length of snout; mouth
jarge, lips well developed and strongly papillose; fins all large;
*Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proe. 1897. no. 9, p. 13-14.
14) x
104 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the dorsal base equals two thirds of length of head, while the
pectoral is considerably longer than the dorsal. Caudal moder-
ately forked; lateral line fully developed, on median line of body;
scales moderate, equal. D.11;A.7; V.9. Scales 7-52-7.
Specimen examined, no. 8446, U. S. National Museum, from
Cayuga lake, N. Y.
The stone roller has a wide distribution and a remarkable
variety of common names. Among them are; hammerhead, -
stone lugger, stone toter, crawl-a-bottom, hog molly, hog mullet,
mud sucker, hog sucker, banded sucker, large-scaied sucker, and
black sucker. The name, shoemaker, was formerly applied to
this species in Lake Erie, perhaps on account of the resemb-
lance of its color to that of shoemaker’s pitch.
Prof. Cope says that this species in Pennsylvania is most
abundant in tributaries of the Ohio and in the Susquehanna,
while in the Delaware it is uncommon. It ranges from western
New York to North Carolina and westward to Kansas. It is.
the most remarkable-looking of all the suckers of New York,
and may always easily be distinguished by the shape of its.
head. The species grows very large, reaching a length of 2 feet.
It delights in rapid streams of cold, clear water. Its habit
is to rest quietly on the bottom, where its color protects it
from observation. It is sometimes found in small schools. The
spawning season is in spring, and the young are abundant in
small creeks, as well as in the rivers. The food consists of °
insect larvae and small shells, and it is specially fitted for secur-
ing its prey under stones in the rapids.
As a food fish this sucker has little value.
Genus ERiImyzon Jordan
Body oblong, compressed; head moderate ; mouth moderate,
somewhat inferior, the upper lip well developed, freely protrac-
tile, the lower moderate, infolded, inversely V-shaped in outline,
plicate, with 12 to 20 folds on each side; lower jaw without
cartilaginous sheath, rather stronger than usual, and oblique
when the mouth is closed; eye moderate; suborbital bones well:
FISHES OF NEW YORK 105
developed, not much narrower than the fleshy part of the cheek
below them; opercular bones moderately developed, not rugose;
fontanel rather large; gill rakers rather long; pharyngeal
bones weak; the teeth quite small, slender, and weak, rapidly
diminishing in length upward, each tooth narrowly compressed,
with a cusp on the inner margin of the cutting surface; scales
rather large, more or less crowded forward; no lateral line;
dorsai fin rather short and high, rays usually 11 or 12; pectoral
fins moderate; anal fin high and short, more or less emarginate
or bilobed in adult males; caudal fin moderately forked or lunate,
its. lobes subequal. Air bladder with two chambers. (After-
Jordan and Evermann)
59 Krimyzon sucetta (Lacépéde)
Chub Sucker
Cyprinus sucetta LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 503, 606, 610, 1803.
Catostomus sucetta LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 109, 1817.
Labeo gibbosus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 194, pl. 32, fig. 101, 1842
(dorsal incorrect).
Catostomus tuberculatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 199, pl. 31, fig. 97,
1842.
Labeo esopus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 195, 1842.
Erimyzon goodei JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1878; Jornpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 184, 1888; GoopsE, Fish. and Fish.
Ind. U. S. pl. 221, 1884.
Hrimyzon sucetta (part) BEAN, Fishes Penna. 27, 1893.
Erimyzon sucetta JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 185, 1896.
The body of the chub sucker is oblong, rather deep and com-
pressed. Its depth one third of standard length. The head is
rather short; broad above, its length one fourth of total length
to caudal. The mouth is rather small and but slightly inferior,
protractile. The eye is contained five times in length of head
and slightly less than twice in its distance from tip of snout.
Dorsal short, rather high, placed in middle of length; ventrals
directly underneath; highest dorsal ray (fourth) not quite equal
to second anal ray, about two thirds of length of head; caudal
slightly forked. No lateral line. D.12 to 15; A. 7 to 8; V. I, Tf.
Scales 37 to 40; transverse 13 to 15.
The chub sucker here described is the southern form which
was first made known by Lacépéde from an individual received
106 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
from Charleston 8. C. Jordan and Evermann now give the dis-
tribution of this form as extending from Virginia to Texas. It
appears to reach a little farther northward if the references
to De Kay are properly made. His Labeo gibbos us and
esopus andthe Catostomus tuberculatus seemto
indicate the southern chub sucker.
The species reaches the length of 1 foot. It has very little
value as food, but the young furnish excellent food for the larger
fishes and are very interesting for aquarium purposes.
-
60 Erimyzon sucetta oblongus (Mitchill)
Chub Sucker; Creek Fish
Cyprinus oblongus MircHiLL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 459, 1815.
Labeo elegans DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 192, pl. 31, fig. 100, 1842.
Labeo oblongus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 198, pl. 42, fig. 1386, 1842.
Moxostoma oblongum GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, VII, 21, 1868.
Erinyzon sucetta JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 138, 1883;
GoopE, Fish. and Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 220, 1884; Bran, Fishes Penna.
27, 1893 (part):
Erimyzon sucetta oblongus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
186, 1896, pl. XXXVI, fig. 89, 1900.
The northern chub sucker has the body more slender, its
greatest depth being less than one third of the total length with-
out the caudal. The nape is less gibbous thanin E. sucetta.
The caudal peduncle is more slender, its greatest depth being
scarcely one third of the greatest depth of the body (two fifths in
sucetta). The head is small and short, the eye less than one
fifth as long as the head, the dorsal base shorter and the fins
containing fewer rays (11 in sucetta oblongus, 14 in
Succ 6.0 Leia).
This is known as the chub sucker, sweet sucker, rounded.
sucker, creekfish and mullet. It has a wide range, practically
including all the waters of the United States east of the Rocky
mountains.
The chub sucker grows to a length of about 1 foot. It is very
tenacious of life and isa ready biter, but has little value for
food. The young up to the length of several inches have a very
cistinct black lateral band. They are often found in the shelter
of water lilies and other aquatic plants close to brackish waters.
‘. = ~* =e
and
~ £2) Se
EGE eee e
Pod
FISHES OF NEW YORK 107
Dr Evermann collected two specimens in Black creek, tribu-
tary of Oswego river, at Scriba Corners N. Y. July 17, 1894. Dr
Meek found it very common about Cayuga and Montezuma N. Y.,
but did not observe it near Ithaca. In the market of New York,
according to De Kay, the chub sucker makes its appearance in
October, November and December. Specimens were seined in
Bronx river in August 1897.
‘A young example sent from near Princeton N. J. by Prof.
Ulric Dahlgren in September 1897 showed the following volun-
tary change of color. When it arrived, it had the broad, longi-
tudinal, median band well developed and the vertical bands
obsolete; but soon after it was placed in a tank it obscured the
longitudinal band entirely and developed the vertical bands.
The food of the chub sucker consists chiefly of minute crusta-
ceans, insect larvae and aquatic plants.
Genus MINYTREMA Jordan
Body rather elongate, subterete, becoming deep and rather
compressed with age; scales rather large and nearly uniform
in size; lateral line interrupted in the adult, but with perfect
tubes, imperfect in partly grown individuals, and obsolete in the
¥, young; head moderate, rather broad above; mouth moderate,
inferior, horizontal; the upper lip well developed, freely protrac-
tile; the lower rather small, infolded, inversely V-shaped in
outline, lower jaw without cartilaginous sheath; eye moderate,
rather high, nearly median; suborbital bones well developed; —
_opercular bones well developed, not very rough; fontanel
rather large; gill rakers rather long; isthmus moderate; pharyn-
geal bones essentially asin Moxostoma; dorsal fin rather
short and high, inserted somewhat nearer to tip of snout than to
base of caudal; pectoral fins moderate, placed low; anal high
and short; ventrals short, midway between tip of snout and base
of caudal; caudal fin moderately forked, the lobes equal; air
bladder with two chambers. Head in males tuberculate in
spring.
ve
108 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
61 Minytrema melanops (Rafinesque)
Striped Sucker ; Spotted Sucker ; Sand Sucker
Catostomus melanops RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 57, 1820; KirtTLAND, Bost—
Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 271, pl: 20, fig. 3, 1845.
Catostomus fasciatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 19, 1868.
Minytrema melanops JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 138, 1878; JorpDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 136, 18883; Bran, Fishes Penna.
28, pl. 21, fig. 82, 18938; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus.
187, 1896, pl. XXXVI, fig. 90, 1900.
Body oblong, robust in adults, its greatest depth one fourth
total length to base of caudal; head moderate, subconical, its
length contained about four and one half times in total length;
eye placed high and in the middle of length of head, its diameter
2 in snout, 5 in head; nostrils about over the angle of the mouth;
scales large, firm, in about 48 longitudinal and 12 or 13 trans-
verse rows; dorsal origin over tip of pectoral, its base as long
as its longest ray; ventrals nearly under middle of dorsal, length
one sixth of total; longest anal ray nearly one fifth of total;
least depth of caudal peduncle about one half the length of
head. D. 12; A. 7; V. 9. Color dusky above, coppery below,,
usually a dusky blotch behind dorsal fin; scales mostly with a
dark spot at the base, the spots forming longitudinal stripes. i
The striped sucker, also called soft sucker, sand sucker and .
black-nosed sucker, is found in the, Great lakes and south to
South Carolina and Texas. In Pennsylvania it is limited to
Lake Erie and the Ohio valley. In New York it is to be expected
in Lake Ontario and its tributaries, and should also occur in
Chautauqua lake.
The striped sucker grows to a length of 18 inches. Old males.
have the head tuberculate in the breeding season in the spring.
The species is very readily distinguished by the dark stripes:
along the sides produced by spots at the base of each scale. In
the young of this sucker there is no lateral line, but in adults.
it is almost entire.
This sucker prefers clear, sluggish waters and grassy ponds.
‘It readily adapts itself to life in the aquarium. It feeds almost
entirely on mollusks, insects and insect larvae. The species is
ballet i ete
7
“~~ + 5.
=
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EY, SEA ae Fe Re ee ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 109:
not much esteemed as a food fish, though it is sold in large
numbers.
Minytrema melanops is normally without a lateral
line, but this feature is occasionally partially developed and has
caused some confusion in assigning certain individuals to their
proper genus; indeed,.one author has described and figured the
striped sucker as two species, belonging to two different genera,
having been misled by this undeveloped character.
Genus moxosroma Rafinesque
Body moderately elongate, sometimes nearly round, usually
compressed; scales large, nearly uniform in size; lateral line com-
quete, straight or anteriorly curved; head varying in length, sub-
conical; eye usually rather large, placed moderately high; sub-
orbital bones very narrow; fontanelle well developed; mouth
varying much in size, inferior, the mandible horizontal or nearly
so; lips unusually well developed, the form of the lower varying,
usually with a slight median fissure, but never deeply incised;
lips with transverse folds which are rarely broken up to form:
papillae; jaws without cartilaginous sheath; muciferous system
well developed; opercular bones moderately developed, nearly
“smooth; isthmus broad; gill rakers weak, moderately long;
pharyngeal bones rather weak, the teeth rather coarser than in
HKrimyzon and Catostomus, strongly compressed, the
lower five or six stronger than the others, which rapidly dimin-
ish in size upward, each with a prominent internal cusp; dorsal
fin nearly median, moderately long; anal fin short and high, with
seven developed rays; caudal fin deeply forked; air bladder with
three chambers. (After Jordan and Evermann)
62 Moxostoma anisurum (Rafinesque)
White-nosed Sucker
Catostomus anisurus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 54, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bost.
Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 269, pl. 20, fig. 2, 1845; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A.
172, 1846. .
Catostomus carpio GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 20, 1868.
Myxostoma anisura JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 315, 1878; Bull. 12, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 126, 1878. ;
110 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Moxostoma anisurum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1441,
1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 28, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47.
U. S. Nat. Mus. 190, 1896. .
The body is elongate, little compressed, slightly arched ante-
riorly, its greatest depth contained three and one third times in
the length to end of scales. The head is moderate, flat and
broad above, its length less than one fourth of the total without
the caudal. Mouth slightly inferior; upper lip thin, lower
strongly V-shaped; eye large, about one half as iong as the
snout, which is rather blunt and does not project much beyond
the mouth; fins all well developed. The dorsal is large; its first
ray is as long as the base of the fin, or about seven eighths as
long as the head. Upper margin of dorsal nearly straight.
Pectorals nearly reach to ventrals; the upper caudal lobe nar-
row and longer than the lower. D.15; A. 7 to 8; V. 8. Scales
5 to 6-43 to 46-4 to 5. Here described in part from a specimen
measuring 16 inches, from Ohio.
The white-nosed sucker is found sparingly in the Ohio river
and the Great lakes region; widely distributed, but nowhere
abundant. Cuvier and Valenciennes received from Milbert a
specimen sent from Lake Ontario, measuring about 2 feet. Dr
Jordan says this is very closely related to the common red
horse, from which it can hardly be distinguished.except by its
fins. Dr Evermann collected a single specimen at Fox island,
N. Y. June 29, 1894; he also obtained a specimen, 12 inches long,
at Pointbreeze N. Y. Aug. 21, 1894, which he referg to this
species, though indicating some characters in which it differs
from the normal form of the white-nosed sucker.
63 Moxostoma aureolum (Le Sueur)
Red Horse
Catostomus aureolus L&® SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 95, 1817; DE
Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 201, pl. 42, fig. 133, 1842.
Catostomus oneida DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 198, 1842. Oneida Lake.
Catostomus duquesnii KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 268, pl. 20, fig. 1,
pl. 21, fig. 2, 1845; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 18, 1868,
Youghiogheny River, Pa.
Mozxostoma aureolum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 30, 1893; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 192, 1896.
‘oC ClC fF.
ie | ee eh.
er
FISHES OF NEW YORK Et
Body oblong, the back in front of dorsal elevated and com-
pressed, head short, conical, broad between eyes. The eye is.
rather large, one fourth length of head, which is contained five
times in total length without caudal. The depth of the body
is contained three and one half times in this length. Caudal
peduncle deep, compressed, its least depth equal to one half the
length of head; mouth small; the snout somewhat projecting;
fins all well developed; the anterior rays of dorsal longest, as
long as dorsal base, pectoral or longest anal rays, equaling
length of head; caudal forked; scales large, about equal in size
all over the body, and finely striated. D.15; A. 8. Scales 6—46
—6; lateral line complete.
The red horse has the additional names of golden red horse,
golden sucker, mullet, golden mullet, and lake mullet. It in-
habits the Great lakes and the region northward, also the Ohio
valley. It is common in Lake Erie but not in the Ohio.
This species grows to a length of 18 inches and is one of the
handsomest of the suckers. Prof. Forbes records it from lakes.
of northern Illinois, also abundantly in the central part of that.
state.
Dr Evermann, in collecting fishes of the Lake Ontario region,
secured it at the following localities: Lake Ontario, 4 miles off
Nine Mile point, N. Y. June 12, 1893; lake shore, 3 miles west of
Oswego, July 17, 1894; mouth Salmon river, July 25, 1894; Long
pond, Charlotte N. Y. Aug. 17, 1894; Sandy creek, North Hamlin
N.Y. Aug. 20, 1894.
Dr Meek identified a single specimen of the so called common
red horse of Cayuga lake with Moxostoma macrole-
pidotum, and stated, on the authority of Mr Kipp, that it
is common at the northern end. Jordan and Evermann, however,.
do not extend the range of macrolepidotum so far north,
and it is probable that the common Moxostoma of Cayuga
lake is M. aureolum.
De Kay records the species as very common in Lake Erie..
In August and September he observed them to be full of Worms.
In his New York Fauna, Fishes, p. 198, he describes a sucker or
mullet under the name Oneida sucker. This, he stated, is com--
112 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
mon in Oneida lake. The species is considered identical with
Moxostoma aureolum.. His description shows a very
close agreement with that of aureolum given above.
The food of the red horse consists chiefly of mollusks and in-
sects. It is not a choice food fish.
Eugene Smith! records this form as occurring in the vicinity
of New York city. Mention has already been made of the doubt
concerning the northern limits of the range of macrole-
pidotum; but for the sake of comparison the brief descrip-
tion of macrolepidotum published by Jordan and Eyver-
mann is given herewith. |
Head moderate, rather stout, its length four and three fifths
in body; eye one and two thirds in snout; dorsal fin with its free
edge concave; scales usually with dusky shade at base; lower
fins pale. Streams about Chesapeake and Delaware bays, and
southward to North Carolina. It seems in some respects juter-
mediate between M. aureolum and M. crassilabre,
but we can not at present identify it with either.
Family cyPRINIDAE
Carps
Genus camposroma Agassiz
Body moderately elongate, little compressed; mouth normal,
the jaws with thick lips and rudiment of a hard sheath; pre-
maxillaries protractile; no barbel; teeth 4—4, or 1, 4-4, 0, with ob-
liqgue grinding surface, and a slight hook on one or two teeth;
air bladder suspended in the abdominal cavity and entirely sur-
rounded by many convolutions of the long alimentary canal,
which is six to nine times the total length of the body; ovaries
similarly enclosed by the alimentary canal; peritoneum black;
pseudobranchiae present; scales moderate; lateral line present;
dorsal nearly over ventrals; anal short; no spines. Herbivo-
vous. Sexual differences very great, the males being covered
with large tubercles in spring. The singular arrangement of
the intestines in relation to the air bladder is peculiar to Cam-
postoma among all known fishes. (After Jordan and Ever-
mann)
—————$—
‘Linn. Soe. N. ¥Y. Proe: 1897. no; 9, p. Le
| FISHES OF NEW YORK db 18;
64 Campostoma anomalum (Rafinesque)
‘ Stone Roller; Stone Lugger
Rutilus anomalus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 52, 1820. ;
Hzoglossum dubium KirTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 272, pl. 21, fig. 1,
en dubium GunvTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 183, 1868.
Compostoma anomalum AGAssiz, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts. 218, 1855; JoRDAN &
‘ GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 149, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 82,
1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 205, 1896, pl.
XXXIX, fig. 95, 1900.
In the stone roller the body is moderately stout and not
greatly compressed; the caudal peduncle long and deep. The
greatest depth of the body is contained four to four and one
half times in the total length without the caudal; the depth of
the caudal peduncle, eight and one half to nine times in the
same length. The snout is obtuse, twice as. long as the eye, and
two fifths as long as the head. The maxilla reaches to the ver-
tical from the posterior nostril, which is more than twice as far
from tip of snout as from eye. The dorsal origin is over the
20th scale of the lateral line, and the ventral origin under the
19th. The dorsal base is one half and its longest ray two
thirds as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly to vent.
The pectoral is one sixth of total length without caudal. The
anal origin is under the 32d scale of the lateral line; the anal
base is as long as the snout, and the longest ray equal to head
not including the snout. The caudal is moderately forked. D.
8; A. 7 or 8. Scales 8-52 to 53-8; teeth 4-4.
Color in spirits brownish above, lower parts pale. In living
examples the scales are somewhat mottled with blackish, and
there is a dusky vertical bar behind the opercle; dorsal and anal
fins olivaceous in females and with a nearly median dusky cross
bar. Breeding males have the iris orange, the dorsal and anal
fins crimson, and the head and sometimes the body covered with
large roundish tubercles.
The stone roller is likewise called stone toter, stone lug-
ger, and steel-back minnow. It is a fish of very wide distribu-
‘tion, ranging from western New York to North Carolina and
throughout the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, west to Wyoming
114 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and southwest to Texas. It is an extremely variable species
and everywhere common. The species grows to the length of
eight inches. It has no importance as food for man. It feeds
on aquatic plants. The young are hardy in the aquarium, where -
they feed on confervae and diatoms. The sexes are very unlike.
The males in the breeding season have the head and frequently
the entire body covered with large tubercles and the upper half
of the dorsal and anal fins fiery orange, with a dark cross bar
about the middle of these fins.
The fish is* rather sluggish, but when frightened its move-
ments are very rapid. It is a bottom feeder.
Dr Evermann collected a moderate number of specimens at
the following New York localities: Salt brook, 14 miles above
Nine Mile point; June 11, 1893; creek, Pultneyville, Aug. 7, 1894;
Long pond, Charlotte, Aug. 17, 1894; Marsh creek, Point Breeze,
Aug. 21, 1894.
Genus cHrosomus Rafinesque
Body moderately elongate, little compressed; jaws normal;
no barbel; teeth 5-5 or 4-5, moderately hooked, with well marked
grinding surface; alimentary canal elongate, about twice as
long as body; peritoneum black; scales very small; lateral line
short or wanting; dorsal behind ventrals; anal basis short.
Size small. Colors in spring brilliant, the pigment bright red.
This genus is of somewhat doubtful relationship, and shows
many analogies with the subgenus Phoxinus under Leu-
eiscus. (After Jordan and Evermann)
65 Chrosomus erythrogaster Rafinesque
Red-bellied Dace
Lusilus erythrogaster RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 47, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bost.
Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, pl. II, fig. 2, male and female,. 1844.
Leuciscus erythrogaster GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 247, 1868.
Chrosonvus erythrogaster CopE, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. XIII, 391; JorpANn &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 153, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna, 32,
pl. 22, fig. 35, 1893; JorDAN,& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
209, 1896. | |
The red-bellied dace has a fusiform, moderately elongate and
thick body, whose greatest hight is contained from four and
FISHES OF NEW YORK 115
one fifth to five times, and the least depth of its caudal peduncle
eight and one half times, in the total length to the caudal base.
The head is conical with pointed snout as long as the eye,
which is about one fourth as long as the head. The head equals
one fourth of total length to caudal base. The maxilla reaches
nearly to below the front of the eye. The lateral line varies
in development, sometimes reaching to above the erigin of the
ventrals and continued backward even farther at intervals, but
usually not extending to ventrals. The dorsal origin is over
the space between the ventral origin and the vent; about 39
_ rows of scales between it and the nape. The dorsal base is
one half as long as the head; the longest ray equals head with-
out snout. The pectoral reaches nearly to ventral origin, and
the ventral reaches vent. The anal base is two fifths as long
as the head; the longest ray equal to longest of the dorsal.
The caudal is moderately forked, its middle rays two thirds
as long as the outer.’ D..8; A..7;) V. 8; P..12. . Seales: 18-80
to 85-10; teeth 5-5. Length of specimens described, from Yel-
low creek, 3 inches. A narrow dusky line along the top of
the back; two narrow, dark bands on the sides, the lower one
passing forward on the head to tip of snout; the space between
the bands and below bright silvery. Breeding males have the
bases of the dorsal, anal and caudal fins and the area between
the dark bands scarlet, while the body is covered with minute
tubercles, and the fins generally are vivid yellow.
The U.S. Fish Commission parties obtained this minnow at
the following localities in the Lake Ontario region: Salt brook,
13 miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Cemetery creek,
or Black river, Watertown, July 5, 1894; Long pond, Charlotte,
Aug. 17, 1894. I am unable to find a reference to this species
in the works of Mitchill and De Kay.
The red-bellied minnow or dace is found from Pennsylvania
to Dakota and Tennessee. It is abundant in small streams,
and is a strikingly beautiful fish. Aiong the sides are two
blackish bands; one beginning above the eye and extending to
the tail; another trayerses the eye and follows the lateral line
116 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
to the base of the caudal, where it ends in a black spot. The
belly and the space between the bands are bright silvery, re-
placed by scarlet red in breeding males, which have the same
color at the bases of the dorsal, caudal and anal fins. In the
hight of the breeding season the fins are bright yellow, and
the body is covered with small tubercles. According to Prof.
Cope the red-bellied minnow is not found in the Delaware, but
it occurs in the Susquehanna and is common in the streams
of western Pennsylvania. It reaches a length of 3 inches, and
is Similar in its habits to the stone roller, with which it asso-
ciates. It prefers clear streams, which have their origin in
Springs. As an aquarium fish this is scarcely excelled in beauty
and hardiness, and as a bait for the black bass it has few
superiors.
: i tase
Genus HyBOGNATHUS Agassiz
Body elongate, somewhat compressed; mouth horizontal, the
jaws normal, sharp edged; lower jaw with a slight, hard pro-
tuberance in front; no barbel; upper jaw protractile; teeth
4-4, cultriform, with oblique grinding surface and little if any
hook; alimentary canal elongate, three to 10 times the length
of the body; peritoneum black; scales large; lateral line con-
tinuous; dorsal inserted before ventrals; anal basis short.
Size moderate. Sexual changes very slight, no red or black
pigment distinguishing the males in spring. Species numerous,
mostly southwestern, not well known.
7. , | 66 Hybognathus nuchalis Agassiz
Silvery Minnow
Hybognathus nuchalis Acassiz, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts. 224, 1855; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 184, 1868; JorpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 156, 1893; Bran, Fishes Penna. 33, 1893; JORDAN &
EXVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1896.
Hybognathus regius GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 209, 1856; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 185, 1868.
Hybognathus osmerinus Core, Proc. Am. Phil. See. Phila. 466, 1870 (Raritan
river, N. J.).
Body moderately stout and short, its greatest depth equaling
one fourth of the total length without the caudal, and the least
FISHES OF NEW YORK 117
depth of the caudal peduncle equaling nearly one half of the
greatest depth of the body; body compressed, its greatest width
less than one half its hight. Head short, its upper and lower
profiles tapering equally into the short and not very obtuse
snout, which is as long as the eye, and three elevenths as long
as the head. Mouth small, slightly oblique, the jaws nearly
equal, or the lower slightly included, the maxilla without a
barbel, and reaching to below the anterior nostril. The dorsal
origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 12th scale of
the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the
head; the longest dorsal ray equals the distance from the
nostril to the end of the operculum, and the last ray is less than
one half as long as the longest. The ventral does not reach
to the vent; its length two thirds that of the head. The anal
origin is under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the anal base
is scarcely as long as the postorbital part of the head; the last
anal ray is one third, and the longest anal ray two thirds, as
long as the head. The pectoral is four fifths as long as the
head, and reaches to below the 11th scale of the lateral line.
The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked, the middle rays
less than one half as long as the external rays. D. ii, 7; A. ii,
7; V.8; P.15. Scales 6—88 to 39—4; teeth 4—4 long, much com-
pressed, and with a long oblique grinding surface. Intestines
seven to 10 times as long as the body. The lateral line is
: gently decurved on about the first six scales, thence straight
and median to the root of the caudal fin. Color in spirits light
brown with a broad silvery band, the fins all pale. Olivaceous
green above, translucent in life; sides silvery, with bright
reflections; fins unspotted. Length 4 to 7 inches.
The silvery minnow, or blunt jaw, is found in clear streams
from New York to Georgia and Texas, west to the upper
Missouri. In the Potomac river occurs a large variety which
reaches a length of 7 inches. This variety has a larger eye and
a deeper body than the western form. |
The U. S. Fish Commission collectors in the Lake Ontario
region obtained specimens at the following localities: Salt.
118 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM’
brook, 13 miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Mull
creek, Sacketts Harbor,July 2,1894; Cemetery creek Watertown,
July 5, 1894. The fish was most abundant at Mill creek.
The fish spawns in the early spring. It is extensively used
for food along with the Notropis hudsonius, the so
called “smelt” or “ gudgeon.” It takes the hook very freely
during the spawning season.
Genus PIMEPHALES Rafinesque
Body rather robust, little compressed; head short and
rounded, mouth small, inferior; upper jaw protractile; no
barbel; teeth 4-4, with oblique grinding surface, usually only
one of the teeth hooked; dorsal over ventrals, its first (rudi-
mentary) ray separated from the rest by membrane, not joined
to them as usual in minnows, this character most distinct in
adult males, in which the skin of the first ray is thickened; anal
basis short; intestinal canal elongate; peritoneum black;
pseudobranchiae present; scales rather small; lateral line com-
plete or variously incomplete. Size small. Breeding males with
much black pigment and with large warts on the head. (After
Jordan and Evermann)
67 Pimephales promelas Rafinesque
Fathead ; Blackhead Minnow
Pimephales promelas RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 53, 1820; KirrLAnp, Bost.
Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 475, pl. 27, fig.2, 1841; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 166,
1846; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 181, 1868; Jorpan & Gr-
BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 158, 1883; Bran, Fishes Penna. 35,
1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 217, 1896.
The fathead minnow has a short, deep and moderately thick
body, and the head short with a very obtuse snout. The greatest
depth of the body is equal to or slightly greater than length of
head and is contained from three and two thirds to four and one
fourth times in total length without caudal. The least depth of
the caudal peduncle equals the length of postorbital part of the
head. The head forms about one fourth of the total length to
base of caudal; the width of the head equals two thirds of its
length, The eye is as long as the snout and two ninths as long
FISHES OF NEW YORK 119
as the head. The mouth is very small, terminal, slightly oblique;
the maxilla not reaching vertical through hinder nostril. The
dorsal origin is above, and the ventral origin below the 21st
scale of the lateral line.’ The dorsal base is two thirds as long
as the head; the first ray is about as long as the eye, and the
longest as long as the head without the snout. The ventral
reaches a little beyond the anal origin; its length equal to dorsal
base. The anal base equals nearly one half the length of head,
and the longest ray is as long as the dorsal base. The caudal
is moderate and not deeply forked. The lateral line is con-
tinuous on about 20 to 28 scales, and in one specimen continued
with interruptions almost to the caudal base. D.1,8; A.i, 7; V.
8; P. 18. Scales 9-45 to 49-6; teeth 4-4. Length of specimens
described, 3 inches. Color in spirits light brown, top and sides
of head darker. A broad dark band on the base of the dorsal,
most distinct anteriorly and sometimes absent behind. Males
in spring are dusky, with black head and the snout and chin
with numerous coarse tubercles.
The fathead or blackhead is an inhabitant of the Ohio valley,
and the Great lakes region west to Dakota and southwest to
Texas. It is common in sluggish brooks, and instances have
been known of its distribution by the action of cyclones. In
Pennsylvania it is common in tributaries of the Ohio.
The U. S. Fish Commission has obtained specimens from the
fellowing localities in the basin of Lake Ontario: Salt brook,
1$ miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Mill creek, Sack-
ett Harbor, July 2, 1894; Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27,
1894, where the greatest number of individuals was taken. Dr
Meek says it is not very common in Cayuga lake, but is easily
distinguished from the other minnows by its very long intes-
tines. ;
The fathead grows to a length of 24 inches. The sexes differ
in color, the females being olivaceous, while the males are dusky
and in the spring have the head black and the snout covered
with numerous large, tubercles. The species has no value as
food, but is an interesting one for the aquarium. Its food con-
sists of mud and algae, and it seems to prefer a muddy bottom,
SSR EEN
MATIC
em i
eI ea
120 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
68 Pimephales notatus (Rafinesque)
Blunt-nosed Minnow ; Spotted Minnow
Minnilus notatus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 47, 1820.
Hyborhynchus notatus Corr, Trans. Am. Phil. Soe. XIII, 392, pl. 18, fig. 5,
1866 (the separate); GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 182, 1868;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 159, 1883.
Pimephales notatus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 22, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
36, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1896.
The blunt-nosed minnow has a moderately elongate body and
a Slender caudal peduncle. The head is somewhat conical with
a short and blunt snout. The greatest depth of the body nearly
equals length of head and is two ninths of the total length
without caudal. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals
about one half of greatest depth of body. The snout is as long
as the eye and one fourth as long as the head. The mouth is
very small, inferior, nearly horizontal, the maxilla reaching to
below the anterior nostril and provided with a short, thick,
somewhat club-shaped barbel. The dorsal origin is slightly be-
hind the ventral origin and over the 17th scale of the lateral
line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head, and
about equal to the longest ray. The ventral origin is under the
16th scale of the lateral line; the fin does not reach to the vent.
The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the lateral line; the
base of the anal is two fifths as long as the head, and the longest
ray is equal to the postorbital part of the head. The caudal is
moderately large and forked. The lateral line curves very
slightly downward as far as the ventral origin and then follows
straight along the median line; it is complete. D. 1, 8; A. i, 7;
V.8; P.15. Scales 6-42 to 45-5; teeth 4-4. Length of specimens
described, 3 inches. Color in spirits light brown; the fins except
the dorsal paler. A black spot about as large as the eye on
the front of the dorsal. In life the sides are bluish. Breed-
ing males have the black on the dorsal continued backward on
the membrane covering the rays and the head black, while the
snout has about 14 to 17 large, pointed tubercles. A dusky
shade sometimes present at base of caudal.
. ia
FISHES OF NEW YORK Tt
The blunt-nosed minnow is a larger species than the fathead,
reaching a length of 4 inches, and its range extends from Quebec
to Delaware, west to Kansas and south to Mississippi.
B. W. Evermann and B. A. Bean obtained it for the U. 8. Fish
Commission in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdens-
burg, July 17, 1894, in abundance. They found it common also
at Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. J uly 19, 1894. In the Lake On-
tario region the Fish Commission collected the species at Cape
Vincent, Grenadier island, Sacketts Harbor, Pointbreeze, Hunt-
ingtonville, Charlotte, Stony Island, Pultneyville, Chaumont,
Henderson bay, and Salt brook. Livingston Stone obtained the
fish at Cape Vincent in the St Lawrence river, and presented it to
the state museum at Albany. It is found in large numbers in the
southern end of Cayuga lake, and in streams on the flats. Not
very abundant at the northern end of the lake and in streams
near Ithaca, above the falls, according to the records of Dr Seth
E. Meek. ne
The blunt-nosed minnow differs from the fathead in its
larger size and in having a complete lateral line, but the sexual
differences are similar in the two species. The males in spring
have the head black and the snout with many large tubercles.
The species is extremely variable and changes greatly with age.
It frequents small and muddy streams, and its food consists of
decaying vegetable matter.
Genus sEmMo7vTiLus Rafinesque
Body stout, moderately compressed and elongate; mouth ter-
minal, wide, the upper jaw protractile; a small barbel just above
the end of the maxillary; in most American minnows the barbel
is at its tip; the maxillary barbel sometimes absent in young
individuals; teeth 2, 5-4, 2, hooked, without grinding surface;
scales rather large; lateral line complete; a short intestinal
canal; dorsal placed behind ventrals; base of anal short.
Vertebrae 22+20—42. Fishes of large size in clear, swift
streams from Canada to Virginia, west to Missouri and
Wyoming.
22, | NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM
)
69 Semotilus bullaris (Rafinesque)
Fatlfish; Wind Fish; Dace; Chivm; Silver Chub
Cyprinus bullaris RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817.
Cyprinus corporalis Mircentitt, Amer. Month. Mag. IJ, 324, Mar. 1818.
Previous notice in same work, vol. I, 289, July, 1817, insufficient to
hold name. The Corporaalen of the Dutch, moreover, was the striped
species, atromaculatus.
Semotilus bullaris JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 1, 1876; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 222, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 50, pl. 24, fig.
41, 1893; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 228, upper figure, 1884.
Leuciscus nitidus DEKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 209, pl. 33, fig. 105, 1842,
Lake Champlain.
Leuciscus chrysopterus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 211, pl. 30, fig. 95
(poor), 1842, harbor of New York.
Semotilus corporalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 221,
1896.
The fallfish has a moderately deep, elongate and compressed
body and a stout caudal peduncle. The greatest depth is one
fourth of the total length without caudal, and the least depth
of the peduncle equals three eighths of length of head. The
head is rather large, one fourth of total without caudal, with
pointed snout, which is two sevenths of the head’s length. The
mouth is oblique; the jaws nearly equal, the maxilla extending
to below front of eye. The eye is placed high and is about one
fourth as long as the head. The dorsal origin is over the 16th
or 17th scale of the lateral line; the base of the fin is one half,
and the longest ray two thirds as long as the head. The ventral
origin is under the 15th scale of the lateral line; the fin does not
reach to the vent, its length one seventh of total without caudal.
The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the lateral line; the
base of the fin is one third as long as the head, and the longest
ray is as long as the ventral. The caudal is large and deeply
forked. The lateral line curves downward abruptly over the
pectoral, becoming median over the end of that fin. D. ii, 7;
A. li, 7; V. 8; P.18. Scales 7—46—5; teeth 2, 5—4, 2 or 2, 4—
4,2, all more or less strongly hooked. In spirits the upper parts
are grayish brown, the sides and cheeks silvery, the lower parts
whitish, the fins all pale. In life the upper parts are steel blue,
the sides and belly silvery; breeding males in spring have the
FISHES OF NEW YORK 123
belly and lower fins rosy. The specimens described, no. 9202,
U.S. National Museum, are from 54 to 6+ inches long.
The fallfish or dace ts one of the largest of the minnow family
in New York, reaching a length of 18 inches, and it is one of the
most beautiful species as well as game in its qualities. Asa
food fish, however, this is not greatly esteemed. It is extremely
common in the Delaware river and its tributaries and moder-
ately abundant in the Susquehanna. The fallfish is found from
Quebec to Virginia. Mitchill had it from the Wallkill river and
knew of its occurrence in the Hudson, near Albany. Rafinesque
recorded it from the Fishkill and other tributaries of the Hud-
son. De Kay knew it from Lake Champlain and from New York
harbor. Evermann and Bean collected it in Scioto creek, at
Coopersville, and in Saranac river, at Plattsburg, in July 1894;
also in Racquette river, at Norfolk, and the St Lawrence river, 3
miles below Ogdensburg, in the same month.
In the Lake Ontario basin the U. 8S. Fish Commission parties
found it at Sacket Harbor, Centerville, Watertown, Oswego,
Webster, Charlotte, Belleville, Henderson bay, Henderson Har-
bor, and Salt brook, near Nine Mile point.
The fallfish delights in rapid, rocky portions of large streams
and in the deep channels. On being hooked, it fights desper-
ately for a short time, but its resistance is soon overcome.
Thoreau describes it as a soft fish with a taste like brown paper
salted, yet the boy fishermen will continue to covet and admire
this handsome and ubiquitous representative of the minnow
family. A colored plate of the fish, natural size, appears in the
3d Annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and
Forest of the State of New York, 1898, facing p. 146. There is
also a good account of the fish by A. N. Cheney on p. 244 and
245 of the same report.
70 Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill)
Horned Dace; Chub
Cyprinus atromaculatus Mircuitt, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 324, Mar. 1818;
Wallkill river. |
Leuciscus atromaculatus DE IAy, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 210, pl. 32, fig. 102,
1842.
124 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Semotilus corporalis Corr, Jour. Am. Phil. Soc. XIII, 362, pl. 10, fig. 2,
(the separate), 1866; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 221,
1883; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 228, lower figure, 1884.
Leucosomus corporalis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 269, 1868.
Semotilus atromaculatus BICKNELL & DRESSLAR, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila.
16, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 51, 1893; JornpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 222, 1896; pl. XL, fig. 100, 1900.
The chub has a slender and moderately elongate body, its
greatest hight immediately in front of the ventrals, about equal
to the length of the head without the snout and contained from
four to nearly five times in the total length without the caudal. —
The greatest thickness of the body is about two thirds of its
greatest hight. The head is thicker than the body and rather
short with an obtuse and moderately declivous snout, whose
length is about two sevenths of that of the head and consider-
ably greater than the diameter of the eye. The eye is rather
small, placed high, its diameter nearly one fifth of the length of
the head and scarcely more than one half of the space between
the eyes. The mouth is moderate, very slightly oblique, the
jaws subequal or the lower slightly included; the end of the
maxilla reaches very slightly past the vertical through the front
of the eye. Maxillary barbel not evident in this example,
though usually present in large individuals. The lateral line is
abruptly bent downward over the first half of the pectoral,
straight and nearly median during the rest of its course. The
origin of the dorsal is over the 27th scale of the lateral line,
and the ventral origin is under the 24th scale. The length of
the dorsal base equals the combined length of the eye and snout.
The first divided ray is the longest; its length two thirds that
of the head. The last ray is one half as long as the longest.
The ventral does not reach to the vent; its length scarcely
greater than the postorbital part of the head. The anal origin
is under the 37th scale of the lateral line; the length of the anal
base is a little more than one third that of the head, and the
longest anal ray equals the postorbital part of the head. The
tail is rather slender, the least depth of the caudal peduncle.
equaling one half the greatest depth and the distance of the
anal from the origin of the middle caudal rays nearly equal to
FISHES OF NEW YORK 125
the length of the head. , The pectoral when extended reaches
to below the 16th scale of the lateral line. The caudal is mod-
erate in size and not very deeply forked, its middle rays being
about two thirds as long as the external rays. D. ii, 7; A. iii, 8;
V.8;P.15. Scales 958—6. Teeth of right side 2+5; of left side
244. Those of the left side strongly and those of the right
side less strongly hooked. Teeth of the upper row with a well
developed grinding surface.
The length of the specimen described, no. 21661, U. S. National
Museum, from the Susquehanna river at Bainbridge Pa., is 44
inches.
The color is bluish brown above; sides with a distinct dusky
band, not so wide as the eye and becoming obsolete in the adult.
Young specimens have the end of this band more pronounced,
forming a black spot at the base of the caudal. A small black
spot always present on the front of the base of the dorsal, its
Size in the specimen described being about two thirds of that
of the eye. In life the belly is whitish. Breeding males have
the belly rose tinted and the black dorsal spot bordered with
red; they have, also, rather large tubercles on the snout.
The common chub, creek chub, smaller fallfish or horned dace
has a wider distribution than S. bullaris, but it does not
grow quite so large, seldom exceeding 1 foot in length. Its
range extends from New England to Missouri, southward to
Georgia and Alabama. It is extremely common and ascends
the small streams. |
The U. 8S. Fish Commission collectors in 1894 took numerous
specimens at the following localities: Sacketts Harbor, July 2;
Centerville, July 24; Watertown, July 5; Oswego, July 25;
Webster, Aug. 9; Charlotte, Aug. 17; Belleville, July 12; Hen-
derson bay, July 4; Henderson Harbor, July 3, and Salt brook,
1 miles above Nine Mile point, June 10 and 11, 1893.
Dr Meek reported it as abundant throughout the Cayuga lake
basin. Large examples are found in Canandaigua lake. One of
them measured 14 inches in July 1897. The fish is killed by
126 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
warm water. The food in captivity includes hard clam, earth-
worms, and, occasionally, live killifish. :
A. N. Cheney refers to this species on page 245 of the 8d
Annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and Forest
of the State of New York. —
In Pennsylvania it is the commonest minnow in the Allegheny
and Susquehanna basins and is sufficiently common in the Dela-
ware. According to Prof. Cope it reaches 4 pounds in weight
and is a fair food fish. )
This species is more characteristic of the small streams and
clear- ponds and it takes the hook very freely; but its proper
mission is to serve as bait for the larger and choicer fishes.
Genus rinca Cuvier
Pseudobranchiae minute; mouth anterior; lips thick but desti-
tute of any horny covering; barbels two, one at either angle of
the mouth; pharyngeal teeth in one row,4 or 5-5 or 4,cuneiform,
with a slightly hooked extremity; gill rakers short and lanceo-
late; dorsal fin rather short, commencing slightly behind the
origin of the ventral; anal short; caudal slightly emarginate;
scales small, embedded in a thick Skin and covered with mucus.
Lateral line complete. (After Day)
71 Tinea tinca (Linnaeus)
Tench (Introduced)
Cyprinus tinca LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 321, 1758; LACEPEDE, Hist.
Nat. Poiss. V, 491, 533, 1800.
Tinca vulgaris CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 322, pl.
484, 1842; HECKEL & KNER, Stissw. Fische, 75, fig. a 1858; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 264, 1868.
Tinca tinca JORDAN & HVERMANN, Check List Fishes N. A. 512 1896.
B: 3;_D. 12 to 13 (8 or 9 developed); P. 17; V.9=10; 3A) oie:
Scales 30 to 31—90 to 115. Length of head four and one third
to four and three fourths; hight of body three and three fourths
to four and one fourth in the total length including caudal. Eye
six and one half to seven and one half in length of head; two
and one fourth in length of snout; two to two and one fourth in
distance between eyes. Interorbital space flat. The thickness
FISHES OF NEW YORK 127
of the head equals its length exclusive of the snout. Snout
obtuse; mouth anterior, jaws anteriorly of the same length, gape
wide, cleft rather shallow; the maxilla reaches to beneath the
posterior nostril; lips thick. Dorsal origin over the end of the
ventral base, and the fin extends almost to above the anal
origin; all the fins rounded. In the males the first or even more
of the ventral rays are thicker than in the female. - Lateral line
gradually descending to about the middle of the length, thence
proceeding straight to the base of caudal. Leaden or greenish,
lightest beneath; fins blackish.
The tench has been introduced into the United States. An
individual taken in the Potomae river near Washington D. C.
has a grinding surface well developed on the pharyngeal teeth,
a character concerning which no mention is made in the current
descriptions. ;
The tench now extends throughout the fresh waters of Europe
into those of Asia Minor. Its northern limit is said to be in
Finland. It may or may not be native to England. The species
prefers still waters in which aquatic plants abound. It is very
tenacious of life and has been observed to live a whole day out
of water. Its food consists of insects, larvae, worms, and vege-
table substances.
Spawning takes place in June and July. The eggs are small
and adhesive. The rate of growth is rather rapid under favor-
able circumstances, the voung having attained toa weight of
1 pound in their first year. Individuals of the weight of 10 or
11 pounds are recorded, and Salvianus mentioned a tench of
20 pounds. As for the quality of its flesh, opinions differ, some
persons considering it unpalatable, while others regard it as
delicious and wholesome.
Genus Leucriscus Cuvier
Body oblong, compressed or robust, covered with moderate or
small scales; lateral line decurved, complete, or variously im-
perfect; mouth usually large and terminal, the lips normal, with-
out barbel; teeth mostly 2, 5-4, 2 (in American species some
128 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
times 1, 5-4, 2, or even by atrophy, 1, 4—4, 1) usually 2, 5-5, 2 in
the European type, hooked, with rather narrow grinding sur-
face or none; anal basis short or more or less elongate; dorsal
fin posterior, usually behind ventrals; intestinal canal short.
Size generally large, some species very small. Avery large
group, one of the largest current genera in ichthyology, repre-
sented by numerous species in the rivers of Europe, Asia, and
North America. .. Individual irregularities in dentition are
common in this genus.
The typical species of the genus, Leuciscus leuciseus,
is the common dace or vandoise of Europe, and differs greatly
from any of the American forms. The presence of various inter-
mediate species, however, makes it impossible to draw any satis-
factory line between the dace, Le uciscus, on the one hand,
and such extreme forms as the long-mouthed minnows,
Clinostomus, on the other.
Clinostomus is a peculiar group of small, fine-scaled
minnows, with the gape of the mouth larger than in any other
Cyprinidae whatever. The relationship of the species to
those called Richardsonius is however very close. (After
Jordan and Evermann)
Subgenus ciinosromus Girard
72 Leuciscus elongatus (Kirtland)
Red-sided. Shiner
Luxilus elongatus IXIRKLAND, Rep’t Zool. Ohio, 169, 1886; Bost. Jour. Nat.
Hist, LIL .339 , pl. IV, fig. 1, 1841.
Leuciscus proriger GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 245, 1868.
Squalius elongatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 232, 18883.
Phozinus elongatus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 52, 1898.
Leuciscus elongatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214, 1842; Sng Syn.
Fish, N. A. 161, 1846; Guntuer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 245, 1868;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 240, 1896.
The red-sided shiner has an elongate fusiform body, its great-
est depth two ninths of the total length without the caudal, its
greatest width nearly one half of its depth. The caudal ped-
uncle is long and slender, its least depth two fifths of greatest
FISHES OF NEW YORK 129
depth of body. ‘The head is large, two sevenths of total length
without the caudal, with long pointed snout and wide mouth.
The snout is as long as the eye and two sevenths as long as the
head. The width of the interorbital space is about equal to the
diameter of the eye. The lower jaw projects strongly. The
maxilla reaches to below the middle of the eye. The gill open-
ings are wide, the membranes separated by a very narrow
isthmus. The dorsal origin is over the 25th scale of the lateral
line; the base of the fin is two fifths as long as the head; the
longest ray is as long as the head without the snout; the last
ray is about half as long as the longest. The ventral origin is
under the 23d scale of the lateral line; the fin extends to the
vent, equaling length of eye and snout combined. The anal
origin is under the 37th scale of the lateral line; the anal base
is two fifths as long as the head; the longest ray twice as long
- as the last ray and one fourth of its distance from the tip of
the snout. The caudal is large and deeply forked. The pectoral
is two thirds as long as the head, extending to below the 17th
scale of the lateral line. The lateral line is abruptly decurved
over the anterior half of the pectoral. D. iii, 7; A. iti, 7; V. 8;
P.14. Scales 12-63-7 (sometimes 102% 0—5); teeth 2, 5-5, 2, hooked,
some of them with a narrow grinding surface. In spirits the
color is dark brown; a narrow dark stripe along the middle of
the side extending on the head and around the snout; the fins
are pale. In life the back is dark bluish, the belly silvery; breed-
ing males have the first half of the lateral stripe crimson and
the belly and lower fins rosy. The specimen described, number
8467, U. S. National Museum, from Meadville, Pa., is 3 inches
long.
The red-sided shiner is found from Pennsylvania to Minne-
sota; abundant in clear streams of the Great lakes region and
the upper Mississippi valley. In the Lake Ontario basin the
U. S. Fish Commission collectors obtained it in the following
localities in 1894: Spring brook, Pulaski, July 24; Wart creek,
July 24; Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27,
130 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Subgenus pHoxius Rafinesque
ma ; - x
(3 Leuciscus margarita (Cope)
Pearl Minnow
Clinostomus margarita CoPpE, Cypr. Penn. 377, pl. 18, fig. 1, 1866.
Squalius margaritus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 235,
1883.
Phorinus margaritus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 53, 1898."
Leuciscus margarita GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V II, 246, 1868; Jorpan
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 241, 1896.
Muzzle obtuse, mouth oblique, scarcely attaining the line of
the anterior margin of the orbit; head four times in body to
base of caudal fin, equal to greatest depth; eye three fourths its
diameter from end of muzzle, and equal to postero-inferior mar-
gin of operculum. Scales less exposed on anterior than on
posterior regions: 11-58-8 to 9. The lateral line is discon-
tinued 5 to 8 scales anterior to the caudal fin. Pharyngeal teeth
slender, 2, 5-4, 2. Dorsal originating behind origin of ven-
trals, 1,85 A. 1-8; V.S8, extending three fourths from its origin
to the anus; P. 17, reaching two thirds way to ventrals.
Lines
From origin of caudal’to first dorsal ray 4. 222.) eae Maris =
From first dorsal ray to hind margin of orbit............ 9.5
From first dorsaliray ‘to end jor muzale a. 2 2 eee + DSRS Eo
Krom trst-analray io caudal bases 2 (20.03. 2 ee eee 8
From end. of muzzle to base ot ventrals.. oa": eee 12
Total length, 2 inches 6 lines.
Coloration above light olive, without dorsal line, but darker
shade at origin of dorsal fin with a minute slaty dusting and a
few lateral speckles of the same. Sides to halfway above the
lateral line and opercula plumbeous silvery; below bright crim-
son (in midsummer) to lower margins of pectoral and ventral
fins; median line below straw-colored. Muzzle blackish; fins un-
spotted. (After Cope) |
The pearl minnow was supposed to be limited to the Susaue-
hanna river and its tributaries, but it is now known southward
to the James and the head waters of the Kanawha, and has
FISHES OF NEW YORK 131
been reported, somewhat doubtfully, from Cemetery creek, at
Watertown N. Y. by Dr Evermann.
It is a stout-bodied little species, growing to a length of 3
inches. :
Genus 1pus Heckel
Pharyngeal teeth in two series, 3, 5-5, 3, four of those in the
principal row laterally compressed and hooked at the tips; lat-
eral line complete; eyes small. Scales small; dorsal and anal fins
short, without thickened anterior rays; mouth small, terminal,
oblique.
74 Idus idus (Linnaeus)
Golden Ide (Introduced)
Cyprinus idus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 324, 1758.
Leuciscus idus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVII, 228, 1844;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 229, 1868.
Idus melanotus HECKEL & KNER, Siissw. Fische, 147, figs. 77, 78, 1858.
Idus idus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check List Fishes N. A. 512, 1896.
Body moderately elongated and compressed; least hight of
caudal peduncle two fifths of greatest depth of body, which is
two sevenths of total length without caudal; length of head
one fourth of total length without caudal; gye large, four times
in head and twice in interorbital distance, about as long as the
snout; mouth small; jaws equal in length, the maxillary reach-
ing to below the posterior nostril; pharyngeal teeth 5, 3-8, 5,
hooked, not serrated; dorsal outline almost regularly arched,
similar to ventral outline, top of head slightly flattened; dorsal
origin at, or somewhat behind, the middle of the length, directly
over the origin of the ventral, its hight nearly equal to length of
head; ventrals in advance of dorsal, and extending to the vent;
pectorals short, not reaching to ventrals; caudal deeply forked,
its lobes equal; lateral line decurved, its second half well below
the ‘median line. Vertebrae 26+21 = 47. Reaches a length of
18 or 20 inches and the weight of 6 pounds. D. 11-12; A.
13-14; V. 10. Scales 9 or 10-56 to 59-7, four and one half
series between the lateral line and ventral fin.
A variety known as the golden ide, orfe, or gold nerfling has
been introduced, for ornamental purposes, into American ponds.
1382 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The back and sides are vermilion or orange red; belly silvery;
a broad indistinct band of violet tint runs longitudinally to the
tail, and divides the deep red of the back from the pale tint
of the lower parts; all fins red at base and pale at tips; iris —
golden red, with a black pupil. | |
Genus aBrRamis Cuvier
Subgenus noremiconus Rafinesque
Body subelliptic, strongly compressed, both back and belly
curved; back narrowly compressed, almost carinated; belly be-
hind ventral fins forming a keel over which the scales do not
pass. Head small, conic; mouth small, oblique or horizontal,
without barbels; scales rather large; lateral line continuous,
strongly decurved; dorsal fin inserted behind the ventrals; anal
fin with its base more or less elongate; teeth 5-5, hooked, with
erinding surface, the edges more or less crenate or serrate;
alimentary canal short, though rather longer than the body;
size rather large.
Several species, one of them in coastwise fresh waters from
Nova Scotia to Maryland, west to Dakota; another in rivers of
the South Atlantic states and south to Texas. A peculiar form
in Central park, New York city.
75 Abramis crysoleucas (Mitchill)
Roach; Golden Shiner
Cyprinus crysoleucas MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 23, 1814.
Cyprinus hemiplus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 121, Dee. 1817.
Lake George, Lake Saratoga. 2
Abramis versicolor DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 191, pl. 32, fig. 108, 1842.
Stilbe chrysoleucas DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 204, pl, 29, fig. 91, 1842.
Abramis americanus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 305, 1868. —
Notemigonus chrysoleucas JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. —
250, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 53, pl. 24, fig. 42, 1893. |
Abramis crysoleucas JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 250,
1896, pl. XLV, fig. 111, 1900.
The body of the roach is compressed, the back elevated and
the head depressed and very small. The depth of the body is
one third of the total length without the caudal; the head is con-
tained four and two third times in this length. The eye is
FISHES OF NEW YORK 13
contained three and one half times in the length of the head.
The mouth is small, oblique, the maxillary not reaching to ver-
tical through front of eye. The dorsal fin is much higher than
long; its base is equal to the least depth of the caudal peduncle
or twice the diameter of the eye, situated on middle of body.
opposite the space between the ventral and anal fins. Anal
longer than dorsal, its longest ray slightly exceeding the length
of the base. Caudal forked. Lateral line much decurved on
lower half of body behind pectorals. D. 8; A. 13. Scales
10-53-38. Teeth 5-5, hooked and with grinding surface.
The roach, shiner, golden shiner or bream is one of the com-
monest fishes of the eastern states. It is found from New
England to Minnesota and southward. A variety of the roach
replaces the common northern form from North Carolina to
Texas.
Evermann and Bean obtained it at Rouse Point N. Y. and in
Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. July 19, 1894. In the Lake
Ontario basin, the U. S. Fish Commission has it from:
Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point June 11, 1893
Cape Vincent ; June 21, 1894
Grenadier island June 27, 1894
Black river, Huntingtonville July 5,1894
Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7,1894
Chaumont river July 10, 1894
Black creek, Scriba Corners July 17,1894
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25,1894
Dr Meek secured it in sluggish water on the flats near Ithaca.
The roach is abundant in the lakes of Central park and in the
Bronx; it was not found in the large lake of Prospect park,
Brooklyn.
Eugene Smith records its occurrence in the vicinity of New
York associated with the common sunfish, killies, and catfish.
The roach grows to a length of 1 foot and a weight of 14
pounds. It frequents sluggish waters, abounding in bayous and
weedy ponds, as well as in tidal waters. According to Jordan,
134 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
its favorite shelter is the yellow pond lily. It may be readily
distinguished by its shape, which resembles that of the shad,.
and by the very long anal fin, which contains from 14 to 17 rays.
The colors of this fish are greenish above and the sides silvery
with golden reflections. Fins usually yellowish; lower fins scar-
let in breeding males.
Though the roach is not a good food fish, it is taken by the
hook in large numbers and is a very useful species for bait.
The roach, writes Eugene Smith, is an active fish and lives.
well in the aquarium, becoming very familiar with its keeper.
Owing to the small size of its gullet, the smaller individuals:
will at length starve unless their food is much comminuted.
The fish spawned in captivity in May, and early in December of
the same year the young were 14 inches long. The adults do not
like earthworms, but feed freely on chopped hard clams. |
76 Abramis chrysoleucas roseus subsp. nov.
Irish Roach; Pearl Roach
Abramis crysoleucas subspecies, BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. N. Y.
IX, 334, 1897.
The “Irish roach” or “pearl roach” of a lake in Central
park, New York city, is even more distinct from the typical
northern roach than is the subspecies bosci of the rivers of
ihe South Atlantic states, and should receive a name. ‘This.
form is readily distinguished from A. crysoleucas by its
short and deep body, uniform size of scales on all parts of the
body, and the permanent vermilion color of the pectoral, ventral,
and anal fins. An example studied in the New York aquarium
has D. i, 7; A. i, 12; V. i. 8, scales 10-48-4; teeth 5-5, hooked,
crenate, and with a grinding surface. The lateral line appar-
ently is not so strongly decurved asin A. crysoleuca S.
This is a beautiful fish and extremely shy in captivity. Two
females and a male were ready to spawn in the aquarium
about the end of June 1896. The females cast their eggs, but
they were immediately eaten by the fish.
Mh Ce ee eee ee ee ee le ee
Se FISHES OF NEW YORK | 135
Genus norroris Rafinesque
Body oblong or elongate, m~re or less compressed; mouth nor-
mal, mostly terminal and oblique, sometimes subinferior; no
barbels; teeth in one or two rows, those of the larger row
always 4-4, hooked, sharp edged, or with a narrow grinding
surface; scales large, often closely imbricated, those before the
dorsal rarely very small; lateral line complete or nearly so,
usually decurved; dorsal fin inserted above, or more usually
behind, the ventrals; anal fin short or moderately long; abdomen
rounded, never sharp edged. Coloration more or less silvery,
often brilliant, the males in spring usually with red or white
pigment and the head with small tubercles. A very large group
of small fishes, specially characteristic of the fresh waters of
the eastern United States, containing about 100 species, many
of them characterized by extensive individual variations. (After
Jordan and Evermann) |
77 Notropis bifrenatus (Cope)
Bridled Minnow
Hybopsis bifrenatus Corr, Cypr. Penna. 384, 1866; GunTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. VII, 211, 1868 (as a doubtful species).
Hemitrenia bifrenata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 162,
1888.
Notrepis bifrenatus JORDAN, Check List Fishes N. A. 22, 1885; JorpDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 258, 1896.
Front convex between the orbits; length of muzzle equals
diameter of iris band and pupil, sometimes nearly equals orbit.
Iris colored in continuation of the lateral band. The lateral line
rarely extends half way to the dorsal fin, while the pores of the
same may be observed at the bases of the scales for half the
remaining length of the animal. Length of the largest speci-
men, 19 lines; breadth of muzzle at nares, 1.5 lines. Radii of
the scales strong.
Color above straw, the scales delicately brown edged; below
impure white, with a narrow black line along base of anal fin
to caudal. Along each side from caudal fin around the end of
muzzle including the end of the mandible, a shining black band
136 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
one and one half scales in width. This is bordered above on the
muzzle, forming an are from orbit to orbit, by an orange band,
which is strongly margined above by the brown of the top of the
front. Opercular and suborbital regions below the black band, —
pure silvery. (Rearranged from Cope)
Head four and one fifth; depth four and one fifth; eye three.
D. 8; A. 7. Scales 5-86-3; teeth 4-4. Body rather slender,
the caudal peduncle somewhat contracted; head moderate, the
muzzle very obtuse; mouth oblique, the jaws about equal, upper
lip opposite lower part of pupil; eye large, longer than snout;
lateral line developed for a very short distance. 13 scales.
before dorsal. Length 14 to 2 inches. , |
This little minnow has no common name. It is found from
Massachusetts to Maryland and is abundant in tributaries of the
Delaware river. On account of its conspicuous colors, it is @
useful bait for game fishes, specially the black bass.
78 Notropis anogenus Forbes
Notropis anogenus ForBEs, Bull. Ill. Lab. Nat. Hist. 188, 1885; MEEK, Ann.
N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 304, 1888, Canal near Montezuma, N. Y.;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 259, 1896.
Head four and one fourth; depth four and two fifths; eye three
and one fourth. D.8;A.7. Lateral line 34 to 37, 13 before dor-
sal. Teeth 4-4. Very similar to N. heterodon, but with
the lateral line usually complete; the mouth very small and very
oblique, almost wholly anterior; the lower jaw included, the
upper lip above level of pupil; snout very short, blunt, shorter
than eye. Dusky; a dusky lateral band through eye, ending in ~
a faint black spot at base of caudal; a black speck above each
pore of lateral line; chin black. Length 14 inches. Western:
New York (Cayuga lake, Meek) to northern Illinois; rather
searce. (After Jordan and Evermann) }
According to Meek the species is quite common in the canal
near Montezuma N. Y. It is the smallest of all the Cayuga
lake fishes. |
79 Notropis cayuga Meek
Notropis cayuga MEEK, Ann, N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 305, 1888, Cayuga Lake,
N. Y.; JORDAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 17,.1891; Jornpan & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 260, 1896.
Fae
FISHES OF NEW YORK 146
Head four and one sixth; depth four and one half; eve three
and one half. Scales 36; before dorsal 14. Teeth 4-4. Allied
to N. heterodon, from which it may be best known by the
absence of black on the chin. Lateral line wanting on some
scales; mouth very small, anterior, the maxillary not reaching
the eye; jaws subequal; eye large, equal to snout. Scales above
dark edged, the outlines very sharply defined; chin not black; a
black stripe through snout and eye, a dusky lateral shade and a
small caudal spot. Length 24 inches. Cayuga lake and north-
ern New York, westward to Assiniboia, South Dakota, Ne-
braska, Kansas and Arkansas. Not rare, but hitherto usually
confounded with N. heterodon. (After Jordan and Ever-
mann)
Several examples were taken by Dr Meek near Ithaca. The
longest was 22 inches. He also obtained it from the canal
near Montezuma N. Y.
The U. S. Fish Commission parties secured this minnow in
many localities in 1894.
Mouth of Little Salmon creek July 25
Chaumont river July 10
Black creek, tributary of Oswego river July 17
Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27
Great Sodus bay | Aug. 6
Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7
Four Mile creek, Nine Mile point, Webster Aug. 9
Cemetery creek, Watertown J uly 5
Mud creek, Cape Vincent June 25
Mill creek, Sacketts Harbor July 2
80 Notropis heterodon (Cope)
Alburnops heterodon Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 281, 1864.
Hybopsis heterodon Corr, Cypr. Penna. 382, 1866.
Leuciscus heterodon GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 261, 1868.
Hemitremia heterodon JORDAN, Man. Vert. 303, 1878; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 163, 1883.
Notropis heterodon JORDAN, Cat. Fish, N. A. 22, 1885; JoRDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1896.
. Head four; depth four; eye three in head. D.8; A. 8. Scales
-5-36-3, the lateral line extending about half the length of
|
\
138 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
body; teeth 4-4, often crenate. Body moderately stout, the
back somewhat elevated; head rather pointed, the muzzle
acuminate; mouth oblique, lower jaw projecting, upper lip oppo-
site upper rim of pupil; maxillary extending to opposite front
of orbit; 18 scales in front of dorsal; lateral line usually more
or less imperfect. Color olivaceous; chin black; a blackish
rostral band; sides with a leaden or dusky band. Length 24
inches. New York to Michigan and Kansas, common. Va-
riable. (After Jordan and Evermann)
Common in all the sluggish water on the flats near Ithaca.
Not found at the north end of the lake, where it seems to be re-
placed by Notropis anogenus. Meek
The U.S. Fish Commission collectors have obtained it at Cape
Vincent N. Y. June 21, Stony Island, July 2 and 3, and at Guffon
creek, Chaumont, July 7, 1894.
81 Notropis blennius (Girard)
Straw-colored Minnow
Alburnops blennius GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 194, 1856. Pacific
R. R. Surv. X, 261, pl. 57, figs. 18-16, 1858.
Minnilus blennius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 198, 1883.
Notropis blennius JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N, A. 24, 1885; JoRDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1896.
Body slender, elongate, its greatest depth one fifth of total
length without caudal; head rather large, one fourth of total
length without caudal; the eye large, a little longer than snout,
one third as long as the head; mouth small, inferior, horizontal,
the maxilla reaching to front of orbit; snout very obtuse; dorsal
a little nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, its origin
about over end of pectoral, its longest ray three fourths as
long as the head; teeth 4-4; 18 to 15 rows of scales before
dorsal. The ventral is under the base of the dorsal, its length
equal to length of head without snout. D. 8 to 9; A. 7 to 8.
Scales 5 to 6-32 to 38-4.
Color pale olivaceous; sides usually pale; usually a darker
dorsal band and a small dark blotch before dorsal, sometimes a
plumbeous lateral stripe but no caudal spot; fins all plain.
Length 2 to 24 inches.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 139
This small minnow is found in the Great lakes region, west-
ward to Dakota and south to Texas. The U.S. Fish Commission
collectors secured a moderate number of specimens in 1894 at
the following localities.
Cape Vincent June 23
Grenadier island June 27
Little Stony brook, Henderson bay July 4
Big Sandy creek, Belleville . July 12
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25
Great Sodus bay Aug. 6
Dr B. W. Evermann and Barton A. Bean secured 12 examples
in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. July 19, 1894. They also
took many specimens July 17 in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles
below Ogdensburg N. Y. Dr Evermann observed a diffuse plum-
beous band along the side, each scale in the lateral line punctate
with black, making the lateral line very conspicuous. In many
a very small black spot was present at base of caudal. The
dorsal was very low, only five ninths length of head.
82 Notropis procne (Cope)
Shiner
Hybognathus procne Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 279, 283, 1864.
Hybopsis procne COPE, Cypr. Penna. 385, pl. XI, fig. 2, 1866.
Leuciscus procne GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 260, 1868.
Cliola procne JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 169, 1883.
Notropis procne JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 28, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
37, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 264, 1896.
This little minnow has a short, slender and compressed body
and a very slender caudal peduncle. The greatest depth, at the
dorsal origin equals the length of the head, which is about one
fourth of the total without caudal. In some described speci-
mens the head is contained four and three fourths times and -
the depth of the body five and one fourth times in total length
without caudal. The snout is short and obtuse, shorter than
the eye, which is two fifths as long as the head. The mouth is
terminal and small, the maxilla not reaching to front of eye,
and the jaws equal. The lateral line is gently curved down-
\
140 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
ward over the pectoral and, in the specimen examined, becomes
interrupted in its posterior half. The dorsal origin is over the
12th scale of the lateral line and nearly over the ventral origin.
The dorsal base is a little more than half as long as the head,
and the longest ray is as long as the head. The ventral reaches.
to the anal origin. The anal base is half as long as the head
and the longest anal ray is four fifths as long as the head. The
caudal is moderately forked. D. 8; A. 7; V. 8; P. 18. Scales
5-32 to 34-3; teeth 4-4. Length of specimen described, from
Hayre de Grace Md., 24 inches. Color in spirits light brown,
the belly pale and lower half of head silvery. A narrow dark
line along the top of the back and a narrow dark median band
continued forward on the nose. Fins all pale. In life the body
is olivaceous with a dark lateral stripe. The long tail suggests
the name procne, a kind of swallow. :
The shiner is found from western New York to Maryland.
Prof. Cope found it abundant in the tributaries of the Delaware
and Susquehanna, in slow moving streams. It reaches the
length of 24 inches.
Eugene Smith records it as “very plentiful in the small
brooks directly running into tide water. It appears to approach
the sea more closely than any other minnow, though it is never
found in brackish water. It delights in strong currents, but
in captivity lives well in the aquarium, feeding voraciously. It
is almost entirely carnivorous. The Palisade ridge is probably
the furthest limit of this species towards the east. It is met °
with in company of the suckers and the roach.”
It has proved an excellent bait for the game fishes.
83 Notropis hudsonius (DeWitt Clinton)
Spawn-eater ; Smelt
Clupea hudsonia DE WirTrr CLinton, Ann, Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y. I, 49, pl.
2, fig. 2, 1824 (fide Giinther).
Leuciscus hudsonius DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 206, pl. 34, fig. 109, 1842.
(Hudson river and tributaries)
Hybopsis hudsonius Corr, Cypr. Penna. 386, pl. 12, fig. 3, 1866.
Cliola hudsonia JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 171, 18838.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 141
Notropis hudsonius JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 24, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
38, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 269, 1896, pl.
XLVII, fig. 119.
The spawn-eater has a moderately elongate and compressed
body, its greatest hight contained four and one half times in
the total length without caudal, and about equal to length of
head. The head is conical, with short, blunt snout equal to the
diameter of the eye, which is contained three and one half times
in the length of the head. The space between the eyes equals
length of postorbital part of head. Mouth small, nearly hori-
zontal, the lower jaw very slightly the shorter, the maxilla
reaching the vertical through the posterior nostril. The lateral
dine is slightly curved downward over the pectoral, straight and
median for the rest of its course. The origin of the dorsal is
over, and of the ventral under, the 13th scale of the lateral line.
The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head, and the
longest ray as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly
or quite to the vent. The anal origin is under the 24th scale
of the lateral line; the anal base is one half and the longest
anal ray four fifths as long as the head. The caudal is large
and deeply forked, its middle rays half as long as the outer.
D. 8; A. 8 or 9; V. 8; P. 14. Scales 7-38-5; teeth 2, 4-4, 1 or 2,
with a narrow grinding surface on at least two. Length of
Specimens described from Washington D. C. 34 to 44 inches.
Color in spirits pale brown, the fins and all of head except upper
surface pale; a broad median silvery band, its greatest width
about equal to diameter of eye; a dusky spot at the root of the
caudal in the young.
The spawn-eater is said to occur from Lake Superior to New
York and southward. In Pennsylvania begins a form elsewhere
described as N. amarus, which differs in the structure of
the pharyngeal teeth.
This minnow does not much frequent small streams, but is
abundant in the Delaware river and also in Lake Erie. De Kay
records its occurrence in the Hudson and its tributaries.
In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission col-
lectors obtained numerous specimens in these localities.
opener or oss ater a ceca nian
ON ee
ee ee «
142 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Salt brook, 13 miles above Nine Mile point June 10-11, 1893
Cape Vincent June 21, 1894
Grenadier island June 27, 1894
Horse island, Sacketts Harbor June 30, 1894
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25, 1894
Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27, 1894
Great Sodus bay Aug. 6, 1894
Long pond, Charlotte | Aug. 17, 1894
Lake shore, mouth Long pond . | Aug. 17, 1894
Nine Mile point, Webster Aug. 23, 1894
East end Lake Ontario | 1894
Livingston Stone also collected the species at Cape Vincent
Aue. 9/1898:
In the Lake Champlain basin Evermann and Bean obtained it
at Scioto creek, Coopersville, and Rouse Point July 19, 1894.
The spawn-eater reaches the length of 10 inches. Its teeth
are usually four in the principal row and two in the inner. Its
Spawn-eating habits are not verified.
84 Notropis hudsonius amarus (Girard)
Gudgeon
Hudsonius amarus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 210, 1856. (Chesa-
peake Bay; Potomac river at Washington)
HAybopsis storerianus CopE, Cypr. Penna. 386, 1866.
Leuciscus storerianus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 250, 1868; Kirrt-
LAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 30, pl. IX, fig. 2, 1847.
Cliola storeriana JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 170, 1883.
Notropis amarus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 39, pl. 23, fig. 37, 1893.
Notropis hudsonius amarus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 24, 1885; JoRDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 270, 1896.
The gudgeon has a moderately elongate and compressed body
and a slender caudal peduncle. The greatest depth equals one
fourth of the total length to base of caudal, and the least depth ©
of the peduncle equals the length of the postorbital part of head.
The head is rather short with an obtuse short snout; the length
of the head is nearly one fourth of the total to base of caudal.
The snout is one fourth and the eye one third as long as the
head. The maxilla extends to the vertical through the front of
FISHES OF NEW YORK 143
the eye; the lower jaw is slightly included; the mouth is slightly
oblique. The width of the head equals nearly two thirds of its
length. The distance between the eyes equals the length of the
orbit. The dorsal origin is over, and the ventral origin under,
the 10th scale of the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base
equals two thirds that of the head, and the longest dorsal ray is
four fifths as long as the head. The anal base is as long as the
postorbital part of the head and the longest ray is about two
thirds as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly to the
vent, and the pectoral to below the 8th scale of the lateral line.
The lateral line is very slightly bent downward over the pec-
toral. The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked. D.
ii, 7; A. ii, 7; V. 8; P. 15. Scales 6-36 to 39-4; teeth 1, 4-4, 1 or
1 4-4, 0 in the example described, from the Susquehanna river.
Length 44 inches. The teeth are slightly hooked, and two or
three on each side have a developed grinding surface. The color
in spirits is light brown, the sides of body and lower half of head
silvery; the young have a narrow dusky median lateral band,
which is sometimes continued on the snout, and a more or less
distinct small dark blotch at the base of the caudal. The fins
are all pale.
The gudgeon or smelt of Pennsylvania is a variety of N.
hudsonius of Clinton, which ranges from Lake Superior to
New York and south in streams east of the Alleghanies to
Georgia. The southern form is the variety amarus of
Girard, which exhibits some difference in its pharyngeal teeth.
The species is an extremely variable one. It grows to a length
of about 8 inches. Prof. Cope records it as abundant in the
Susquehanna, specially in the lower part of the river.
This is a handsome silvery fish, and is as much used for food
as its associate, the silvery minnow.
85 Notropis whipplii (Girard)
Silverfin
— Cyprinella whipplii Grrarp, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci, Phila. 198, 1856.
Photogenis spilopterus COPE, Cypr. Penna. 378, 1866.
Leuciscus spilopterus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus, VII, 254, 1868.
144 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Luvilus kentuckiensis KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour, Nat. Hist, V, 27, pl. VIII, fig.
3, 1847.
Hypsilepis kentuckiensis CoprE, Cypr. Penna. 371, 1866.
Cliola whipplei JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 178, 1883.
Cliola analostana JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 179, 18838.
Notropis whipplei BEAN, Fishes Penna. 39, 1893.
Notropis whipplit JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 278,
1896, pl. XLVIII, fig. 121, 1900.
The silverfin has a moderately elongate body, which is fusi- |
form in the adult. The caudal peduncle is short and stout. The
depth of the body at the ventral fin equals nearly one fourth
of the total length to the caudal base. The head is conical, com-
pressed and with a pointed snout a little longer than the eye,
which is two ninths as long as the head. The mouth is moder-
ate, terminal, slightly oblique, the jaws nearly equal, the max-
illa reaching to vertical through front of eye. The head is two
ninths of the total length without caudal. The dorsal origin is
a little behind the ventral origin and over the 15th scale of the
lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals one seventh
of the total without caudal, and the longest ray is as long as
the head without the snout. The ventral reaches nearly to the
‘anal. The anal begins under the 2ist scale of the lateral line;
its base is as long as the dorsal base, and its longest ray is
about two thirds as long as the head. The caudal is large and
moderately forked. The lateral line curves downward over the
pectoral. D. 8; A. 9; V. 8; P. 14. Scales 6-88 to 41-4; teeth
1, 4-4, 1, with more or less serrate edges. Length of specimen
described, from the Susquehanna river, 4 inches.
In spirits the back is brown, the sides dull silvery, the scales
with a dusky margin, and the lower parts are whitish. A nar-
row and long black blotch on the membrane between the 6th
and 7th and another between the 7th and 8th dorsal rays.
Lower fins pale. Males in spring have the fins partly or wholly
charged with white pigment, and in the hight of the breeding
season the pigment in the dorsal has a greenish tint, and the
top of the head and snout is covered with minute tubercles.
This is one of our finest minnows for the aquarium and is-
useful as food and bait for larger fishes.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 145
The silverfin ranges from western New York to Virginia and
west to Minnesota and Arkansas. It is a common and variable
species. It reaches a length of 4 inches. In Pennsylvania it
occurs in all the rivers and creeks, but according to Prof. Cope
is least common in tributaries of the Delaware.
According to Dr Meek it is common on flats near Fall creek
and in the southern end of Cayuga lake. Evermann and Bean
took it in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. in July 1894. In the
Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission secured the
following specimens:
Grenadier island June 27, 1894
Horse island, Sacketts Harbor June 30, 1894
Cape Vincent June 21, 1894
Mill creek, Sacket Harbor July 2,1894
Cemetery creek and Black river, Watertown July 5, 1894
Chaumont river July 10,1894
Great Sodus bay Aug. 6, 1894
Creek near Pultneyville Aug. 7, 1894
Specimens were obtained also by Livingston Stone at Cape
Vincent Aug. 9, 1898, and presented to the State Museum.
. Subgenus tuxitus Rafinesque
86 Notropis cornutus (Mitchill)
Shiner; Redfin
Cyprinus cornutus MITCHILL, Amer. Month. Mag. I, 289, July, 1817.
(meager preliminary notice); op. cit. II, 324, Feb. 1818. (Wallkill river,
ING4 XY)
Cyprinus megalops RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 121, Dee. 1817.
(Hudson river, above the falls) .
Leuciscus vittatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 212, pl. 34, fig. 108, 1842.
(Chittenonda and other tributaries of the Mchawk; also in Mohawk)
Hypsilepis cornutus Copr, Proe., Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 158, 1867.
Leuciscus cornutus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 207, pl. 29, fig. 92, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 249, 1868.
Minnilus cornutus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 186, 1883.
Minnilus plumbeolus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 192,
1883,
Notropis megalops JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 26, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
40, 1893. —
Notropis cornutus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 281, 1896.
ae ee
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146 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The redfin when young has the body moderately elongate, but
it becomes deeper with age and much compressed. The caudal
peduncle is short, and its depth equals length of postorbita}
part of head. The depth of the body at the ventral is contained
three and one third to four times in the total length without
the caudal. The head is short, deep and thin, its length one
fourth of the total without caudal, its width about one half its
length. The eye is as long as the snout and two sevenths as
long as the head. Mouth.moderate, terminal, oblique, the max-
illa reaching about to vertical through front of eye. The dorsal
origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 12th scale of
the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals one sey-
enth of the total without the caudal, and its longest ray one
fifth of the same length. The ventral reaches nearly or quite
to vent. The anal origin is under the 23d scale of the lateral
line. The anal base is one half, and the longest ray two thirds.
as long as the head. The caudal is large and deeply forked.
The lateral line descends in a long curve, becoming straight and
median over the anal origin. D. 8; A. 9; V. 8; P. 15. Scales
7-40 to 41-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, with narrow grinding surface.
Length of specimens described, from 4 to 44 inches.
The upper parts of this fish are steel blue and the scales are.
dusky at the edge and base. The sides are silvery, overlaid
with a gilt line; there is another gilt band along the back. The
belly is silvery except in spring males, in which it is a bright
rosy color. The male in the breeding season has the lower jaw
and the top of the head and nape covered with small tubercles.
In the breeding condition this is a very handsome species, though
the females and young lack the bright colors of the adult male.
The redfin is known also as the common shiner, dace, rough-
head, and banded dace. It is a very widely distributed species,
is extremely variable, and, as a consequence, some geographic
races have received distinct names. It extends from Maine to
the Rocky mountains, but is absent from the Carolinas and
Texas. It grows to a length of 8 inches. In Pennsylvania the
species is common everywhere and is best known under the name
of redfin. It reaches a very large size in Lake Erie.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 147
In New York Mitchill had it from the Wallkill; Rafinesque
from the Hudson above the falls. De Kay knew it from the
Mohawk and some of its tributaries including the Chittenonda.
Dr Meek found it very,common throughout the entire Cayuga
lake basin. Evermann and Bean collected it in the Saranac
river, Plattsburg, July 28, and in Scioto creek, Coopersville,
July 19, 1894. They secured it also in the St Lawrence river,
3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17,1894. The U.S. Fish Commis-
sion field parties found it very common in the Lake Ontario
basin 1892 to 1894, specimens having been recorded from: Sacket
Harbor, Charlotte, Huntingtonville, Henderson Harbor, Cape
Vincent, Pulaski, Oswego, Pultneyville, Pointbreeze, Webster,
Belleville, Scriba Corners, Wart creek, North Hamlin and Salt
brook.
The redfin runs into small brooks and is most abundant in
eddies and other quiet parts of the streams. It has no value
except as food and bait for larger fishes, specially the black bass
and pike perch. The flesh is very soft and decays rapidly after
death.
87 Notropis cornutus frontalis (Agassiz)
Leuciscus frontalis AGAss1z, Lake Superior, 368, pl. 3, fig. 4, 1850, or Hyp-
solepis frontalis fide GUNTHER.
Hypsilepis cornutus gibbus Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 158, 1867.
Minnilus cornutus var. frontalis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 187, 1883.
Notropis megalops frontalis MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 807, 1888.
Notropis cornutus frontalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
283, 1896.
Very close to the typical cornutus, differing in its very
heavy head and in the smaller number of scales (18 to 18) in
advance of the dorsal. Great lakes ; everywhere common in
mouths of brooks. Dr Meek found it scarce near Ithaca and
common near Montezuma N. Y.
Subgenus norroris
88 Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque
Emerald Minnow; Rosy Minnow _
Notropis atherinoides RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 204, Jan. 1818,
Alburnus rubellus AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 364, pl. 3, figs. 1-3, 1850.
Leuciscus rubellus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 254, 1868,
148 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Minnilus rubellus and dinemus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 202, 1883.
Notropis atherinoides JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 27, 1885; MrrxK, Ann. N. Y.
Aead. Sci. IV, 308, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 44, 1898; Jorpan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 293, 1896.
The emerald minnow or rosy minnow has a long and thin body
and the caudal peduncle moderately short and deep. The great-
est depth of the body is contained four and three fourths to five
and one half times in the total length to caudal base; the least
depth of the caudal peduncle is contained 114 times in the same
length. The greatest width of the body is one half its hight.
The head is of moderate size, its length two ninths of the total
to caudal base. The snout is short and somewhat pointed, its
length one fourth that of the head. Eye large, about three
and one fourth times in length of head; mouth oblique, moder-
ate, the maxilla reaching front of eye. The dorsal origin is
midway between the eye and the base of the caudal, over the
17th scale of the lateral line. The base of the fin is two fifths
as long as the head, and the longest ray equals the length of the
head without the snout. The ventral origin is under the 13th
scale of the lateral line, and the fin scarcely reaches to below the
end of the dorsal base. The pectoral reaches to below the
eighth or ninth scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is
under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the base is one half as
long as the head, and the longest ray equals the snout and
eye combined. The caudal is rather large and deeply forked.
The lateral line sweeps downward in a long and shallow curve,
becoming: nearly median over the anal base. iD: Li, 0 3, Acoiia ie
V. 8; P. 14. Scales 6-39-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2 or 1, some of them
with a slight hook and narrow grinding surface. The specimens
described (no. 8735, U. S. National Museum) are 4 to 45 imches
long. In spirits the upper parts are light brown, the sides and
cheeks silvery, and the belly golden brown; the fins all pale; the
width of the silvery stripe equal to diameter of eye. In life the
upper parts are greenish; breeding males have the snout rosy.
The emerald minnow is found in the Great lakes region, the
Ohio valley and south to Tennessee, being abundant in lakes
FISHES OF NEW YORK 149
and in rapids of rivers. The variety found in Pennsylvania has
a shorter snout and a smaller eye than the typical ather-
inoides and has received the specific name dinemus; but
the differences are not supposed to be constant. The emerald
minnow reaches a length of 6 inches; it is gregarious like other
minnows; and its golden lateral stripe on a clear green ground
makes it a handsome species.
Dr Meek found one example near Ithaca, in Six Mile creek,
below the falls. A few specimens were also found in a small
stream near Montezuma dry dock, in company with N.
] yt hrurus. Evermann and Bean caught a single example
in Scioto creek, Coopersville, July 19, 1894; also three specimens
in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg July 17,
1894. At Cape Vincent June 21, 1894, the U. S. Fish Commission
collectors took 29 specimens, and at Grenadier island, June 27,
they obtained 14 individuals. Livingston Stone also collected
the species at Cape Vincent Aug. 9, 1898, and presented speci-
mens to the State Museum,
89 Notropis rubrifrons (Cope)
Rosy-faced Minnow
Alburnus rubrifrons CopE, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 85, 1865.
Alburnellus rubrifrons COPE, Cypr. Penna. 388, pl. XIII, fig. 3, 1866.
Leuciscus rubrifrons GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 255, 1868.
Minnilus rubrifrons and percobromus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 202; 1883.
Notropis dilectus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 44, 1893.
Notropis rubrifrons JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 27, 1885; JoRDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 295, 1896.
The rosy-faced minnow has the body moderately long and thin,
with a short and deep caudal peduncle. The greatest depth of
the body equals one fourth, and the least depth of the peduncle,
one eighth of the total length to base of caudal. The head is
moderate in size; its width one half of its length, which is one
fourth of the total to base of caudal. The snout is pointed and
Shorter than the eye, which is one fourth to two sevenths as
long as the head and equal to the distance between the eyes.
The mouth is oblique, and the lower jaw projects slightly; the
————
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150 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
maxilla reaches nearly to below the front of the pupil. The
dorsal origin is over the 15th, and the ventral origin under the
12th scale of the lateral line. The base of the dorsal is half as
long as the head, and the longest dorsal ray equals the length
of the head without the snout. The ventral reaches to the vent,
which is under the 18th scale of the lateral line. The anal base
is as long as the snout and eye combined, gnd the longest anal
ray is two thirds as long as the head. The caudal is moderate
in size and deeply forked. The lateral line curves gently down-
‘ ward over the pectoral. D. ii, 7; A. 1, 8; V. 8; 'B. 13am
6-386-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, hooked. The specimens described are
2 inches long. In spirits the body is pale brown; a silvery shade
along the median line; the head silvery except above; belly
golden; fins all pale. In life the upper parts are olive green and
the sides silvery. Males in the breeding condition in spring
have prickles on the snout and the forehead; gill covers and
dorsal base with a rosy flush. The name dilectus means
delightful.
The rosy-faced minnow, though reaching a length of only 3 —
inches or less, is a very beautiful fish. It is abundant in the .
Ohio valley and extends westward to Nebraska. This is the
Alburnellus rubrifrons of Cope.
The U. S. Fish Commission collections of 1894 contain this
minnow from Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point June 11,
Mill creek, Sacket Harbor July 2, Wart creek July 24, Sandy
creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20.
Evermann and Bean secured it in abundance in Racquette
river, Norfolk, July 18, 1894, and they had a few specimens from
Scioto creek, Coopersville, July 19, 1894.
90 Notropis amoenus (Abbott)
Alburnellus amenus ApBott, Amer. Nat. VIII, 334, 1874. Raritan River,
Wd;
Notropis amenus JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Fish Com. XIII, 102, 1891; JorDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 296, 1896.
Head four; depth five and one third (four and three fourths to
five and one half); eye three and one third. D,8;A.10. Scales
~
FISHES OF NEW YORK 151
6-39-3. Close to Notropis rubrifrons, but the scales
before dorsal smaller, as in N. photogenis. Body elon-
gate, compressed; eye large, longer than snout; mouth large,
oblique, the jaws subequal, the maxillary reaching to below
front of eye; 22 to 25 (rarely 18 to 20) scales before dorsal;
lateral line much decurved; dorsal high, placed behind ventrals;
pectorals moderate. Translucent green, sides silvery, with
sometimes a faint plumbeous band ending in an obscure plum-
beous spot. Length 32 inches. Clear streams east of the
Alleghanies from the Raritan to the Neuse; abundant; formerly —
confounded with N. photogenis, of which it may be a
variety. (After Jordan and Evermann)
Eugene Smith! says it is perhaps a variety of N. photo-
genis (Cope). Abbott mentions it from the Raritan river,
near New Brunswick N. J.
91 Notropis umbratilis lythrurus Jordan
Redfin
Notropis lythrurus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 476, 1884.
Hypsilepis diplaemia Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 162, 1867.
Minnilus diplaemius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 197,
1883.
Tuailus lucidus GIRARD, Pacific R. R. Surv. Fishes, 282, pl. LX, figs. 9-12,
1858.
Notemigonus lucidus JoRDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 249, 1883.
Notropis lythrurus MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 307, 1888.
Notropis wmbratilis lythrurus JoRDAN & EVERMANN Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 300, 1896.
Head four and one fourth; depth four to four and one half;
eye three to four. D. 7; A. 11. Scales 9-40 to 52-3; teeth 2,
44,2. Body compressed, the caudal peduncle long; head long,
conical, rather pointed; mouth large, moderately oblique, the
premaxillary on level of pupil, the maxillary reaching to below
eye; lower jaw somewhat projecting; eye moderate, about equal
to muzzle; scales closly imbricated, crowded anteriorly, about
30 before dorsal; dorsal fin high, inserted about midway be-
tween ventrals and anal; pectorals not reaching ventrals;
1ZLinn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1807. no. 9, p. 18.
152 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
ventrals reaching to vent; caudal fin long. Coloration dark
steel blue above; pale or silvery below; a more or less evident
black spot at base of dorsal in front; the fins otherwise all plain.
Males with the anterior dorsal region and the head profusely
covered with small whitish tubercles, the belly and lower fins
being of a bright brick red in the spring. Females very pale
olive, sometimes almost colorless. Length 34 inches. Minne- -
sota to western New York (Cayuga lake), North Carolina, Ala-
bama, and Kansas; generally abundant in small, clear streams.
(After Jordan and Evermann) |
Dr Meek took a single specimen from a small stream near
the Montezuma dry dock.
ad
Genus RHINICHTHYS Agassiz
Body moderately elongate and little compressed, with usually
stout caudal peduncle and long, conical nose; head rather large,
sometimes broad and flat above; eye small; mouth small, sub-
inferior, the upper jaw fixed by the union of the upper lip to
the skin of the forehead; end of maxillary with a small barbel.
Teeth 2. 4-4, 2 (sometimes 2, 4-4, 1) those of the principal row
usually hooked, without grinding surface. A short intestinal
canal; scales very small; lateral line decurved, continuous;
dorsal origin slightly behind ventral; base of anal short. Small
fishes inhabiting clear, cold brooks and streams. )
92 Rhinichthys cataractae (Cuv. & Val.)
Long Nosed Dace; Niagara Gudgeon
Gobio cataractae CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 315,
pl. 483 (poor), 1842 (specimen 5 inches long, from Niagara Falls, N. ¥Y.,
Milbert); Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 394; 1842. (After Cuvier and
Valenciennes)
Leuciscus nasutus AYRES, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 299, pl. XIII, fig. 3
(very bad), 1844. West Hartford, Conn. Specimen 514 inches long.
Rhinichthys marmoratus AGassiz, Lake Superior, 354, pl. 2, figs. 1-2, 1850;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 189, 1868.
Rhinichthys nasutus GUNTHER, op. cit. VII, 189.
Argyreus nasutus CoprE, Cypr. Penna. 369, pl. XII, fig. 5, 1866.
Ceratichthys cataractae GUNTHER, op. cit. VII, 176, 1878.
Rhinichthys cataractae JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 207,
1883; Bran, Fishes Penna. 46, 1893; Jonpan & EvERMANN, Bull. 47,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 306, 1896.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 153
The long nosed dace has a moderately elongate body, with
short and stout caudal peduncle and a moderate sized head. The
greatest depth is contained four and two thirds times in the
_total length without caudal; the least depth of the caudal
peduncle eight and one half times. The width of the body
equals the combined length of snout and eye. The length of
the head is one fourth of the total without caudal and three
times the length of the snout. The eye is placed high, one fifth
_to one quarter as long as the head and about two thirds as long
as the interorbital width. The mouth is horizontal, small,
placed under the snout, the lower jaw the shorter, the upper lip
thick and provided with a small barbel at each end. The maxilla
reaches to below the posterior nostril. The dorsal origin is
_ above the 23d scale of the lateral line, and the ventral origin is
under the 20th. The dorsal base is one half, and the longest ray
four fifths as long as the head. The ventral reaches a little
beyond the vent and almost to the anal origin. The pectoral
reaches nearly or quite to the origin of the ventral, being longer
in males. The anal origin is under the 34th scale of the lateral
line and a little behind the end of the dorsal. The anal base
is one half, the longest ray three fourths as long as the head.
The caudal is comparatively large and well forked. The lateral
line drops gently downward in a short curve over the pectoral
and becomes median over that fin. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 6; V. 8; P. 12.
Scales 13-57 to 65-10; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, three of the principal row
hooked. Length of the specimen described (no. 8505, U. 8.
National Museum) 34 inches.
In spirits the color is brown mottled with grayish; the under
surface of head sharply defined and pale; the fins all pale.
Breeding males in spring have the lips, cheeks and lower fins
crimson. The sides are without a black lateral band, which is
characteristic of the black nosed species. The general color is
olivaceous or dark green with the lower parts paler. The back
is nearly black. Some of the scales are mottled with dark and
olivaceous. The young have a trace of a dusky lateral band.
The fish reaches the length of 54 inches.
i
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154 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The long nosed dace or Niagara gudgeon is found in New
England and the Middle states, and in the Great lakes region in
clear, cold water. In Pennsylvania, according to Cope, it is
limited to the rapids and swift waters of the eastern part of the
state.
Evermann and Bean collected 50 specimens in Saranac river, ©
Plattsburg N. Y. July 28, 1894, but did not find it in the St
Lawrence river or in the Lake Ontario tributaries. Though Dr
Meek obtained no specimens of this species from Cayuga lake
basin, he believes it a member of the fauna, as it is common in’
the streams south of Ithaca near Van Ettenville, Chemung co.
N. Y.
The long nosed dace frequents rapids and rocky pools, and is
associated in mountain regions with the brook trout. Its move-
ments are swift and powerful and it is a very shapely little fish.
As a bait for the black bass it is scarcely surpassed.
93 Rhinichthys atronasus (Mitchill)
Black Nosed Dace; Brook Mimmow
Cyprinus atronasus MitTcHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 460, 1815.
(Wallkill River; Fresh-water trout brooks of New York); Amer. Month.
Mag. I, 289, Aug. 1817. \Mud-fish, from Wallkill Creek.
Cyprinus vittatus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag: II, 121, Dec. 1817.
Hudson River above the falls.
Leuciscus atronasus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 205, pl. 28, fig. 69, 1842.
Rhinichthys atronasus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 191, 1868;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 208, 1883; MEEK, Ann.
N. Y. Acad. Sci. 308, 1888; Bran, Fishes Penna. 47, pl. 23, fig. 39,
1893; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 307, 1896.
Argyreus atronasus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 122, pl. X XI, fig. 4, 1867.
The black nosed dace has a moderately long and stout body,
with a broad back, and rather small conical head. The greatest
depth of the body is contained four and one fourth to four and
one half times in the total length without caudal. The least
depth of the caudal peduncle equals one half greatest depth of
body. The head is one fourth as long as the fish to caudal base;
its width is about one half its length and the snout nearly one
third to two.sevenths. The eye is as long as the snout and
much less than width of interorbital space. The mouth is small,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 155
slightly oblique and with nearly equal jaws; the maxillary bar-
bel small or wanting; the maxilla reaches to below the front
edge of the posterior nostril. The dorsal origin is nearer to
root of caudal than to tip of snout, over the 26th scale of the
lateral line. The length of the base is contained two and one
third times in that of the head, and the longest ray equals
length of head without snout. The ventral origin is slightly in
advance of the dorsal origin, and the fin extends to the vent.
The pectoral reaches to the 16th scale of the lateral line. In
breeding males it is greatly thickened. The anal origin is
behind the end of the dorsal base, under the 34th scale of the
lateral line; the fin is variable in length with sex and age, some-
times five sixths as long as the head. The caudal is small and
not deeply forked. The lateral line curves downward over the
pectoral, soon becoming median. D. ii, 6 or 7; A. ii, 6;'V. 8;
P. 11. Scales 10-56 to 63-10; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, three of the prin-
cipal row strongly hooked. Length of the specimens described
(no. 33984, U. S. National Museum) 22 to 3 inches. In spirits
the upper parts are brown and are separated from the silvery
lower parts by a dark lateral band, as wide'as the short diame-
ter of the eye and continued on the snout. Breeding males in
spring have the lateral band and the lower fins crimson, run-
ning into orange in summer. In the young the dark median
band extends on the tail fin. f
The black nosed dace or “rockfish” is represented in our
waters by two forms, one of which is found in the eastern part
of the Great lakes region and from Maine to Virginia; this is
replaced in the upper lake region and in the Ohio valley, south-
ward to Georgia and Alabama, by the blunt nosed. variety,
Rhinichthys obtusus of Agassiz.
The species grows to the length of 3 inches.
The collections of the U.S. Fish Commission in the Lake Onta-
rio region contained this species from a great many localities:
Cape Vincent, Great Sodus bay, Sacketts Harbor, Stony Island,
Grenadier island, Oswego, Buena Vista, Belleville, Pulaski, .
Wart creek, Huntingtonville, Henderson bay, and Webster. The
err
156 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
fish were taken in June, July and August and were rather com-
mon in most places.
Evermann and Bean took one example in the St Lawrence
river, 38 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17, 1894; they secured
eight specimens in the Saranac, at Plattsburg, July 28, 1894.
According to Dr Meek it is common near Ithaca in all streams
above and below the falls; but was not found by him near Mon-
tezuma. Mitchill described the fish from fresh-water brooks of
New York containing trout, chiefly from'the Wallkill, where
Rafinesque also knew of its occurrence. De Kay states its hab-
itat to be clear, fresh-water streams and rivulets of New York
and adjoining states. Eugene Smith found it associated with
darters, blobs and small minnows in the vicinity of New York
city. .
This fish prefers clear small brooks. Swift and active in its
movements and beautiful in colors, it is one of the most inter-
esting inhabitants of the waters in which it lives. In the aqua-
rium Eugene Smith observed it to eat voraciously of animal
food and to be more hardy than any other minnow.
Genus HyBOPsiIs Agassiz
Body robust, or variously elongate; mouth terminal or in-
ferior, with lips thin or somewhat fleshy, a conspicuous barbel
always present and terminal on the maxillary; a second barbel
sometimes present on each side; premaxillaries protractile.
Teeth 4-4, or 1, 4-4, 1, or 0; hooked, the grinding surface narrow
or obsolete. Scales usually rather large; lateral line continu-
ous. Dorsal inserted over, in front of, or slightly behind ven-
trals; anal basis short. Males usually with nuptial tubercles,
and sometimes flushed with red. A large and varied group,
closely allied to Notropis, from which it differs chiefly in
the presence of the small maxillary barbel. (After Jordan and
Evermann) aS
*
FISHES OF NEW YORK 157
Subgenus erimystax Jordan
94 Hybopsis dissimilis (Kirtland)
Spotted Shiner
Luzilus dissimilis KrrtTLanp, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 341, pl. IV, fig. Pip
1841. ;
Ceratichthys dissimilis CopE, Cypr..Penna. 368, pl. 12, fig. 1, 1866; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 177, 1868; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 215, 1883.
Hybopsis dissimilis JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 29, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
48, 1893; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 318, 1896.
The spotted shiner has a long and slender body, its greatest
depth being nearly one fifth of the total length without the
caudal. The caudal peduncle is long and low, its least depth
two fifths of greatest depth of body. The width of the body
equals two thirds of its depth. The head is moderately large,
its length one fourth of the total without the caudal. The
snout is long but obtusely rounded at the point, its length one
and one half times the diameter of the eye, which is two
sevenths of the length of the head. The mouth is small, in-
ferior, horizontal, the maxilla reaching to below the anterior
nostril and with a small barbel at its hind end. The gill open-
ings are separated by a very broad isthmus. The dorsal begins
over the 16th scale of the lateral line and slightly in advance
of the ventral; the dorsal base is one half as long as the head;
the longest ray is as long as the head without the snout; the
- last ray is as long as the snout. The ventral reaches to the
vent, its length’ one seventh of the total without the caudal.
The pectoral reaches to below the 18th scale of the lateral line.
The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the jateral -line; the
anal base is short, equaling the diameter of the eye; the longest
ray is as long as the ventral; the last ray is one third as long
as the head. The caudal is moderately large and deeply forked,
the middle rays one half as long as the external rays. The
lateral line is nearly straight and median. D. ii, 8; A. ii, 6;
V.7; P. 15. Scales 6-43-5; teeth 4-4, hooked and with a short
grinding surface. In spirits the back is brown, the lower parts
are whitish, and the sides are broadly striped with silvery. In
158 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
life the lateral stripe is bluish and overlaid with dusky spots
and is continued forward through the eye around the snout.
The fins are pale., The specimen described, no. 36746, U. S.
National Museum, from White River Ind., is 34 inches long.
The spotted shiner occurs in the Great lakes region and Ohio
valley southward to Kentucky and west to Iowa. It is abun-
dant in creeks of western Pennsylvania. Kirtland had the spe-
cies from the Mahoning river and from Lake Erie. The spe-
cies is most common in the Great lakes and in the channels of
large streams, and does not run into small brooks. It is a
ready biter and is caught in large numbers by hook fishing. It
is useful as bait, being employed with minnows to bait the hooks
on“ set lines.” |
The species grows to the length of 6 inches, and derives its
name from the bluish band along the sides which is inter-
rupted so as to form spots. The sides are bright silvery in
color and the fins unspotted. The body is long and slender. |
Subgenus HyBopsis Agassiz
95. Hybopsis storerianus (Kirtland)
Lake Minnow
Rutilus storerianus KIRTLAND, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. I, 71, 1842. (Lake
Erie)
Leuciscus storerianus KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 30, pl. 9, fig. 2,
1847; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 250, 1868.
Ceratichthys lucens JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 2138, 1883.
Cliola storeriana JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 171, 1888.
Hybopsis storerianus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 28, 1885; JonpAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 321, 1896.
Body elongate, compressed, the dorsal outline ascending grad-
ually to origin of dorsal, thence descending to the caudal fin;
head short, compressed, its length four and one third in total —
without caudal; depth of body one fourth total; eye equal to
snout, one third length of head; interorbital space broad, flat,
somewhat grooved, its width about equal to eye; preorbital
bone large, oblong, conspicuous, silvery; mouth rather small,
horizontal, the lower jaw included; edge of premaxillary below
level of eye; maxillary not reaching to front of orbit; barbel
Pr
7) = eis es Se Ber
FISHES OF NEW YORK f 159
conspicuous; snout boldly and abruptly decurved, the tip thick-
ened, forming a sort of pad; lateral line somewhat decurved.
Rows of scales along back converging behind dorsal, where the
upper series run out, as in Notropis cornutus. Fins
rather higher and more falcate than in H.kentuckiensis;
dorsal fin inserted well forward, over ventrals; pectoral fins
pointed, not reaching ventrals; ventrals not reaching vent;
caudal long, deeply forked. Teeth usually 1, 4-4, 0, hooked,
without grinding surface. Translucent ereenish above; sides
and below brilliantly silvery; cheeks and opercles with a bright
silvery luster; fins plain; a slight plumbeous lateral shade; no
caudal spot; no red. Length 5 to 10 inches. Lake Erie to
Nebraska and eastern Wyoming, Tennessee, and Arkansas;
abundant in the larger streams, specially in Iowa. (After Jor-
dan and Evermann) ;
Kirtland found the lake minnow only in Lake Erie, where it
was frequently taken with seines in fishing for other species.
The U.S. Fish Commission recently added it to the fauna of the
Lake Ontario basin, three specimens having been collected in
Long pond, Charlotte, Aug. 17, 1894.
Subgenus necomis Girard
96 Hybopsis kentuckiensis (Rafinesque)
Horned Chub; River Chub
Luxilus kentuckiensis RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 48, 1820.
Semotilus biguttatus KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 344, pl. V, fig. 1,
1841.
Leuciscus biguttatus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214 (extralimital),
1842.
Ceratichthys biguttatus Corr, Cypr. Penna. 366, pl. 11, fig. 5, 1866; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 178, 1868; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16.
U. S. Nat. Mus. 212, 1883. :
Ceratichthys micropogon, JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 212,
1883.
Hybopsis kentuckiensis BEAN, Fishes Penna. 49, pl. 24, fig. 40, 1898; JorDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 322, 1896.
Body stout and rather short, its greatest depth nearly equal
to length of head and one fourth of total length without caudal; |
. snout long and obtuse, its length rather more than one third
160 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
length of head, and nearly twice diameter of eye; mouth large
and placed low, the maxilla reaching to below front of eye,
the lower jaw shorter than upper; dorsal origin slightly nearer
to root of caudal than to tip of snout, its base one half as long
as the head and two thirds as long as its longest ray; ventral
under front part of dorsal, its length equal to dorsal base;
anal origin under 24th scale of lateral line, longest anal ray
about one seventh of total to caudal base, pectoral two thirds
as long as head, and reaching to below 15th scale of lateral
line; caudal moderately forked. OD. iii, 7; A. iii, 6. Scales
6-40 to 45-5. Color bluish olive, the head darker; green and
coppery reflections on the sides. Fins pale orange, pinkish in
spring; lower parts white. Breeding males have the top of
head swollen into a crest and covered with coarse tubercles,
from which arises the name horned chub; they have also some--
times a red spot on each side of head. The young have a broad
dark median band and a dusky spot at the base of the tail fin.
Rafinesque states that the fish is known as Indian chub, red-
tail and shiner. Other names in eastern localities are nigger
chub, river chub, jerker, horned dace and horny-head.
The species ranges from Pennsylvania westward to Dakota
and south to Alabama. In Pennsylvania it is common in the
Susquehanna and the Ohio basin, but absent from the Dela-
ware. Dr Meek collected a few specimens at Montezuma N. Y.
and found none in any of the other localities investigated.
Eugene Smith refers to this species two specimens of fish from:
the Passaic river. The flesh of his fish appeared to be very
soft.
The horned chub abounds in large rivers and is rarely seen in
“small brooks. This minnow grows to a length of 10 inches and
is good for food. Aga bait for the black bass the young horned
chub, because of its endurance on a hook, can not be excelled.
Genus covresrus Jordan
Body elongate; head normal, not depressed, the profile con-
vex; mouth terminal, normal, a well developed barbel on the -
anterior side of maxillary, just above its tip. Teeth 2, 4-4, 2,
‘Se
er.
2
E
&:
RY
-
Ph
is
FISHES OF NEW YORK 161
hooked, without grinding surface. Scales rather small; lateral
line continuous. Dorsal fin over or slightly behind ventrals;
anal basis short. Size rather large. This genus is closely re-
lated to the section Nocomis under Hybopsis, from
which it may be separated by the presence of two teeth in the
lesser row, by the position of the barbel, and by the smaller
scales. Its relations with Semotilus are equally close.
The species are not well known. (After Jordan)
97 Couesius plumbeus (Agassiz)
Lake Chub; Plumbeous Minnow; Morse Lake Minnow
Gobio plumbeus AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 366, 1850.
Ceratichthys prosthemius Corr, Cypr. Penna. 365, pl. XI, fig. 4, 1866.
Ceratichthys plumbeus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. VII, 176, 1868.
Couesius dissimilis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1883,
-. in part.
Couesius prosthemius JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 219, 1883; MATHER, App.
12th Rep. Adirondack Surv. 30, 1886.
Couesius plumbeus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 323,
1896.
Body moderately elongate and somewhat compressed; great-
est depth four and one half to four and two thirds in total
length without caudal, and equal to length of head; head rather
flat above, not much raised above the level of the eyes; inter-
orbital space nearly one and one half times long diameter of
eye, which equals snout and is one fourth length of head; head
four and one third in total without caudal; maxillary reaching
to below front of orbit, a small barbel placed high at its tip,
lower jaw well included. Scales small, smaller in advance of
dorsal fin. Lateral line beginning high up on the nape, abruptly
descending to the median line over the pectoral fin, and thence
running nearly straight to the caudal fin. Dorsal origin mid-
way between tip of snout and base of caudal fin, over middle of
ventral base, longest ray two thirds of head, length of base one
half of head; ventral scarcely longer than dorsal base, the fin
not reaching vent; longest anal ray equal to ventral, base of
anal two fifths of head; pectoral reaching to 18th scale of
lateral line; caudal deeply forked, its upper lobe two ninths of
total without caudal. D. 8; A.8. Scales 13-65-8; teeth 2, 4-4,
/
162 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
2. Brown above; sides somewhat silvery, abruptly separated
from the dusky upper parts; snout and top of head back as far
as hind border of eye, dusky; fins plain. Length 7 inches.
Streams and lakes from Lake Superior east to the Adirondack
region and Canada; more common northward. Here described
from specimens from Beaver river, Herkimer co. N. Y., and Lake
Lomond, near St John N. B.
Mather had specimens from Morse lake, in the Adirondacks,
and it is reported also from Seventh lake, Fulton Chain. The
_species is known from Lake Superior east to the Adirondacks
and New Brunswick. Agassiz had it from Lake Huron as well
as Lake Superior. _
Genus Exociossum Rafinesque
Body rather short and stout, subterete; lower jaw three-
lobed, the dentary bones being close together and completely
united, not forming a wide arch as in the minnows generally;
upper jaw not protractile; pharyngeal bones small, the teeth
hooked, and without grinding surface, 1, 4-4, 1. Scales moder-
ate; lateral line complete. Dorsal origin is nearly over the be-
ginning of the ventral; anal fin short; isthmus broad; gill rakers
weak; pseudobranchiae present; air bladder normal; alimentary
canal short; peritoneum white. Size large. No marked sexual
peculiarities; the males with some black pigment in spring.
98 Exoglossum maxillingua (Le Sueur)
Cut-lips; Nigger Chub
Cyprinus maxillingua LE SUEUR, Jour, Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 85, 1817, Pipe
Creek, Maryland. .
Exoglossum annulatum RAFINESQUE, Jour. Ac. Nat: Sci. Phila. I, 421, 1818,
Hudson River.
Exoglossum nigrescens RAFINESQUE, op. cit. I, 421, 1818. Lake Champlain.
Exoglossum vittatum RAFINESQUE, op. cit. I, 421, 1818. Hudson River.
Exoglossum maxillingua AcAssiz, Amer. Jour. Sci.Arts, XIX, 215, 1855; Corr,
Cypr. Penna. 360, pl. XI, fig. 1, 1866; GunrHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.
VII, 188, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 160, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 36, pl. 22, fig. 36, 1893; JorRDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 327, 1896, pl. LIV, fig. 140, head below.
The cut-lips has a stout, short and thick body, its greatest
hight nearly equal to the length of the head, and one fourth of
FISHES OF NEW YORK 163
the total without caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and
deep, its least depth about one half the head. The snout is
short and obtusely conical, its length somewhat greater than
the eye and nearly equal to one third of the head. The maxilla
reaches to below the nostrils, its length equaling that of the
snout. Head four and one fifth in total to base of caudal. The
dorsal origin is nearly over the ventral origin and in the vertical
through the 23d scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is
about one half as long as the head, and its longest ray equals
twice the distance from the dorsal origin to middle of eye. The
pectoral is about as long as the longest dorsal ray, and the
ventral reaches to the anal origin. The base of the anal is one
half as long as the longest anal ray. The caudal is moderately
forked. D.8; A. 7. Scales 954-6; teeth 1, 4-4, 1. Length of
specimen described, 4? inches; from Takoma Park D. C. Color
brown or olivaceous, darker above; a short and narrow dark
bar above root of pectoral; young with a dusky bar at the caudal
base. Fins dusky, their extremities pale. |
The cut-lips may be readily distinguished by the three-lobed _
lower jaw, the dentary bones being closely united and the lower
lip represented by a fleshy lobe on each side of the mandible.
The cut-lips is known also as chub, butter chub, nigger chub,
and day chub. It is a very common species in the Susquehanna
and its tributaries. Its range is not extensive, reaching only
from western New York to Virginia. In New York it occurs
in Lake Ontario, the St Lawrence, Lake Champlain, Cayuga lake,
and the Hudson river. The U.S. Fish Commission has it from
the following New York localities in the Lake Ontario basin:
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk,
Big Sandy creek, Belleville.
Wart creek, Buena Vista.
Little Stony brook, Henderson bay.
Big Stony creek, Henderson npr.
Spring brook, Pulaski.
Black river, Huntingtonville.
All of these were obtained in July, 1894. Evermann and Bean
collected it also in the St Lawrence, 3 miles below Ogdensburg,
164 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
July 17, 1894, and in Scioto creek, Coopersville and Saranac
river, Plattsburg, July 19, 1894.
Dr Meek found it in small numbers in Six Mile creek and Fall
creek below the falls. It inhabits clear running water.
The fish grows to the length of 6 inches and may be at once
distinguished from all of the other minnows by its three-lobed
lower jaw. It is believed that this singular structure of the
mouth enables the fish to scrape mollusks from their hold on
rocks, as its stomach usually contains small shellfish. It takes
the hook readily.
Genus carassius Nilsson
This genus differs from Cy prinus in being without barbels;
its pharyngeal teeth are compressed, in a single series, 4-4.
Temperate Asia and Europe. Domesticated and degenerated
into numerous varieties. (After Ginther)
-Pharyngeal teeth spatulate, four in a row on each side;
mouth terminal, without barbels; base of the dorsal fin elon-
gate; anal fin short; both fins with a spine which is serrated
behind. (After Heckel and Kner)
Body oblong, compressed and elevated; mouth terminal, with-
out barbels; teeth 4-4, molar, but compressed; scales large;
lateral line continuous; dorsal fin very long, with the third ray
developed into a stout spine, which is serrated behind; anal
short with a similar spine; ventrals well forward. (After
Nilsson)
99 Carassius auratus (Linnaeus)
Goldfish (Introduced)
Cyprinus auratus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 322, 1758; CuvirR &
VALENCIENNES, Hist, Nat. Poiss. X VI, 101, 1842; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna,
Fishes, 190, 1842; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 115, pl. XXI, fig. 1, 1867.
Carassius auratus BLEEKER, Syst. Cypr. rev. Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk. I, 255,
1863; Atlas Ichth. Cypr. 74, 1863; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII,
32, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 253, 1883;
GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pl. 231, 1884; Bean, Fishes Penna.
54, pl. 25, fig. 48, 1898; Jonpan & EVERMANN, Check List Fish. N. A.
512, 1896.
The body of the goldfish is oblong, stout, with the back ele-
vated and compressed. Its depth at dorsal origin is contained
FISHES OF NEW YORK 165
about two and one half times in the total length without the
tail; the head is contained three and one third times in this
length. The head is small in front of eye, being depressed on
snout, and the dorsal profile from tip of snout to dorsal fin is
very steep. The rather small eye equals one fifth or less of
length of head. Mouth terminal, oblique, rather small, the
maxilla not reaching the vertical from front of eye. No barbels.
Teeth compressed, 4-4. The dorsal fin is high and long, com-
mencing over the seventh scale of the lateral line and running
back to near the caudal; its longest rays, first and second, a
little longer than the spine, equal to one half of depth of body,
or length of head from pupil to its posterior end. From the
third to the last the rays gradually decrease in size, the last
being less than half the length of the longest. The first dorsal
Spine is minute, one fourth the length of second, which is strong
and coarsely serrated. The anal is short, the length of its base
being but two thirds the length of its longest rays; first spine
small, one third the length of second, which is stout and ser-
rated. Pectoral fin broad and rounded, its length three fifths
of that of head, or equal to longest anal ray. It reaches to
ventral, which is placed well forward. Caudal fin large; scales
large, deeper than long; lateral line median, complete, almost
- straight. D.II,18; A. Il, 7; V.9. Scales 5-30-6. The specimen
described is from the fish ponds, at Washington D. C. Length
8 inches.
The common goldfish or silverfish is a native of Asia, whence
it was introduced into Europe and from there into America,
where it is now one of the commonest aquarium fishes and is
extremely abundant in many of our streams. In Pennsylvania
it abounds in the Delaware and Schuylkill river.
De Kay made the following remarks about the goldfish, or
golden carp, as he styles it.
The golden carp, or goldfish, as it is more generally called,
was introduced from China into Europe in the early part of the
17th century, and probably shortly after found its way to this
country. They breed freely in ponds in this and the adjoining
states. They are of no use as an article of food, but are kept
166 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
in glass vases as an ornament to the parlor and drawing-room.
They are said to display an attachment to their owners, and
a limited obedience to their commands.
They are introduced into lakes, ponds, fountains and reser-
voirs generally. An individual was kept in a fountain at 42d
street and 5th avenue, New York, by Patrick Walsh nine years,
and was then presented to the aquarium.
At the Cold Spring Harbor hatchery, L. 1., several varieties
were hatched from the same lot of eggs. These included the
normal form, the typical fantail, and one which was so deep-
bodied that it could scarcely balance itself in swimming.
The goldfish in the New York aquarium were never troubled
by fungus or parasites.
In many of our streams and ponds, the goldfish has run
wild, and hundreds of the olivaceous type will be secured to one
of ared color. In the fauna of the moraine ponds and in quarry
‘ holes, the goldfish stands first. It will breed in foul water
where only catfish and dogfish [Umbra] can be found.
Eugene Smith .
The goldfish is extremely variable in color and form. It is
usually orange, or mottled with black and orange, yet in some
streams, and even in pond culture, silvery individuals are often
more common than any of the mottled varieties. The species
grows to the length of 12 inches. It spawns early in the spring
and is subject to many dangers and is attacked by numerous
enemies. The fish, however, is extremely hardy, prolific, and
tenacious of life.
Genus cyprinus Linnaeus
Body robust, compressed, resembling that of the buffalo fish;
mouth moderate, anterior, with four long barbels; snout blunt,
rounded; teeth molar, broad and truncate, 1,1, 3-3, 1, 1; scales
large; lateral line continuous; dorsal fin very long, with a stout
spine, serrated behind; anal fin short, also with aspine. Large
fishes of the fresh waters of Asia; introduced into Kurope and
America as food fishes. It has been generally introduced into
private ponds in nearly all parts of the United States; from
these it has escaped into the streams and lakes, and is now an
FISHES OF NEW YORK 167
abundant fish in most of our larger, warmer rivers and in the
ponds and bayous of the Mississippi valley. On the south shore
of Lake Erie (and in the Mississippi near Quincy Ill. and the
Delaware river) it has become well established and is of con-
siderable commercial importance. (After Jordan and Evermann)
100 Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus
Carp (Introduced)
Cyprinus carpio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 320, 1758; CuvirR & VAL-
ENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 28, 1842; Dre Kay, N. Y. Fauna,
Fishes, 188, 1842; HEcKEL & KNER, Siissw. Fische, 54, fig. 21, 1858;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 25, 1868; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 254, 1883; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. U. S. I, pl.
230, Leather carp, 1884; American Fishes, 411, figure, 1888; BEAN,
Fishes Penna. 55, pl. 1, colored, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-
List Fishes N. A. 512, 1896.
The carp has a stout and moderately elongate body and a
small head. The greatest depth equals one third of the length
without the caudal fin. The length of the head is nearly one
fourth of the total to the base of the tail. The caudal peduncle
is about two fifths as deep as the body, and the caudal fin is
strongly forked. The eye diameter is contained six and one
half times in the length of the head. The mouth is moderate,
the upper jaw not extending to front of eye. The dorsal begins
at a distance from tip of snout equal to twice length of head;
the length of its base equals twice length of pectoral; the long-
est ray equals length of head without the snout; the last ray is
two fifths as long as the head. The anal begins under the 15th
ray of the dorsal; its longest ray is two thirds as long as the
head and more than twice as long as the last ray; the length
_ of its base is about two fifths of length of head. The ventral
begins under the second ray of the dorsal; its length nearly
equals longest dorsal ray. The pectoral is nearly one fifth of
total length without the caudal. The long spines of the dorsal
and anal are strongly serrate along their hinder edges. A bar-
bel on the upper lip and another at the angle of the mouth on
each side; the longest barbel about equal to diameter of eye.
Three varieties are recognized, the scale, the mirror and the
+I
168 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
leather carp, based chiefly on the scaling of the body. The
leather carp is nearly naked, and is said to be the best variety;
the mirror carp has a few large scales irregularly placed;
and the scale variety has the body completely scaled. The color
is olivaceous, varying into dusky and blue. In the leather carp
the lower parts are more or less suffused with yellowish. D. ITI,
20; Ay TU, 53 Vode; Pet: “Seales 5-38—5.
The carp is a native of Asia and has been introduced into
Europe and America as a food fish, chiefly for pond culture. It
thrives in all warm and temperate parts of the United States
and reaches its best condition in open waters. In Texas it has
grown to a length of 23 inches in 11 months after planting. The
leather variety is most hardy for transportation. Mr Hessel
has taken the carp in the Black and Caspian seas; salt water
seems not to be objectionable to it, and it will live in stagnant
pools, though its flesh will be decidedly inferior in such waters.
The carp hibernates in winter except in warm latitudes, takes
no food and does not grow; its increase in size in temperate
latitudes occurs only from May to August.
Reproduction. The spawning season begins in May and con-
tinues in some localities till August. A carp weighing 4 to 5
pounds, according to Mr Hessel, yields from 400,000 to 500,000
eggs; the scale carp contains rather more than the other varie-
ties. During the spawning the fish frequently rise to the sur-
face, the female accompanied by two or three males. The female
drops the eggs at intervals during a period of some days or
weeks in shallow water on aquatic plants. The eggs adhere
in lumps to plants, twigs and stones. The hatching period
varies from 12 to 16 days.
Size. According to Hessel the average weight of a carp at
three years is from 3 to 34 pounds; with abundance of food it
will increase more rapidly in weight. The carp continues to
add to its circumference till its 35th year, and in the southern
parts of Europe Mr Hessel has seen individuals weighing 40
pounds and measuring 34 feet in length and 2% feet in circum-
ference. A carp weighing 67 pounds and with scales 23 inches
FISHES OF NEW YORK 169
in diameter was killed in the Danube in 1853. There is a record
of a giant specimen of 90 pounds from Lake Zug in Switzer-
land. Examples weighing 24 pounds have been caught recently
in the Potomac river at Washington D. C.
- Food. The carp lives principally on vegetable food, prefera-
bly the seeds of water plants such as the water lilies, wild rice
and water oats. It will eat lettuce, cabbage, soaked barley,
wheat, rice, corn, insects and their larvae, worms and meats of
various kinds. It can readily be caught with dough, grains of
barley or wheat, worms, maggots, wasp larvae, and sometimes
with pieces of beef or fish.
During the summer of 1897 two female leather carp died in
captivity as a result of retention of the eggs.
Large individuals are found in Prospect park lake, Brooklyn,
where the species was introduced. The food of the fish in cap-
tivity includes hard clam, earthworms, wheat, corn, lettuce and
cabbage. Its growth is remarkable. A leather carp has fully
doubled its weight in one year.
Linnaeus says the carp was introduced into England about
the year 1600. De Kay places the first introduction into New
York waters in the year 1831 and publishes a letter of Henry
Robinson, Newburg, Orange co., who brought them from
France, reared and bred them successfully in his ponds, and
planted from one dozen to two dozen annually in the Hudson dur-
ing the four years preceding his letter. Mr Robinson stated
that they increased greatly and were frequently taken by fisher-
men in their nets.
Order APODES
Eels
Suborder ENCHELYCEPHALI
Family ANGUILLIDAE. |
True Eels
Genus aneurtLa Shaw
Body elongate, subterete, compressed posteriorly, covered .
with small, linear, embedded scales which are placed obliquely,
some of them at right angles to others; lateral line well devel-
170 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
oped; head long, conical, pointed; eye small, well forward, over
the angle of the mouth; teeth small, villiform, subequal, in bands.
on each jaw and a long patch on the vomer; tongue free at tip;.
lips rather full, with a free margin behind, attached by a frenum
ein front; lower jaw projecting; gill openings rather small, slit-
like, about as wide as base of pectorals and partly below them;
nostrils superior, well separated, the anterior with a slight tube;.
vent close in front of anal; dorsal inserted at some distance
from the head, confluent with the anal around the tail; pectorals.
well developed. Species found in most warm seas (the eastern.
Pacific excepted) ascending streams, but mostly spawning in the
sea. (After Jordan and Evermann)
101 Anguilla chrysypa Rafinesque
Eel
Anguilla chrisypa RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. Lake:
George; Lake Champlain; Hudson River above the falls.
Anguilla vulgaris MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 360, 18153.
GoovDE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pl. 239, 1884.
Muraena bostoniensis LE SuUEuR, Jour, Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 81, 1821.
Anguilla tyrannus GIRARD, Ichth. U. S. Mex. Bdy. Surv. 75, pl. 40, 1859.
Anguilla blephura RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. South:
shores of Long Island.
Muraena rostrata LE SUEUR, Jour. eG Nat. Sci. Phila. 81, 1821. Oayuga
Lake.
Anguilla tenuirostris DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 310, pl. 538, fig. 178, 1842.
Anguilla rostrata DE Kay, op. cit. 312, 1842. Copied from Le Sueur.
Lakes Cayuga and Geneva, N. Y.; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 361, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 95, pl. 30, fig. 58, 1898.
Anguilla macrocephala DE Kay, op. cit. 313, 1842. After Le Sueur. Sara-
toga Lake, N. Y.
Anguilla bostoniensis StoRER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 214, pl. XX XIII, fig. 1, 1867.
Anguilla chrysypa JORDAN & Davis, Rey. Apod. Fish. 668, 1892; JonpAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 348, 1896, pl. LV, fig. 148.
In the eel the body is elongated, roundish throughout most of
its extent, compressed behind. ‘The scales are deeply embedded
and very irregularly placed, some at right angles to others.
The head is conical, elongated with pointed snout and small
eye, except in the male. The lower jaw is longer than the.
upper. The jaws with small teeth in bands; a long patch of
teeth on the vomer. The gill openings are partly below the
FISHES OF NEW YORK CTL
/
pectoral fins, small and slitlike. The beginning of the dorsal
is at a distance of nearly twice the length of the head behind
the gill opening. The anal begins still farther back, and the
vent is close to its origin. The dorsal and anal fins are con-
tinuous around the tail. Hight of body nearly two thirds the
length of the head, which is contained about eight and one
fourth times in the total. The distance from the gill opening
to the vent equals two and one half times the length of the
head. The color varies greatly, but is usually dark brown, more
or less tinged with yellow; lower parts paler. In the male
referred to the upper parts were silvery gray sharply separated
from the satiny white of the abdomen. In the eel the lateral
line is very distinct.
The eel appears to have only one common name. It is one of
the best known and most singular of our fishes, yet its breeding
habits are even now enveloped in doubt. The species. ascends
the rivers of eastern North America from the Gulf of St Law-
rence to Mexico, the former being the northern limit of the
species on our coast. In the Ohio and Mississippi valleys it is
extremely common, and its range has been much extended by the
opening of canals and by artificial introduction. It has been
transferred to the Pacific coast.
The eel has been known to exceed a length of 4 feet.
The average length of individuals however is about 2 feet. The
female is larger than the male, paler in color, and is different
in certain other particulars, which will be mentioned in the
description of the species.
This is a very important food fish. It is caught chiefly when
descending the rivers in the fall. In 1869 about a ton of eels
were caught in a single fish basket above Harrisburg.
At the present time this method of capture is illegal.
Both adults and young eels ascend the streams in
spring, the young coming in millions, but in the fall
run small eels are seldom seen. Till a comparatively recent
date it was not certainly known that the eels have eggs which
are developed outside of the body. Even now the breeding
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he NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
habits are unknown, but it is supposed that spawning takes
place late in the fall or during the winter near the mouths of
rivers on muddy bottoms. Dr Jordan has expressed the belief
that the eel sometimes breeds in fresh water, since he has
found young eels less than an inch long in the headwaters of
the Alabama river, about 500 miles from the sea. It is esti-
mated that a large eel contains about 9,000,000 eggs. The eggs
are very small, measuring about 80 to the inch, and can scarcely
be seen by the naked eye. |
The difference of size in the sexes has already been referred
to. According to one writer the males are much smaller than
the females, rarely exceeding 15 or 16 inches in length. The
question whether eels will breed in fresh water has an impor-
tant bearing on their introduction into places from which they
can not reach the sea. The generally accepted belief is that,
while the eels will grow large and fat, they will not reproduce
under such circumstances.
When the eels meet obstructions in streams, they will leave
the water and travel through wet grass or over moist rocks.
They have not been able to surmount the falls of Niagara. At
the foot of this barrier hundreds of wagon loads of young eels
have been seen crawling over the rocks in their efforts to reach
the upper waters.
Dr Mitchill heard of an eel, which was caught in one of the
south bays of Long -~Island, that weighed 164 pounds. He
records the use of eelpots and the practice of bobbing, and also
the winter fishing by spearing. Dr Mitchill states distinctly that
the ovaries of eels may be seen like those of other fish, but they
are often mistaken for masses of fat. Dr DeKay states that he
had examined the silver eel of the fishermen and was disposed
to consider it only a variety of the common eel. He charac-
terizes it as “silvery gray above, with a clear, satiny white
abdomen, separated from the color above by the lateral line.”
We found eels moderately common in Great South bay late in
September. At Bellport thousands of eelpots are employed,
and these are fastened to stakes which are set in straight lines
FISHES OF NEW YORK B We;
over a large extent of the bottom. These stakes project from
four to six feet above the surface of the water. At Blue Point
cove, Great River beach and Fire Island we found five individuals
of a kind of eel known to the fishermen as silver eel. ‘These were
taken between September 25 and October 7, and they were the
only ones of the kind seen byus. They attracted attention at once,
both on account of their colors, large eyes, short snouts and
long pectoral fins, as compared with the common form, There
is still some doubt in my mind as to whether this represents a
distinct species or not. It may be the silver eel, Anguilla
argentea, of Le Sueur, which is described as silvery gray
above, separated from the silvery white abdomen by a distinct
lateral line. But, to whatever species they may be referred, the
greatest interest attaches to them because they have proved,
on examination by Prof. John A. Ryder, to be males with the
generative glands so well developed as to leave no doubt con-
cerning the sex of the individuals. Prof. Ryder has published
a report on these specimens, with figures showing sections of
the syrskian organs, and announces the fact that the male eel
has now been positively indentified from at least two points
along our eastern coast, the other locality being Woods Hole
Mass. He felt little doubt that, if the eels had been taken a
few weeks later, ripe spermatozoa would have been found in
them, and he considers it probable that the eggs are cast some
time during the months of December or January. The speci-
mens from Woods Hole were taken in November 1881, and they
show slightly larger syrskian organs than in the Fire island
specimens.
In captivity eels live many years. They delight to lie buried
in the mud or sand with only their heads out, ready for anything
edible to come within reach. Mussels and snails are picked out
of the shells by them. (After Eugene Smith’)
The eel in captivity is particularly liable to attacks of fungus,
which do not always yield to treatment with. salt or brackish
Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 29.
174 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
water; but the parasite can be overcome by placing the eel ina
poorly lighted tank. |
In Cayuga lake, N. Y., according to Dr Meek, the eel is not
common, but is occasionally taken at each end of the lake.
W. H. Ballou makes the following remarks about their feed-
ing habits: .
They are among the most voracious and carnivorous.
fishes. They eat most inland fishes except the gar and the
chub. .. They are particularly fond of game fishes, and show
the delicate taste of a connoisseur in their selections from
choice trout, bass, pickerel and shad... On their hunting
excursions they overturn huge and small stones alike, working
for hours if necessary, beneath which they find species of shrimp:
and crayfish, of which they are exceedingly fond. .. ‘They are
among the most powerful and rapid of swimmers... They
attack the spawn of other fishes open-mouthed, and are even
said to suck the eggs from an impaled female. . . They are owl-
like in their habits, committing their depredations at night.
Family Le PTOCEPHALIDAE
Conger Eels
Genus LEPTOCEPHALUS (Gronow) Scopoli
Body formed as in Anguilla; no scales; head depressed
above, anteriorly pointed; lateral line present; mouth wide, its
cleft extending at least to below middle of eye; teeth in outer
Series in each jaw equal and close set, forming a cutting edge,
no canines, band of vomerine teeth short, tongue anteriorly
free; vertical fins well developed, confluent around the tail,
pectoral fins well developed, dorsal beginning close behind
pectorals; gill openings rather large, low; eyes well developed;
posterior nostril near eye, anterior near tip of snout, with a
short tube; lower jaw not projecting. Skeleton differing in
numerous respects from that of Anguilla. Vertebrae about
564100. In most warm seas. This genus contains the well
known and widely distributed conger eel and three or four
closely related species. (After Jordan and Evermann)
Lateral line in a deep, pale furrow, decurved slightly from the
head to below dorsal origin, very conspicuous pores in its
anterior third.
Ol
FISHES OF NEW YORK 17
102 Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus)
Conger Eel; Sea Eel
Muraena conger LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 245, 1758.
Anguilla conger MITCHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 360, 1815.
Anguilla oceanica MITcHILL, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 407, 1818, off New
York.
Conger occidentalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 314, pl. 53, fig. 172, 1842,
very poor.
Conger vulgaris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 38, 1870.
Conger niger JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 362, 1883.
Leptocephalus conger GoopDE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pl. 240, 1884; Jor-
DAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 354, 1896, pl. LVII, fig.
148, 1900; Suir, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898.
Dorsal fin begins opposite to or just behind tip of pectoral;
eye one and one half in snout, five to six in head; snout three
and one fourth to four and one fourth in head; gape extending
nearly or quite to below hind margin of eye; head one and
four fifths to one and six sevenths in trunk; tail longer than rest
of body; pectorals three and one half in head; upper lip full,
with conspicuous pores. Length of head one ninth of total
length, depth of body two fifths length of head. Pores in lateral
line very ‘conspicuous. Color dark olive brown, sometimes
nearly black, above; chin, space behind pectorals and lower parts ©
soiled white.
The conger eel occurs on both coasts of the Atlantic, on our
coast extending from Cape Cod to Brazil, but not often coming
into shallow bays. An exception is noted in Great Egg Harbor
bay, where the fish is not rare in summer. It is sometimes
caught in Gravesend bay also in summer, and occasional indi-
viduals are captured on hand lines off Southampton L. L., by men
fishing for sea bass and scup. The fishermen dislike to handle
the species on account of its pugnacity and strength; it snaps
viciously at everything near it when captured in our waters;
yet, strangely enough, the writer has seen a hundred or more,
taken on trawl lines off the north coast of France, in a boat at
one time, and not one gave evidence of ferocity.
In captivity in the aquarium the sea eel suffers severely from
fungus attacks, which are not relieved by changing the fish from
salt water to fresh. Perhaps the salinity of the water in some
176 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
\
localities is too low, and relief might be obtained by supplying
sea water of normal ocean density.
The young and larval form of the conger is a curious, elongate,
transparent, bandlike creature with a minute head, a very small
mouth and with the lateral line, belly, and anal fin dotted with
black points.
An individual nearly 3 feet long was captured with a hand line
by A. P. Latto in the ocean, near Southampton L. I. Aug. 3, 1898,
while fishing for sea bass and scup.
In the Woods Hole region, according to Dr Smith, “it comes
in July and remains until fall; very common for several years,
but rather rare formerly. Fishermen as a rule do not dis-
tinguish it from the common eel. A few are taken in traps and
with lines, but many large ones, weighing from 8 pounds
upward, are caught in lobster pots. A specimen in the col-
lection weighs 10 pounds. One caught on a line at Falmouth,
Aug. 30, 1897, weighed 12 pounds. The smallest observed are
15 to 20 inches long.” :
Mitchill declared the flesh to be very dainty eating. DeKay
said the flesh has a peculiar unsavory taste. He discovered that
it is a vicious animal, snapping when captured at everything
near it. In France the conger eel is among the cheapest and
least esteemed of the food fishes.
The observations of Dr Otto Hermes, director of the Berlin
aquarium, on the habits and the reproduction of the conger eel
are of very great interest. Reference is made to them by Goode
in Fish and Fishery Industries of the United States, § 1, p. 657, and
two figures copied from drawings of Dr Hermes are given in the
text. The ovary of the conger, says Dr Hermes, is developed
in captivity, and this is often the cause of the death of the eel.
In a conger which died in the Berlin aquarium the ovaries pro-
truded very extensively, and a specimen in the Frankfort aqua-
rium burst on account of the extraordinary development of the
ovaries. The ovaries of this eel, which weighed 224 pounds,
themselves weighed 8 pounds, and the number of eggs was about
5,300,000. The want of a natural opening for the escape of the
eggs was evidently in this case, the cause of death. In the fall
FISHES OF NEW YORK LG
of 1879 Dr Hermes received a number of small sea eels taken in
’ the vicinity of Havre. These eels ate greedily and grew rapidly.
Only one was tardy in its development, so that it could easily
be distinguished from the rest. This one died June 20, 1880,
and was examined the same day. It proved to be a sexually
mature male and served to clear up some very doubtful problems
in the reproduction of the species, as well as its ally, the common
el
Order ISOSPONDYLI
Isospondylous Fishes
Family ELOPIDAE
Tarpons
Genus Tarpon Jordan & Evermann
Body oblong, compressed, covered with very large, thick,
silvery, cycloid scales; belly narrow, but not carinated, its edge
with ordinary scales; mouth large, oblique, the lower jaw prom-
inent, maxillary broad, extending beyond the eye; villiform teeth
on jaws, vomer, palatines, tongue, sphenoid, and pterygoid bones;
eye very large, with an adipose eyelid; lateral line nearly
Straight, its tubes radiating widely over the surface of the
scales; branchiostegals 23; pseudobranchiae wanting; gill rakers
long and slender; dorsal fin short and high, inserted behind the
ventrals (over the ventrals in Megalops), its last ray elon-
gate and filamentous as in Megalops, Dorosoma, and
Opisthonema; anal fin much longer than dorsal, falcate,
its last ray produced; caudal widely forked; pectorals and
ventrals rather long; anal with a sheath of scales; dorsal naked;
caudal more or less scaly; a collar of large scales at the nape.
Vertebrae about 57 (28+29). Size very large, the largest of the
herringlike fishes. (After Jordan and Evermann)
103 Tarpon atlanticus (Cuy. & Val.)
Tarpum; Tarpon; Grande Ecaille; Silver King
Megalops atlanticus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 398,
1846. Guadaloupe.
Megalops elongatus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 224, 1858, Long Island.
Megalops thrissoides GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 472, 1868; JorpDAN
'& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 262, 1888; Goopr, Fish & Fish.
Ind. U. S. I, 610, pl. 217 B, 1884; American Fishes, 406, fig. 1888.
oe
178 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Tarpon atlanticus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 409, 1896;
pl. LXVII, fig. 177, 1900; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898;
EEVERMANN & MARSH, Fishes Porto Rico, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1900; 80, fig.
10, 1900.
Body elongate, compressed, not deep, its greatest hight about
one fourth of total length without caudal. Length of head
nearly equal to greatest hight of body. Mouth large, oblique,
the lower jaw very prominent, the maxillary extending beyond
the vertical from hind margin of eye; eye moderately large, two
thirds length of snout, two elevenths length of head; dorsal
origin midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal
rays, dorsal base two fifths as long as head, dorsal filament
nearly as long as the head; ventral origin midway between tip
of snout and end.of anal fin, the ventral fin two fifths as long
as the head; base of anal three fourths as long as the head;
pectoral fin as long as the longest ray of dorsal; caudal deeply
forked, its longest rays equal to dorsal filament. Size large,
weight reaching nearly 200 pounds and length 6 or 7 feet. Color
silvery, darker above. DD: III, 12; A: III, 28; P. 135 Vie:
Scales 12-47.
The tarpon inhabits the western Atlantic from Gane Cod to
Brazil and the West Indies, being rather uncommon northward,
but abundant toward the south, ascending rivers in pursuit of
smaller fishes on which it feeds. The species grows to the length
of 7 feet and the weight of 150 pounds, or upward. It is not
prized for food, but is now very celebrated as a game fish of
great endurance and strength. The scales are an article of com-
merce as curiosities. Fishermen dread the tarpon because it
leaps through their nets with great violence, and the Pensacola
seiners have known of persons being killed or severely injured
by its leaping against them from the seine in which it was
inclosed. As to the edible qualities of the flesh BL differ,
but the fact is that the species is seldom eaten.
Girard had a specimen from Long Island which he described
in 1858. Since that time it has been seen there occasionally. In
the fall of 1898, Capt. H. E. Swezey reported to me that he found
one about 4 feet long in Swan river at Patchogue. The fish was
FISHES OF NEW YORK 179
recently dead, and he believes it came into the river alive. In
the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. it is now a regular summer
visitor. According to Dr Smith, it is “ taken every year in traps
at South Dartmouth, also occasionally at Quissett and at
Menemsha, in latter part of September. All are about one size,
80 to 100 pounds. Fishermen call them ‘big scale fish.” An
effort hag been made to find a market for them in New Bedford,
but the people did not like them, owing to the toughness of the
flesh.”
The tarpon evidently breeds at Porto Rico, as Evermann and
Marsh collected a number of individuals measuring from 2; to
34 inches at Fajardo in February 1899, these apparently being
the first young of the species so far recorded.
Genus ELops Linnaeus
Body elongate, subcylindric; scales small, silvery; head moder-
ate; conical anteriorly, with very long jaws, the lower slightly
. included; branchiostegals 30; eye large and placed high; dorsal
fin high in front, the last rays short, origin of fin about midway
between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays, the fin
depressible into a scaly sheath; anal fin short, well behind end
of dorsal, also depressible into a sheath; pectorals and ventrals
each with a long appendage; caudal fin long and deeply forked;
opercular bones thin, with expanded, membranaceous borders,
a collar of scales on occiput; lateral line continuous, nearly
straight, its tubes simple; large pseudobranchiae. Vertebrae
43429—72. Large fishes of the open seas. The young are ribbon-
shaped, elongate, and pass through a series of metamorphoses
similar to the changes observed in the congers.
104 Elops saurus Linnaeus
Big-eyed Herring
Elops saurus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 518, 1766; Dr Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 267, pl. 41, fig. 131, 1842; Jornpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
. U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1883; Goopr, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 611, pl.
218, upper figure, 1884; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
410, 1896; pl. LX VII, fig. 178, 1900; Bran, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.
IX, 334, 1897; Smity, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898; Bran, 5241 Ann.
Rep’t N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900; EvERMANN & Marsu, Bull, U. S, F>C.
for 1900, 81, fig. 11, 1900.
Hlops inermis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 445.
180 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Body elongate, subcylindric, compressed toward the tail, its -
greatest depth contained from five to six times in its length —
without caudal; caudal peduncle slender, its least depth three
eighths of length of head; head moderate, obtusely conical, its
length four and one fourth to four and one half in total with-
out caudal, flattened above, with a broad, deep furrow between
the eyes; eye large, one fifth as long as the head; upper jaw
broad, rounded, entire, longer than the lower, which is received
into it, the maxillary reaching far behind eye, almost to hind
edge of preopercle; the gular plate three or four times as long
as broad. D. 20; A.13; V.15; B.30. Scales 12-120-13. Length
3 feet. Tropical and temperate seas; common in America,
north to Virginia and the Gulf of California; occasional as far
north as Cape Cod. Color bright silvery, with a greenish tinge
‘along the back. Pupils black; iris golden; summit of the head
bronzed; opercles with golden metallic tints; all the fins more
or less punctate with black; dorsal and caudal light olive
brown; lower fins tinged with yellow.
Mitchill found some individuals in the New York market in
September 1818, under the name of salmon trout. One which
he bought was 22 inches long and weighed 42 ounces. The fish —
were sold at 75c each, a remarkably good price for a species
now generally considered unsalable because the flesh is dry and
bony. :
An adult was caught in Gravesend bay Oct. 5, 1896. Among
the fishermen there it is known as “seering” and “ cisco 7.
Several examples, each about 1 foot long, were taken at South-
ampton L. I. in October 1898, by A. P. Latto, and presented to
the State Museum.
At Cape Cod, according to Dr Smith, it is “common in fall,
none appearing before October. Taken in traps in Vineyard
sound and in herring gill nets at Vineyard Haven. Average
length, 18 to 20 inches. No young observed.”
The fish does not breed on our coast. The young are known
to be ribbon-shaped and elongate and to pass through a remark-
able series of changes similar to those observed .in the ladyfish,
Alpbula wal pe'si.
Re
‘ ¥ me’
FISHES OF NEW YORK 18L-
Family AaLBULIDAE
Ladyfishes
Genus auBpuLta (Gronow) Bloch & Schneider
Body rather elongate, little compressed, covered with rather
small, brilliantly silvery scales; head naked; snout conical, sub-
quadrangular, shaped like the snout of a pig, and overlapping
the small, inferior, horizontal mouth; maxillary rather strong,
short, with a distinct supplemental bone, slipping under the
membranous edge of the very broad preorbital; premaxillaries
short, not protractile; lateral margin of upper jaw formed by
the maxillaries; both jaws, vomer, and palatines with bands of
villiform teeth; broad patches of coarse, blunt, paved teeth on
the tongue behind and on the sphenoid and pterygoid bones;
eye large, median in head, with a bony ridge above it, and
almost covered with an annular adipose eyelid; opercle mod-
erate, firm, preopercle with a broad, fiat, membranaceous edge,
which extends backward over the base of the opercle; pseudo-
branchiae present; gill rakers short, tuberclelike; gill mem-
branes entirely separate, free from the isthmus; branchiostegals
about 14; a fold of skin across gill membranes anteriorly, its
posterior free edge crenate; no gular plate; lateral line present;
belly not carinate, flattish, covered with ordinary scales; dorsal
_ fin moderate, in front of ventrals, its membranes scaly; no
adipose fin; anal very small; caudal widely forked; pyloric caeca
numerous; parietal bones meeting along top of head. Verte-
brae numerous, 42+28—70. A single species known, found in
all warm seas. In this, and probably in related families, the
young pass through a metamorphosis, analogous to that seen
in the conger eels. They are for a time elongate, band-shaped,
with very small head and loose transparent tissues. From this
condition they become gradually shorter and more compact,
shrinking from 3 or 34 inches in length to 2 inches. According
to Dr Gilbert, this process, like that seen in various eels, is a
normal one, through which all individuals pass: In the Gulf
of California, where these fishes abound, these band-shaped
young. are often thrown by the waves on the beach in great
masses. (After Jordan and Evermann)
4
182 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
105 Albula vulpes (Linnaeus)
Ladyfish; Bone Fish; Banana Fish
Esox vulpes LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 313, 1758.
Butirinus vulpes DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 268, 1842, name only.
Albula Parraeé CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 339, 1846:
Albula erythrocheilos CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op, cit. 352, pl. 574, 1846.
Albula conorhynchus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. VII, 468, 1868.
Albula vulpes JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 258, 1883; GOODE,,
Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 612, pl. 218, lower fig. 1884; Bran, 19th Rep.
Comm. Fish. N. Y. Separate, 42, pl. XXIII, fig. 31, 1890; Jorpan &
EXVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, 1896, pl. LXVIII, fig, 179,
1900; SmitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; Evermann & Marsn..
Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1900, 82, fig. 12, 1900.
Body fusiform, elongate, rounded, its greatest depth, at dorsal’ |
origin, contained four and two thirds times in total length to:
base of caudal fin and equal to distance from posterior nostril |
to end of head; caudal peduncle rather slender, its least depth:
about one third of greatest depth of body; head long, conical,
the snout rather acutely pointed, length of head about three:
and two thirds in total; eye moderate, one half of snout, one
fifth of head, placed high; mouth inferior, small, the maxilla.
not reaching to below front of eye; collar of enlarged scales on.
the nape extending down to the base of the pectoral; dorsal
origin about midway between tip of snout and base of caudal,
the base of the fin a little more than one half the length of
head, the longest ray as long as the head without the snout, the
last ray one third as long as the longest. The pectoral reaches.
to below the 15th scale of the lateral line. The ventral origin.
is under the 32d scale of the lateral line; the fin three eighths.
as long as the head. Anal origin equally distant from base of
caudal fin and end of ventral base, the longest ray one third.
as long as head, the last ray less than one half as long as the
longest; caudal fin long, deeply forked, the outer rays equal in
length to hight of body. D.III, 14; A.1,8; V.1,10. Scales 8—
75-8. Bright silvery; upper parts olivaceous; fins pale; axils of
pectorals and ventrals dusky. Size large, length reaching 3:
feet.
Tropical seas, on sandy coasts, on our coasts ranging north-
ward to Cape Cod and San Diego. A valuable food fish, but
FISHES OF NEW YORK 183
~not esteemed in northern waters. Highly prized at Key West
and the Bermudas; not much in favor at Porto Rico.
The ladyfish is found on our coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf
of Mexico. It also occurs in the Bermudas and West Indies.
The Bermuda names are bony fish and grubber. It is considered
an excellent food fish on these islands, and Dr Goode testifies
from personal experience to its value as an edible species. At
‘Cozumel, off the coast of Yucatan, it is highly esteemed. On
our coast it is occasionally found as far north as Cape Cod.
The ladyfish is not described by either Mitchil] or DeKay as
-one of the fishes of New York; and I did not see it in Great South
bay, but it was taken later in the fall by Capt. Lewis B. Thurber,
of Patchogue, who forwarded it to me.
Dr Smith says it is very rare at Woods Hole Mass. where it
was reported by Prof. Baird in 1871. Since 1871 it has been
observed only once or twice, and none has been taken for many
years.
Family HIODONTIDAE
Mooneyes
Genus uiopon Le Sueur
In the mooneyes the body is oblong, compressed, covered with
cycloid silvery scales of moderate size. Head short, naked, with
obtuse snout and no barbels. The mouth is terminal, of mod-
erate size; jaws subequal. The margin of the jaw is formed by |
the nonprotractile intermaxillaries and the slender maxillaries,
which are articulated to the end of the intermaxillaries. The
opercular apparatus is complete. Intermaxillary and mandible
with small cardiform teeth, wide set; feeble teeth on the maxil-
laries; a row of marginal teeth on the tongue, those in front
very strong canines; a band of short close set teeth on middle
of tongue; vomerine teeth small, close set, in a long double
series; teeth on the palatine, sphenoid and pterygoid bones.
The lower jaw is received within the upper so that the mandi-
bulary teeth are opposite to those on the palatine bone. The
very large eye has a little developed adipose eyelid. Nostrils
large, close together, with a flap between them; gill membranes
ai
.
-
184 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
deeply cleft, free from isthmus, their base covered by a fold of
skin; branchiostegals 8 to 10; no pseudobranchiae; gill rakers
short, thick and few in numbers; a straight and well developed
lateral line; belly without scutes; no adipose fin; dorsal fin over
the caudal part of the vertebral column; anal long and low;
ventrals large; caudal deeply forked; stomach horseshoe-shaped,,
with blind sac; intestine short; one pyloric appendage; air
bladder large and simple. The eggs fall into the abdominal
cavity before exclusion.
106 Hiodox tergisus (Le Sueur)
Mooneye; Toothed Herrumg
Hiodon tergisus Le SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 366, Sept. 1818, Ohio
River and Lake Hrie.
Hiodon clodalus LE SUEuR, op. cit. 367, Sept. 1818, Pittsburg.
Glossodon harengoides RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month, Mag. III, 354, Sept. 1818,
Ohio River. : ’ |
Cyprinus (Abramis ?) Smithii RicHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 110, fig-
1836.
Hyodon tergisus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 265, pl. 41, fig. 130; Cuvimr:
& VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, pl. 572, 1846; Gunrumr, Cat..
Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 375, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 260, 1888; Goon, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 618, pl. 219, 1884.
Hyodon clodalis DE Kay, op. cit. 266, 1842, but fig. 164, pl. 51, represents:
alosoides.
Hyodon claudalus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 313.
Hyodon tergisus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 57, pl. 25, fig. 44 (named alosoides),
1888; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 4138, 1896, pl.
LX VIII, fig. 180, 1900. ;
The shape of the body is similar to that of the northern moon-
eye. The belly has a slight but obtuse keel in front of the ven-.
trals and is compressed to a rather sharp edge hehind the,
ventrals. Head short, its length two ninths of total without
caudal; the eye much longer, about one third the length of head.
The greatest depth of the body is neariy one third of total
length. The pectoral is as long as the head without the snout;
the ventral not much more than two thirds the length of head,
its origin under the 18th scale of the lateral line. The anal
origin is under the 7th developed ray of the dorsal. The longest
anal ray is less than one half the head. The anal base is as
long as the head; its last ray is less than one half the longest
FISHES OF NEW YORK 185
ray. Theanalhasadeepnotch. The longest dorsal ray is little
more than length of dorsal base. The last ray is not much more
than one half the longest. The caudal is deeply forked. D.12;
A. 28 to 32. Scales 6-58-8. Upper parts greenish in life. the
sides and abdomen brilliant silvery.
This species is called mooneye, toothed herring and silver
bass. It is found in Canada, the Great lakes region and the
upper part of the Mississippi valley, being very common in large
streams and lakes. It abounds in Lake Erie and the Ohio and
is seined in large numbers. DekKay observed the fish in the
Allegheny river, N. Y. He records it also from Buffalo and
Barcelona, on Lake Erie, at which places it is known as mooneye,
shiner, and lake herring. He says it is very indifferent food.
This species grows to a length of 1 foot and, like the other,
though a beautiful fish and possessed of excellent game quali-
ties, its flesh is full of small bones. It is a good fish for the
aquarium; it will take a minnow or the artificial fly very readily,
and the utmost skill is required in its capture. Its food con-
sists of insects, small fishes and crustaceans.
Dr Richardson describes this fish as a member of the minnow
family, which he says is known to the Canadians under the
name la quesche. The fish is described as having the back bril-
hant green, sides and abdomen with a silvery luster. The
specimens which were taken in the Richelieu, where it fal!s into
the St Lawrence, were about 9 or 10 inches long.
107 Hiodon alosoides (Rafinesque)
Northern M ooneye ; La Quesche
Amphiodon alosoides RAFINESQUE, Jour. Phys. Paris, 421, 1819. Ohio River.
Hyodon amphiodon RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 42, 1820.
Hiodon chrysopsis RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 232, 1836.
Hyodon alosoides JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 259, 1883;
GooDE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 612, 1884.
Hiodon alosoides BEAN, Fishes Penna. 57, 1893 (not figured); JorDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 413, 1896.
Hyodon clodalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, pl. 51, fig. 164, not descrip-
tion, 1842.
Body deep, much compressed, its greatest depth equaling two
sevenths of the total without caudal. The head is short, con-
186 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
taining the length of the eye about three and one half times
and equaling a little more than one fifth of the total without
caudal. The snout is very blunt, the mouth large and oblique,
the maxilla reaching beyond the middle of the eye. There is
a well developed keel along the entire length of the belly. D. 9;
A. 32. Scales 6—56-7.
The general color is bluish silvery on the sides with golden
refiections.
The northern mooneye is found from the Ohio river through-
out the Great lakes region to the Saskatchewan. It is very com-
mon in Manitoba and other parts of British America. In Penn-
sylvania it is limited to the western region.
De Kay must have had the northern mooneye for study,
though his description seems to apply to another species. The
figure of his Hyodon clodalis represents a fish with a
short dorsal fin, quite unlike his account in the text.
The northern mooneye is very readily distinguished from the
other species of the genus by its short dorsal fin, which con-
tains only nine rays, and by its carinated belly. It grows to
the length of 1 foot. The flesh is not greatly esteemed as a rule,
but the fish is beautiful and has excellent game qualities.
Richardson says the fish inhabits lakes which communicate
with the Saskatchewan, in the 53d and 54th parallels of lati-
tude, but does not approach nearer to Hudson bay than Lake
Winnipeg. This we know to be a mistake. He says further
that it is taken during the summer months only, and in small
numbers, in gill nets set for other fish. It bites eagerly at an
artificial fly or worm. Its flesh is white, resembling that of.the
perch in flavor, and excelling it in richness.
Family DOROSOMIDAE
Gizzard Shads
Genus Dporosoma Rafinesque
The genus Dorosoma has a herringlike body, with a
short and obtuse snout. The body is much compressed and is
covered with moderately large, thin, cycloid scales. The head
is scaleless, short and small; the eye large and provided with
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FISHES OF NEW YORK 187
an adipose eyelid. The belly is compressed to an edge, which
is armed with sharp serratures. Mouth small, transverse; the |
lower jaw the shorter, jaws toothless. The maxilla does not
extend to the middle of the eye. Gill rakers numerous, mod-
erately long and slender; gill membranes deeply cleft and free
from the isthmus; pseudobranchiae well developed; lateral line
wanting. The dorsal fin is placed nearly over the middle of the
body, slightly behind the origin of the ventral. Its last ray is
produced into a long filament. The pectorals and ventrals are
rather long and each is provided with an appendage formed
of several elongate, overlapping accessory scales. The caudal
is deeply forked. Anal very long, its last rays low. The stomach
is stout and short, resembling the gizzard of a hen.
108 Dorosoma cepedianum (Le Sueur)
Gizzard Shad
Megalops cepediana LE SuEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 361, Sept. 1818.
(Baltimore and Philadelphia markets).
Clupea heterurus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. III, 355, Sept. 1818.
Ohio River. |
Dorosoma notata RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 40, 1820. Ohio River.
Chatoéssus cepedianus and ellipticus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 265, 1842,
as extra-limital.
Chatoéssus ellipticus K1IRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 235, pl. X, fig. 1,
1844.
Chatoéssus cepedianus CUVIER & YALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X XI, 99,
pl. 612,” 1848. New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans; GUNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus, VII, 409, 1868.
Dorosoma cepedianum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 271,
1883; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 610, pl. 217 A, 1884; BEAN,
Fishes Penna. 63, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus...
416, 1896, pl. LXTIX, fig. 183, 1900.
The depth of the body is contained two and two thirds times
in the total without caudal, the length of the head four and
one third times. Eye longer than snout, one fourth length of
head. The third ray of the dorsal is two thirds as long as the
head, and the filamentous ray nearly equals the head in length.
Length of dorsal base about one half that of head; anal base
two sevenths of total length of body without caudal, its longest
ray two thirds of length of ventral or one third of that of head.
Pectoral three fourths as long as head. Lower caudal lobe
188 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
longer than upper, its length equal to that of the head. D. iii,
10; A. ii, 31. Scales 56 to 64, about 20 in a transverse series.
Scutes in front of ventrals 17, and from ventral to vent 12.
Upper parts bluish; sides silvery, sometimes with golden reflec-
tions. In young individuals there is a large dark blotch on.
each side not far behind the head. This disappears with age.
The mud shad, also known as gizzard shad, winter shad, stink.
shad, white-eyed shad, hickory shad, hairy back, and thread
herring, is found in brackish waters along the coast from New
York southward to Mexico, ascending streams and frequently
becoming landlocked in ponds. A variety of this fish is alsv
common in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, whence it has-
spread through canals into Lakes Erie and Michigan.
Cuvier and Valenciennes had the species from New York,.
- whence it was sent by Milbert. De Kay mentions it only as an
extralimital fish; but in his time the fish fauna of Lake Erie
was very little known.
This fish grows to a length of 15 inches and a weight of 2
pounds. It spawns in Summer, and its food consists of algae,
confervae, desmids and diatoms. With its food it takes large
guantities of mud, from which it separates the organic sub-
stances after swallowing. This is a beautiful species, some-
what resembling the shad in general appearance and has been. ;
very successfully kept in the aquarium, where its bright colors.
and graceful movements make it attractive, but its flesh is soft,
tasteless and seldom eaten when any better can be obtained.
In most regions fishermen consider it a great nuisance and
throw away their entire catch. Negroes eat the mud shad from
tributaries of the Chesapeake, and in Florida the fish has been
utilized to some extent in making guano. The name gizzard
shad alludes to the form of the stomach, which is very much
like that of a hen.
Family cLUPEIDAE
Herrings
Body oblong or elongate, more or less compressed, covered
with cycloid or pectinated scales; belly sometimes rounded- 7
sometimes compressed, in which case it is often armed with
FISHES OF NEW YORK 189
bony serratures; head naked, usually compressed; mouth rather
. large, terminal, the jaws about equal, maxillaries forming the
lateral margins of the upper jaw, each composed of about three
pieces; premaxillaries not protractile; teeth mostly small, often
feeble or wanting, variously arranged; adipose eyelid present
or absent; gill rakers long and slender, gill membranes not con-
nected, free from the isthmus; no gular plate; gills four, a slit
behind the fourth; branchiostegals usually few (6 to 15);
posterior lower part of opercular region often with an angular
emargination, the tips of the larger branchiostegals being
abruptly truncate; pseudobranchiae present; no lateral line.
Dorsal fin median or somewhat posterior, rarely wanting; no
adipose fin; ventrals moderate or small (wanting in Pristi-
gaster); anal usually rather long; caudal fin forked. Verte-
brae 40 to 56. Genera about 30; species 150; inhabiting all
seas, and usually swimming in immense schools; many species
ascend fresh waters, and some remain there permanently. The
northern and fresh-water species, as in many other families,
differ from the tropical forms in having a larger number of
vertebral segments.
Genus mnrrumEvs Bleeker
Body rather elongate, somewhat compressed; the abdomen
rounded and without serratures; mouth terminal, of moderate
width, formed asin Clupea, but the maxillary more slender;
teeth moderate, in patches on jaws, palatines, pterygoids, and
tongue; scales cycloid, entire, very deciduous; branchiostegals.
numerous, very slender. Ventrals inserted posteriorly, entirely
behind dorsal; the dorsal fin rather long, of 18 to 20 rays; anal
low, of moderate length. Pseudobranchiae well developed;
pyloric caeca numerous. No silvery lateral stripe. Few spec‘es.
Asiatic and American. (After Jordan and Evermann)
109 Etrumeus teres (De Kay)
Round Herrwmg
Alosa teres DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 262, pl. 40, fig. 128, 1842. New
York harbor.
Etrumeus teres GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 467, 1868; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 2638, 1883; Bran, Bull. U. S. F. C.
VII, 148, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 44, 1890.
Etrumeus sadina JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 420, 1896,
not Clupea sadina MitTcHILL; Situ, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898.
190 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Body slender, rounded, elongate, its greatest depth one sixth ©
of total length without caudal; head rather long, one fourth of
total without caudal; mouth small, the jaws subequal in front,
the maxilla extending to or slightly beyond the front of the
eye; the mandible not at all projecting when the mouth is
closed, but rather included; thickness of body more than two
thirds of its depth; vomerine teeth present, lingual teeth well
developed, teeth in the jaws weak; eye large, equal to snout,
three and one third in length of head; dorsal origin midway
between tip of snout and origin of anal, the longest dorsal ray
more than one half length of head; ventrals well behind dorsal,
the length little more than one third length of head; anal basis
short, about one third length of head; axillary scales above
pectorals and ventrals very long, those over the pectoral more
than one half as long as the fin. D. 18; A. 18. Color, bright
silvery; darker above, with a tinge of blue and yellow on the
sides. Head metallic silvery with coppery reflections; iris
golden; dorsal and caudal tinged with yellow, the remaining
fins translucent, with minute dark specks. Cape Cod to the
Gulf of Mexico, not rare southward; a favorite food of bluefish.
The “ New York shadine ” of Mitchill can not be identified
with this species; it was evidently a species of Pomolobus
bearing a close resemblance to the shad. Mitchill’s shadine
had a spot behind the gill cover, a wide and toothless mouth,
a projecting lower jaw and 15 anal rays. These characters are
in opposition to the known characters of the round herring,
and there is no probability that this little fish was before him
for description. De Kay saw only a single specimen of the
round herring from the harbor of New York. A copy of
Mitchill’s! description is here given for comparison.
13 New York Shadine, Clupea sadina
An elegant species with a small smutty spot behind the gill
cover; but with neither spots nor stripes on its back or sides.
Mouth wide and toothless. Tongue small.
Back delicately variegated with green and blue. Lateral line
straight. Sides silvery white, considerably above that line; and
*Mitehill. Lit. and Phil Soc..N.-Y.. Trans, 1805. 12457.
ss
FISHES OF NEW YORK 191
below it quite to the belly. The white reflects vividly green,
red, and other splendid hues. Head rather elongated. Lower
jaw projecting.
Scales very easily deciduous. Form neat, taper, and slender.
Gills rise into the throat on each side of the root of the tongue.
Eyes pale and large. Tail deeply forked. On account of the
even connection of the false ribs, the belly is not at all serrated,
but quite smooth. A semitransparent space in front of the eyes
from side to side. |
iranis) tees 6532. 165. V Os Ws 18: Ay 15: 0. 19.
This species was not taken in Great South bay, but on the
ocean beach adjacent to the Blue Point lifesaving station.
It is the slender herring described by Dr DeKay from a single
specimen taken with a seine in New York harbor in the latter
part of October. He found it associated with numerous speci-
mens of the big-eyed herring, Elops saurus. Dekay states
that the Elops appeared to be known to the fishermen as the
round herring, but the name is more applicable to the little.
species now under consideration. Several specimens were
seined on the ocean beach at Blue Point Lifesaving station, Octo-
ber 7. None were obtained in the bay. September 24, 51 exam-
ples of this fish were found lying on the beach, in the vicinity of
the same station, having been driven ashore by bluefish. In
August 1890 great schools of round herring were stranded in
this way. Prof. Baird found a number of specimens along the
beach of Great Egg Harbor bay in 1854, and a single specimen
was seined by Capt. Thomas Steelman in the same locality in
October 1887.
Young individuals, from 44 to 4? inches long, were taken in
Gravesend bay July 30,1896. They were associated with young
mackerel, of slightly larger size, in bunches and schools. John
B. DeNyse saw some schools that he estimated to contain 25,000
fish.
Dr Smith says it is apparently rare at Woods Hole; known to
have been found on only a few occasions. In October, some
years ago, several were taken in traps at Menemsha bight,
Marthas Vineyard.
die and 4 eae ae
eee seaeer F%
192 NEW YORK STATD MUSEUM
Genus ciupEA (Artedi) Linnaeus
True herrings with the body elongate, numerous vertebrae,
the ventral serratures weak, and an ovate patch of small but
persistent teeth on the vomer. The few species belong to the
northern seas, where the number of individuals is inordinately
great, exceeding perhaps those of any other genus of fishes. —
Not anadromous, spawning in the sea.
The genus Clupea, which includes the shad, river alewife
or herring and the Ohio golden shad or skipjack, admits of division
into several subgenera, one of which includes the common sea
herring and other marine species, another the shad and still
another the river alewives. The last have the suborbital bone
longer than deep and are supplied with teeth on the tongue and
in some species in the jaws. ;
110 Clupea harengus Linnaeus
Sea Herring
Clupea harengus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 317, 1758; MITCHILL,
Amer. Month. Mag. II, 3238, Mar. 1818; CuvIER & VALENCIENNES,
Hist. Nat. Poiss. XX, 30, pl. 591, 1847; Gunruer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.
VII, 415, 1868; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 265, 1883;
GoopE, Fish & Fish, Ind. U. S. I, 549, pl. 204, 1884; Bran, 19th
Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 42, pl. X XIV, fig. 32, 1890; JorDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 421, 1896, pl. LX'X, fig. 185, -
1900; SmiTH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898.
Clupea halec MitrcHiILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 451, 1815.
Clupea pusilla MITCHILL, op. cit. 452, 1815.
Clupea coerulea MITCHILL, op. cit. 457, 1815. .
Clupea elongata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 250, 1842; Srormr, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 152, pl. X XVI, fig. 1, 1867.
Body elongate, slender, fusiform, compressed, its greatest
depth one fourth of total length without caudal; caudal pedun-
cle slender, its least depth one third of length of head; head
moderate, two ninths of total length without caudal; eye large,
three and one half to four in head, and with a well developed
adipose eyelid; lower jaw strongly projecting; maxilla reaching
to below middle of pupil, its length three sevenths of length of
head; cheeks longer than high; an ovate patch of small teeth
on vomer, palatine teeth minute or wanting, small teeth on the
tongue, small teeth in the jaws in young examples, usually dis-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 193
appearing with age; gill rakers very long and slender, about 40
on the lower part of the first arch; dorsal origin midway.
between tip of snout and end of scales, dorsal base one eighth
of total length without caudal, longest dorsal ray equal to pos-
torbital part of head, last dorsal ray one half tne length of
longest; ventral under about middle of dorsal, its length three
-eighths of head; anal base a little shorter than dorsal base, its
longest ray one fifth, and its shortest ray one tenth of greatest
depth of body; caudal fin well forked, its longest rays three
fourths of head; pectoral fin about two thirds as long as the
“head. Scales very deciduous. Abdomen with weak serratures,
before and behind the ventrals, 28 scutes in front of and 13
behind the venirals. D. 18; A: 17. Scales 14-57. Vertebrae
56. Peritoneum dusky; back and head deep blue, tinged with
yellow; opercles yellowish, tinged with violet; iris silvery; sides |
silvery with bright reflections. Length 12 to 17 inches. North
Atlantic ocean, on our east coast south to Cape Hatteras,
Spawning in the sea.
The sea herring is the most important food fish of the world
and it is undoubtedly the most abundant of all the fishes. Its
food consists of small invertebrates, chiefly copepods and the
Jarvae of worms and mollusks. It forms the most important
food of many of our valuable food fishes includ'ng the cod, had-
dock, halibut, bluefish, and a great many others. Herring
Spawn at two seasons, spring and fall, the fi st spawning con-
tinuing from April to June and the second season between July
and December. The eggs are adhesive and are deposited on
the bottom, where they adhere to seaweeds and other objects
of support. The egg is about »% inch in diameter. The hatch-
ing period lasts from 12 days to 40 days, according to the tem-
perature of the water. Sea herrings were artificially hatched
as early as 1878, both in Germany and in the United States. It
has been estimated that the annual yield of sea herring is
3,000,000,000 fish, principally taken in Norway.
The herring occurs on our east coast from Labrador to New
York. When found as far south as New York, it usually occurs
194 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
in midwinter. Capt. Thurber obtained it in Great South bay in
the fall.
The young of the sea herring is well known as the whitebait
of England and the United States, though in the latter country
the young of other species are sometimes mingled with those of
the sea herring.
Many young, translucent fish of the genus Clupea, a little
under 2 inches long, are seen in spring in the shad fykes and
pounds of Gravesend bay. They are called “ shad bait,” because
they are said to be taken frequently from shad stomachs. John
B. De Nyse brought some of them to me for examination Ap. 30,.
1896. They showed the following characters.
D.18; A. 17. Muscular impressions along sides of body about
60. The ventral is very slightly in advance of the origin of the
dorsal. Intestinal tract full of minute orange-colored sub-.
stances resembling entomostraca. A row of black dots on sides,.
low down, extending from pectoral to anal. Iris silvery; top of
eye very dark.
Large sea herring, according to W. I. De Nyse, are rare in.
Gravesend bay. Only about 100 or 200 are obtained there dur-.
ing fall and winter.
Young examples, from 4# to 6 inches long, were obtained in
that bay Nov. 23, 1897.
In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith,.
schools of large herring, in a spawning condition, appear about
October 15 and remain till very cold weather sets in, their depar--
ture corresponding with that of the cod. By January young her--
ring + inch long are taken in surface tow nets; by May 1 they are
1 to 1} inches long, and by August 1, 24 to 3 inches. Fish 3 to 5.
inches long, called “sperling,” are found from September 1 to end
of season and are used for mackerel bait. About June 1 there is
a large run of herring, smaller than those in the fall run. This.
lasts two weeks, during which the traps are full of them. No
use is made of the early run, but in fall they are caught in gill!
nets for food and bait.
Ms ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 195
Genus Ppomo.toswus Rafinesque
Body oblong, more or less compressed; mouth moderate,
terminal, the jaws about equal, or the lowér projecting, the
upper scarcely notched at tip; teeth feeble, variously placed,
probably never wholly absent, mandibles very deep at base,
shutting within the maxillaries; gill rakers more or less long
and slender, numerous; adipose eyelid present; scales thin,
cycloid, deciduous, entire, rounded posteriorly; cheeks with the
free part longer than deep; dorsal fin rather short, nearly
median, beginning in advance of ventrals, its posterior ray not
prolonged in a filament; ventral present; anal moderate; belly
compressed, strongly serrated before and behind ventrals.
Flesh rather dry and poor, less oily than in Clupanodon.
Vertebrae 46 to 55 in number, usually 50. Species numerous,
mostly anadromous.
111 Pomolobus chrysochloris Rafinesque
Skipjack; Blue Herring; Gold Shad
Pomolobus chrysochloris RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 39, 1820. Ohio River;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 425, 1896, pl. LXX,
fig. 187, 1900.
Meletta suoerit CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XX, 375, 1847.
Alosa chrysochloris KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 307, pl. XV, fig. 3,
1844.
Clupea chrysochloris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.. Mus. 266, 1883;
GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 594, pl. 211, 1884; Bran, Fishes
Penna. 59, 1893.
This species has a few strong and distinct teeth in the jaws,
the lower jaw strongly projecting, the caudal peduncle stout
and the belly strongly serrated. In shape the body resembles
that of the sea herring; it is compressed, rather low, its depth
slightly more than one fourth of the total length without caudal
and about equal to the length of the head. The eye is large,
nearly one fourth the length of head; the maxilla extends nearly
to the hind margin of the eye; the length of the upper jaw is
more than one half the length of head. The origin of the dorsal
is over the ninth series of scales, and the length of its base
corresponds with 10 rows of scales. The ventral origin is under
196 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the middle of the dorsal; the fin is one half as long as the head.
The pectoral reaches the 14th series of scales of the lateral line;
its length is two thirds of that of the head. The anal is
moderately long and low; its longest ray about twice the length
of eye and one half the length of its base. The longest dorsal
ray equals postorbital part of head. The caudal is deeply —
forked. There are 23 gill rakers below the angle of the first
arch. D. iii, 15; A. iii, 16. Scales 15-52 to 58. Scutes 20+13 to 14.
The body is blue with reflections of green and gold; the lower
parts silvery.
The golden shad or skipjack is a common inhabitant of the
Ohio and Mississippi valleys and the Gulf of Mexico. In Penn-
sylvania this fish is confined to the Ohio and its tributaries. It
prefers large streams. It has made its way into the Great lakes
through canals. The presence of the golden shad in the salt —
water of the Gulf of Mexico was discovered by Silas Stearns
near Pensacola Fla. This species grows to a length of 18 inches.
Unlike most other species of herring, this one, according
to observations of Prof. S. A. Forbes of Illinois, is predaceous, —
feeding on other fishes. Two examples examined by him had
eaten gizzard shad, Dorosoma, and another one, individuals
of some unidentified fish. The young of the golden shad, 24 inches
long, had consumed nothing but terrestrial insects, including
flies, small spiders, ete. :
As far as I can learn it never ascends small streams. In the
lower part of the Mississippi valley it migrates into salt water.
In the upper portion of this region its permanent residence is
in fresh water. The name skipjack is given in allusion to its
habit of skipping along the surface of the water.
The fish is full of small bones, and its flesh is reputed to be
tasteless and without value as food; yet Kirtland says it is
esteemed in Ohio as a good pan fish. In the water its move-
ments are graceful and active, and its peculiarity of leaping
above the surface when in pursuit of its prey is interesting and
unusual in this family.
FISHES OF NEW YORK : 197
112 Pomolobus mediocris (Mitchill)
Hickory Shad; Fall Herring; Shad Herring
Clupea mediocris MircHILy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 450, 1815. New
York; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 266, 1883; Mc-
DONALD, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 607, pls. 216A, 216B, 1884; BEAN,
19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 438, pl. X XV, fig. 34, 1890.
Clupea mattowaca MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 451, 1815.
Long Island.
Clupea virescens DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 252, pl. 18, fig. 37, 1842.
Alosa mattowaca Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 260, pl. 40, fig. 127, 1842.
Alosa lineata STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 162, pl. X XVII, fig. 2, 1867.
Clupea mattowaca GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 438, 1868.
Pomolobus mediocris JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 425,
1896, pl. LX XI, fig. 108, 1900; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898;
BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900.
Head comparatively long, its length being contained four
times in that of the body; the profile straight, and not very
steep, form more elliptic than in others, and less heavy forward;
lower jaw considerably projecting, upper jaw emarginate. The
depth of the body is contained three and three eighths times iu
the length. Opercles rather less emarginate below and behind
hdmi) Py pseudoharengus. Fins low; dorsal ‘fin
inserted nearer snout than base of caudal. Bluish silvery;
sides with rather faint longitudinal stripes. Peritoneum pale.
Length 24 inches. Cape Cod to Florida; rather common; not
highly valued as a food fish; not ascending streams to spawn.
D. 15; A. 21. Lateral line 50; abdominal scutes 20+16.
This species is referred to by Dr Mitchill as the Staten Island
herring, Clupea mediocris, which he says grows very
large for a herring, being frequently 18 inches long and almost
as big as a small shad. It has “ six or eight brown spots, longi-
tudinally, below the lateral line, as reported by an inhabitant
of that part of the bay of New York which borders on Staten
Island.” Mitchill, also, has the same species under the name of
Long Island herring, Clupea mattowaca. This, he says,
is also called the autumnal or fall herring, as well as shad
herring and fall shad. Mitchill recognized it as probably the
full-grown fish of the C. mediocris. He was not able to
distinguish it from that species. The length of the greenback,
198 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
according to this writer, frequently reaches’ 2 feet with a depth
of from 43 to 6 inches. At the time of his writing the fish was
taken in October and November in seines on the surf side of the
beaches fronting Long Island. Dr DeKay mentions examples
in the market early in July, which are brought from the Con-
necticut river, where they are called weesick. He states that
the specific name bestowed on it by Mitchill was derived from
the aboriginal name of the island, Mattowaca or Mattowax. In
Great South bay the name greenback is well established for
the species. A single example was seined September 29 at Fire
island. Oct. 1, 1890, considerable numbers of large greenbacks-
were caught in a trap at Islip. The hickory shad is caught in
Gravesend bay during September, October and November, but is
less plentiful than it was formerly. Large hickoryshad, weighing
from 4 pound to 24 pounds, were shipped from waters near
New York city to Fulton market Oct. 30, 1896. Each of them
had in its stomach from 15 to 20 sand lance from 34 to 5 inches
long. A few specimens were seined at Blue Point cove, Great
South bay, and at Howell’s point, in the same bay, Aug. 31, 1898. -
At Woods Hole Mass. it comes in the spring, but is most
numerous fate in September and till trap fishing ends. In Octo-
ber 1895 a trap near Tarpaulin cove caught 3500 at one lift.
These brought 10c each in New York. In spring and summer
the fish has no market value, but it sells in the fall.
The name hickory shad is applied to this species from the
Chesapeake bay region southward, and in some Georgia rivers
this is abbreviated to hicks. In the Potomac, and some other
rivers tributary to the Chesapeake, the name tailor shad is ap-
plied to this fish. The hickory shad occurs from Maine to
Florida, entering rivers except in New England. The species is
much less valuable than the shad, for which it is often sold by
dealers. Nothing definite is known about its habits, but Marshall
McDonald was of the opinion that it spawns in the rivers at a
little earlier period than the shad, which it always precedes in
the ascent of the streams in spring,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 199
113 Pomolobus pseudoharengus (Wilson)
Branch Herring ; Alewtfe
Clupea pseudoharengus WILSON, Rees’s Encycl. 1X, about 1811.
Clupea vernalis MITcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 22, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil.
Soc. N. Y. I, 454, 1815; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
26 i- 1883; BEAN, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 588, 1884; Fishes Penna.
58, pl. 25, fig. 45, 1893; Goopr, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pls. 207, 208,
1884.
Alosa tyrannus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 258, pl. 13, fig. 38, 1842.
Pomolobus vernalis GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879.
Pomolobus pseudoharengus GILL, Rep. U. S. F. C. I, 811, 1878; Jorpan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1896, pl. LX XI, fig. 189, 1900;
Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y.
State Mus. 96, 1900.
Body deep and heavy forward, much compressed. Its greatest
depth, at dorsal origin equals one third of total length to base ot
eaudal. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals but one half of
length of head. The head is short, being almost as deep as long,
about one fifth of the standard length. The eye is large, deeper
than long, its length slightly greater than its distance from tip
of snout—about three and one half in head. Maxillary broad,
extending to the vertical through pupil; upper jaw emarginate,
lower jaw slightly projecting. Length of dorsal base almost equal
to that of head; its highest ray about two thirds as long as the
base, or equal to anal base. The anal is low, ‘its longest ray
being equal to length of eye. Caudal deeply forked, partially
scaled near base. Length of pectoral less than that of dorsal
base. D.16; A.17to19. Scales 15-50 to 54.
In the male the dorsal is higher, its longest ray about equal
to length of dorsal base, or two thirds the length of head.
Color on black blue silvery and paler on sides and underneath;
a black spot behind head; dusky lines on body, which are only
visible on large examples. :
Described from no. 27197 U. S. National Museum from Poto-
mac river. Length 11 inches. 3
The branch herring, river herring or alewife has a variety of
additional names. It is the ellwife or ellwhop of Connecticut.
river, the spring herring of New York, the big-eyed and wall--.
200°. NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
eyed herring of the Albemarle, the sawbelly of Maine, the gray-
back of Massachusetts, the gaspereau of Canada, little shad of
certain localities, and the Cayuga lake shad of New York. The ©
recorded range of the branch herring is from the Neuse river,
N. C., to the Miramichi river, in New Brunswick, ascending
streams to their head waters for the purpose of spawning. The
fish is found abundant in Cayuga and Seneca lakes, N. Y., where
it has probably made its way naturally. In Lake Ontario, since
the introduction there of the shad, the alewife has become so
plentiful as to cause great difficulty to fishermen, and its periodi-
cal mortality is a serious menace to the health of peopte living
in the vicinity. The belief is that the fish were unintentionally
introduced with the shad. In Pennsylvania the branch alewife
occurs in the Delaware and the Susquehanna in great numbers
in early spring.
The U.S. Fish Commission, in 1894, obtained specimens at the
following localities of the Lake Ontario region. |
Cape Vincent } June 21
Grenadier island June 27
Mouth Salem river, Selkirk July 25
Long pond, Charlotte, N. Y. 7 Aug. 17
Lake Shore, mouth Long pond | Aug. 17
Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20
Not a native of Cayuga lake but often found there in large
numbers. Known to the fishermen as sawbelly. It is thought
to have been introduced into the lakes of central New York by
the state fish commission. Large numbers are often found dead
on the shores of Seneca and Cayuga lakes. (After Meek)’
De Kay says it appears in New York waters with the shad about
the first of April, but never in sufficient numbers to form a
separate fishery.
The branch herring, or alewife, is the first of the alewives to
appear in Gravesend bay; it comes with the shad. It endures
captivity well. Nov. 30, 1897, individuals above 7 inches in
length were caught in Gravesend bay, which were probably the
young of the year.
. / \
FISHES OF NEW YORK 201
This alewife seldom exceeds 1 foot in length, the average mar-
ket examples being about 10 inches. The weight of the largest
is about 4 pound, and the average weight is about 5 or 6
ounces. |
The fish enter the rivers earlier than the shad and return to
the sea, or to estuaries adjacent to the river mouths, at some
undetermined date in the fall. During the summer months
enormous schools of full grown, but sexually immature alewives
migrate along the coast, feeding on small crustaceans and them-
selves furnishing food for bluefish, sharks, porpoises and other
predaceous animals; but none of them are known to enter fresh
waters. In the rivers the alewives appear to eat nothing, but
they can be captured with small artificial flies of various colors.
Their eggs are somewhat adhesive and number from 60,000 to
100,000 to the individual. They are deposited in shoal water;
spawning begins when the river water is at 55° to 60° F. The
period of hatching is not definitely known, but is believed to
exceed four days. |
During the spring and summer the young grow to a length of
2 or 3 inches; after their departure from the streams nothing is
known of their progress, but it is believed that they reach
maturity in four years. We have no means of learning the age
of the immature fish seen in great schools off shore, and thus far
the rate of growth is unsettled.
The branch alewife, though full of small bones, is a very
valuable food fish and is consumed in the fresh condition as well
as dry salted, pickled and smoked. The fry can be reared in
ponds by placing adults in the waters to be stocked a little
before their spawning season; and they furnish excellent food
for bass, rockfish, trout, salmon, and other choice fishes. The
proper utilization of the immense oversupply of these fish in
Lake Ontario has become a serious economic problem.
Alewives are caught in Seines, gill nets, traps and pounds and
they are often taken by anglers with artificial flies.
202 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
114 Pomolobus cyanonoton (Storer)
Glut Herring ; Blueback
Alosa cyanonoton STORER, Proc, Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. II, 242, 1848, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 161, pl. X XVII, fig. 1, 1867.
Pomolobus aestivalis GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879; JorDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1896, pl. LX XI, fig. 190, 1900;
SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C: XVII, 91, 1898.
Clupea aestivalis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 267, 1883;
McDonaLpD, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 579, pls. 209, 210, 1884, not
Clupea aestivalis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 456, pl. V,
fig. 6, 1815.
Body moderately deep and compressed, its greatest depth two
sevenths of the length without caudal; least depth of caudal
peduncle two sevenths of greatest depth of body; head short,
one fifth of total length without caudal, the maxilla extending
to below the middle of the eye, its width about one third of its
length, lower jaw somewhat projecting, upper jaw notched; eve
smaller than in P. ps eudoharen gus, equal to snout and
one fourth of length of head, chiefly covered by an adipose mem-
brane; gill rakers about 44 below and 21 above the angle of the ~
first arch, the longest about equal to iris; lower caudal lobe the
longer, about equal to length of head. Dorsal fin begins in
advance of ventral origin, over the 13th row of scales; the
longest ray is about three fourths as long as the base of the fin
and twice as long as the last ray. Anal base two and one half
times as long as the longest ray and as long as the head with-
out the snout. Ventral under the 6th developed ray of dorsal, ;
the fin one half as long as the head; its axillary scale about one
half as long as the ventral fin. A small black spot behind the
opercle on the level of the top of the eye. Narrow dark streaks
on about five rows of scales above the median line. Peritoneum
very dark, D. ii, 15; A. ii, 18; V.1, 83° P.i, 15... Scaliecaia aan
scutes 21+14. Above bluish, sides and gill covers with coppery
reflections, lower parts silvery. Irish golden. Here described
from a male specimen taken in the Potomac river and now in
the U. S. National Museum.
Mitchill’s name, aestivalis, can not be applied with any
certainty to the “ glut herring”; it appears to be a synonym of
FISHES OF NEW YORK 203
mediocris and mattowaca of the same author. Its
relation to mattowaca was long since pointed out by Dr
Gill. The description! herewith appended appears to make this
conclusion inevitable.
Summer herring of New York (Clupea aestivalis). Has
a row of spots to the number of seven or eight, extending in
the direction of the lateral line. Tail forked. Belly serrate;
and, in most respects, resembling the C. halec, herein already
edescribed: “Rays: Br..65 Pi d52V. 9; D.16; A. 19; C. 19.
The figure shows a row of eight dark spots on the side extend-
ing as far back as the end of the dorsal fin on the level of tte
eye. This resembles the hickory shad, Pomolobus medio-
eris, more than anything else, and it probably was that
species.
The glut herring arrives later than the branch herring and
does not ascend streams far above salt water. It appears to
Spawn only in the larger streams or their tidal tributaries and
at a temperature of 70° to 75°; while the branch herring spawns
in water as low as 55° to 60° and ascends far up the streams
and their small fresh-water branches.
In Gravesend bay the glut herring is called shad herring.
Noy. 30, 1897, two young fish of the year, measuring about 7
inches in length, were obtained from that bay. In Great South
bay the species is called herring. A single example was secured
there on Sep. 29, 1890. In 1898 it was not collected either in
Great South bay or Mecox, in both of which the branch herring
was abundant.
At Provincetown the species is known as the blueback and
kiouk. According to Storer, it appears there in small numbers
in May, but is not abundant before June 10, and it remains on
the coast for a short time only. The alewife, or branch herring,
arrives on the coast of Massachusetts about the end of March,
and is taken till the middle or last of May.
' Genus aLosa Cuvier
Body deep, compressed, deeper than in related American
genera, the head also deep, the free portion of the cheeks deeper
— - -—__ —_.
’Mitehilk: Dat. and Phil. Soc. Nv Y.- Trans. 1815.. p. 456, pl. 5, fig. 6.
204 NEW YORK STATE .MUSEUM
than long; jaws wholly toothless (except in young); upper jaw
with a sharp, deep notch at tip, the premaxillaries meeting at
a very acute angle. Vertebrae 56 (in Alosa alosa), other-
wise as in Pomolobus, to which genus Alosa_ ig very
closely allied. Species three, of the north Atlantic, ascending
rivers; highly valued as food fishes. Though very full of small
bones, the flesh is white and rich, but not oily.
115 Alosa sapidissima (Wilson)
| Shad
Clupea sapidissima WILSON, Rees’s New Cyclopedia, IX, about 1811, no
pagination, no date; RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month, Mag. II, 205, Jan.
1818, says Wilson first distinguished and named the Shad; McDonaLp
in Wish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 594, pls. 212, 213, 1884; Bran, Fishes
Penna. 60, pl. 2, 1893; CHENEY, 4th Ann. Rep. N. Y. Comm. Fish.
colored plate facing p. 8, 1899.
Clupea alosa MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 449, 1815.
Alosa praestabilis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 255, pl. 15, fig. 41, 1842;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 154, pl. X XVI, fig. 2, 1867.
Alosa sapidissima LINSLEY, Am, Jour. Sci. Arts, XLVII, 70, 1844; StorEr,
Syn. Fish. N. A. 206, 1846; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 427, 1896, pl. LX XII, fig. 191, 1900; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII,
91, 1898.
The American Shad. GoopE, American Fishes, 400, fig. 1888.
The shad was formerly referred to the genus Clupea, but
differs from the typical sea herring in the shape of the cheek
bone, which is somewhat deeper than long. The adult is tooth-
less, but the young has well developed, though small, teeth in
the jaws, which sometimes persist till the fish has reached a
length of i5 inches. To this subgenus the name Alosa was
given by Cuvier. , 3
The shad has a deep body and a large mouth, with the jaws
about equal. The gill rakers are very long and slender, varying
with age from 40 to 60 below the angle of the first arch. In
the female the dorsal originates a little in front of the middle
of the length; in the male somewhat farther in front. The dor-
sal of the male is rather higher than that of the female, while
the body is not so deep. In the female the greatest depth is
one third of the total without caudal and the length of the
head two ninths. In the male the length of the head is one
FISHES OF NEW YORK 205
' fourth of the total without caudal. The dorsal has 13 divided
rays and 4 simple ones; anal 19 divided and 3 simple. Scales
16—60 to 65. Scutes 22416.
The color is bluish or greenish with much silvery; a dusky
blotch close behind the head, two thirds as large as the eye,
and frequently from several to many, in one or two rows,
behind this. The lining of the belly walls is pale.
The shad is known also as the white shad, and in the colonial
days it was known to the negroes on the lower Potomac river
‘as the whitefish. It is found naturally along the Atlantic coast
of the United: States from the Gulf of St Lawrence to the Gulf
of Mexico, ascending streams at various dates from January
in its extreme southern limit to June in far northern waters.
In the Delaware and Susquehanna it makes its appearance in
April and departs after spawning; but remains sometimes as
late as July 18, and many die.
The original distribution of the shad has been widely extended
by artificial introduction. In certain rivers flowing into the 7
Gulf of Mexico the fish has been established by planting. In
the Ohio river a fishery has been created by the same method;
and in the Sacramento river, Cal., the shad was successfully
introduced, and it has colonized not only this river but all suit-
able rivers from San Francisco to southern Alaska. It is now
one of the common market species in San Francisco and other
west coast cities. ;
In the Susquehanna the shad was formerly one of the most
important native food fishes, but its range is now very limited
on account of obstruction by dams. 20 years ago the fish
commissioners reported that a few shad are taken yearly above
the Clark’s Ferry dam, none or at most a few dozen above the
Shamokin dam, none above the Nanticoke dam and none above
Williamsport. The largest run of shad that has been known
to pass the Columbia dam was that of 1867. “In 1871 the finest
Columbia shad were hawked in the market at Harrisburg, 30
miles from the fisheries, at considerably less than a dollar a
pair. The catch at Columbia exceeded 100,000.”
206 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The obstructions in the Delaware have been almost entirely
overcome. In 1891 shad were caught higher up the Delaware
than for many years, and spawned in the upper reaches of the
river beyond the New York state line. In 1891 the Delaware,
for the first time since 1823, was restored to its normal condi-
tion by means of the fishway at Lackawaxen; and, according
to Col. Gay, it is at present the best shad river in the country.
The number of eggs obtained for artificial propagationin the lower —
river was unusually small, but the number naturally deposited in
the upper waters was greater than for many years. Col. Gay
observed a large number of big female shad at Gloucester City,
but a great scarcity of males. This necessitated a long run
up the river before spawning. The cause is believed to be the
low temperature of the water during May,, the lack of rain
cutting off the usual supply of warm surface water and the
tributaries of the upper river bringing down nothing but cold
spring water, keeping the temperature of the river below the
normal for spawning purposes. Consequently, the shad as:
cended more than 300 miles. Mr Ford noticed that every pool
in the upper river was full of shad, and he saw them playing
in the water by hundreds. Mr Van Gordon saw them above
Port Jervis, and they were observed as far up.as Deposit N. Y.
The shad reaches a length of 2 feet. It is asserted that 50
years ago shad weighing from 8 to 15 pounds were not uncom:
mon in the Susquehanna. It is said that even larger individuals
were taken. In California the shad reaches a larger size than
it does in the east, specimens weighing from 13 to 14 pounds
being often seen in the markets. The average weight of females
is 4 or 5 pounds. The male is much smaller. |
The young shad remain in the rivers till the approach of cold
weather, when they descend to the sea, and they are usually
seen no more till they return as mature fish ready for repro-
duction. They are known to feed on small flies, crustaceans
and insect larvae. They have been fed with fresh-water cope-
pods and kept alive in this way till they had obtained a length
of more than 1 inch. In the carp ponds, at Washington, Dr
FISHES OF NEW YORK 207
Hessel succeeded in rearing shad on the Daphnia and
Cyclops to a length of 3 or 4 inches, and one time, when
they had access surreptitiously to an abundant supply of young
carp, well fed individuals reached a length of 6 inches by the
first of November. Shad have been kept at the central station
of the U. S. Fish Commission over the winter, but at the age
of one year, doubtless for lack of sufficient food, the largest
was less than 4 inches long. At this age they were seen to
capture smaller shad of the season of 1891, which were an inch
or more in length. The commissioner of fisheries detected
voung shad also in the act of eating young California salmon;
and on one occasion found an undigested minnow, 2 or 3 inches
long, in the stomach of a large shad; and they have been caught
with minnows for bait. The principal growth of the shad takes
place at sea, and, when the species enters the fresh waters
for the purpose of spawning, it ceases to feed, but will some-
times take the artificial fly and live minnows. The migratory
habit of the shad has already been referred to. The spawning
habits have been thus described by Marshall McDonald.
The favorite spawning grounds are on sandy flats bordering
streams and on sand bars. The fish appear to associate in
pairs, usually between sundown and 11 p.m. When in the act
of spawning they swim close together near the surface, their
dorsal fins projecting above the water and their movements
producing a sound which the fishermen call ‘“‘ washing.” The
eges are expressed by the female while in rapid motion; the
male following close and ejecting his milt at the same time.
Such of the eggs as come in contact with the milt are impreg-
nated, but the greater portion of them are carried away by the
current or destroyed by spawn-eating fishes. After impregna-
tion the egg sinks to the bottom, and under favorable conditions
develops in from three to eight days.
According to Seth Green, the embryo shad swim as soon
as they break the shell, and make their way to the
middle of the stream, where they are comparatively safe
from predaceous fishes. A mature female shad of 4 or
5 pounds contains about 25,000 eggs on the average, but as
many as 60,000 haye been obtained from a 6 pound fish, and
208 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
100,000 were obtained from a single female on the Potomac.
There is great mortality among the shad after spawning. Dead
fish of both sexes are frequently seen floating in the water in
the late months of summer.
Mitchill states that the shad visits New York annually about
the end of March or beginning of April; that is, ascends toward
the sources of the Hudson; that it usually weighs 4 or 5 pounds,
but sometimes as much as 12 pounds. De Kay says a large
variety, supposed to be an old fish, and weighing from 10 to 12
pounds, were frequently taken in the Hudson, under the name.
of yellow backs. The shad, in his time, ascended the river 150
miles, to spawn, and descended in the latter part of May. The
introduction of gill nets, he writes, has caused a scarcity of the
fish and will drive them from the river before many years.
Nets set off shore in Gravesend bay in the fall frequently
inclose large quantities of young shad, sometimes a ton and
a half at one time, during their migration seaward, but they
are at once liberated. The fish are usually about 6 to
& inches. long. | Oct. 17,1895, 60 or .70 were caugine
in John B. De Nyse’s pound, among them a male 1it
inches long and 22 inches deep, and a female 12 inches long
and 3 inches deep. Oct. 31, 1895, a male 134 inches long and
34 inches deep, and a female 134 inches long and 3% inches deep
were obtained in the same pound. Apparently the shad do not
all remain at sea after their first migration till they are sexually —
mature. In the Potomac river young shad 8 to 9 inches long
occasionally enter in the spring with the adults in large num-
bers. Mr De Nyse informs me that in the first spring run of
small shad in Gravesend bay fully 90% are males. |
Genus SARDINELLA Cuvier and Valenciennes
Small herrings of the tropical seas, with the vertebrae in re-
duced numbers, about 40 to 44, and with the scales large, usually
firm and adherent, often crossed by vertical striae. Ventral
scutes strong, 25 to 35 in number; adipose eyelid obsolete; lower
jaw projecting, upper jaw somewhat emarginate, teeth weak;
ventrals inserted behind front of dorsal; body compressed;
FISHES OF NEW YORK 209
cheeks not deep; gill rakers long and numerous; otherwise
essentially asin Pomolobus. The genus Sardinella,as
here understood, covers a wide diversity of forms and may be
divisible into several genera when the anatomy of the species
is better known. (After Jordan and Evermann)
116 Sardinella species
Scaled Sardime
An individual about 9 inches long was obtained by W. I. De
Nyse in Gravesend bay in 1895. This was the only one observed
in that locality, and it is the only record known of the occur-
rence of a fish of this genus north of Florida. The specimen
was seen and identified asa Sardinella by the writer, but,
before he had opportunity to make a detailed study, it disap-
peared from the tank in which it was placed and could not be
found.
Genus CPISTHONEMA Gill
Characters essentially those of Sardinella, except that
the last ray of the dorsal is produced in a long filament as in
Dorosoma, Megalops and Tarpon. Species few,
American.
117 Opisthonema oglinum (Le Sueur)
Thread Herring; Shad Herring; Sprat Herring
Megalops oglina LE SurEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 359, Sept. 1818,
Newport, R. I.
Megalops notata LE SuEuR, op. cit. 361, Sept. 1818. Guadeloupe.
Chatoessus signifer DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 264, pl. 41, fig. 132, 1842.
Opisthonema oglina GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. VIII, 206, June
8, 1885.
Opisthonema oglinum JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 482,
1896; BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 336, 1897; Smiru, Bull.
WS Os SOV ET, 91, 1898:
Body oblong, deep, compressed, its greatest depth one third
of the total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short, stout,
its least depth one half the length of head; head short, deep.
its length one fourth of total length without caudal; eye large,
two sevenths to one third of length of head, slightly longer than
snout; maxilla reaching to below front of pupil, its width more
210 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
than one half its length, the bone almost covering the mandible,
which is scarcely projecting; gill rakers very long and slender;
pseudobranchiae well developed; dorsal origin much nearer to
tip of snout than to base of caudal, equidistant from snout and
origin of anal, base of dorsal as long as the longest ray and two
thirds as long as the head, filament reaching to base of caudal,
much longer than the head in examples measuring from 7 to 9
inches; anal base as long as the head without the snout, its
longest ray three fourths of diameter of eye; ventral origin
under 8th or 9th developed ray of dorsal, the fin half as long
as the head; pectoral four fifths as long as the head. Seales
smooth, firm, but easily detached. Bluish above; lower parts
‘silvery; an indistinct bluish spot behind the operculum; each
scale on the back having a dark spot at its base, these forming
streaks as in the glut herring. Length 12 inches. D.19; A. 24.
Scales 15-50; scutes 17+14. (West Indies, northward to Cape
Cod in summer.) |
The thread herring appears in July and August in Gravesend
bay, and is sometimes so abundant as to fill the nets (fykes) of
the fishermen. The great run begins toward the end of July
and lasts two weeks. The fish is known there as the sprat
herring.
De Kay, in New York Fauna, Fishes, p. 264, pl. 41, fig. 132, de-
scribes the species under the name Chatoéssus signifer.
The colors, according to that author, are as follows: “ Bluish
above, with a series of dark points along the sides of the back,
forming four or five longitudinal lines. A round black spot
behind the upper part of the branchial aperture. Pectorals,
ventrals and anal white. Dorsal and caudal yellow; the mem-
brane finely punctate with black, and bordered with dusky.
Irides white varied with yellowish.” He further says: “It
appears in our waters about the beginning of September, where
it is often called the shad herring. It has also the names of
thread herring and threadfish, in allusion to its last filamentous
dorsal ray.”
FISHES OF NEW YORK Jit
In the Woods Hole region of Cape Cod it is very rare, accord-
ing to Dr Smith. A number were taken in the fall of 1871. |
In 1885 it-was common in Buzzards bay and Vineyard sound in
July. It remained about a month, and specimens were taken
in traps at almost every lift. During the next four years the
fish was also noticed, but none has been seen since 1890.
Genus BREVooRTIA Gill
Body elliptic, compressed, deepest anteriorly, tapering be-
hind; head very large; cheeks deeper than long; mouth large,
the lower jaw included; no teeth; gill rakers very long and
slender, densely set, appearing to fill the mouth when it is
opened; gill arches angularly bent. Scales deeper than long,
closely imbricated, their exposed edges vertical and fluted or
pectinated. Dorsal fin low, rather posterior; anal fin small.
Intestinal canal elongate. Vertebrae 48. Peritoneum dusky.
Species few; inhabiting the Atlantic; spawning probably in
brackish water in the spring. Coarse, herbivorous fishes, not
valued as food, but the young of the greatest value as food to
other fishes. (After Jordan and Evermann)
118 Erevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe)
Menhaden ; Mossbunker
Clupea tyrannus LATROBE, Trans. Am, Phil. Soc. Phila. V, 77, pl. 1, 1802,
(Chesapeake bay)
Clupea menhaden MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 453, pl. V,
fig. 7, 1815, New York; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 436, 1868.
Alosa menhaden DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 259, pl. 21, fig. 60, 1842;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 158, pl. X XVI, fig. 4, 1867.
Brevoortia tyrannus GoopE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 531, 1878; Fish &
Fish. Ind. U. 8. I, 569, pl. 205, 1884; JornpANn & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S.
Nat. Mus. 269, 1883; Bean, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 44,
pl. XXV, fig. 35, 1890; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 336, 1897; 52a
Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900; JonDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47,
U.S. Nat. Mus. 438, 1896, pl. L-XXITI, fig. 195, 1900; Smiru, Bull. U. S.
F. C. XVII, 91, 1898.
The menhaden has the exposed surfaces of its scales very
narrow and deep. The body is similar in shape to that of the
shad, the depth being one third of the length without caudal,
and somewhat greater than the length of the head. Mouth
large; jaws toothless. The maxilla extends to below the hind
212 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
margin of the eye.. The eye is about as long as the snout, one
fifth of length of head. The fins are small, the pectoral not
much more than half the length of the head and twice as long
as the ventral. The dorsal base is equal in length to the pec-
toral; longest dorsal ray more than twice as long as the last
ray and about two fifths of length of head. The anal rays are
shorter than those of the dorsal; length of anal base little more
than one half the length of head. The origin of the dorsal is about
midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays.
The sides and fins are silvery, yellowish, the upper parts bluish.
Behind the head there is a large dark spot, larger than the pupil,
and behind it numerous smaller dark spots.
The menhaden has received more than 30 common names,
among which the one here employed is the best known and most
suitable. In New Jersey it is frequently called bunker or moss-
bunker, and in some other localities it is the bony fish. It is
also called bugfish, because of a crustacean parasite which is
found in the mouth. Be
The menhaden reaches a length of 15 inches or more; its aver- —
age size is about 1 foot. It is found along our east coast from
Maine to Florida, swimming in immense schools and fluctuating
greatly in abundance. In certain localities its movements are
affected chiefly by temperature.
The use of the menhaden as a source of oil and a material for
fertilizers is so well known as scarcely to need mention here.
As an edible fish it is not generally esteemed; in most localities
it is seldom eaten, though in some places it is considered a good
food fish. Since the mackerel is becoming scarce, menhaden are
often salted in barrels as a substitute for that fish.
The menhaden appears in Dr Mitchill’s Fishes of New York as
the bony fish, hardhead or marshbanker. The aboriginal name
menhaden, and the one most suitable for the species, is men-
tioned by this writer. Dr De Kay, in his New York Fauna, intro-
duced the name mossbunker as well as the Indian names pan-
hagen and menhaden. He notes also the names skippang and
bunker as in use at the east end of Long Island. For a survey
FISHES OF NEW YORK JAS
of the 30 or more additional appellations of this well known
fish, the reader is referred to the complete history of the Ameri-
can menhaden by Dr G. Brown Goode.
‘The menhaden comes into Gravesend bay in May and through
the summer. Occasional individuals are seen there in the fall
as late as November. The fish can be kept alive in the winter
in captivity, provided the water temperature does not fall below
50° F. It makes its appearance on the shores of Long Island
about the beginning of June, sometimes in May, and remains till
the cold season sets in. A few specimens were taken September
22 in Blue Point cove in 1884, and Oct. 1, 1890, many thousands
were caught in a trap at Islip; these were large and very fat
fish. The use of the menhaden as a bait fish is too well known
to need special mention. In “chumming” for bluefish near
Fire island inlet this is the favorite bait. In 1898 the young
were obtained at Duncan’s creek, Howell’s point and Nichols’s
point August 29. Adults were sent from Islip by W. F. Clark
August 18.
In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith,
menhaden arrive in schools about May 20, but scattered fish are
taken in March with alewives; they remain till December 1, some-
times till December 20,but are most abundant in June. When the
schools first arrive, the reproductive organs of many of the fish
are in an advanced stage of development, but after July 1 none
with large ovaries are found. Late in fall the fish again have
well developed roes. The smallest fish are about an inch long;
these are found in little schools about the shores and wharves
as early as July 15. The young are abundant throughout sum-
mer and fall. The average length of adults is 18 or 14 inches;
one fish 18 inches long was caught at Woods Hole in 1876.
Family ENGRAULIDIDAE
Anchovies
Genus sTOLEPHORUS Lacépéde
Body oblong, compressed, covered with rather large, thin,
deciduous scales; belly rounded, or weakly compressed; snout
conical, compressed, projecting beyond the very large mouth;
214 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
maxillary narrow, little movable, usually formed of three
pieces, extending backward far behind the eye, to the base of the
mandible, or beyond, not beyond gill opening; premaxillaries
very small; teeth small, subequal, present at all ages, usually
on the jaws, vomer, palatines, and pterygoids. Anal fin moder-
ate, free from caudal (its rays 12 to 40); no pectoral filaments;.
dorsal inserted about midway of body, posterior to ventrals;.
pectorals and ventrals each with a large axillary scale. Adi-
pose eyelid obsolete. Vertebrae about 40 (40 to 42) in species.
examined. Flesh rather pale and dry, more or less translucent,
the bones firm. Pseudobranchiae present; branchiostegals nine
to 14; gill rakers long and slender; gill membranes separate, free
from the narrow isthmus. |
119 Stolephorus brownii (Gmelin)
Striped Anchovy
Atherina brownii GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1897, 1788.
Clupea vittata MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 456, 1815; Dr Kay,
N. Y. Fauna, Fishes; 254, 1842.
Engraulis vittata BARD, 9th Ann. Rep. Smith. Inst. 347, 1855.
Engraulis brownii GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 389, 1868.
Stolephorus browni JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 273, 18833;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 149, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y.
279, 1890.
Stolephorus brownii JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 448,,.
1896; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 92, 1898; Bran, 52d Ann. Rep’t
N. Y. State Mus. 97, 1900.
Body moderately elongate, compressed, but thicker than im
S. mitchilli, its greatest depth two ninths of the total
length without caudal, and equal to length of head without the
snout, the thickness one half length of head; head moderate, its:
length rather more than one fourth of total without caudal, the
snout short and obtusely pointed, one fifth of length of head,
two thirds of length of eye; eye equal to width of interorbital
space, about two sevenths as long as the head. The maxilla
reaches as far back as the mandible, but not to hind edge of
opercle. The mandible is partly covered by the maxilla, its tip
in advance of the front of eye and overhung by the snout. Teeth
moderately strong, those on the posterior part of the maxilla
FISHES OF NEW YORK 215
raking forward. Gill rakers rather long and slender, numer-
ous, the longest on first arch three fourths as long as the eye.
Origin of dorsal fin midway between base of caudal and front
of eye, its length of base four sevenths of length of head, its
longest ray one half as long as the head, a sheath of scales at
base; anal with a strong sheath of scales, its base as long as the
head without the snout; ventrals small, originating in advance
of dorsal origin, the length equal to eye; axillary scale of pec-
toral one half as long as the head. Width of silvery band one
fourth the length of head. D.14 to 15; A. 20. Scales 40 to 42.
Upper parts light brown; sides silvery; a broad, bright silvery
lateral stripe. Length sometimes above 6 inches. Here de-
scribed from an example taken at Lifesaving station no. 22,
Long Island, and now in the U. S. National Museum.
The species occurs from Cape Cod southward to Brazil and
the West Indies.
This is the satin striped herring of Mitchill’s Fishes of New
York, p. 456. By some of the fishermen in Great South bay it is
supposed to be the whitebait and is so called. The anchovy was
extremely abundant in the bay in September 1884. I found it
at the mouth of Swan creek, in Blue Point cove, near the Life-
Saving station, at Oak island and at Fire island. Specimens
‘were seen as late as October 7.
This anchovy forms a very important part of the food of the
young weakfish and bluefish in Great South bay. It is present
in very large numbers and could be utilized as a food species.
The largest examples of this fish which we have seen were taken
in Great Egg Harbor bay in August; individuals measuring 54
inches in length were taken in the surf by hundreds, and weak-
fish were feeding on them ravenously. In two hauls of a 20
fathom seine we took here 54 weakfish.
This species was not common in Great South bay during the
“summer of 1898. It was found at Blue Point cove August 18,
and young were obtained at Nichols’s point September 1.
Dr Smith records it as usually abundant at Woods Hole, occa-
sionally rather uncommon. Found from August to late in fall.
More numerous than any other anchovy.
216 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
120 Stolephorus argyrophanus (Cuy. & Val.)
Silvery Anchovy
Engraulis argyrophanus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X XI,
49, 1848.
Stolephorus perfasciatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 273, 1883,
not Hngraulis perfasciatus Poey, Mem. Cuba, II, 312, 1858.
Stolephorus eurystole Swain & MEEK, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 34, 1884;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 150, pl. III, fig. 19, 1888.
Stolephorus argyrophanus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
444, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 337, 1897; Surry, Bull.
U.S. F. C. XVII, 92, 1898.
Body elongate, much more slender than in S. brownii,.
and not so much compressed; head not so deep as in S.
brownii, more pointed, the. snout rather sharp; eye rather
small, four and one half in head, not larger than snout; maxil-.
lary teeth well developed, mandibulary teeth very slender; gill
rakers very long, as long as the eye; maxillary shorter than in
S. browni, not reaching quite to the base of the mandible;.
belly shightly compressed, not serrated. Scales very deciduous...
Ventrals short, very slightly in front of dorsal; caudal peduncle:
long and slender; dorsal inserted scarcely nearer caudal than
snout. Silvery stripe broad, half wider than the eye, bordered
above by a dusky streak. Head three and four fifths; depth
6. D. 12; A. 20. Length 4 inches. West Indies; occasional
northward. A specimen in our collection from Woods Hole
Mass. (After Jordan and Gilbert)
The types of this species were obtained by Kuhl and Van:
Hasselt in the equatorial Atlantic. Cuvier and Valenciennes,
in their original description! of the fish, contrast it with S.
browni and others, from which it is distinguished by its form:
and by other characters.
It has the body longer and slenderer; the cleft of the mouth
more oblique; the pectoral and anal much shorter; the teeth
excessively small. B.11; D.15; A.17. The color is blue, more
pronounced on the back than on the belly.. A silvery band run-
ning along the sides. Cwwer and Valenciennes
Young individuals were seined at Ocean City N. J. Aug. 1,
1887; again at Longport N. J. numerous young were taken Aug-
———
1Hist. Nat.. Poiss. 1848. 21:49.
FISHES OF NEW YORK paw
29, 1887; no adults were seen. A figure of the young is pub-
lished by Dr Bean in bulletin for 1889 of the U. S. Fish Commis-
sion, vol. 7, pl. 3, fig. 19. The example figured was nearly 13
inches long. It has the following characters: The hight of the
body is one sixth of the total length without caudal; least hight
of caudal peduncle one third of length of head. Head rather
large, two sevenths of total length without caudal, with ob-
tusely pointed snout which is about equal to the eye and one
fourth as long as the head. The maxilla does not reach to the
hind edge of the preopercle. Dorsal origin nearer to caudal
base than to tip of snout; the base of the fin ‘as long as the long-
est ray and one half as long as the head. Pectoral short, three
sevenths as long as the head; ventrals in advance of dorsal,
under the 16th row of scales, the length two fifths of length of
head; anal origin under the end of the dorsal, anal base about
two thirds as long as the head and one fifth of total length with-
out caudal; longest anal ray one half as long as the head; cau-
dal fin large and deeply forked. D.u,10; A.i1,18. Scales 8-38.
Many individuals were collected at Fire island near the end
-Of September. None were seen in other parts of the bay.
The species is known there as whitebait, like the other
anchovies. In Gravesend bay the species is not common, but
it occurs more frequently in bays communicating directly with
the Atlantic.
121 Stolephorus perfasciatus (Poey)
Banded Anchovy .
Engraulis “perfasciatus PorEy, Mem. Cuba, II, 312, 1858; GunTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 391, 1868.
Stolephorus perfasciatus SwAIn & MEER, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila, 34, 1884;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 441, 1896.
Body elongate and not much compressed, its greatest hight
about one sixth of total length without caudal and two thirds
of length of head, its greatest thickness more than one third of
length of head; least hight of caudal peduncle equal to thick-
ness of body behind the head; head long, with pointed snout,
one fourth of total without caudal, snout equal to eye and two
ninths of length of head. The maxilla extends backward to
218 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
front edge of preopercle and not to joint of mandible. Inter-
orbital space equal to eye; gill rakers numerous, about as. long
as the eye; teeth minute and weak, nearly uniform in size. Dor-
sal origin about midway between tip of snout and base of
caudal, dorsal base short, scarcely more than one half as long.
as head, and about equal to longest dorsal ray; ventrals little
in advance of dorsal origin, very short, only two fifths of length
of head; pectoral moderate, equal to postorbital part of head.
Axillary scale very slender, less than one half as long as the
head. Width of silvery band about equal to length of eye.
D. ii, 12; A. i, 15 to 16. Scales 44 to 45. Here described from
Specimens obtained at Noank Ct. and in Gravesend bay, L. I.,
the largest about 3 inches long.
Upper parts light brown, sides silvery; dark punctulations on
base of caudal and sometimes on anal; belly even in alcoholic
specimens with iridescent colors.
The example obtained in Gravesend bay was collected by W. I.
De Nyse. It has D. 12; A. 15 or 16; scales 45.
The close resemblance of this species toS.argyrophanus
Cuv. & Val. makes a farther comparison of the two necessary.
Perhaps, as long ago suggested by Dr Gtinther,! the two are
identical. S.argyrophanus was collected in the equator-
ial Atlantic, and Poey’s species, perfasciatus, is from
Cuba and Porto Rico. There seems to be little to distinguish
them except the slightly greater number of anal rays in S.
argyrophanus, and these have been counted differently
by different students; the authors, for example, discovered 17,
while Dr Jordan found 19 in the same type.
122 Stolephorus mitchilli (Cuv. & Val.)
Anchovy ; Whitebait
Engraulis mitchili CuvieR & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 50,
1848. New York; Carolina; New Orleans.
Stolephorus mitchili JorpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 248,
1883; JorDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 38, 1885 (name only); BEAN, Bull. U. S.
F. C. VII, 149, 1888; 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 97, 1900; JORDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 446, 1896; Smuru, Bull. U. S.
F. C. XVII, 92, 1898.
41Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. 1868. 7:391.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 219
Fngraulis vittatus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. pl. X XVII, fig. 3, not descrip-
tion on page 163.
Body compressed; short and deep, its greatest depth one
fourth of the total length without caudal, caudal peduncle
short and deep, its least depth one half the length of head.
‘Thickness of body equals three sevenths of length of head.
Head rather short, its length two ninths of total without caudal.
Snout shorter than eye, which is two sevenths as long as the
head. The maxilla extends slightly beyond the hind end of
mandible, and nearly to the edge of operculum. Interorbital
distance not quite equal to eye. Gill rakers nearly as long as
the eye. Origin of dorsal fin much nearer to base of caudal
than to tip of snout. Length of dorsal base equals two thirds
of length of head; longest dorsal ray one half as long as head.
Anal origin under the middle of dorsal; length of anal base
equals two sevenths of total length without caudal; longest
anal ray about two thirds as long as the head. Ventral short,
in advance of dorsal, its length one third of length of head.
Pectoral one eighth of total length without caudal. Width of
silvery band about two thirds of eye. Dorsal and anal scaly
Sheaths very strong. D.ii, 10; A. 28; V.i,6. Scales 37. Length
of specimens examined, 4 inches. Taken at Fire island. |
Cape Cod to Texas, on sandy shores; the most abundant of the
New York species. It enters Gravesend bay in May and re-
‘mains till October. Locally known as anchovy and whitebait.
An excellent food fish and very important as the food of larger
fishes. :
It is very generally distributed in bays along the south shore
of Long Island, having been found abundant in Scallop pond,
Peconic bay, in Mecox bay, and almost everywhere in Great
South bay from July to September 1898. A specimen taken at
Fire island had a lernaean parasite attached to it. At Woods
Hole Mass. Dr Smith reports it abundant, associated with 8S.
WTO WW. ;
Family SALMONIDAE
Salmons
The whitefishes of New York belong to seven species, repre-
senting the four divisions of the genus Coregonus. Intwo
220 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
of the species the lower jaw is included within the upper, the
mouth is small, and the intermaxillary bone broad and more or
less vertical in position. These two may be readily distin-
guished by the structure of the gill rakers, and the size of the
mouth. The remaining five whitefishes have the lower jaw as
long as, or longer than, the upper, the mouth large, and the
intermaxillary narrow and not vertical in position. They are
easily separated from one another by the shape of the body,
and the size and contour of the scales. The relations of the
groups are shown in the following key.
1 Lower jaw shorter than upper.
1a Mouth very small, upper jaw not reaching to eye; gill rakers:
short and stout, 13 to 16 below angle of first arch (Proso-
pium)
QUADRILATERALIS
1b Mouth moderate, upper jaw reaching beyond front of eye; gill
rakers long. and slender, 20 or more below angle of first arch
(Coregonus)
CLUPEIFORMIS
2 Lower jaw equal to or longer than upper.
2a Body slender, elongate; scales small, and convex on their free.
margin; lower jaw longer than upper (Argyrosomus)
OSMERIFORMIS ARTE DI, Hower
PROGNATHUS
26 Body deep, short; scales large, deep, the free margin scarcely
convex; jaws equal (Alloso mus)
TULLIBEE
Genus corEGonus (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body oblong or elongate, compressed; head more or less coni-
cal, compressed, the snout more or less projecting beyond the
lower jaw; mouth small, the maxillary short, not extending
beyond the orbit, with a well developed supplemental bone;
teeth extremely minute, if present; scales moderate, thin,
cycloid, rather firm. Dorsal fin moderate; caudal fin deeply
forked; anal fin somewhat elongate; ventrals well developed.
Pseudobranchiae large; gill rakers varying from short and
thickish to long and slender; air bladder very large; vertebrae
56 to 60; stomach horseshoe-shaped, with many (about 100)
pyloric caeca; ova small. Species about 15, inhabiting the clear
lakes of northern Europe, Asia, and America, in arctic regions
descending to the sea. Most of them spawn in late fall or
FISHES OF NEW YORK Zou
winter near the shore, at other seasons often frequenting con-
siderable depths.
123 Coregonus quadrilateralis Richardson
Round Whitefish; Frostfish
Coregonus quadrilateralis RicHAaRDsoN, Franklin’s Journ. 714, 1823. Fort
Enterprise, British America; Agassiz, Lake Superior, 351, 1850;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 176, 1866; JorpaNn & GILBERT,.
Bull,.16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 298, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 66, pl. 26, fig.
47, 1893; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 337, 1897; JoRDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 465, 1896.
Salmo (Coregonus) quadrilateralis RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer, III, 204,.
pl. 89, fig. 1, 1836. Great Bear Lake.
Coregonus novae angliae PREScoTT, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts, XI, 342, 1851.
Lake Winipiseogee, N. H.
Coregonus novae angliae GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 186, 1866.
This is a small species and very readily distinguished from all
other American species except Williamson’s whitefish by its.
diminutive mouth. The body is slender, elongate, subterete, its.
greatest depth slightly exceeding one fifth of total length to
base of caudal. The head is long, its length one fifth of total
without caudal, and the snout is thin and obtuse at tip. The
broad maxilla does not reach to below the front of the eve) its.
length less than one fifth of length of head. D. 11; A. 10.
Scales in lateral line, 80 to 90. Upper parts dark bluish; sides
silvery.
This species is called frostfish in the Adirondacks; other
names are Menominee whitefish, roundfish, shad-waiter, pilot-
fish and chivey, the last term applied to the fish in Maine.
The roundfish is found in lakes of New England, sometimes.
running into streams, the Adirondack region of New York, the
Great lakes and northward into British America and Alaska.
Its distribution has been extended by transplanting on account
of its great value as food for the Jake trout and other large fish
‘of the salmon family. It seldom exceeds a length of 12 inches.
and a weight of 1 pound. Like some other species of whitefish,
it spawns in shallow parts of lakes or ascends their small tribu-
tary streams for that purpose. The food consists of small!
222 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
shells and crustaceans. The species frequents deep waters,
where it falls an easy prey to the voracious lake trout.
The roundfish is excellent for the table. Its capture with
hook and line is difficult because of its very small mouth and its
habit of retiring into deep water. In the Great lakes it does
not constitute an important element of the fishery, but in
northern regions it is one of the most useful and highly prized
of the food fishes.
This small whitefish is one of the characteristic species of the
Adirondack lakes. James Annin jr sent specimens for identifi-
cation from Hoel pond and Big Clear lake, in Franklin county,
N. Y., and from the third lake of the Fulton Chain. He states
that the fish spawns in the little inlets or on the sand beaches.
It never appears till about the time the water begins to chill and
freeze about the edges. On the Fulton Chain of lakes the
spawning season of 1895 was practically closed about Novem-
ber 20.
The frostfish, according to Mr Annin, is “a delicious morsel.”
The following notes were made on fresh examples received
from the third lake of the Fulton Chain Nov. 26, 1895.
A male 112 inches long to end of caudal fin had the middle
caudal rays, from end of scales, ? inches long; upper caudal lobe,
measured. giana 1Z inches; head, 14% inches; maxilla,
% inch; eye, % inch; gill rakers, 5+10; the longest + as long as
Bie eae: vane 8-84-8. A female 11% inches to tip of caudal
has upper caudal lobe 2 inches, measured horizontally; middle
caudal rays from end of scales, -°s inch; depth of body, 24 inches;
head, 1% inches; maxilla and eye, each 2 inch; gill rakers, 5 + 10,
the longest } as long as the eye; scales, 8—79-8.
Three males received Dec. 11, 1895, showed the follosrite
colors.
In the male, 132 inches long, from Hoel pond, the back and
sides were dark steel gray; the belly white; pectoral, ventral
and anal orange; dorsal and caudal chiefly yellow. A male 12
inches long, from Big Clear lake, had the back and sides silvery
gray, darker between the lines of scales; the lower fins orange;
the dorsal and caudal with traces of yellow. A male 114 inches
FISHES OF NEW YORK Diy
long, from Big Clear lake, showed the same colors as the last.
The following measurements in inches and notes were taken.
Big Clear Big Clear
Hoel pond lake lake
}5 6) a)
Hemel oe). 2s eS rete ee ble ts 13% £2 11%
Caudal lobe, horizontally............ 2is 1% 1%
MAME (CAUd Al TAY Ss. crc ciee sate ee se 34 5B is
WEPehior “DOC ys. LF i Se eee oe ts 2% 238 2is
Least depth of caudal peduncle..... 1B 34. 1s
ENC cata ES eo uc Siete ae EE 2 1% 154
RIEL UD sore cose) iis! eos e eso tee eeles omnes ae as iy, “i ate ee
BOWS ee eee Sia ais 5 buen Nee oe 16 16 38
EDU Oe eae me Rees ge ie i macirae te: pre is 3% 3B
In all, the gill rakers are minute, and number: 5+10, 5410
and5+9. The scales are: 10—-86-9, 10—76-9, and 9-86-8.
An example sent by the New York Commission of Fisheries,
Game and Forest, from Saranac Lake, Nov. 23, 1897, showed the
following characters.
MEASUREMENTS
= Inches
ahaa UY PT LD Lice. ca 5 faln no, oes, Sich shat) sin vei pep aiepa seus! te AS
EMCO“ OM Gi SCVESe 5 6 Eas an acere okdle wu suuaerenh e tavene 11%
Length of middle caudal rays (from end of scales)...... tk
Length of upper caudal lobe (obliquely)................ Ze
Depth of pouy-at.dorsal. os 5.0osi.06 dens eed Wee wees ese 23%
Least depit of caudal pegunele.s s.55 50% ae shes a eae ches té8
ASTUTE. Oi AUC er ae ec PALS Sc WORDS Gps Baws el even cha aeee Siew om Brae 216
DVIAINELCT Oh! CN Clee aoe cas ts «lara le cies Oko: oaane Ss PITS ale Sa oe coe 16
Length of maxilla (does not reach orbit)............... 16
AGN Es Ole TATE CLIC oo scien tites aay gare cdatial ate peta race Mister wey Sabena tens 34
Distance from snout to-dorSal origin... b.cel ee 516
menoph: of dorsal; Pase ri. 6.2 2).72 es ears Sele oes aoe ee oes lis
Revcih, of, JONeeSt. GOTSAl TAVcis eos wits coo ere swiss = 2 Pere oe 1%
iseneth- of last dorsal: ray os 40. © yen cuae Ss PRG Sree ki 18
Distance from snout to ventral origin. ............6.... 5%
Hee LY Ol VEMirall os so Kote ere ees era a ek: elas ete Ii
ene thio ventral: append Ages are ei ateia cis bases 3 hcrsa a rans.c eles %
Distance from snout to anal origin...... PA AD he AanaN a Mae 834
PeeaOsOL wah WAGES 2155 Sewer aide Ss et ovess does jase igeta . 8 17s
iremethot lonsest anal ray cis ee ees seo Sct ease arenes 16
Length of last analray............ Se IN RO eR NE RN Vy
heidi, Ob PECuOrAl.’ «is tc aay Sue. CR Aes Oke oe es 2
Distance trom: snout. to adiposevsn 2. has Oe ONG
Length of base of adipose Epis 22S ON? Stee SoG ae ts
Nea Ot AMT OSE Tilt: eae eee are eos Ca enone ese os 3%
PCIE OR AUIVOSE) MIN see an es awe ee emi sles oe 3%
Deewana IONP ES Lion EAIGeV ee cars © 5, ico oa sacs aie. ofekei ace %
224 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
D. 11; A. 11; V. i, 10; P. i, 14. Scales, 10-84-8. Gill rakers,
6 + 10, the longest 4 inch.
Purplish gray; lower parts whitish; pectorals, ventrals and
anal vermilion; eye pale golden; head, specially behind the eyes,
with iridescent gold and purple tints; caudal, chiefly vermilion
in life.
The fish is a male with ripe milt. There are numerous small
tubercles on the scales of the sides above and below the lateral
line.
124 Coregonus clupeiformis (Mitchill)’
Common Whitefish; Labrador Whitefish; Shadwaiter
Salmo clupeiformis MitTcuitLt, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 321, March, 1818.
Lake Huron; Cayuga Lake.
Coregonus albus LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 232, May, 1818.
Lake Erie; THompson, Nat. Hist. Vermont, I, 1438, figure, 1842; Krrt-
LAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 477, pl. XXVIII, fig. 3, 1841; DE Kay,
N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 247, pl. 76, fig. 240, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. VI, 184, 1866. |
Salmo (Coregonus) labradoricus RicHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 206,
1836.
Coregonus sapidissimus AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 344, 1850.
Coregonus latior AGASSIZ, op. cit. 348, 1850.
Coregonus clupeiformis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 299,
1883; GoopE, Amer. Fishes, 489, figure, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 67,
color pl. 3, 18938; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 465,
1896, pl. LXXVI, fig. 202, 1900; CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y.
Comm, Fish. color pl. facing p. 190, 1898.
Coregonus labradoricus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 176, 1866, and
of authors generally.
The common whitefish of the Great lakes is so well known
that it scarcely needs an elaborate description. The body is
stout and deep, its depth at the nape greatly increased in adults.
The greatest depth is two sevenths of the total length to caudal
base. Caudal peduncle short, its depth one half the length of
head, which is about one fifth of total without caudal. The
snout is sharp, conical, two sevenths as long as the head and
about twice as long as the eye. The maxilla reaches to below
front of eye. The dorsal origin is above the 23d scale of the
lateral line, and the ventral begins under the middle of the
dorsal. The longest dorsal ray equals length of head without
snout, adipose fin stout and low. The dorsal and anal bases
FISHES OF NEW YORK 225
are equal to each other and two thirds of length of head. D. 10
divided rays; A. 11 divided rays; V. 11; P. 15. Scales in lateral
line 74 to 80. The upper parts are grayish or light olive in
color; the sides white and lustrous in life.
Names. The name whitefish is thoroughly identified with this
species and is seldom varied except by means of the prefix
“common ” or “lake.” A well marked variety in Otsego lake,
N. Y., has long been known as the Otsego bass.
Distribution. The common whitefish occurs in the Great lakes
and northward into British America; its northern limit is not
definitely known. In Alaska, where the species was formerly
supposed to exist, it is replaced by a similar, but well marked
form, the Coregonus richardsoni of Gtnther. The
variety known as Otsego bass is found in Otsego lake. If
we may judge from the yield of the fisheries, Lake Michigan has
more whitefish than any of the other lakes; Superior ranks sec-
ond; Erie third; Huron fourth; and Ontario is sadly in the rear.
Size. The largest individual on record was taken at White-
fish Point, Lake Superior; it weighed 23 pounds. A 17 pound
specimen was caught at Vermilion, in Lake Erie in 1876. The
Size varies greatly with locality, ranging in general all the way
from 1? pounds to 14 pounds. In Lake Erie in 1885 the average
weight was between 2 and 3 pounds. The length of adults will
average 20 inches.
Habits. There is a movement of the whitefish in many lakes
from the deep water early in the summer into the shoal water
near the shore. In the midsummer, however, the usual retreat
of this species is the deep and cold parts of the lakes which they
inhabit. Again, as the spawning season approaches in October,
the whitefish come toward the shore to deposit their eggs. It
is said that they do not spawn till the water has reached a tem-
perature of about 40°. After spawning they again retire to
~ deep water, where they remain during the winter. Mr Milner
observed that the shoreward migration varies with locality, and
is influenced also by depth of water and temperature. In Lake
Erie, for example, which has a high summer temperature, there
226 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
is no shoreward migration in summer. It is to be noted also:
that the whitefish moves along the shore, and in some cases it
ascends rivers for the purpose of spawning. It is believed also
that when the feeding grounds of the whitefish are polluted by
mud, the fish temporarily seek other localities. There appears.
to be a spring and summer migration likewise from lake to lake.
Spawning takes place during October, November and December,
on shoals or occasionally in rivers. The female is larger than
the male. According to the observations of George Clark, the
two sexes, in the act of spawning, frequently throw themselves:
together above the surface, emitting the spawn or milt with
the vents close together. Spawning operations are most active »
in the evening, are continued at night, and the eggs are_de-
posited in lots of several hundred at a time. The number of
eggs in a fish of 74 pounds was 66,606; the average number
being nearly 10,000 for each pound of the female’s weight. The
period of incubation depends on the temperature. The usual
time of distribution of the young is in March and April. The
very young are described aS swimming near the surface and
not in schools. They are very active and soon seek deep water
to escape from their enemies. Their food consists chiefly of
small crustaceans. The adults subsist on the same food with
the addition of small mollusks.
Growth. The only means of determining the rate of growth
of the whitefish is by artificial rearing. Samuel Wilmot had
young fish which were 5 inches long at the age of four months.
The growth under natural conditions must be even greater than
this. Mr Wilmot, himself, has seen whitefish measuring 7
inches in December in his ponds.
Enemies and diseases.’ The eggs of the whitefish are destroyed
in immense numbers by the lake herring, Coregonus
artedi. The water lizard, Menobranchus, also con-
sumes vast numbers of the eggs. The young whitefish are eaten ~
extensively by the pike perch, black bass, pike, pickerel and fresh-
water ling. The lake trout also feed on the whitefish. A leach
parasitic on the whitefish proves very troublesome to that spe-
FISHES OF NEW YORK Ck
cies, and the scales are liable to a peculiar roughness which has
been observed late in November or during the spawning season.
There is also a lernean which fastens itself to the gills and other
parts of the whitefish.
Uses and capture. The excellence of the flesh of the whitefish
is so well known as scarcely to require mention. Its commer-
cial value is great. In Lake Erie in 1885, according to statistics
collected by the U.S. Fish Commission, 3,500,000 pounds of white-
fish were caught, more than 2,000,000 of this amount by fisher-
men from Erie alone. In this year Erie county had 310 persons
employed in the fisheries. The capital invested in the business
was nearly $250,000. The wholesale value of the fish products
was upward of $400,000. The whitefish was the third species in
relative importance, blue pike ranking first and the lake herring
second. In Erie county whitefish are caught chiefly in July,
August and November, and the bulk of them are taken in gill
nets. Pound nets are also employed in the capture of whitefish.
Artificial propagation. Carl Miiller of New York and Henry
Brown of New Haven are credited with the first attempt to pro-
pagate the whitefish artificially. Their experiments were made
in Lake Saltonstall, near the city of New Haven. ‘The result
of the experiments, which were repeated in 1858, is not known.
In 1868 Seth Green and Samuel Wilmot began a series of ex-
periments in the same direction, and in 1869 N. W. Clark, of
Clarkson Mich. took up the same work. In 1870 a half million
eggs were placed in hatching boxes by Mr Clark. In 1872,
through the aid of the U. 8S. Fish Commission, Mr. Clark’s hatch-
ing house was doubled in capacity, and a million eggs were
taken from Lake Michigan. Since that time both the national
and state governments have made the whitefish the object of
their most extensive operations.
Dr Meek saw no specimens of whitefish from Cayuga lake, but
_he thinks it is an inhabitant. The U. S. Fish Commission ob-
tained a specimen at Cape Vincent N. Y. Nov. 17, 1891.
A young individual was received from Wilson, Niagara co.
N. Y.; caught in a gill net in Lake Ontario and sent by James
Annin jr.
228 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
A male and a female were received through James Annin jr
from Upper Saranac lake Noy. 16, 1895. Both fish were nearly
spent. They were believed to be the common whitefish. A
male from Chazy lake arrived through the same source Nov. 22, |
1895. It was doubtfully called “ blackfin whitefish.” At that
time the fish had left the spawning beds and were in deep water.
June 17, 1896, a female 192 inches long was shipped by Mr Annin
from Canandaigua lake. Its stomach is pear-shaped with walls
more than + inch thick; it contained numerous small shells of
several genera, not yet identified. |
The species is reported by fishermen to be very abundant in
that lake, and to be destructive of eggs of other fish. They say
it comes in great numbers into shallow water near the shore in
early summer when the water is roily; and can be caught on
set lines. Mr Annin saw men baiting their set lines with small
minnows on Canandaigua lake, and, when the lines were taken
up in the morning, the whitefish was found on the hooks. It
is said that one so taken weighed 6 pounds. Sup’t O. H.
Daniels, of the New Hampshire fish commission, forwarded a
specimen from Lake Winnesquam, at Laconia, 19¢ inches long,
weighing 46 ounces, and he wrote that individuals weighing 74
pounds had recently been taken. The species was called “ blue-
fin’? and whitefish.
The fish-eating habit of the whitefish was fully verified in the
aquarium on examples obtained in Canandaigua lake in November |
1896, by Mr Annin. Knowing that the species usually subsists
on small mollusks and crustaceans, efforts were made to provide
the fish with Physa and Gammarus; but this became
difficult in winter, and an experiment was made with small
killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus and majalis),
which proved satisfactory during the cold months. In summer,
however, it was found necessary to return to the use of Gam-
marus. The whitefish at first took the killifish without any
eagerness, but they soon learned to chase their prey and take
it much as trout do. |
A female received from Canandaigua lake June 17, 1896, in
a fresh state, showed the following colors: membrane of pectoral
:
;
4
*
FISHES OF NEW YORK 229
fins dusky; that of the pectorals tinged with lemon yellow; ven-
trals dusky at the tip; anal pale; caudal pale except a narrow
dusky portion of the middle rays; eyes pearly with golden iri-
descence. - The maxilla reaches about to front of eye. The
adipose dorsal extends straight backward, and its base is cov-
ered with a sheath of small scales #4; of an inch wide. The
gill rakers are 9+17, the longest 2 of aninch. Very small teeth
are present on the tongue. The egos are minute.
In a male example, 174+ inches long, received Noy. 16, 1895,
from Upper Saranac lake and nearly spent, no tubercles could
be seen on the scales; but several of the males from Canan-
daigua lake had them well developed. There is a great differ-
ence in the development of the lingual teeth, some of our indi-
viduals showing only a trace of them, and it seems as if there
mmay be some relation between their condition and the sexual
maturity of the fish. For example, in a male 14 inches long,
sent from the fourth lake of the Fulton Chain Nov. 9, 1897, the
lingual teeth were present in a large patch; in three males, only
a little smaller but sexually immature, from Saranac lake Nov.
11, 1897, the teeth on the tongue could be perceived by the
touch only. The following measurements, in inches, and addi-
tional notes, were made from the fresh fish.
MEASUREMENTS
Canandai- Upper Chazy
gua lake, Saranac, lake,
June 17, Nov. 16, Nov. 22,
1896 1895 1895
g 6) 35
Bensihineludine’ Catdals sy 0 ewe 6 eek 195% 17% 154%
Length of middle caudal rays (from end
Sinite SPIN ES FSS ee re a a alt is %;%
Length of upper caudal lobe (horizon-
HELV STO Scat she ik PRA Re Np a emg sec 3 3%
Length of longest caudal ray........... 34 Dae
Dept, orabody at, dorsal : ) os. saree 4% 3% pee:
Least depth of caudal peduncle......... 1% BRIN 1%
ju SUTTEs A TRaG) Biel 1/22 V3 eg RRS, LA toe C= a 3% 23% 2%
UDA PSE Es EK). 0 Peace vin wth ad a okeh eeele e etsine 58 8 %
PFOA Ok WANING. . 6:23.05. SR ese epeeeaeeee els 1 34 oa
Distance from snout to dorsal origin.... 8
ene Of, GOUSAL DASe Obits tes eek. 21%
Length of longest dorsal ray............ 2%
230 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
Canandai- Upper Chazy
gualake, Saranac, lake,
Junel7, Novy. 16, Nov. 22,
1896 1895 1895
2 ) fe)
Length of Jast dorsalimtay.. ce 6.6. cae cn 34,
Distance from snout to ventral origin... 9
Length of Wventrales sees sae eee sc tonaek 234 .
Length of ventral appendage........... ®
Distance from snout to anal origin...... 13 3
Lenvth OF analebase.nc si. ae. ee eels 2
Length of longest anal ray......:...... 1% ‘
Length of last anal ray..... Lake hie ei saae 5
ihenetheor pectoral: ..\ cesc..seeease miei a 3 f
Distance from snout to adipose fin...... 14
Length of base of adipose fin........... Hk
Hensth of adipose: fini. 7); cetintiok eek as 34,
(Width of base of adipose fin............ % ae peak
Length of longest gill raker............. 36 38 16
Taking the fish in the order above given, the gill rakers are:
9+17,10+16,and 9+17. The scales are: 10—76-8, 10-87-9; and
11-81-10. The branchiostegals in various specimens examined
are 9 to 10; divided dorsal rays, 10 to 11; anal rays, 10 to 11.
Genus ARGYROSOMUS AgaSSiZ
This genus is very close to Coregonus, from which it
differs in the larger mouth and more produced jaws, the pre-
maxillaries being placed nearly horizontally, and the lower jaw
decidedly projecting beyond them. Gill rakers very long and
slender, about 30 on lower limb; vertebrae 55. These characters
are associated with the greater voracity and, in general, greater
activity of the species of Argyrosomus. The species are
numerous in the northern parts of Europe, Asia and North
America, and all are valued as food.
125 Argyrosomus osmeriformis (H. M. Smith)
Smelt of New York lakes
Coregonus hoyi BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. V, 658, 1883; GoopE, Fish &
Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 197 B, 1884; not Coregonus hoyi Gill.
Horegonus osmeriformis Smitu, Bull. U. 8. F. C. XIV, 2, pl. 1, fig. 2, 1895.
Lakes Seneca and Skaneateles, New York.
Argyrosomus osmeriformis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
468, 1896.
‘
‘
d
:
4
“4
.
:
1
:
a
1
-
Body elongate, moderately compressed, slender; head less com-
FISHES OF NEW YORK VA
=
‘pressed than body, its greatest width equaling one half the dis-
tance from tip of lower jaw to nape, the lower jaw projecting
considerably even when the mouth is closed; mouth large, the
maxillary reaching to the vertical through the anterior margin
of the pupil; preorbital bone long and slender, more than one
third as long as the head; supraorbital as long as the eye, four
times as long as broad.
The greatest hight of the body is considerably less than the
length of the head, and is contained five times in the total length
without caudal. The greatest width of the body is less than
one half its greatest hight. The least hight of caudal peduncle
equals the length of the orbit and about one third of the great-
est hight of the body. Scales small, nine in an oblique series
from the dorsal origin to the lateral line, 82 tube-bearing scales,
and eight in an oblique series from the ventral origin to the lat-
eral line.
The length of the head is one fourth of the total length to
the end of the lateral line. The distance of the nape from the
tip of the snout is nearly one third of the distance from the tip
of the snout to the origin of the first dorsal. The length of the
maxilla is one third of the length of the head. The mandible
is one half as long as the head. Lingual teeth present. The
eye is as long as the snout and one fourth as long as the head.
Gill rakers long and slender, the longest five sixths as long as
the eye; there are 55 on the first arch, 35 of which are below
the angle. The insertion of the dorsal is nearer the tip of the
snout than the end of the middle caudal rays. The longest
ray of the dorsal equals the greatest length of the ventral and
is contained seven times in the total length to the end of the
middle caudal rays (six and two thirds times in length to end
of lateral line). The length of the pectoral is one sixth of the
standard body length. |
The insertion of the ventral is midway between the tip of the
snout and the end of.the middle caudal rays. _When the ventral
is extended, the distance of its tip from the vent is only one
252, NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
fourth of the length of the fin. In this respect this species
differs widely from C. artedi.
Colors. Back grayish silvery; sides silvery; dorsal and caudal
with darker tips.
Radial formula. D. iii, 9;\A. ii, 13; V..i, 123 P. a) ai6) Seales
9-82-8.
: MEASUREMENTS
Current number of specimen............ “oI wo kira Wasdrag Leb x eselure Sa claate Ae ie aan is ROU ee ce 32,162
Milli- Hundredths
meters of length
PEEPS TTI MIS Sib se My Fe ere ede needs ac tote Renee. ene be eee 253 une ae
Derethito: Cm OhiSGHles.. he Sess eee Oe CR ce toe 2s ee 100
Body: ;
Serevent fii ints gski nf ohare ee aie he res c ean eRe Aare 41 19
CRE RETEST AVV-TORUELY Ah "sy okie bre ak Peete lie e feayore eeae 18 8
ace at Vien tras oy ts cote iene ee tboicesices 40 18%
IseSc, Tatler iia if hey ore Siig eek Ak Be oe gel et eee 15 ¢
Head:
GVEALCSE CIS lely wAe RT cee oko ae ste cit aioe edi eee eee as) 2416
Distancé iron snout: to nape Ge 1 fv. e sees 36 16%
CGPEAESS T/L By eg ae re aa ae ot ee ae eae eet ye 20. 9
Wath of, aterorbital area al morte ce ee ae cee 12 5%,
TOM, Ol SOUSA, tie nia eee rete eee eneeee cee eee 14 64%
Leneih (oft Opere wii: ieee oes eo ees ct ke ee 13 6
Deo thy. O iy Waa: Sic ious teehee coe ise: dahon amae tency aoe 18 8
ene thy ol. mameDkes ict gos sce ae eee ee ee eke Ol deen 12
DiaiMever GE (yes Re koe on ers cee Rector tertic bik isc es ' 6
Dorsal (first): .
Dastanceytrom, SaOwbs ys eo oe aa aeee tee Ti, 3 511%
TERS On, GUAGE hs cul tee tehake ais Se edo did cl oe Cee 20 S
henstit of JOMeests Maly Mik Sie ete wer ete See 30 15
en sth Ol ASL GAY jul. Kaw eee wa ee eran See Abo 3D
Anal:
DiIStaNCe “Eom: SOUC es Re ak cek cane eked eae Rywad OFA 1d
Lengeh, Of i base ances. LR a A es Pe 24 att
Length of Tongest Tay aio poss. ale sete eels eae ae : 20 9
Length (OF ASl Pay, 2% poeta te div care gine ope ee ee Bee 4
Caudal:
Length of middle rays from end of scales...... 12 514
Length of external rays..... ti hes a a 44 20
Pectoral:
Distance from. sHoutis. (fs... 04. ae eee ay 244%
DANI sos 6 ssc ad. 5 Sa wee seh & onde ae ee 36 16%,
Ventral:
Diseamce: from: SHOUB A. iii: etl. - 20g oc ae ee 118 55
DOM SENS 6 ib. oo eh Antes Las Ae ee ee ee ie a2 15
Originsirom. ana) Ori gig os \.:..5.'. ae hoes eee eae 48 22.
End of extended ventral to anal origin......... 15 +
Se
FISHES OF NEW YORK
MEASUREMENTS
Milli- Hundredths
meters of length
LECCTESISY 00 Ae SUPRA Eee gn nh a ee Tey OS SY 2 he
PRE AND ee ec 9 55, 2, vas Sih i aR APL pane tein emp oie, ole! wd RS eae Aa
“PE GURDIRSL| SRA PR Tao a 2 IE oo ea a ee a Ae Rue eS ah
OT STIRS gO lS ar eae Ta = 8 Ns eo fag ORO ai ae [ell Sen A
manmiper of. Seales. in lateral dime sae bs seas ew ee Be SA
Number of transverse rows above lateral line...... 9
Number of transverse rows below lateral line...... 8
The attention of the writer was called to this graceful little
whitefish by the Rey. W. M. Beauchamp and J. C. Willetts. Mr
Willetts forwarded numerous specimens from Skaneateles.
Individuals were obtained also from Prof. H. L. Smith, which
he received from Seneca lake. One of these specimens, 10 inches
long, is described above. .
The fish was then somewhat douptraliy Supposed by me to
be identical with Hoy’s whitefish, but it is now known to be
distinct.
126 Argyrosomus artedi (LeSueur)
Lake Herring ; Cisco
Coregonus artedi LE SuEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 231, May, 1818.
Lake Erie & Lewistown, Upper Canada; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 301, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 69, pl. 26, fig. 48,
1893.
Salmo (Coregonus) harengus RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 210, pl. 90,
fig. 2, 1836.
Coregonus clupeiformis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 248, pl. 60, fig. 198,
1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 198, 1866.
Coregonus harengus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 199, 1866.
Argyrosomus artedi JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 468,
1896.
The body of the lake herring is moderately elongated, com-
pressed, and the head pointed. The greatest hight of the body
at the origin of the dorsal is one fourth of the total length
without caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and stout; its
‘Jeast depth is somewhat more than one third of its greatest
depth. The eye is contained four to four and one half times
in length of head; the snout three and one half times. The max-
illary reaches nearly to below the middle of the eye. The lower
jaw projects strongly. The dorsal begins midway between tip
of snout and base of tail. Its longest ray equals length of
234 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
head without snout. The ventral begins under the middle of
the dorsal, its longest ray two thirds of length of head. The
pectoral is slightly longer than the ventral. The anal base.
equals the length of its longest ray, which is nearly one half
the length of head. The adipose dorsal is slender, its width
one half its hight, and about one half the length of eye; 25
to 30 gill rakers below the angle of the first arch. D. 11; A. 10
(counting only divided rays in dorsal and anal); V. 10. Seales
9-80-8. The upper parts are greenish or bluish black; the
sides silvery and with narrow pale streaks along the rows of
scales, specially above the lateral line.
This species is known as the lake herring or cisco. The name
cisco is applied more particularly in the small lakes of Wiscon-
sin, Indiana and New York. The lake herring is most abun-
dant in the Great lakes, extending northward into British
America; eastward it has been obtained from Labrador. It
becomes variable in certain parts of its habitat, notably in
Labrador and in the lakes in which it is known as cisco. In
1885 more individuals of this species were taken in Lake Erie
than in all the other Great lakes put together, more than
19,000,000 pounds having been caught there out of a total of
less than 26,000,000.
The average length of this species is about 1 foot, and the
weight 9 to 12 ounces, but examples measuring 19 inches in
length and weighing 2 pounds have been recorded.
The lake herring frequents shoal waters moderately, and
occurs in enormous schools, as one may judge from the quan-
tity captured in Lake Erie. Its food consists of insects and
crustaceans. During the spawning season of the whitefish, how-
ever, it feeds exclusively on the eggs of this species and proves
very destructive. The lake herring will take the hook, and has
been caught with live minnows. Spawning takes place about
the end of November in shoal waters.
As a food fish this species is inferior to the whitefish, but it
is in great demand over an extensive area of the country, and
is shipped in the fresh condition many hundreds of miles east
and west. I have elsewhere referred to the enormous number
f
FISHES OF NEW YORK 235
taken in 1885 in Lake Erie. These are caught chiefly in pound
and gill nets. The catch in 1885 amounted to more than one
third of the entire quantity of fishes taken in this lake. There
is no apparent diminution in the number of these fishes, and
their artificial propagation has not been practised.
A male and a female were forwarded by Mr Annin from Three-
mile bay, Lake Ontario, Nov. 22 and 25, 1895.
MEASUREMENTS
MALE FEMALE
Inches Inches
Pepe tasela,- 111 Chat): (CATO A ssa cle yee eerste Grenier iets sil bg) wee Sie 13% 13
Length of middle caudal rays........... Bias atone dkectehs) « Dr ES eet abe
Seibensi deptihijoL eaudal;pedumelesset Lat o. nes ee. UR AEG Ca ae
De DUNT ROCs lt GOUSAL 5h cuss ueawere tohee la stehere\eveve cokes « 3 214
HE ae Lo ae CLsaicains ch ote ope eu Aouebate eae) aah aliavale cusad ae atictsal Oe wet. he 24, 2,
Momence: Mix la. oe etait Ch acne ate Macy a cs 34 7
MEME Hei Oly /OVCL oodles. Se niehalers Me eNarec eee Deak ple «RISE oe Wy 1%
Meer Ol LOMSEST) Sill, PAIGET 100s) a ove cesu tes clsrere od arose sila e.0: ears Be oa Ene ei ae
The male has 17431 gill rakers; the female, 47. Scales of the
male, 8-74—-8; of the female, 76.
In the female the maxilla reaches to the front of the pupil;
the lower jaw projects a little; the dorsal and anal each have
10 divided rays; the dorsal has a black tip; the pectoral is dusky
above; the ventral and anal are pale; the caudal is dusky towards
its margin.
The cisco, according to Mr Annin, lives in deep waters and
Spawns in brooks in December.
Dr Meek saw a few specimens of the species from Cayuga
lake. The U.S. Fish Commission obtained four specimens at Cape
. Vincent N. Y. Nov. 11 and 17, 1891. The U.S. National Museum
has a number of examples from Lake Champlain, some of them
from Vergennes Vt., and others from Ticonderoga N. Y. Dekay
Says the shad salmon occurs in the smaller lakes in the interior
of the state, which still communicate with our inland seas.
127 Argyrosomus hoyi Gill
Mooneye Cisco; Shiner
Argyrosomus hoyi GILL, Mss. JoRDAN, Amer. Naturalist, 135, March, 1875,
Lake Michigan, near Racine, Wis.; EVERMANN & SMITH, Rept. U. S.
F.C. XX, 310, pl. 22, 1896; BEAN, ‘Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX,
342, 1897, Canandaigua Lake; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 469, 1896.
236 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Coregonus hoyi JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 275, 1878; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 299, 1883; Smirns, Bull. U. S.oF..'C. XW eae
pet) he. 1, 189.
Head, four; depth, four and four sevenths; eye, five (nearly) ;
snout, three and one half; maxillary, nearly three in head, reach-
ing to vertical through front of pupil. D. 10; A. 11. Scales,
870-9. Gill rakers, 14+28, left side, 40 on right side, longest
about 4 inch, about two in eye. Branchiostegals, 8. Body rather
elongate, compressed, the back little elevated; mouth rather
-large, terminal, the lower jaw slightly longer than upper when
the mouth is closed; tip of muzzle conical as in A. artedi;
mandible nearly reaching vertical through posterior edge of
eye, nearly two in head; head rather long and slender, with
pointed snout; interorbital width equal to eye; supraorbital
and preorbital long and narrow; distance from tip of snout to
occiput two in distance’ from occiput to origin of dorsal fin;
dorsal rays much longer anteriorly than posteriorly, the longest
ray nearly equal to distance from front of pupil to end of head,
the last ray only one third as long; longest anal ray two and
one half in head, last.anal ray two fifths as long-as the longest;
pseudobranchiae well developed; tongue with evident teeth.
Color in spirits silvery, with purplish iridescence on back; scales
without punctulations; belly whitish; dorsal and caudal fins
dark on terminal] half, pale at base; other fins all pale. Length,
without caudal, 8 inches; total length, 94 inches; depth 1%
inches; head, 24 inches; eye, + inch; maxilla, +; inch; interorbital
width equal to diameter of eye.
Mr Annin wrote me that the people at Canandaigua lake told”
him that there were large quantities of small lake shiners, as
they are called, in the lake. A fisherman said that they are seen
in immense schools at the top of the water occasionally, and, by
firing a gun loaded with shot into them, men can stun them so
as to pick up quite anumber. They are eagerly sought after for
trolling bait for the salmon trout found in that lake.
This species is recorded with certainty from Lake Michigan
only. It is taken in gill nets in deep water and, notwithstand-
ing its small size, has become commercially important. It is
?
FISHES OF NEW YORK DRY
here for the first time announced as a member of the New York
fauna, and the description leaves no doubt of the correctness of
the identification. The fish examined, a female with ripe eggs,
was taken in Canandaigua lake, Dec. 19, 1896, by Mr Annin’s
men. It was the only one caught, and was captured by becom-
ing gilled in the funnel of the net. Mr Annin is satisfied that
this is the lake shiner of the fishermen, which they sometimes
see in immense schools at the surface, and kill for trolling bait
by shooting them.
a
128 Argyrosomus prognathus (H. M. Smith)’
Long Jaw; Bloater
Coregonus prognathus HucH M. SmirnH, Bull. U. 8. F. C. XIV, 4, pl. 1, fig. 3,
1895, Lake Ontario, at Wilson N. Y.
Argyrosomus hoyi MILNER, Rept. U. S. F. C. II, 86, 1874, Outer Island, Lake:
Superior, not of GILL.
Argyrosomus prognathus EVERMANN & SMITH, Rept. U. 8. F. e. DO, Gaede i
pl. 26, 1896; JornpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 471, 1886.
Body oblong, much compressed, back elevated, tapering rather
abruptly toward the narrow caudal peduncle, the adult tish hay-
ing a Slight nuchal hump asin C. clupeiformis; oreatest
depth three and one half to four in body length; head rather
Short and deep, pointed, four to four and one third in length;
greatest width half the length, cranial ridges prominent; snout
straight, its tip on level with lower edge of pupil; top of head
two in distance from occiput to front of dorsal; mouth large
and strong, maxillary reaching to opposite middle of pupil, two
and one half in head, length three times its width, mandible
long, projecting beyond upper jaw when mouth is closed, reach-
ing to or beyond posterior edge of eye, one and three fourths to
one and seven eighths in head; eye small, five in head, one and.
one half in snout, one and one third in interorbital Space, one
and one half in suborbital space; gill rakers slender, about
length of eye, 13 above and 25 below angle. Adipose fin the
length of eye, its width half its length. Narrowest part of cau-
dal peduncle contained nearly four times in greatest body depth.
Dorsal rather high, with nine or ten developed rays, the longest.
one half longer than base of fin and contained one and three
238 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
fourths times in greatest body depth, three and one fourth times
in distance between dorsal and snout, and one and one half
times in head; free margin slightly concave; origin midway
between end of snout and base of caudal; dorsal base opposite
nine scales. Anal with 10 to 12 developed rays, the longest ray
equal to base of fin and two thirds of hight of dorsal. WVentrals
as long as dorsal is high, their origin midway between anterior
edge of orbit and base of caudal. Ventral appendage short,
covering about three scales. Pectorals as long as ventrals.
Scales rather large, about 7 5 in lateral line, seven or eight above
the lateral line, seven or eight below the lateral line. Lateral
line straight except at origin, where it presents a rather marked
curve. Sides of body uniformly bright silvery, with pronounced
bluish reflection in life; the back dusky, the under parts pure
white without silvery color. Above lateral line, light longitudi-
nal stripes involving central part of scales extend whole length
of body. Fins fiesh color or pinkish in life, the dorsal and cau-
dal usually showing dusky edges; postorbital area with a bright
golden reflection; iris golden, pupil black. Branchiostegals,
eight. Average length, 15 inches. .
Habitat: Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and
doubtless the entire Great lake basin, in deep water. This fish
is called long-jaw in Lakes Michigan and Ontario. Specimens
were obtained from John 8S. Wilson of Wilson N. Y. and from
George M. Schwartz of Rochester N. Y. Dr R. R. Gurley also
secured examples at Nine Mile Point N. Y. in June 1893.
This species is quite different from any other whitefish inhab-
iting the Great lake basin. It may be at once distinguished
from all the whitefishes known to occur in the United States by
the general form of body combined with the very long lower jaw,
which is contained less than twice in the length of the head and
extends backward to or beyond the posterior edge of orbit. |
129 Argyrosomus tullibee (Richardson)
Tullibee; Mongrel Whitefish
Salmo (Coregonus) tullibee RicHarpDson, Fauna Bor.-Amer, III, 201, 1836,
Cumberland House, Pine Island Lake.
~y
ee ee ey ee ee” Pe ee ns ee) ea
oi eee oe
a
FISHES OF NEW YORK 239
Coregonus tullibee GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 199, 1866; Jonpan &
‘GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 301, 1883; JorpDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A.
43, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 70, pl: 27, fig. 49, 1893.
Argyrosomus tullibee JoRDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 361, 1878; EVERMANN &
SmitH, Rept. U. S. F. C. XX, 320, pl. 28, 1896; JornpAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 478, 1896; Bean, Bull. Amer, Mus. Nat. Hist.
IX, 348, 1897.
The body of the tullibee is very short, deep and compressed;
its greatest hight about one third of the length without caudal.
The head is pointed, as in the blackfin, the mouth large, with
the lower jaw scarcely longer than the upper. The maxilla
extends to below the middle of the eye. The eye equals the
snout in length and is two ninths of length of the head. Scales
much larger on front part of body than on the caudal peduncle.
The gill rakers are long, slender and numerous, about 30 below
the angle on the first arch. D.11; A.11. Scales in lateral line
7A, eight rows above and seven below lateral line; pyloric caeca,
120. The upper parts are bluish; sides white and minutely
dotted. The spermary, according to Richardson, is wood brown.
This species is usually called the tullibee, but in Lakes Erie
and Michigan it is sometimes styled the mongrel whitefish on
‘the supposition that it is a cross between the common white-
fish and the lake herring.
The tullibee has been taken recently in Lake Michigan; and
Dr E. Sterling had a specimen from Lake Erie. It is found occa-
sionally in others of the Great lakes and extends northward into
British America; but is comparatively little known to the fisher-
men and is very rare in collections. This fish grows to a length
of 18 inches.
The late F. C. Gilchrist was the first to describe the habits of
the tullibee, and this he did in Forest and Stream in the following
language.
In September they will again be found gradually nearing the
shoal water, feeding heavily, and plump with fat and the now
swelling ovaries. Later on they appear to eat little or nothing
and devote all their time to playing until about the 25th of
October, when they have settled down to the business of propa-
gation, which they have finished by November 10. They prefer
shallow water close to shore with clean sand to spawn on, and
240 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
during the day they may be seen in pairs and small schools, pok-
ing along the shores, but at night they come in thousands and
keep up a constant loud splashing and fluttering, very strange
and weird on a calm night. Two years ago I carefuly counted
the ova from a ripe fish 24 pounds in weight, and found there
were 235,700, closely resembling whitefish eggs in appearance, but
somewhat smaller. After spawning the fish are very thin, lank,
dull in color, and quite unfit for human food.
James Annin jr furnished me the following notes on the
spawning of the tullibee in Onondaga lake, N. Y.
They generally commence running up onto the shoals about
November 15, and the season extends into December. They come
up to the banks or gravelly shoals and spawn in from 3 to 6 and
7 feet of water. They have never been caught with the hook
in this lake; and an old fisherman told me that he had tried
almost every kind of bait, and had used the very finest gut and
the smallest hooks baited with Gammarus (fresh-water
shrimp) and other kinds of natural food—that is, he supposed
the food was natural to them. At the same time, he claims he
could see them in large schools lying in the water 8 or 10 feet
from the surface.
A female tullibee was sent from Onondaga lake by Mr Annin
Noy. 18, 1895, and another of the same sex Nov. 25, 1896. ,
The following notes relate to the female obtained Novy. 18,
1895.
Inches
bheneth tovend-iok “Caudal sy sa nis mice meter yite cee cae <a, cots GeO 18%
Length of upper: caudal lobel-si4.0 23.400. ea se eee 254
liength ‘of middle, cantGalyrayig ese. ihe 3524 aid laue os! sok cl pee i
Least depth of caudal-peduncle oi. oc ies ee ee eee 1%
Depth of ‘body at dorsal origins. Gy eky i oe eee a eran S,
Leneth Of NCAG SF Sy aie ea ee Hat 2) aA he con 1s Vn 1S AGU Aan ei e 34
lenath ot; inaxilla cbse Valse £0 a ol oltnyce ta ate Save alts le ee as en Re eed 1B
AINE TCT “OF CVO. ors ene wie coe obo) die bee 1a) shal Gt NTI eon eee Bete oa
Mengih of longest) ill rakens.0..8) Re Rate ere 16
‘The mandible projects slightly. B. 8; D. 11; A. 11; V. 11.
Scales 8—75-8; gill rakers, 17+27.
The femaJe received Nov. 25, 1896, is 15 inches long.
New York is well supplied with Coregonidae, having seven of
the 16 North American species. C. quadrilateralis is
the frostfish of the Adirondacks and the Great lakes. -C.
clupeiformis, the common whitefish, inhabits the Great
Jakes and Lake Champlain; it is very abundant also in the
FISHES OF NEW YORK QA
Adirondacks. ATSVEOSOMUS OSMETTLOrMis isa
shapely little herring of Seneca and Skaneateles lakes. A.
artedi is the common lake herring or cisco of the Great lakes
and Lake Champlain. A: hoyi, the lake shiner, or Hoy’s
whitefish, is ‘above recorded -from Canandaigua lake. A.
prognathus, the long-jaw, the only summer spawning
whitefish so far as known, lives in Lake Ontario; and, finally, A.
tullibee, is the fine whitefish of Onondaga lake.
Genus oncoruyncuts Suckley
Body elongate, subfusiform, or compressed; mouth wide, the
maxillary long, lanceolate, usually extending beyond the eye;
jaws with moderate teeth, which become in the adult male
enormously enlarged in front; vomer long and narrow, fiat,
with a series of teeth both on the head and the shaft, the latter
series comparatively short and weak; palatines with a series of
teeth; tongue with a marginal series on each side; teeth on
vomer and tongue often lost with age; no teeth on the hyoid
‘bone; branchiostegals more or less increased in number; scales
moderate or small; dorsal fin moderate; anal fin comparatively.
elongate, of 14 to 20 rays; pyloric appendages in increased num-
ber; gill rakers rather numerous; ova large; sexual peculiarities
very strongly developed; the snout in the adult males in summer
and fall greatly distorted, the premaxillaries prolonged, hooking.
over the lower jaw, which in turn is greatly elongate and some-
what hooked at tip, the teeth on these bones also greatly en-
larged. The body becomes deep and compressed, a fleshy hump
is developed before the dorsal fin, and the scales of the back
‘become embedded in the flesh; the flesh, which is red and rich in
‘Spring, becomes dry and poor. Salmon, mostly of large size,
ascending the rivers tributary to the north Pacific in North
America and Asia, spawning in the fall.
4
130 Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum)
King Salmon; Quinnat Salmon; Chinook Salmon (Introduced)
Salmo tshawytscha WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pisce. III, 71, 1792.
Salmo quinnat RIcHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 219, 1836; GIRARD, Pac.
R. R. Exp. Fish. 306, pl. 67, 1858.
Oncorhynchus quinnat GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 158, 1866.
242 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Oncorhynchus orientalis GUNTHER, op. cit. 159, 1866.
Oncorhynchus chouicha JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 306,
1883; STONE in Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 479, pl. 186, lower fig. 1884;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. TX, 190, pl. XLVI, fig. 1, 1891; Fishes Penna.
72, 18938.
Oncorhynchus tschawytscha JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
479, 1896, pl. LX XVII, fig. 206, 1900.
Body stout, moderately elongate, its greatest depth contained
three and twothirds to four times in total length without caudal;
caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth one third of
greatest depth of body; head conical, pointed, its length one
fourth of total length without caudal; eye small; less than one
half of length of snout, and about one seventh of length of head;
maxilla slender, its width scarcely one fourth its length, which is.
one half the length of head; nostrils nearly midway between eye
and tip of snout; teeth small, longer on sides of lower jaw than
in front, vomerines few and weak, disappearing in the males;
gill rakers usually about 23, of which 14 are below the angle
of the first arch; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout
and base of upper external caudal rays, the base of the fin as.
long as the longest ray, one half as long as the head, the last
ray two fifths as long as the longest; adipose fin over the end of
the anal, its width scarcely one half its length, which is two
sevenths of the length of the head. The anal base is three fifths
~ as long as the head; the longest anal ray is two fifths as long as.
the head and more than twice as long as the last ray. The ven-
tral is under the last rays of the dorsal, midway between front
of eye and base of caudal, its length one half the length of head,
its appendage one half as long as the fin. Pectoral as long as
postorbital part of head. B. usually 17 or 18; D. 11; A. ii, 15 or
16. Scales usually 27-146-29, sometimes as many as 155 in a.
longitudinal series. Vertebrae 66. Pyloric caeca 140 to 185.
The quinnat salmon is the largest and finest of the Pacific
salmon. It ranges from Monterey Cal. to Alaska and eastern
Asia, ascending rivers in some cases 1500 miles or farther from
the sea. It has been introduced into lakes of New York, but
there is no evidence that it has become established in any waters.
of the state. Possibly better results might be secured if larger
fish were selected for the experimental stocking.
FISHES OF NEW YORK Q45-
This is the largest fish of the salmon family, individuals
weighing 100 pounds and measuring upward of 5 feet in length
being on record from the Yukon and other Alaskan rivers. The
average weight of adults is above 20 pounds. The flesh of this
salmon is paler in color than that of the red salmon, but it is
superior in flavor to all others.
The quinnat is the first to arrive near the shores in the spring,
and the time of the run depends on the latitude, becoming later
and later till, in Norton sound, the present known northern limit
of its migration, it appears early in June. Unless the spawning
period be close at hand, it does not ascend rivers rapidly, but
generally plays around for a few days, or even a couple of weeks,
near the river limit of tide water. It has been estimated that it
proceeds up the Columbia river at the rate of 100 miles a month
till the exigencies of reproduction compel a faster rate of travel.
In the sea this salmon feeds on herring, caplin, and crusta-
ceans. A male of about 35 pounds, taken at Karluk August 4,
had in its stomach 45 caplin. In fresh water the fish take no
food.
Spawning takes place near the head waters of streams in clear
shallow rapids. The fish excavate oblong cavities in the gravel
beds where there is a current, and in these nests the eggs and
milt are deposited. The eggs are protected from some of their
enemies and fatalities by their environment, but are still a prey
to freshets and to the pestiferous little fresh-water sculpins, or
blobs, that abound in all trout and salmon waters, so far as ob-
served. The young are hatched in from 60 to 100 days. They
are destroyed in large numbers by aquatic birds, blobs, and large
fishes. The adults are killed by seals, sea lions, and sharks.
After spawning, nearly all the parent fish die, specially those
that ascend rivers a long distance.
The quinnat is a very valuable fish for canning, salting and
smoking. If it could be acclimated in the Great lakes, it would
form the basis of new and important industries. The practica-
bility of rearing this species in fresh waters without access to
the sea has been satisfactorily demonstrated in France by Dr
Jousset de Bellesme, director of the aquarium of the Trocadéro.
244 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM
The results of the experiment of introducing this salmon into
New York waters are as yet unknown, but it is to be hoped that it
will be successful. Since the change of method by which larger
fish are employed for transplanting, the outlook appears to be
more favorable.
Genus satmo (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body elongate, somewhat compressed; mouth large, jaws,
palatines, and tongue toothed, as in related genera, vomer flat,
its shaft not depressed, a few teeth on the chevron of the vomer,
behind which is a somewhat irregular single or double series of
teeth, which in the migratory forms are usually deciduous with
age; scales large or small,.110 to 200 in a longitudinal series;
dorsal and anal fins short, usually of 10 to 12 rays each; caudal
fin truncate, emarginate or forked, its peduncle comparatively
stout; sexual peculiarities variously developed, the males in
typical species with the jaws prolonged and the front teeth en-
larged, the lower jaw being hooked upward at the end and the
upper jaw emarginate or perforate. In the larger and migratory
species these peculiarities are most marked. Species of moder-
ate or large size, black spotted, abounding in the rivers and lakes
of North America, Asia and Europe; no fresh-water species
occurring in America east of the Mississippi valley; two Atlantic
species, marine and anadromous.: The nonmigratory species
(subgenus Trutta) are in both continents very closely related
and difficult to distinguish, if indeed all be not necessarily re-
garded as forms of a single one. The excessive variations in
color and form have given rise to a host of nominal species. |
131 Salmo salar Linnaeus
Atlantic Salmon
Salmo salar LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 308, 1758; Seas. of Europe;
MITCHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 435, 1815; Dr Kay, N, ¥,
Fauna, Fishes, 241, pl. 38, fig. 122, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit.
Mus. VI, 11, 1866; StorErR, Hist. Fish. Mass. 142, pl. XXV, fig. 2, 1867;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 312, 1883; Goopnr, Fish
& Fish, Ind. U. S. I, 468, pl. 186, upper fig. 1884; Bran, Fishes Penna.
74, color pl. 4, 1898; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
486, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Amer, Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 344, 1897.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 945
The Atlantic salmon has a moderately thick and elongate |
body. The greatest hight, at the origin of the dorsal fin, is two
ninths of the total length without caudal. The caudal peduncle )
_is rather slender; its least depth about one third of the greatest |
depth of body. The head is comparatively small; its length in
the female about one fifth of total without caudal. The eye
is placed at a distance from the top of the head equal to its |
own diameter. It is one half as long as the snout, and about
one seventh of length of head. The maxillary reaches a little
past the eye in adults. Its length equals the depth of caudal
peduncle. The dorsal origin is midway between tip of snout
and adipose fin. The adipose fin is long and narrow, its width
one half its length, and equal to length of eye. The base is
slightly longer than its longest ray, and nearly one eighth of
total without caudal. The last dorsal ray is about one third
of length of dorsal base. The ventral origin is nearly under
the end of the dorsal base. The length of the fin equals one :
half the length of head. The appendage is two fifths of the
length of the fin. The pectoral is as long as the dorsal base.
The distance of the ventral origin from the anal origin is a
little more than length of head. The longest anal ray equals
length of ventral. The last ray is two fifths of length of longest.
B. 11; D. 11 divided rays and 3 rudiments; A. 9 divided rays and
3 rudiments. Scales 23, 120,21. Vertebrae 60. Pyloric cacea 60
to 70. In the adult the upper parts are brownish or grayish;
the sides silvery. Numerous X-shaped or XX-shaped black spots
on the upper half of the body, side of the head, and on the fins.
Males in the breeding season have red blotches along the sides.
In the young there are from 10 to 12 dark crossbars mingled
with red blotches and black spots.
The salmon in America has but a single common name. When
the young have reached a length of 2 inches and taken on the
vermilion spots and dark cross bands, they are called parr, and
retain this name while they remain in fresh water. Before
descending to the sea in the second or third spring, the parr
assumes a bright silvery coat and is then known as a smolt.
246 NEW YORK STATPD MUSEUM
After a sojourn in salt water lasting from four months to about
two years, it may return to its native river either as a sexually
immature salmon or as a grilse, the female not yet ready for
reproducing its species though the male is sexually mature. .
The landlocked variety of the Atlantic salmon has been vari-
ously denominated fresh-water salmon, Schoodic trout, Sebago:
trout, dwarf salmon and winninish, the last in use in the Sagi-
naw region. In some Nova Scotian rivers a misnomer, gray-
ling, is applied to the landlocked salmon. |
This species inhabits the north Atlantic, ascending rivers of
Europe and America for the purpose of reproduction. Iw
Kurope it extends southward to France, and in the United
States the most southern river in which specimens have beem
obtained is the Potomac. It occurs in small numbers in the
Delaware and in large numbers in the Hudson, but in the last
three river basins mentioned its presence is the result of arti-
ficial introduction. It is not found in abundance south of the
Merrimac, and in rivers of New England and Canada in which
it is native it is maintained almost exclusively by artificial
culture. The usual weight of the Atlantic salmon ranges from
15 to 40 pounds, but individuals weighing 60 pounds have beem
recorded. The growth of the salmon is accomplished chiefly
in the ocean. As a rule the adults enter the rivers on a rising
temperature when ready to deposit their eggs, the spawning
occurring on the falling temperature in water not warmer than
50°. The time of entering the Delaware and Hudson is April,
the Connecticut a little later, the Merrimac still later; to the
Penobscot the salmon come most abundantly in June and July;.
and to the Miramichi from the middle of June to October. The
salmon is not much affected by changes in temperature of the
water, enduring a range of fully 45°. The eggs are deposited
in shoal water on sandy or gravelly bottom, the parent fish
making deep depressions by means of their noses or by flopping
motions of the tail. The period of egg-depositing lasts from
5 to 12 days. The spawning season begins about the middle
of October and may run into December. In some European
‘ rae
a3ibisige as walls tins Stes ie eames ees
FISHES OF NEW YORK 2AT
rivers the season continues till February. The eggs are about
one fourth of an inch in diameter, and the female is estimated
to have about 1000 for each pound of her weight. In the
Penobscot, according to the observations of Mr Atkins, an
eight pound female yields from 5000 to 6000 eggs; and a female —
of 40 pounds about 15,000 eggs. The hatching period ranges
from 140 to 200 days or more, depending on the temperature.
A newly hatched salmon is about three fourths of an inch
jong, and the yolk sack is absorbed in from a month to six
weeks. It then begins to feed on small organisms in the water.
At the age of two months it measures 14 inches and begins
to show crossbars and red spots, gradually coming into the
parr stage. In the sea the salmon feeds on herring, caplin,
sand lance, smelt and other small fishes, besides crustaceans;
but during its stay in fresh water it takes no food.
Among the worst enemies of salmon eggs are trout, eels,
suckers and frogs. Numerous species of birds destroy the fry,
among them sheldrakes, kingfishers, gulls and terns.
The value of the salmon as a food and game fish is so well
‘known as to require no description here. Those that find their
way into market are usually caught in pound nets, gill nets
or seines, and the bulk of them are taken at or near the mouths
of the streams which they are about to enter for the purpose
of spawning. Many are captured in the upper reaches of
streams by the spear.
Eggs of the Atlantic salmon, just on the point of hatching,
from the Restigouche river, Canada, were received at the New
York aquarium from Percy Baker about May 1, 1897. Several
‘hundred healthy embryos were obtained from them. These
were reared almost without loss till June 18, when the temper-
ature of the water had reached 76° and nearly all perished.
November 27, one of the few survivors was 32 inches long.
Liver was the principal food of the fry.
Mitchill, in the first volume of the transactions of the Literary
and Philosophical Society of New York, says that the salmon
“has been taken, since the discovery, a few times in the Hudson.
—
we ee a a a, gr
i og! So oS Se
248 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
But here he is a straggling fish, and not in his regular home-
There is no steady migration of salmon to this river. Though
pains have been taken to cherish the breed, salmon has never
frequented the Hudson in any other manner than as a stray.”
In 1842 DekKay published the following note:
The sea salmon rarely now appears on our coast except as a
straggling visitor. Such an occurrence took place in August
1840, when a salmon weighing 8 pounds entered the Hudson
river, and ascended it more than 150 miles, when it was taken
near Troy... It now is only seen on our northern bor-
ders, ascending the St Lawrence from the sea, and appearing
in Lake Ontario in April, and leaving it again in October or
November. They were formerly very abundant in the lakes in
the interior of the state which communicated with Lake Ontario;
but the artificial impediments thrown in their way have greatly
decreased their numbers, and in many cases caused their total
destruction. I have seen some from Oneida lake weighing 10
and 15 pounds... They are occasionally found in Lake
Ontario during the whole year; but, as the same instinct which
compels them to ascend rivers also leads them again to the sea,.
and as there is no barrier opposed to their return, we may pre-
Sume that these are sickly or possibly barren individuals.
Experiments for restocking the Hudson are now in progress,
and it is prebable that the river may again become a salmor
stream.
132 Salmo salar sebago (Girard)
Landlocked Salmon ((utroduced) .
Salmo sebago GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 380, 1853, Sebago Lake,
Maine; Guntuer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 153, 1866.
Salmo salar var. sebago JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 312.
1883. io
Salmo gloverii GIRARD, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 85, 1854; GUNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 153, 1866. |
Salmo salar sebago JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 487,
1896; BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 344, 1897.
There are at least two well marked races of salar salmor
which do not enter the sea but live permanently in fresh water.
Both of these differ from the migratory salmon in several par-
ticulars: they are smaller, their eggs are larger, they retain
the parr marks much longer, they are more subject to disease
attending the egg-producing season, and the young grow more
FISHES OF NEW YORK QAO ~
rapidly. The ouananiche of the Saguenay river country
is the farthest removed from the typical sea salmon by its very
much smaller size, larger fins and different pattern of coloration.
The larger of the two landlocked salmon of the United States
is found in the four river basins of the state of Maine, the
Presumpscot, Sebec, Union and St Croix. Here the weights
vary considerably, spawning fish ranging all the way from 3
pounds to 10 or 12 pounds, while occasional individuals reach
25 pounds. The Sebago form is the one that has been intro-
duced into the Adirondack lakes and other New York waters.
Spawning begins late in October, but is at its hight in November.
Eggs are shipped in January, February and March, and the fry
are ready for planting in June.
At Green lake, Me., the landlocked salmon often endure a
Summer temperature above 80° F., but they refuse to take
food when the water reaches 75°.
This salmon has been introduced into New York waters from
Maine, and appears to have become established in several locali-
ties. A very fine example was obtained from the South Side
Sportsmen’s Club of Long Island, but it was injured in transpor-
tation and never recovered. In April 1896 several individuals
from Maine were presented by Eugene G. Blackford. One of
these lived in a tank of salt water in the New York aquarium
for 19 months, and was then frightened by visitors when the
water was drawn low for cleaning, and injured itself so badly
that it died after a few hours of struggling. The following
measurements were obtained from the fresh fish.
Inches
BNO eer SEES Sie ac oboe hee EN ER ee hs Pe oe a bee ees 24
Waddle caudal rays from. end of Senles ec soo. .c6 2s odes 1%
Dewy ee estos oe Sal chee Vg 0 Gs ge a eC ati Ts Sluts) BM 4
MeCASt-Geptn Geemrdal peduncles ccs vi cev ee. bac ate Siew law ee ee 1%
AM ger r ee ah, sabe ao Me. oe roca SERRE ae eee sd Bit Sater ore Ca 43),
NEF ate Stas ates er ck. abe vires eee pee UCR Ae bs hoa cs no Vie Bd Wake. 1%
LTE ub eh EP rier ss 2. ry BG ee ee aah an 2 ance ea ié
CAEL Clot ese 2 aa Ee i aha Sea 2-0 ed Pi i a: Nac al Piel ae 34
SIGUE LAOL SAT). 1S \. AE > See MeN eRES 2G Lk eee tie lh oles te 91%
DLS ON Epa aan eed Bice psy Ohya” oy VGN a eed 234
Longest dorsal ray..... SAE 5 io 3 SR ORR ea are ee ere 23%
W225 DULG es | Ro ce oie Spence fo Ee aU a 8 Bc a 1%
250 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Inches
Snout to vembrad see eee Sect nies oe eal one SOR entre tee 11y,
Length of “vertmal oc oo wc Sietecncscange Claes. oop w/e -e.0ce tele aie Renee 24,
Snout to amaleos ech < Atria is ide e .. 163%
ANA) PASC ere be Ckale sapiens EA eee RN Sidi 5 5: 1%
Longest amal aly Soli Gace. eo eco leis rho oy a GO lege eI ee 1%
Last * ata) Pye). eS 7s see fae atv ioys ote Shea lane eteks cle ete etna AEN 1%
Snout to-adipose dorsal eee os iw «blew sos ora dove oye. os Rhaueere tee ae eee 17%
Width of. adipose dorsale tn)... k eke. iee ce ‘ais i ovaileyn: aah shee ene Y%
Length of adipose dorsal............ Looe jal Ona eS 3),
Length; Of speeroreah mies Sai hei s le Sei hic eae Bee eels « Sa eee 3%,
UP POT AW Boneh oie ie els eos i % Sispleherieic cakeuteha nee ie Renate aye couecie aaa a eas
Mba Rae scra eee itaie e010 edie soe lev ateione ie ele gets) Aug um ie eile isl sts e en eee ne 2.
The head has about 28 dark spots, the largest on the gill cover,
oblong, 2 inch long. Body with many large and small black
spots, a few with a pale ring around them, and some as large as
the largest on the gill cover; one on the caudal peduncle of one
side distinctly X-shaped. General color dark bluish gray; belly
and lower parts iridescent silvery; fins all dusky; the dorsal
with many black spots; eye pale lemon, the upper part dusky.
Gill rakers, 9+11, the longest -3;inch. B. 11; D. 10. Scales,
21-123-20.
133 Salmo henshawi Gill & Jordan
Lake Tahoe Trout; Red-throat Trout (Introduced)
Salmo henshawi GILL & JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 358, 1878, Lake Tahoe;
Rept. Chief Eng. Part 3, 1878, App. NN, 1619, pl. IV; JorpAn, Proce.
U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 75, 1878.
Salmo purpuratus var. henshawi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus, 316, 1888. :
Salmo mykiss CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish. 239, color pl.
facing p. 238, 1898.
Salmo mykiss henshawi JORDAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 14, pl. Il, fig. 5, 1891;
JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 493, 1896.
Salmo clarkii henshawi JORDAN & EVERMANN, op. cit. 2819, pl. LX XIX, fig.
208, 1900.
Body elongate, not much compressed, its greatest depth one
fourth of the total length without caudal; caudal peduncle
rather long; its least depth equaling two fifths of the length of
the head; head long, conical, slender, its length contained about
four times in the total to caudal base; a slight keel on the top
of the head; snout obtusely pointed; maxilla not extending far
behind the eye, about equal to pectoral, which is three fifths of
FISHES OF NEW YORK 251
length of head; gill rakers short and stout, about 18 on the first |
arch, of which 13 are below the angle; vomerine teeth in two
long, alternating series; hyoid teeth rather weak, in a small
patch; dorsal fin small, its last rays two thirds as long as the
highest; anal fin rather high; caudal short and distinctly forked.
D. 9 to 11; A. 12; B. 10. Scales 27 to 37-160 to 200-27 to 40;
pyloric caeca 50 to 60. ©
Color dark green in life, varying to pale green; the sides sil-
very with a broad coppery shade which extends also on the
cheeks and opercles; a yellowish tinge on the sides of the lower |
jaw and red or orange dashes between its rami; back every- |
where covered with large, roundish black spots; dorsal, adipose
fin and caudal fin with similar spots, and a few on the anal;
belly with black spots.
The Tahoe trout is a large species inhabiting Tahoe lake, |
Pyramid lake, Webber lake, Donner lake, Independence lake,
Truckee river, Humboldt river, Carson river, and most streams |
of the east slope of the Sierra Nevada; it occurs also in the
head waters of Feather river, west of the Sierra Nevada, prob-
ably by introduction from Nevada.
The usual weight is 5 or 6 pounds, but individuals weighing
20 to 29 pounds are recorded.
Eggs of the Lake Tahoe (Cal.) trout were obtained by James
Annin jr at Caledonia N. Y., and young fish reared at his
establishment were sent to the aquarium in November 1896.
They throve till the latter part of June 1897, when they were
overcome by the warm water. They could not endure a transfer
to the cooler salt water, like most of the other fish of the salmon
family.
At Caledonia station, according to Mr Cheney, this fish begins
to spawn before the middle of March and continues for two
months. The impregnation of eggs is from 90% to 954, but just
before the hatching period a large number of the eggs burst and
the embryos are lost. There is loss too between the hatching
and feeding times, and the fry do not feed as readily as the
brook trout. Altogether, Mr Annin, the superintendent of
252 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
/
hatcheries, estimates the total loss between impregnation of
the eggs and feeding of the fry as about 40%. After the fry
begin to feed, they are not more difficult to rear than brook
trout.
184 Salmo gairdneri Richardson
Steelhead; Gardner's Trout; Salmon Trout (Introduced)
Salmo gairdnerii RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer., III, 221, 1836, Columbia
Paid eit ti GIRARD, Pac. R. R. Surv. Fishes, 313, pl. LXXI, fig. 1,
Basen GuntTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 116, 1866, not of
Pallas. i
Salmo gairdnerii GUNTHER, op. cit. 118, 1866.
Salmo gairdneri JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 313, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. U.S. F.C. EX): 198, pl. XLIX;: fig: 9) 1891, not ying 40)
which is young mykiss; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 498, 1896, pl. LX XXI, fig. 215, 1900; CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept.
N. Y. Comm. Fish. 241, color pl., 1898.
Form of S. salar. Body elongate, little compressed, its
greatest depth two ninths of the total length without caudal;
caudal peduncle short, its least depth three sevenths of length of
head; head rather short, one fifth of total length without
caudal, maxilla reaching far behind the eye, its length one half
the length of head; eye small, two thirds of length of snout,
two elevenths as long as the head; teeth rather small, vomerines
in two long, alternating series about as long as the palatine
series; gill rakers short and stout, about 20 on the first arch, of
which 12 are below the angle; dorsal origin much nearer to tip
of snout than to base of caudal, base of dorsal two thirds of
length of head, longest dorsal ray one half the length of head
and twice as long as last ray;.adipose fin very small and nar-
row, over the beginning of the anal; caudal fin moderately
forked in the young; ventral origin midway between tip of
snout and base of caudal, ventral fin one half the depth of body;
anal base one half as long as the head, longest anal ray equal to
postorbital part of head; pectoral fin one eighth of total length
without caudal. B.11 or 12; D. 11; A. 12. Scales from 1387 to
177, usually about 150-28; pyloric caeca 42; vertebrae 38+20—
58. Color olive green above, sides silvery, head, back, dorsal
;
‘
FISHES OF NEW YORK 253
and caudal fins profusely covered with small black spots, no red
between the rami of the lower jaw.
The steelhead trout is found in coastwise streams from
southern California to Bristol bay, Alaska. It spawns in the
late winter and early spring; ripe eggs were obtained at Sitka,
Alaska, June 10. Spent fish of this species are frequently taken
with the spring run of the king salmon.
The economic value of the steelhead is very great; the fish
reaches a weight of 30 pounds, though the average weight is
under 20 pounds, and the non-anadromous forms seldom exceed
5 or 6 pounds.
From information furnished by Mr Annin it appears evident
that some of the eggs of trout received at Caledonia N. Y. many
years ago from the McLeod river, Cal., as rainbows, really in-
cluded both rainbows and steelheads. He finds certain females
_ producing deep salmon colored eggs, while in the same pond and
receiving the same food as other females which furnish very
light colored, almost white, eggs. Some of the females also
differ from others in going to the spawning beds nearly two
months earlier. It is now known also that the McLeod con-
tains a small-scaled form of the rainbow, known to the Indians
as the no-shee, and this also may easily have been sent to the
east under the name of rainbow. Striking differences in the
appearance and habits of so called rainbows introduced into the
various states, lend color to this supposition. .
Steelheads were obtained for the New York aquarium in No-
vember 1896, from the U. S. Fish Commission. They were
hatched from eggs shipped from Fort Gaston Cal. to the station
at Craig brook, Me. The length of the trout when received
ranged from 4 to 44 inches. After one year they were 10 inches:
long on the average, and weighed many times as much as they
did when received. None of them at any time showed a red
lateral band such as is present in the rainbow, and they are
farther distinguished by the presence of white tips on the ven-
tral and anal fins; the dorsal also has a small white tip. They
have been kept almost from their arrival in salt water, and
254 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
could not have been kept in the warm Croton water in June.
The salt water never rose above 714° F and continued at this
high temperature only 10 days.
The N.Y. Fisheries,Game and Forest Commission planted some
of these trout in a Long Island stream and some in a lake in
northern New York. Those that were planted on Long Island,
says Mr Cheney, when rather more than a year old rose to the
fly of the trout fisherman and made a most gallant fight, but it
is too early to tell the outcome of the experiment. The eggs
are one fifth of an inch in diameter; they hatch in 42 to 50 days
with water at 50°.
185 Salmo fario Linnaeus
Brown Trout (Introduced)
Salmo fario LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 30, 1758; Buiocu, Ichth. I, 121,
taf. 22, & 157, taf. 23, 1785; RicHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 144,
pl. 92, fig. 3, A & B, 1886; Day, Fish. Great. Brit. & Ireland, II, 95,
plates CIX, fig.3, CXIII, CXIV, CXVI, fig.1, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
78, eolor pl. 6, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 512,
1896.
Salmo fario ausonii GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 64, 1866.
Salar ausonii CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss, X XI, 319, pl. 618,
1848.
The brown trout of Europe was introduced into the United
States from Germany in February 1883 and in subsequent years;
it has now become thoroughly acclimated in the fresh waters of
many of the states. sg a
The body of this trout is comparatively short and stout, its
greatest depth being contained about four times in the length
without the caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and deep, its
depth equal to two fifths of the length of the head. The length
of the head in adults is one fourth of the total length without
caudal or slightly less. The diameter of the eye is about one
fifth of the length of the head, and less than length of snout.
The dorsal fin is placed nearer to the tip of the snout than to
the root of the tail; the longest ray of this fin equals the dis-
tance from the eye to the end of the opercle. The ventral is
under the posterior part of the dorsal; its length is about one
half that of the head. The adipose dorsal is placed over the end
agrees = - ‘ai
FISHES OF NEW YORK 255
of the anal base; it is long and expanded at the end. The caudal
is emarginate in young examples, but nearly truncate in speci-
mens 10 inches long. The pectoral is nearly one sixth of the
length without the caudal. In the male the jaws are produced,
and very old ones have a hook. The maxilla extends to the hind
margin of the eye. The triangular head of the vomer has a
transverse series of teeth, and the shaft of the bone bears two
opposite or alternating series of strong persistent teeth. D.
13-14; A. 10-11; P. 138; V. 9. Scales 25-120-30; pyloric caeca
38-51; vertebrae 57-58.
On the head, body and dorsal fin usually numerous red and
black spots, the latter circular or X-shaped and some of them
with a pale border; a yellowish margin usually present on the
front of the dorsal and anal and the outer part of the ventral.
The dark spots are few in number below the lateral line. The
ground color of the body is brownish or brownish black, varying
with food and locality.
Names. In European countries in which this species is native
it bears the name of trout or brook trout or the equivalents of
these terms. In Germany it is bachforelle; in Italy, trota; in
France, trwite. In the United States it is known as the brown
trout and von Behr trout, the latter in honor of Herr von Behr,
president of the Deutscher Fischerie Verein, who has been very
active in the acclimation of the fish in America.
Distribution. The brown trout is widely distributed in conti-
nental Europe and inhabits lakes as well as streams, specially
in Norway and Sweden. Tributaries of the White sea, the Bal-
tic, the Black sea and the Caspian contain this species. In Great
‘Britain it lives in lakes and streams and has reached a high
state of perfection; in Germany and Austria, however, the trout
is a characteristic fish, and our supply has been drawn prin-
cipally from the former country. Moreau found it at an eleva-
tion of 7000 feet in the Pyrenees, and a color variety is native
to northern Algeria in about 37° north latitude. In the United
States the brown trout has been successfully reared in Colorado
at an elevation of nearly 2 miles above sea level; it is now well
iT
256 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
established in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado, and several other
states. This trout has proved to be well adapted to the region
east of the Rocky mountains, which has no native black spotted
species, though the western streams and lakes contain many
forms in a high state of development.
Size. Under favorable conditions the brown trout has. been
credited with a weight of 22 pounds and a length of 35 inches.
In New Zealand rivers, where it was introduced with unusual
success, it now approximates equal size; but in most localities
10 pounds is about the limit of weight and 5 or 6 pounds is a
good average, while in some regions the length seldom exceeds
1 foot and the weight ranges from 4 pound to 1-pound. In the
United States a wild specimen, seven years old, weighed about
11 pounds. In a well in Scotland an individual aged 15 years
measured only about 1 foot in length. These illustrations will .
serve to show how much the growth of a brown trout is
affected by its surroundings and food supply. The species has
been known to become sexually mature when two years old and
8 inches long.
Habits. The brown trout thrives in clear, cold rapid streams
and at the mouths of streams tributary to lakes. In its move-
ments it is swift, and it leaps over obstructions like the salmon.
It feeds usually in the morning and evening, is more active dur-
ing evening and night, and often lies quietly in deep pools or in
the shadow of overhanging bushes and trees for hours ata time.
It feeds on insects and their larvae, worms, mollusks and small
fishes and, like its relative, the rainbow trout, it is fond of the
eges of fishes. In Europe it is described as rising eagerly to
the surface in pursuit of gnats and is said to grow more rapidly
when fed on insects.
Reproduction. Spawning begins in October and continues
through December and sometimes into January. The eggs are
from + to 4 of an inch in diameter and yellowish or reddish
in color; they are deposited at intervals during a period of many
days in crevices between stones, under projecting roots of trees,
and sometimes in nests excavated by the spawning fishes. The
FISHES OF NEW YORK . 2a
parents cover the eggs to some extent with gravel. The hatch-
ing period varies according to temperature from 40 to 70 days.
Females aged three years furnish on the average about 350
eggs each, but individuals of this age have yielded as many as
700, and even at the age of two years some females produce
from 400 to 500. When they are four or five years old, the num-
ber of eggs has reached 1500 to 2000. The young thrive in
water with a temperature of about 50° F. Sterility in the
females is common, and breeding females have been observed
to cease reproduction when eight years old. ,
Qualities. The brown trout is in its prime from May to the
last of September. Its flesh is very digestible and nutritious,
and deeper red than that of the salmon when suitable food is
furnished; the flavor and color, however, vary with food and
locality. Insect food produces the most rapid growth and best
condition. This species has been so long known as one of the
noblest of the game fishes and its adaptability for capture with
artificial flies because of its feeding habits is so well understood
that I need not dwell on these familiar details.
The brown trout is remarkably hardy in captivity. A large
female, received from Eugene G. Blackford in April 1896, and
placed in a salt-water tank at the aquarium, lived there and
throve till 1898. During most of the time the trout was in salt
water, but at certain intervals fresh water was substituted for
a short time, specially when symptoms of fungus made their
appearance. In November 1896 she excavated a shallow depres-
sion in the gravel bottom and deposited a lot of eggs. The fish
was extremely shy, and never lost its fear of the attendants.
Liver and live killifish were used for its food.
A very beautiful and interesting hybrid is produced by cross-
ing the brown trout and the brook trout. The following is a
description of this hybrid:
Salmo (HyBrip—fario+fontinalis)
Hybrid Trout
In a paper published seven years ago the writer stated, as a
result of his studies, that, when a large-scaled trout is crossed
258 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
with a small-scaled one, the hybrid will be large-scaled which-
ever way the cross be made. The hybrid between the brown
trout and the brook is a large-scaled form, and it is sterile as
far as reported. The aquarium has had this hybrid from the
South Side Sportsmen’s Club, and from the New York hatcheries
at Cold Spring Harbor L. I. and Caledonia. It is always a strik-
ingly handsome fish, and grows to a large size; but it is far less
hardy than either of its parents. The cross has always been
artificially made, and never occurs naturally. Two specimens
studied gave the following measurements in inches:
MEASUREMENTS
Caledonia N. Y. Oakdale N. Y-
June 10, 1896 Mar. 23, 1897
Jawes Anninjr G. P. Slade
arene: lene ths. 27.7. sn eee a eae tee ce 9% 144,
Length of middle caudal rays from end of scales. 3h some
SME OT {DOW 4 so secve torrie aren eee ieee Ge ele escalate onan ie 1% 344
Least depth of caudal peduncle................. Us PBS Si
mene ths Of -Wead ache eas Ee eo ci eieihs sole etre etomotoaeke Ze 34,
SSO, SHORES 2.75 cist oe ade lekauete im carole pened Reiaa peices ee iy 14%
HENS TH OL APPEL JAW. coc ca. s cieie aiere stele aetna ete 1% + fates
ene ChOl1O Wer awe tte is oiele ehetrore a lete ole! shee cians wiehedele & 138 :
AIMS FErcOLGZOVCs coe oy os ashe ce ie Pela. ssbiw la siiehale cave ame hs i6 fai Ye"
Distance from snout to dorsal origin............. 334
Pens OF GOTsal WASCy see ete cae ais his nete Sao te ae 1 zs
Length of Jongest dorsabaray oh 4 eR we eo 16
hensinot last dousal Palys roe ora Lec mul eee eee ore 4
Distance from snout to ventral origin............ 4%
Men Sth Of VENTA See. eT AS ole take wnlietaal ete 1%
Distance from snout to anal origin. 2.0%... ae. 3s tis 6
enc OF Magi HAGE. tve top. oi ees nies hisses ere peraveckghe ee 1B mys 8S
Gene ii Of LOMLESt BNaAl WAY fe ce estan ace a letene spa eieie 144
Benet of last amalmayy ie et Gawnitos bree dn wee os yy
The Caledonian specimen has no hyoid teeth; the vomerines
are in a very small patch on the head of the bone only. The gill
rakers are 4410, the longest about one half the diameter of the
eye. It has about 124 tubes in the lateral line. Branchiostegals,
10. The following color notes were taken from the fresh fish.
Dorsal fin with numerous dark blotches resembling those of
young rainbow; adipose long and slender, amber color with two
obscure dusky blotches, one of these very indistinct; lower half
of sides pink; ventral, anal and caudal pink; ventral and anal
> ome hs .
F = liao
acta tye EDA oar
FISHES OF NEW YORK 259
with a milk white front margin, that in the anal limited behind
by a dark line as in brook trout; sides reticulated with large
meshes of lemon yellow interspersed with darker purplish or
olive. Dorsal blotches are mingled with pale lemon. Pectoral
pale vermilion. Eye silvery white with yellowish reflections.
The specimen from Oakdale L. I. weighed 20 ounces. It has
a triangular patch of vomerine teeth, as found in fonti-
nalis, but continued behind by several teeth in a single row,
the entire length of the vomerine series being 7 of an inch.
136 Salmo trutta levenensis (Walker)
Loch Leven Trout (Introduced)
Salmo levenensis WALKER, Wern. Mem. I, 541, 1811; YARRELL, Brit. Fish. ed.
Pode te C84 ed. 3, L, 257, fie, 1859: GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.
VI, 101, 1866; Day, Fish. Great Brit. & Ireland, II, 92, pl. CXVI, fig. 2
& 2a, 1884; Barrp, Rept. U. S. F. C. XII, LVIII, 1886.
Salmo trutta levenensis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 512,
1896.
The Loch Leven trout of Great Britain was introduced into
the United States from Scotland in 1885 and subsequent years.
Tt is somewhat closely related to the European brown trout,
Salmo fario, and has been artificially crossed with that
Species in the United States, so that it is sometimes difficult to
find the pure bred Loch Levens in fish cultural establishments
at home. |
The body of the Loch Leven is more slender and elongate
than that of the brown trout, its greatest depth contained four
and one fourth to feur and one half times in the total length
without caudal. Caudal peduncle slender, its least depth three
eighths of the greatest depth of the body, and equal to length
of snout and eye combined. The head is rather short and con-
ical, its length two ninths to one fifth of the total length without
caudal. The snout is one fourth or slightly more than one
fourth as long as the head. The interorbital space is somewhat
convex, its width equal to three fifths of the length of post-
orbital part of head. The eye is of moderate size, its long
diameter contained five and one half to six times in the length
of the head, and equaling about twice the greatest width of the»
260 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
maxilla. The-maxilla reaches to or slightly beyond the hind
margin of the eye. Teeth rather strong, those in the intermax-
illary and mandible the largest, triangular head of vomer with
two or three in a transverse series at its base, teeth on the shaft
of the vomer usually in a single, partially zigzag, persistent
series. Mandible without a hook and little produced even in
breeding males. Dorsal origin distant from tip of snout about
as far as end of dorsal base from base of caudal; the dorsal fin
higher than long, its base one eighth of total length without
caudal, its longest ray equal to longest ray of anal fin. The
anal fin is much higher than long, its distance from the base of
the ventral eyualing length of the head. The ventral origin
is nearly under the middle of the dorsal; the fin being as long
as the postorbital part of the head. Pectoral equals length of
head without the snout. Adipose fin very small, its width one
half its length which is about equal to eye. Caudal fin emargi-
nate unless fully extended, when it becomes truncate, the outer
rays about one seventh of total length including caudal. OD. 138
(=a 1y, 9); A. 12 (=i1,,9); P. 14;°V...9.- Scales. 24 to .28 esis
130-26 to 30; pyloric caeca 47 to 90; vertebrae 56 to 59.
Upper parts brownish or greenish olive, or sometimes with a
reddish tinge, sides silvery with a varying. number of x-shaped
black spots, or sometimes rounded brown spots or rounded black
spots which may be ocellated; occasionally red spots are seen
on the sides, and the adipose fin may have several bright orange
spots, or it may show a red edge and several dark spots; sides
of the head with round black spots; dorsal and adipose fins
usually with numerous small brown spots; tip of pectoral black-
ish; anal and caudal fins unspotted, but the caudal sometimes
has an orange margin and the anal a white edge with black at
its base; a similar edge may sometimes be observed on the
ventral. |
The Loch Leven trout is a nonmigratory species, inhabiting
Loch Leven and other lakes of southern Scotland and of the
north of England. Its range in Great Britain and on the con-
tinent of Europe has been greatly extended by fish cultural .
ee a
140°) incarnate! Nadia atte ai ipa oR i Ti IB PAE ts ye ed Ai et aie a
FISHES OF NEW YORK 261
operations, and the fish is now fairly well known in the United
States, though mixed to some extent with the brown trout, as
remarked above.
The Loch Leven trout has been recorded of the weight of 18
pounds, but the average weight at 6 years of age is about 7
pounds, though some individuals of that age may reach 10
pounds. The natural food of this species includes fresh-water
mollusks (snails, Buccinum, etc.), crustaceans, worms and
small fish. In captivity it is reared on liver, horse flesh, chopped
clams and various other meats.
As a food fish the Loch Leven is highly esteemed on account
- of the red color and the delicate flavor of its flesh when obtained
from suitable waters; in some localities the flesh often becomes
white from lack of food or improper food.
The spawning season may begin late in September or early
in October and continue till December. In Michigan it corre-
sponds with that of the brook trout. The egg varies from about
4 to { inch in diameter. A trout weighing 2 pounds contained
1944 eggs, the weight of which was 4 pound.
The Loch Leven will take the artificial fly as readily as the
brown trout and the brook trout. Its great size and strength
add to its attractions for the angler.
137 Salmo irideus Gibbons
Rainbow Trout (Introduced)
Salmo irideus GIBBONS, Proc. Cal. Ac. Nat. Sci. 36, 1855, San Leandro
Creek, Alameda County, Cal.;. JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Maus oi2. im part, 1883s BEAN. “Bull: US... C.-XiLbk 36; pl. V, figs.
2 & 3, 1894; Fishes Penna. 77, color pl. V, 18983; Ann. Rept. N. Y.
Comm. Fish.; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. pl.
LXXXE, fig. 216, 1900. |
Salmo irideus shasta JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 502,
1896.
Body short and deep, its greatest depth equaling two sevenths
of the total length without caudal. The least depth of caudal
peduncle equals one half the length of head. The head is short
and deep; its length is contained about four and two thirds
times in the total length without the caudal. The snout is short,
=
262 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
not much longer than the eye, about one fourth the length of
head. Diameter of the eye contained four and two thirds times
in length of head; maxilla not quite reaching to below hind
margin of eye; vomerines in two irregular series; gill rakers
about 20. Dorsal origin a little nearer tip of snout than to
caudal base. The length of the dorsal base is contained seven
and one half times in total without caudal, and slightly exceeds
longest dorsal ray; last dorsal ray one half as long as the long-
est. Ventral origin is under middle of dorsal base; the fin is as
long as the longest dorsal ray; the ventral appendage about as
long as the eye; when the ventral is extended, the distance of
its tip from the vent is one third of length of head. The anal
base is a little more than one half as long as the head; the
longest anal ray equals the longest dorsal ray; the last ray is
not quite so long as the eye. Adipose fin short, its width nearly
equal to its length and two thirds of diameter of eye. B. 11;
D. 11 divided rays and 4 rudiments; A. 10 divided rays and 3
rudiments. Scales 21-185 to 140-20.
The upper parts usually greenish blue, sometimes purplish;
the sides more or less silvery and profusely spotted with small
black spots, which are most numerous above the lateral line;
head, dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins also black spotted. Sea-
run specimens are uniform silvery without black spots. In:the
breeding season the broad crimson lateral band becomes
brighter, and the sides of both sexes are iridescent purplish.
The jaws of the male in the breeding season are not much dis-
torted, but they are very much larger than in the female. ©
The rainbow trout is a native of the mountain streams of the
Pacific coast and ranges from California to southern Alaska.
A small example was taken at Sitka, in 1880, by Admiral L. A.
Beardslee, U. S. N., and is now in the collection of the U. 8S.
National Museum. This trout is found chiefly in mountain
streams west of the Sierra Nevadas. It rarely descends into
the lower stretches of the rivers, but occasionally does so and
passes out to sea. The rainbow has been extensively intro-
duced into many eastern states, but not with uniform success.
In Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina it has been
FISHES OF NEW YORK 263
well acclimatized, and it is also fairly established in New York.
The average individuals of this species are iess than 1 foot
in length, but specimens measuring more than 2 feet and weigh-
ing 13 pounds have been recorded. At Neosho Mo. the young
have been artificially grown to a length of nearly 1 foot in a
year.
The rainbow feeds on worms, insect larvae and salmon eggs.
In streams in which the California salmon and rainbow exist
together, the rainbow is more destructive to the salmon eggs
than any other species. Spawning takes place in winter and
early spring, varying with temperature and locality. The bulk
of the eggs are usually taken in January, February and March,
and the average yield from each female is about 900 eggs. A
few of the females spawn when two years old, but about one
half of them begin at three years. The egg is from 4 to 4% inch
in diameter; it has a rich cream color when first taken, changing
to pink or flesh color before hatching.
- The rainbow will live in water of a much higher temperature
than the brook trout will endure and it thrives in tidal streams
and even in salt water. On Long Island, for example, the South
Side Sportsmen’s Club obtains a great deal of fine sport with
this trout in the estuary of its trout brook. The flesh of the
rainbow is generally much esteemed, and in most localities the
game qualities of the fish are scarcely inferior to those of the
brook trout. |
Large rainbow trout do not stand transportation well when
ice is used to cool the water in which they are carried. They
frequently injure their eyes, and become blind soon after the
end of a journey. They are inveterate fighters, and the strong-
est invariably rules and harasses the rest. Contrary to what
has been stated heretofore, they will not endure high tempera-
tures as well as the brook trout, at least in the aquarium.
138 Salmo lemanus Cuvier
Swiss Lake Trout (Introduced)
- Salmo lemanus CuVIER, Régne Anim. fide Giinther; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. VI, 81, 1866.
Salmo trutia JURINE, Mém. Soc. Phys. Genéve, III, 1, 158, pl. 4, 1825.
264 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
~ Fario lemanus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 300, pl. 617
(male) 1848.
Swiss lake trout ATKINS, Rept. U. S. F. C. XVII, XVIII, XIX, 1898 and
1894.
Head well proportioned in its shape, of moderate size, body
rather stout; preoperculum with a distinct lower limb, oper-
culum rather broad and high; snout of moderate length, rather
produced in the male sex, in which a mandibular hook is devel-
oped in the spawning season; maxillary longer than the snout,
and at least as strong and broad as in S. fario; in specimens
12 inches long it extends somewhat behind the vertical from
the hind margin of the orbit. Teeth moderately strong, those
on the vomer in a single series, alternately bent toward the
right and left, persistent throughout life. Pectoral fin rounded,
its length being less, and in young individuals more than, one
half of its distance from the ventral. The caudal becomes trun-
cate with age; in specimens of from 12 to 15 inches in length
it is emarginate, the middle rays being half as long as the
outer ones. The hind) part of the body of moderate depth;
there are 13 or 14 scales in a transverse series descending from
behind the adipose fin forward to the lateral line.
Back greenish, sides and belly silvery, numerous very small
X-shaped black spots on the sides; opercles and dorsal fin with
numerous black dots; the other fins greenish. D. 138; A. 12;
P. 14; V. 9. Scales 26 to 28-115 to 128-86; pyloric caeca 45-52;
vertebrae 57 (once), 58-59. (After Giinther)
Attempts have been made from time to time to introduce into
large, cold lakes of the United States the fine lake trout of Lake
Geneva, Switzerland. Eggs have been furnished to the U. S.
Fish Commission by the Swiss government, and these were
hatched at the Craig brook (Me.) station, and from there the
young were distributed to lakes believed to be suitable for the
experiment. In New York, the Adirondack League Club ob-
tained 1000 of the young of this species in 1896 and deposited
them in Green lake, in Herkimer county. The specimen de-
scribed below is probably one of the results of that experiment.
Swiss lake trout were furnished also to the New York Fish Com-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 265
mission for planting in Lake George, and 100 yearlings were
presented to the New York aquarium.
A specimen taken in Green lake, Adirondack League Club
preserve, Herkimer co., July 29, 1899, was forwarded to the
U.S. Fish Commission, Washington D.C., and there described by
Dr W. C. Kendall, from whose notes the following account is
drawn. |
The total length of the specimen is 112 inches. When first
taken it was reported to measure 11? inches. The body is
moderately elongate, its greatest depth contained three and
three fifths times in the total length to base of caudal. Head
large, slightly more than one third of total length to base of
caudal; eye rather large, about one fifth of length of head;
snout long, about three tenths of length of head; teeth on jaws,
palatines and tongue long, curved and sharp, those of the lower
jaw longest, shaft of vomer long with a zigzag row of sharp
teeth; gill rakers short, the longest one third of diameter of
iris, 4+11 on right side, 5+10 on left side. Hight of longest
dorsal ray two thirds of length of head. Pectoral five eighths
as long as the head. B. 11-12; D.ii,9; A.i, 8. Scales in lateral
line 115.
General appearance of Salmo salar sebago, from
which it would probably not be distinguished by the casual ob-
server if caught where the landlocked salmon occurs; but the
lemanus is distinguishable by the heavier appearance for-
ward of the dorsal fin.
Color in spirits, brownish on back, top of head and sides of
head; sides and belly very silvery; large roundish black spots
above lateral line forward and on cheeks and opercles; perpen-
dicularly elongate spots forward below lateral line; black of
all spots most intense on edges of scales; posteriorly the spots
show only on the edges of the scales, being variously crescentic,
double or triple crescentic, X or double X shaped; fins pale
with slightly dusky tinge; dorsal with 5 transverse rows of
black spots. )
Mr De Witt, who sent the specimen, furnished the following
notes on Green lake, from whence it was forwarded. ‘ Maxi-
mum depth 42 feet, with temperature at bottom at that depth,
as far as I have been able to ascertain, about 40°. Has no
266 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM
outlet so far as we know. No brown trout have ever been put
in it, and we take it for granted that the specimen I send is
one of the ‘Swiss trout.’ ”
Genus CRISTIVOMER Gill & Jordan
This genus contains one or two species, large, coarse chars,
distinguished from Salvelinus by the presence of a raised
crest behind the head of the vomer and free from the shaft; this
crest is armed with teeth. The hyoid teeth constitute a strong,
cardiform band. The typical species is a large char or trout,
spotted with gray instead of red, and found in the larger lakes
of eastern North America. (After Jordan and Evermann)
The species namaycuSsh is found also in a lake (Henry)
in Idaho, in the Columbia river basin, and northwestward to
northern Alaska.
139 Cristivomer namaycush (Walbaum)
Lake Trout; Salmon Trout
Salmo namaycush WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pise. III, 68, 1792. Hudson Bay,
based on the Namaycush Salmon of Pennant; RIcHARDSON, Fauna
Bor.-Amer. III, 179, pl. 79 & pl. 85, fig. 1, 1836, Great Lakes; THomp-
son, Nat. Hist. Vermont, I, 140, figure, 1842; KirTLanp, Bost. Jour.
_ Nat. Hist. IV, 25, pl. I, fig. 2, 1844; GunrHeEr, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus:
Via 23, S66:
Salmo pallidus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, December, 1817.
Lake George, Lake Champlain and other lakes; not ascending brooks.
Salmo amethystinus MiTcHILuL, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 410, 1818.
Salmo hoodii RICHARDSON, op. cit. 17, pl. 82, fig. 2, pl. 83, fig. 2, 1836.
Salmo confinis Dr Kay, N. ¥. Fauna, Fishes, 288, pl. 38, fig. 123, 1842.
Salmo amethystus DE KAy, op. cit. 240, pl. 76, fig. 241.
Salmo adirondacus Norris, American Angler’s Book, 255, 1865.
Salmo siscowet GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 124, 1866.
Salvelinus namaycush JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 317,
1888; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 485, pl. 191B, 1884; BEAN,
Fishes Penna. 82, color pl. 8, 1898.
Cristivomer namaycush JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 504,
1896, pl. LX XXII, fig. 217, 1900; Bran, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.
IX, 348, 1897.
The lake trout or Namaycush has a stout and moderately
elongate body. The caudal peduncle is slender; its hight little
more than one third of the greatest hight of the fish. The eye
is large, placed near the top of the head, two thirds as long as
~
FISHES OF NEW YORK eens a
the snout, and contained four and a half to five and a half
‘times in length of head. The maxilla reaches far behind the
eye; its length nearly half that of head. The origin of the
dorsal is midway between tip of snout and root of tail. The
length of the base equals length of maxilla; its longest ray one
sixth of total without caudal. The ventral is under the hind
part of dorsal; its length half the length of head. The append-
age is very short, about half the length of eye. The fin, when |
extended, reaches nearly to the vent. The distance between
ventral origin and anal origin is one fifth of total length with-
out caudal. The anal base is about one third of length of head;
the longest ray half of length of head; the last ray equal to
eye. The pectoral is nearly two thirds as long as the head.
B. 11 to 12; D. 9 to 10 besides several rudiments; A. 9 and
several rudiments; V.9. Scales of lateral line about 200.
The coloration is extremely variable, generally grayish, in the
variety known as the tuladi, nearly black. Alaskan specimens
are ‘usually very dark; occasionally the upper parts are pale.
_ The sides are profusely covered with roundish pale spots, some-
times with a reddish tinge. On the back and top of head there
are fine vermiculations resembling those of the brook trout.
The caudal in addition to numerous pale spots has many small
dark blotches.
The lake trout has received many names, among which are the |
following: Mackinaw, Namaycush, togue, tuladi, and salmon
trout. Additional names of the species are lunge, red ‘trout,
gray trout, and black salmon. Togue and tuladi are names ap-
plied in Maine, New Brunswick and Canada; Mackinaw and
salmon trout in the Great lakes region, the latter used also in
New York. Namaycush is of course an Indian name.
The lake trout is native in the Great lakes region, lakes of New
York and New England, Idaho and northward into Labrador,
British America and Alaska. Extending over such a wide
range of country, it varies greatly in size, form and color, which
will in part account for the various names which it has received.
It has been found above the Arctic circle in Alaska.
268 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
This is one of the largest species of the salmon family resi-
dent in fresh waters. It reaches a length of 3 feet, and speci-
mens weighing 40 pounds are not uncommon. It is said that
an example of 90 pounds and 6 feet in length has been taken.
The species is found in its best condition in Lakes Huron, Michi-
gan and Superior. In Alaska it grows to a large size, and is a
very shapely and beautifully colored fish.
The lake trout is one of the most rapacious fishes of its family.
In Lake Michigan it feeds largely on the cisco and other small
whitefishes. At Two Rivers Wis. a lake trout measuring 238
inches was found to contain a burbot about 17 inches long. The
gluttony of this species is proverbial. It will devour table
refuse, and materials of this kind have frequently been taken
from its stomach. Even twigs, leaves and pieces of wood have
been taken by this trout. The species is much more sluggish
in its habits than the brook trout, and is taken on or near the
bottom. The gill and pound nets in which this species is princi-
pally captured are set in deep water.
The spawning of the lake trout usually begins in October and
continues into November. For this purpose they come up on
rocky shoals and reefs in depths of from 70 to 90 feet, and spawn >
near the edges of rock caverns, into which the eggs settle. The
young are hatched late in the winter or early in spring. In some
localities the depth of the spawning areas ranges from 15 fath-
oms to only 7 feet. Mr Milner found 14,948 eggs in a lake trout
weighing 24 pounds. In the hatchery, with a water tempera-
ture of 47°, the young hatch about the last week of January,
but their hatching may be retarded several weeks by lower
temperatures.
The fishery for the lake trout is most active in September,
October and November, and the fish are taken chiefly in pound
and gill nets. In some regions many of them also are caught:
with hooks. In Lake Erie a few large trout of this species
weighing from 25 to 40 pounds are taken off the city of Erie.
In 1885, according to the statistics of the U. S. Fish Commission,
100,000 pounds of lake trout were taken in Erie county, Pa.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 269
The only New York examples of lake trout were received from
James Annin jr, Caledonia, in the fall of 1896. They lived and
erew rapidly till the warm water killed them in June 1897.
They could not endure transfer to salt water of a lower temper-
ature, aS SO many other trout will do, and nothing else could be
utilized to tide them over till the completion of the refrigerating
plant.
Owing to the extensive individual and race variation among
trout referred to this species, it seems desirable here to give
some notes and measurements made from individuals obtained
from New Hampshire and Vermont. Two lake trout weighing
about 4% pounds each were shipped in a can only a few inches
longer than the fish, from Roxbury Vt. November 17, and, after
an express journey of 20 hours without an attendant, one of them
Survived in good condition, while the other was nearly dead on
arrival and died within one hour. The latter was a female, and
appears to have injured itself severely by jumping in the can; it
was not in good condition when it left Vermont. 12 large brook
trout shipped with the lake trout in two cans arrived without
injury; these and the lake trout were presented by John W. Tit-
comb, Fish and Game Commissioner.
Commissioner N. Wentworth of Hudson Center N. H. for-
warded the New Hampshire lake trout, one from Newfound
lake, the other from Lake Winnepesaukee. They were sent to
determine whether the trout of the two lakes, which the fisher-
men assert are different species, really are distinct. The com-
missioner wrote that “the Newfound trout has darker flesh,
more like the sea salmon. This is not caused by their food, as
both lakes are alive with smelt. The Winnepesaukee lake trout
are better biters; tons of them are caught through the ice
every winter. The Newfound trout are hardly ever caught
through the ice. A few were caught last winter for the first
time to my knowledge. I am sure there is but one variety of
lake trout in Newfound lake. We had one in our tanks this
fall that would weigh 25 pounds.” The only differences to be
found on examination were such as relate to the depths at which
270 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the two races habitually live; one is the slim, dark colored
tuladi, and the other the common lake trout of the Great lakes
region.
It is necessary, however, to call attention to the lake trout
from northern Vermont which furnished one of the series of
measurements given below. The gill rakers in that example are
few in number and unusually short, four or five on each side ,
being reduced to mere spiny tubercles.
The following table gives dimensions in inches.
MEASUREMENTS
Newfound Winnipiseo- Bor
lake gee lake
: Ou Rae 2
ieneth, inchigine: Caudalie ioc -o, se eee os 2416 2, . 22
Length to base of middle caudal rays...... irk 2354 1916
Least depth of caudal peduncle............. 1% 1% bagi
Greatest depth: of DoOdyin '.% ars Seine ccs bene. a, 452 636 4%
FROIGIERESSt Ode DOG es: ce a artiste to oma oe iene coos 234, 25% 234,
Hremsth Vor ACA Ae Nast tcc s an lone Mite fae sb esc 586 64% 4,
MenSth Or Swmoute MA ISS eis ieee ae ene 1% 1% 1%
(Length of postorbital part of head......... 344, 3% 24
HENS th,OF UPVer Jain vive de etenlac neers ous sees 234, 3% 238
EME CHO MPa xala sy tana. ie ieia oats wee ar kce pera 21, 3 2
PLATELET OL EVE ia Doct elk One huh eh tke ciasete ne ele 3, 57s 58
bnteror hi tals wid tle. Ree: Rat ae ee eee 15% f 23% 1%
Distance from snout to dorsal............. 10% 25% 10
Length of dorsal base. .............08 65 Ry tna s 25% 2% 216
Length of longest dorsal ray.............. 3 234, 23%
Meneih: of Vast dorsal ray..2s Foe eo ees 1% ~*~ 186 1%
From end of dorsal ‘to adipose fin.......... 414 | 5 4\y,
Deneth Of AdMOSE. Tier, osc 6's, Seles wi iny aio oh ter 34. 1 34,
Width of base of adipose fin.............. 3% 16 3%
Distance from snout to ventral............ 4214, 143% 115
Length of longest ventral ray............. 25% 2% 23%
eneth of Jast:-ventral rayne ies sein sts 1% 1% . )
Length of ventral appendage..... See Weer 34 3% 5g
Distance from snout to anal.............. 16 18% 1514
Weners OF anal base. Soi P OG ty, ole aieys eee s 2 236 1%
Length of longest anal ray: ...20. i.e. 234, 2h 2%
Leneiaset last anal Vay. jn s2 6 okies sleleiisiege Sp iF 1 34
Lensrieot meCtoral. oo cae nwiels ioe os sees 314 3% 34
Length of upper caudal lobe....... (rece vrais 334 3% ies»
Length of lower caudal lobe........:..... 31% 387%
Length of longest gill raker...i....5..4.... 6 ve Ie
FISHES OF NEW YORK 271
In the Newfound lake fish we have:
B. 11; D. 11; A. 10 (counting divided rays only); V. i, 8; P. i, 12.
Scales 26-195-34 (about 150 tubes); gill rakers, 9413, the long-
est a little more than one half the length of eye, the one in the
angle club-shaped at the tip. It is a male with spermaries mod-
erately small but soft. The body is gray, darker on the back.
The outer edge of the pectoral and ventral and the front margin
of the anal are white as in fontinalis. A white tip to the
lower caudal lobe and a very small one at the top of the dorsal.
Otherwise the coloration is like that of ordinary lake trout,
which have the pectoral, ventral and anal chiefly vermilion in
the breeding season.
The male from Winnepesaukee Jake has:
Bea tego: 10; A. 10; °V- 1, 83 P. 2) Gill rakers 8412, the
longest about one half as long asthe eye. The ground color isa
little lighter than in the Newfound lake trout, and the vermilion
of the pectorals, ventrals and anal is less intense. The sper-
maries are larger than in the specimen from Newfound, and in
about the same stage of development; the body is considerably
stouter.
The female from Roxbury Vt. shows the following additional
characters.
‘B. 12; D. 10; A. 10; V. i, 8. Gill rakers 8:12, the longest
exactly one half as long as the eye. The eggs and ovaries are
small as in young females. The pectorals, ventrals and anal are
chiefly vermilion, as in the male from Newfound lake. The body
is Silvery gray with numerous small, whitish spots, these present
also on the dorsal.
Hon. H. W. Sage is authority for the information that the
_ lake trout was formerly common in the lake near Ithaca. About
1830 a large individual was found stranded in Cayuga lake inlet,
about 14 miles from the lake.
Genus sauve.inus (Nilsson) Richardson
Body moderately elongate; mouth large or small; teeth of
jaws, palatines, and tongue essentially asin Salmo, the hyoid
patch present or not; vomer boat-shaped, the shaft much de-
|
i
i:
2742 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
pressed, without raised crest, with teeth on the head of the
bone and none on the shaft; scales very small, 200 to 250 in a
lengthwise series; fins moderate, the caudal forked in the young,
truneate in some species in the adult; sexual peculiarities not
strongly marked, the males with the premaxillaries enlarged and
a fleshy projection at the tip of the lower jaw. Coloration dark,
with round, crimson spots, the lower fins sometimes with mar-
ginal bands of black, reddish, and pale. Species numerous in
the clear streams and lakes of the northern parts of both con-
tinents, sometimes descending to the sea, where they lose their
variegated colors and become nearly plain and silvery. The
members of this genus are by far the most active and handsome
of the trout, and live in the coldest, clearest and most secluded
waters. (After Jordan and Evermann)
140 Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill)
Brook Trout
Salmo fontinalis MitcHiLi, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 485, 1815, near
New York; RricHAaRDson, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 176, pl. 83, fig. 1, 1836;
Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 235, pl. 38, fig. 120, 1842; GunrHEr,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 152, 1866.
Salmo canadensis HAMILTON SmiITH in Griffith’s Cuvier, X, 474, 1884,
Canada.
Salmo immaculatus H. R. StoRER, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. VI, 364, 1850, Lower
St Lawrence.
Salmo erythrogaster DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 236, pl. 39, fig. 136, 1842.
Baione fontinalis DE Kay, op. cit. 244, pl. 20, fig. 58, 1842.
Salvelinus fontinalis JoRDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 81, 1878, in part;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 320, 1883; Goopr, Fish &
Fish, Ind. U. S. I, 497, pl. 192, 1884; Bran, Fishes Penna. 80, color pl.
7, 1893; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 350, 1897; Bowrrs, Manual
Fish Cult. ed. 2, color pl. frontispiece, 1900; JorDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 506, pl. LX XXII, fig. 218, 1900.
The brook trout varies greatly in the shape of the body, which
is sometimes short and deep and again elongate and moderately
thin. The depth is usually about one fourth or two ninths total
length without caudal, and is about equal to length of head.
The least depth of the caudal peduncle is a little more than one
third of its greatest depth. The head is large and the snout
somewhat obtuse. The eye is in front of the middle of its length,
a little more than one half as long as the snout, and about one
FISHES OF NEW YORK Vil Py
sixth of length of head. The dorsal fin is about midway be-
tween tip of snout and root of tail. The length of its base
equals about half its greatest depth of body. The longest ray
equals length of ventral. The ventral origin is a little behind
the middle of the dorsal. In the male, when laid backward, it
reaches nearly to the vent. The length of the appendage
equals that of the eye. The anal base is two thirds as long as
the ventral, its longest ray equal to ventral. The adipose fin
is short and stout, its width two thirds of its length and about
two thirds of length of eye. D.10; A. 9. Scales in lateral line
225 to 235; six gill rakers above the angle of the first arch; 11
below.
The coloration is highly variable with age and locality. The
upper parts are usually grayish much mottled with dark olive
or black. The dorsal fin and anterior part of caudal base and
top of head are also mottled. The caudal has narrow dark bars.
The lower fins dusky with a creamy white interior edge bound
behind by a narrow black streak. On the sides numerous pale
brownish blotches encircle small vermilion spots.
The brook or speckled trout of the east is indigenous to the
region east of the Alleghany mountains and the Great lakes
region, extending from North Carolina on the south to Labra-
dor on the north. The distribution of this trout has been won-
derfully extended by artificial introduction, as it has always
been a favorite with fish culturists. It is now to be found
thriving in many of the western states and territories, and is
particularly thrifty in Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, and Cali-
fornia. It has also been sent to Mexico and to European coun-
tries. The average brook trout seldom exceeds 7 or 8 inches in
length, and smaller individuals are much more abundant and
require legal protection. In the northeastern part of its
habitat the brook trout grows much larger, specimens weighing
from 3 to 6 pounds being not uncommon; and in one of the
Rangeley lakes an individual weighing 11 pounds is recorded;
while Seth Green took a 12 pound specimen in the Sault Ste
Marie, and Hallock mentions one which was said to weigh 17
pounds,
274 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The brook trout does not flourish in water warmer than 68°,
and prefers a temperature of about 50°. It is an inhabitant of
the cold, clear mountain streams, and will leave a region which
becomes polluted by mill refuse and other hurtful substances.
In the Long Island region and around Cape Cod, where the
brook trout has free access to salt water, it has the habit of
going to sea in the fall and remaining during the winter. It
then grows rapidly and becomes a much more beautiful fish
than many which live exclusively in fresh water. In hot
weather, when the temperature of the streams becomes too high
and lakes are accessible, trout seek the deep parts of the lakes
and the vicinity of cold springs. In streams they are to be
found in deep pools or in channels. They feed in spring and
early summer among the rapids on insects and small crusta-
ceans. x
The brook trout is a nest-builder. Cavities are made in the
gravel, and the nest is Shaped with the tail, and the larger
stones are carried in the mouths of the parents. After the eggs
are deposited, they are covered with gravel. The eggs are not
all deposited at one time. Spawning usually begins in October,
but brook trout are spawning at some locality in almost every
- month of the year except midsummer. The egg is about > inch
in diameter, and varies in color from pale lemon to orange red.
The average yield of the female is from 400 to 600. Livingston
Stone has taken 1800 from a fish weighing 1 pound.
The period of hatching will depend on the temperature,
ranging from 165 days in water of 37° to 82 days in water
of 54°. The yolk sack is absorbed in from 30 to 80 days, and
after its absorption the young fish begin to feed. The rate of.
growth will of course depend on the amount of food consumed.
In artificial culture yearlings, according to Mr Ainsworth’s esti-
mate, will average 2 ounces; fish of two years 4 ounces; of
three years, 8 ounces, and of four years, 1 pound.
The value of the brook trout as a food fish and its game quali-
ties are so well known that I need hardly refer to them here.
The brook trout is well adapted to domestication in aquarium
tanks; it soon overcomes its fear of moving objects, takes its
CR ee ee oe ee te
« sn . J i .¥ i er S,
Oh ~ “as
FISHES OF NEW YORK 275
food regularly, and is always attractive because of its beauty
and graceful movements. It will live in fresh and salt water.
When it is attacked by fungus in fresh water, the parasite is
easily killed by introducing salt water, gradually increasing in
salinity, and the trout is not at all injured or inconvenienced by
the treatment. In captivity the food consists almost entirely of
chopped hard clams and liver for the young, while hard clams,
live killifish and occasional earthworms are given to the large
fish. The increase in size with such feeding is remarkable. A
brook trout, from Caledonia N. Y., not more than 34 inches long
in November 1896, measured 124 inches in length and 3} inches
in depth Dec. 10, 1897.
A single young brook trout from Caledonia survived in water
at 76° F but that temperature was generally fatal to the species.
Dr Meek has found the trout in small streams on the uplands
throughout the Cayuga lake basin.
Mitchill knew this fish chiefly as an inhabitant of Long Island
waters, and has given an interesting account of the fishing at
Nichols, Patchogue and Fire Place, where a Mr Robbins, in 12
days in the summer of 1814, caught 190 trout weighing 139
pounds, 11 ounces. The largest at Patchogue weighed 24
pounds, the largest at Fire Place, 3 pounds. A Mr Purvis, of
New York, caught a trout measuring 24 inches and weighing 44
pounds at Fire Place.
_ At that time, according to Mitchill, the trout was “ bought
at the extravagant price of a quarter of a dollar for a single
fish not more than 10 or 12 inches long,” and New York anglers
traveled “away to Hempstead and Islip for the pleasure of
catching and eating him.”
141 Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus)
Saibling (Introduced)
Salmo alpinus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 309, 1758, Lapland, West
Gothland.
Salmo salvelinus LINNAEUS, op. et loc. cit. Lintz in Austria.
Salmo salmarinus LINNAEUS, op. cit. 310, 1758.
Salmo umbla LinNAEUvs, op. cit. 310, 1758, Lakes of Switzerland and Italy:
Salmo ascanii Cuvier & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X XI, 256, 1848,
Norway.
‘
276 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Salmo rivalis GAIMARD, Voyage en Island, Groenland, pl. 15, 1851, Iceland.
Salmo willughbii GuNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 46, 1862, Lake Windermere.
Salmo grayi GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 51, 1862, Lough Melvin, Ireland.
Salmo colii GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 12, 1863, Lough Hsk.
Salmo perisii GUNTHER, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. XV, 75, 1865, North Wales.
Salmo killinensis GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 699, 1865; Loch Killin, Inver-
ness.
Salvelinus alpinus BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Sterling Lake, New York &
New Jersey; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 298, 1896;
and Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 508, 1896.
Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus)
Salbling ; Saibling (Introduced)
Body moderately elongate, compressed, its greatest depth
two ninths of total length to caudal base; the caudal peduncle
short and stout, its least depth two fifths of length of head;
head rather short, its length contained from four and one third
to four and one half times in total length to base of caudal
(middle caudal rays). The body is somewhat elevated at the
nape and for a short distance behind it. Mouth large, the
maxilla reaching somewhat behind eye, its greatest width less ~
than one fourth of its length, the upper jaw one half as long as
the head; eye rather large, nearly equal to snout, one fifth of
length of head; interorbital space convex, one and one half times —
diameter of eye; lower jaw very slightly projecting; vomerine
teeth in a very small patch on the head of the bone, lingual
teeth strong, teeth on both jaws well developed, those of the
mandible strongest; gill rakers short, straight, very slender, the
longest one half as long as the eye, 11 above and 14 below the
angle of the first arch.
The dorsal origin is nearer to tip of snout than to base
of caudal, its distance from the snout equaling twice the
length of head; the dorsal base is as long as the postorbital
part of head; the longest dorsal ray is two thirds as
long as the head, and nearly twice as long as the last ray.
Adipose fin twice as long as wide, as long as the iris, its origin
distant from base of middle caudal rays a space equal to length
of head without the snout; the fin is over the end of anal base.
Ventral midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal
FISHES OF NEW YORK yaw
rays, its length two thirds of length of head; its appendage as
long as.the eye. Anal fin distant from ventral origin a space
equal to length of head; anal base as long as snout and eye
combined; longest anal ray equal to ventral and nearly two and
one half times last anal ray. Pectoral as Jong as the head
without the snout. Caudal well forked, its outer rays about as
long as the pectoral fin.
Color of the upper parts dark gray or greenish, the sides with
a silvery shade passing into a deep red or orange on the lower
half and, specially, the belly; red spots on the sides; lower fins
margined with white and a blackish shade within the margin;
sides of the head silvery; dorsal and caudal fins uniform dusky,
unspotted.
The saibling has been introduced into the United States, and.
a specimen was obtained from Sterling lake, N. J., Dec. 29, 1888.
This was presented by A. 8S. Hewitt jr to Eugene G. Blackford
of New York city, and by him forwarded to the U. S. National
Museum for identification and preservation. The specimen is
92 inches long. It does not differ in any way from European
specimens with which it has been compared, as may be seen
from the following description.
The greatest hight of the body equals two ninths of the total
length without caudal; the least hight of the caudal peduncle
is two fifths of greatest depth of body and one third of length
of head. Head large, one fourth of total length without caudal;
snout equal to eye, four in head; maxilla extending to slightly
behind orbit, its width nearly one fourth of its length; mandible
slightly projecting. Dorsal origin nearer to tip of snout than
to base of caudal; base of dorsal one half as long as the head;
longest dorsal ray equal to pectoral and nearly two thirds of
length of head; last dorsal ray one third of length of head.
Adipose fin over the last two or three anal rays, its length
about equal to diameter of iris. The ventral origin is under
the fifth or sixth divided ray of the dorsal; the fin is as long as
the postorbital part of the head; its appendage is not quite one
third as long as the fin, and equals the diameter of the iris.
278 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The anal base is four ninths as long as the head; the last ray
of the fin is one half as long as the longest, which is one half
as long as the head. The pectoral reaches almost to below the
origin of the dorsal, its length two thirds of length of head.
Caudal deeply forked, its middle rays less than one half as long
as the outer, which are equal to length of head without the
snout. :
The fish is an immature male with about 10 oblong parr
marks on the sides and with a few narrow dark blotches simu-
lating half bands on the back from near the nape to a point
behind the dorsal fin; numerous pale spots along the middle of
the sides, each of which no doubt had a vermilion spot in the
center in life. ;
Sterling lake is in New York and New Jersey; and it was
stated that the trout are found in streams emptying into the
lake. This is noteworthy as being the only instance, as far as
known, of successful introduction of the saibling into our
waters.
142 Salvelinus alpinus aureolus (Bean)
Sunapee Trout; Golden Trout; Silver Trout (Introduced)
Salvelinus aureolus BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 628, 1887, Sunapee Lake,
New Hampshire.
Salvelinus alpinus aureolus JORDAN, Forest & Stream, Jan. 22, 1891;
QUACKENBOS, Trans. N. Y. Ac. Sci. XII, 189, 1898; JorDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 511, 1896, pl. LX XXIII, fig. 220, 1900.
Salmo alpinus GARMAN, American Angler, Feb. 5, 1891. »
The type of the description, no. 39834, was obtained in Sun-
apee lake, N. H., in the fall of 1887 by Dr John D. Quackenbos.
The length of the specimen to the caudal base is 62 inches.
The greatest hight of the body equals the length of the head,
and is contained about four times in the total without caudal.
The least hight of the tail equals one third the length of the
head. The maxilla reaches past the middle, but not to the end
of the eye; its length is contained about two and two thirds
times in length of head. The length of the upper jaw is contained
about two and one third times in the length of the head, and is
equal to the longest anal ray. The eye is a little longer than
FISHES OF NEW YORK 279
the snout, and is contained four and two seventh times in the
length of the head. Hyoid teeth well developed. The first
dorsal is a little nearer the tip of snout than to the base of
caudal, and the length of its base is one half the length of the
head. The adipose dorsal is distant from end of first dorsal a
space equal to twice the length of the ventral. The anal is at
a distance from the snout equal to about three times the length
of the head. The longest anal ray is equal to the length of the
upper jaw. The length of the middle caudal rays is equal to
twice the diameter of the eye. The ventral is situated midway
between the tip of the snout and caudal base; its length equals
one half the length of the head. The length of the pectoral is
about twice the width of the interorbital area. B. 10; D. iv, 9;
A. ili, 8; P. 18; V. 9. Scales 35—210-40; gill rakers 6+10-12.
The peculiarity of the gill rakers of this trout is that they are
always curled up at the ends and not straight, as in the
oquassa from Maine.
Sides silvery white. Back with about six well defined
bandlike markings, besides some irregular dark blotches.
There are about 10 parr marks on the sides, and numerous
small, roundish, white spots. In colors this char is different
from the oquassa from Maine, but, if fresh specimens of the
Maine trout were compared with this young fish, the difference
in color might not be so great.
The specimen described is a young male with the spermaries
showing as a mere slight ribbon. Its stomach contained an
earthworm and the wing cases of a squash beetle. The other
two specimens (somewhat smaller) are females far from
maturity. :
In a female, no. 37408, 11 inches in total length, both parr
marks and bands across the back show very plainly. This
female has a few free eggs in the abdominal cavity and seems
to be nearly spent. In examples of this size the tail is deeply
forked, the middle rays being less than one half as long as the
external rays.
In males the pectoral is always longer than in females of
equal size.
280 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The following color notes were taken from nos. 38321 to
38328, collected by Col. Hodge in Sunapee lake, Dec: 10, 1886.
Head and upper parts brownish gray, caudal the same, with the
exception of a narrow white margin on the lower lobe; under
surface of head, in most examples, brownish gray, in’ others
whitish; belly orange, this color extending up on the sides but
not to the middle line of the body; anal orange, with white
margin in front; ventrals orange, with broad white margin on
the outer rays; pectorals, gray upper half, and orange lower
half; dorsal gray, lighter along the base; sides, both above and
below lateral line, with numerous orange spots, fading out to
whitish. The largest of these spots are little more than one
third as long as the iris. No mottlings anywhere.
MEASUREMENTS |
Current number of specimen........-..-.--.. 37408 Q 39334 ¢
Locality. 20.0. 05s cdeeracetenes sanestesee ean ae: SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H. SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H.
Millinte. 4 cures Millime- 100ths
nee length eS length
Length to base of caudal.......... 257 100 160 100
Body:
Greatest Mishtus 3.2 (eee 51 20 38 23Y,
Greatest width. 24/23. ene see 25 914 iu roe at
Might at Wentrais. ty: tek os 49 19 36.23) 22.
beasr hight-ot tails Je06 ae 21 8 138 8
Length of longest gill raker.. 4 11%4 2 114
Head:
Greatest ACNE ocho cu aes oes 54 Zell ee 2315
Distance from snout to nape... 36 14 Nea 4 167%
Greatest, width”. 2-280 26.4% 24. 3 18 tel
Width of interorbital area.... 18 6% Wal 6144
Leneth (Of “SWOUC. 2%. ies ole ie 16h + fi 4
Length of operculum ......... 13 5 span real!
Length, of maxillary i042 vic 4 21 8 14 84
Length of upper jaw.......... 25) 91% 16% 10
Length of mandible.......... 31 12 Pau 13
Distance from snout to orbit. . 13 5 8 5
Diameter .of Orbits. ci pine es 13 5) ad 6%
Dianteter Ot- 11S. cea eee 9 316 84 ob
Dorsal (first):
Distance: from: snout ius ese. 112 431% 76 47
engi On (Pase: . 5.2 cate a 28 it 19 11%
Length of lomgest ray......... 32 12% - 21 13
Length Oraast Tage. see oes ee i; 5% V4 ren
ia.
FISHES OF NEW YORK . 281
MEASUREMENTS
Current number of specimen..-.......--..---- 37408 2 39334 ¢
DIAG YP ee aoe anc fs tec semen nee e SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H. SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H.
Millime- 10ths Millime- —*00the
BES length fees length
Dorsal (soft): |
Krom origin of first-!.........- 90 35 60 37% |
Length along hind margin.... 9 314 6 373
imene th Of base. is yi2tieve 0. Sie 5 2 3 1%
Anal:
Distance [rom Snout:.3.. 252-4. 183 ce LEG. 73
ened? Of ASC Ye Uies fees 3s 22 81, 15 9
MORPCSUMTAY Fr f8 Se Ae Ee 28 11 164% 10
MEAT ICI eo ae a pet ae Sh tal 13 5 8 a
Caudal:
Length of middle rays from
emirotseales: bi) omssre ole. 18 674 11 8
Length of external rays....... 41 154 By 19%6
Pectoral:
Distanee from ‘snout ./.2 255. . +. 53 2014 36 22
Aerio th = 6 ioe oo Te oS pee Ll Nr eae 37 1414 24 14%
Ventral:
Wistance TOM ‘SHOUT. wo 2S... 127 49 84 5216
MeN ences levers Ses ess Tle ean 3 : 31 12 20 1214
Length of appendage......... os 5, 8 5 }
Besmchiostesals:.. 0.0.2.8. .s es ek 10 vee W vee f
2 OLS is Rae Bs a Sd er ara SR EN 9 ast y
2 TS US SS ge meee em ol ta s ee S ee i
EGTA NR WR Sigg! pera SAC A me Saas Sa 13 Aes A
mecttagteae set ee ee ete rey 1,8 ie ei ye: i
Number of scales in lateral line... afte i eae 210
Number of transverse rows above
Rearsteen ning... nae dee tec ae cies S 34 seis 35 tape 4
Number of transverse rows below . i
OMT E Bia SSE Se eee pen ce ee ree ee 38 ous 40)
Number of gill rakers......../... zs fei ae
Number of caecal appendages..... a39
The golden trout is a native of Sunapee lake and Dan Hole i
pond, in New Hampshire, and of Flood’s pond, in Maine. Doubt- ii
less it exists in.other lakes of New England and British North i
America.
It is a large species, reaching a length of 20 inches and the
weight of 6 or 8 pounds; even larger individuals have been
reported. Spawning takes place in Sunapee lake on reefs in
_ Shallow water and not in the streams tributary to the lake; the
aina , 37409.
282 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
season is about the same as for the brook trout. The colors of
the male in the breeding season are gorgeous, and the sight of
a host of spawning fish in the water is one to be remembered.
Many large and small trout of this kind have been deposited
in Lake George and other suitable waters of the state.
Family ARGENTINIDAE
Smelts :
Genus osmerts (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body elongate, compressed; head long, pointed; mouth wide,
the slender maxillary extending to past the middle of the eye,
lower jaw projecting, preorbital and suborbital bones narrow;
maxillaries and premaxillaries with fine teeth, lower jaw with
small teeth, which are larger posteriorly, tongue with a few
strong, fanglike teeth, largest at the tip, hyoid bone, vomer, pala-
tines and pterygoids with wide set teeth; gill rakers long and
slender; branchiostegals 8; scales large, loose, 60 to 70 in the
course of the lateral line; dorsal small, about midway of the
body, over the ventrals; anal rather long; vertebrae about 40;
pyloric caeca small, few. Small fishes of the coasts of Europe
and northern America, sometimes ascending rivers; delicate in
flesh and considerably valued as food. (After Jordan and Ever-
mann)
143 Osmerus mordax (Mitchill)
Smelt; Ice Fish
Atherina mordax MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 446, 1815, New
York.
Osmerus viridescens LE SuEuR, Jour. Aa Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 230, May, 1818,
Boston to Newport; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 248, pl. 39, fig. 124,
1842, streams flowing into Long Island Sound, Hackensack & Passaic
rivers; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 197, 1846; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit.
Mus. VI, 167, 1866.
Osmerus mordax JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 293, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 64, pl. 26, fig. 46, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 523, 1896, pl. LX X XVI, fig. 228, 1900; HvER-
MANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894,
593, 1896, Lake Memphremagog & Lake Champlain.
The smelt has an elongate and somewhat compressed body and
a long, pointed head, with the lower jaw projecting. The mouth
FISHES OF NEW YORK 283
is large, the maxilla extending slightly behind the eye. Small
teeth on the intermaxillaries and maxillaries and the front of
the lower jaw. Posteriorly the teeth of the mandible are
larger. The tongue is armed with a few large fanglike teeth,
and there are widely set teeth on the vomer, palate, and ptery-
goid bones and at the root of the tongue. Gill rakers long and
slender; branchiostegals eight; the dorsal small, nearly median
over the ventrals; anal moderately long; scales large, thin,
easily deciduous, in about 75 rows along the sides; lateral line
short, not extending much beyond the end of the pectoral; a
few small pyloric caeca. The hight of the body is nearly one
fifth of the total length, without caudal, and nearly equal to
the length of head. The eye is nearly one fifth as long as the
head. The pectoral equals the longest dorsal ray in length and,
also, length of anal base. The ventral is one half as long as
the head. Longest anal ray not much more than one half the
anal base. D.1ii, 8; A. ii, 14; V. ii, 7.
The upper parts are greenish; a broad silvery band along the
sides; body and fins with numerous minute dusky points.
The smelt is known along our east coast from Labrador to
Virginia. It probably extends still farther north, but the record
of W. A. Stearns, published in the proceedings of the National
Museum for 1883, p. 124, fixes the most northern locality known
at present. He found the smelt common in August in shoal
water off the wharves of Cape Breton. In Pennsylvania the fish
3s common in the spring in the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers.
In numerous lakes of Maine, New Hampshire, and other New
England states, the smelt is common landlocked, and thrives
as well as in the salt water.
De Kay knew the smelt as a marine species ascending the
Hackensack and Passaic rivers. The species occurs also in
Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog. In the former lake it
reaches a large size. At Port Henry N. Y. the fish is called ice
fish.
Its range has been widely extended by artificial introduction,
which is very easily effected by transporting the fertilized eggs
——
oe Se
—
284 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
from the small brooks in which the species spawns. The eggs
are adhesive and attach themselves to stones, and their trans-
portation is accomplished very easily.
The smelt grows to a length of 1 foot; the average size as
found in the markets is about 7 inches. It enters the rivers for
the purpose of spawning and is most abundant in the winter
and early spring months. Spawning takes place in the Raritan
river, N. J..in March. The eggs of the smelt have been arti .
ficially hatched by Mr Ricardo, Fred Mather and other fish
culturists. |
~The smelt is an excellent food fish and is also used for bait,
and still more extensively as food for landlocked salmon, lake
and brook trout and other important salmonoids, which are
artificially reared in lakes. It has proved to be one of the best
fishes for this purpose. Immense quantities of smelts are
caught during the winter months in nets, seines and by hook
and line. They are usually shipped to market in the frozen con-
dition, packed in snow or crushed ice. The fish which have not
been frozen, however, are prized more highly than any others.
The smelt begins to run into Gravesend bay in December and
remains during cold weather. In the spring it ascends rivers to
spawn. The eggs are small (#¢ inch in diameter) and number
496,000 to the fluid quart; they adhere to stones, twigs etc. on
the bottom. Some females begin to spawn when only 3 or 4
inches long. :
In fish cultural operations “ the spawning fish, of both sexes,
are placed in troughs, which are covered to exclude light, which
is very injurious to the eggs. The eggs are naturally laid and
fertilized, and become attached to each other and to the troughs.
They are scooped up with a flat shovel, placed on wire trays in
water, and are forced through the meshes of the trays to sepa-
rate them. They are hatched in automatic shad jars, blanketed
to exclude light. If during hatching the eggs bunch, they are
removed from the jars and again passed through the meshes
of the wire trays.”
The fry are hardy in transportation.
FISHES OF NEW YORK ; 285
®
In captivity the adults live till about the end of June, when
the water becomes too warm and they die. Their food consists
mainly of shrimps and other small crustaceans.
Order 1NOMI
Lantern Fishes
Family syNODONTIDAE
Lizard Fishes
Genus synopus (Gronow) Bloch & Schneider
First superior pharyngeal cartilaginous, second without teeth,
third and fourth separate, with teeth; lower pharyngeals sep-
arate; body elongate, subterete; head depressed, the snout tri-
angular, rather pointed; interorbital region transversely con-
cave; mouth very wide; premaxillaries not protractile, very long
and strong, more than half length of head, maxillaries closely
connected with them, very small or obsolete, premaxillaries with
one or two series of large, compressed, knife shaped teeth, the
inner and larger depressible, palatine teeth similar, smaller, in
a single broad band; lower jaw with a band of rather large
teeth, the inner and larger teeth depressible, a patch of strong,
depressible teeth on the tongue in front, and a long row along
the hyoid bone; jaws nearly equal in front; eye rather large,
anterior, supraorbital forming a projection above the eye;
pseudobranchiae well developed; gill rakers very small, spine-
like; gill membranes slightly connected; top of head naked;
cheeks and opercles scaled like the body; body covered with
rather small, adherent, cycloid scales; lateral line present; no
luminous spots; dorsal fin short, rather anterior; pectorals
moderate, inserted high; ventrals anterior, not far behind pec-
torals, large, the inner rays longer than the outer; anal short;
caudal narrow, forked; vent posterior, much nearer base of
caudal than base of ventrals; branchiostegals 12 to 16; stomach
with a long, blind sac and many pyloric caeca; skeleton rather
firm.
286 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
144 Synodus foetens (Linnaeus)
TAzard Fish
Salmo foetens LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 513, 1766, South Garolina.
Esor salmoneus MiITcuHILyL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 442, 1815, New.
York.
Saurus mexicanus CUVIER, Régne Anim. ed. II, 314, 1829, Mexico.
Saurus foetens GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 396, 1864.
Synodus foetens JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 280, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, 1888, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y.
275, 1890; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 538, 1896,
pl. LXXXVIITI, fig. 286, 1900.
Body slender, elongate fusiform, its greatest depth about one
seventh of total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short,
stout, its least depth equal to length of snout; head conical,
Sharply pointed, its length contained four and one third times in
total without caudal; snout much flattened above, pointed, its
length about one fourth the length of head, and nearly twice
diameter of eye; jaws nearly equal in front or the lower included,
maxilla reaching well behind orbit, the upper jaw as long as
postorbital part of head; anterior nostril with a flap, posterior
simple, the anterior nearer to eye than to tip of snout; eye small,
partiy on top of head, two elevenths of length of head, about
two thirds of interorbital width; teeth of upper jaw closing down
over the mandible; dorsal origin nearer to tip of snout than to
base of caudal, over the 18th scale of the lateral line, dorsal
base one half as long as the head, longest dorsal ray equal to
upper jaw, last dorsal ray one third as long as head; adipose
dorsal very small and slender, its length not equal to eye; ventral
equidistant from tip of snout and vent, the fin four fifths as
long as the head; pectoral short and rounded, its length equal
to snout and eye combined; anal origin distant from caudal base
a Space equal to one fourth the length without caudal, anal base
three fifths as long as the head, longest anal ray one half as
long as head without the snout, last anal ray one half as long
as anal base; caudal deeply forked, the middle rays less than
one half as long as the outer; interorbital space slightly concave.
D. 10, the first two and the iast simple; A. 14; V.8; P.14. Scales
7-59-7; here described from specimens numbered 35936, U. S.
National Museum, from Fire island, L. I.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 287
Color of upper parts olive brown or grayish, sides below lateral
line paler, belly yellowish, pectorals, ventrals and anal with a
yellow tint, caudal dusky, dorsal with traces of narrow bars,
inside of mouth and of gill openings yellow.
The lizard fish reaches a length of 12 inches; it is found from
Cape Cod to Brazil, being very common from Virginia southward.
It comes into shallow waters during the summer and remains
on the New York coast till October. It is a voracious species, of
no value as food.
Adults and young of this species are rather common in the
Great Egg bay region, N. J.
At Beesleys Point, Sep. 2, 1887, a small individual was found
to have swalloweda Pleuronectes americanus, which
distended the stomach of its captor laterally to nearly twice its
normal width.
Abundant in thoroughfares near Somers Point August 30.
One individual taken is 7# inches long. Some very large ones
have been seen; an example caught at Beesleys Point, Septem-
ber 9, is nearly 9 inches long, and we have secured some larger
than this.
The species is unknown to the fishermen.
The lizard fish, called sand pike by some authors, is the trout
pike of Mitchill. Besides bearing these names, it is known as
snakefish, cigar fish and spearfish. The species appears not to
have been known to De Kay. It is very common in Great South
_bay, 36 specimens having been taken in the latter part of Sep-
tember and the first two days of October. Mitchill’s examples
from the head of New York bay were from 8 to 9 inches long.
in Great Egg Harbor bay, though it is a very common fish, the
fishermen have no name for it.
Order HAPLUMI
Pikelike Fishes
Family UMBRIDAE
Mud Minnows
Genus umpra (Kramer) Miiller
a
Body oblong, covered with cycloid scales of moderate size,
without radiating striae; no lateral line; head shortish, little
=
288 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
depressed; eye rather small; cleft of mouth moderate; ventral
fins 6-rayed, below or slightly in front of dorsal; anal fin much
shorter than dorsal; pectorals rather narrow, rounded, placed
low, with 12 to 15 rays, which are much articulated; caudal
rounded; preopercle and preorbital with mucous pores; branchi-
ostegals six; gill rakers short, thick. Size small. Three species,
very similar to each other, inhabiting the waters of the United
States and Austria. '
145 Umbra limi (Kirtland)
Mud Minnow ; Dogfish
Hydrargira limi KirnTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 277, pl. II, fig. 4,
1841.
Hydrargira fusca THompson, Nat. Hist. Vermont, 137, 1842, Lake Cham-
plain.
Hydrargira atricauda DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 220, 1842.
Hydrargyra fusca STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 182, 1846.
Umbra limi GuntuEr, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 232, 1866; JorpAN & GIL-
BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 350, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 88,
1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 623, 1896.
The mud minnow has a comparatively short and stout body, its
depth not equal to the length of the head and about one fourth
of total without caudal. The length of the head equals two
sevenths of the total. The head is flattened above and rather
large. D. 14; A. 9; V. 6. Scales in lateral line 35, in transverse
series 15. | Bae
The color is dark olive or greenish, and the sides have irregular,
narrow, pale bars, which are sometimes obscure or absent. A
black bar at the base of the tail. :
The mud minnow, mud dace or dogfish is found in the Great
lakes region from Lake Champlain to Minnesota, being most
abundant in Wisconsin. It is occasionally taken in the Ohio
valley. It was not found by Dr Meek at Ithaca; but was taken
in small numbers near Cayuga and Montezuma. The fish was
taken by U.S. Fish Commission collectors in Griffon creek, Chau-
mont N. Y. July 7, and in Mill creek, Sacketts Harbor N. Y.
July 2. De Kay had specimens from Lake Champlain.
It grows to a length of 4 inches. It has no value whatever
except as food for other species. Like the related mud minnow
b
FISHES OF NEW YORK 289
next mentioned, it is hardy and interesting in the aquarium.
The name mud minnow relates to a singular habit of the fish of
burrowing into the mud when the water evaporates out of a
pond. It has been related that this fish has been plowed up in
ponds and swamps which have become dried out. Prof. Baird
has recorded the following fact about this species. ‘“ A locality
which with the water perfectly clear, will appear destitute of fish
will perhaps yield a number of mudfish on stirring up the mud
on the bottom and drawing a seine through it. Ditches on the
plains of Wisconsin or mere bog holes affording lodgment
to nothing beyond tadpoles may thus be found full of
melanuras.”
The mud minnow shipped from Caledonia N.Y. by James
Annin jr in wet moss has survived a 12 hours’ journey; but it
has never proved hardy either in balanced tanks or in running
water. This is remarkable, because there is evidence to prove
that the species can endure alternate freezing and thawing with-
out permanent injury.
146 Umbra pygmaea (De Kay)
Striped Mud Minnow
Leuciscus pygmaeus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214, pl. 42, fig. 134,
1842, Tappan, Rockland Co., N. Y.; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 162, 1846.
Fundulus fuscus AYRES, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 296, pl. XIII, fig. 2, 1844,
Brookhaven, Long Island.
Melanura annulata AGAssiz, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts, 135, 1854.
Umbra pygmaea JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. X, 53, 1877; BEAN, Fishes
(Penna. 88, 18938; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 624,
1896, pl. XCIX, fig. 268, 1900; MEARNS, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.
X, 317, 1898.
Umbra limi. pygmaea BLATCHLEY, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 13, 1885.
Melanura pygmaea BEAN, Bull. U. 8. F. C. VII, 147, 1888.
The body of the mud minnow is oblong, robust; its greatest
depth is contained slightly more than four times in the total
length without the caudal and not equal to length of head. The
snout is short; eye moderate about equal to snout, four and one
half in head. Cardiform teeth on premaxillaries, lower jaw,
vyomer and palatine bones. The gill openings are very wide, the
rakers short and rather numerous; jaws short, gape of mouth
290 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
rather wide. The body is covered with rather large cycloid
scales, and the head is almost entirely scaled. D. 14; A. 8.
Scales eight or nine in a transverse series, 35 from head to tail.
Color dark green, more or less mottled (in spirits brownish) ;.
sides with a dozen pale longitudinal streaks, regularly ar-
ranged; a darker stripe through eye; black bar at base of tail,
which is present in very young examples as well as in the adult.
The eastern mud minnow is found from New York to South
Carolina in Atlantic streams. According to Prof. Cope it is
very common near Philadelphia. De Kay had very small indi-
viduals from brooks near Tappan, Rockland co. N. Y. Dr Theo-
dore Gill collected specimens in the same county in 1855.
The species grows to a length of about 5 inches, and is well
adapted for aquarium life, but has no other value except as food
for larger fishes. Its habits are similar to those of the species
last described. |
The body is stouter than in Umbra limi; the headas
broader, less flattened on top, with a larger eye, shorter snout
and the profile more convex.
The dogfish is a most peculiar fish, as voracious as a pike and
as tough-lived as a catfish. It requires but little water and
can often be dug from the moist mud of ditches the water of
which has evaporated. None may be found in a stream, but
the puddles and muskrat holes alongside may be full of them.
It is a good deal of an air-breather, rising to the surface to gulp
in air and then descending again, in the fashion of the paradise
fish. In the aquarium it is very hardy and apt to annoy other
species by driving them around and attacking their fins. When
exposed to the air in freezing weather, it succumbs almost
instantly, also when put into water containing much lime; on
the other hand, hot weather does not in the least trouble it,
except that it gets its supply of air more frequently.
In movement it is very erratic, now dashing about as if mad,
again standing perfectly motionless in the water, only moving
the pectorals and ventrals “like a dog, running,” again only
moving pectorals and the rear part of the dorsal or the latter
FISHES OF NEW YORK 291
fin alone. It can turn its head sideways at an angle and remain
awhile in that position.
When feeding, it gorges the morsel at one attempt, after star-
ing at ita while. Sometimes when overfed, the dogfish can not
swim about at all, but lies like a log on the bottom. (After
Eugene Smith?)
Family LuUCIDAE
Pikes
Genus Lucius Rafinesque
Body elongate, not elevated, more or less compressed pos-
teriorly, broad anteriorly; head long, the snout prolonged and
depressed; mouth very large, its cleft forming about half the
length of the head; lower jaw the longer; upper jaw not pro-
tractile, most of its margin formed by the maxillaries, which
are quite long and provided with a supplemental bone, pre-
maxillaries, vomer and palatines with broad bands of strong
cardiform teeth which are more or less movable; lower jaw with
strong teeth of different sizes; tongue with a band of small
teeth; head naked above; cheeks and opercles more or less
scaly; gill openings very wide; gill membranes separate, free
from the isthmus; gill rakers tuberclelike, toothed; branchio-
stegals 12 to 20; scales small; lateral line weak, obsolete in
young specimens, developed in the adult; dorsal posterior,
opposite and similar to anal; caudal fin emarginate; pectoral
fins small, inserted low; ventrals rather posterior; vent normal;
no adipose fin; no barbels; stomach not caecal, without pyloric
appendages; pseudobranchiae glandular, hidden; air bladder
simple. Basis cranii double (Cope). Fishes of moderate or
large size, inhabiting the fresh waters of the northern parts of
Europe, Asia and North America.
The genus Lucius is readily subdivided into three groups
distinguished by their size, scaling and coloration. In the first
group are three species of true pickerels, in which the cheeks
and opercles are entirely scaly, the color is greenish, usually
with dark reticulations, and the largest species reaches a-
1Linn. soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, Dp. 27-28.
292 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
length of about 2 feet. To this group the subgeneric name
Kenoza is sometimes applied; it includes the banded pick-
erel, the little pickerel and the chain pickerel, all of which
occur in New York.
147 Lucius americanus (Gmelin)
Banded Pickerel
Hsox lucius 3 americanus GMELIN, Syst. Nat. 1390, 1788, Long Island, New
York.
Esox niger LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I,:415, 1818, Lake Sara-
toga, New York; STorer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 185, 1846; GUNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 229, 1866.
Esox scomberius MitTrcuityt, Amer. Month. Ne Il, 322, March, 1818,
Murderer’s Creek, New York.
Esox fasciatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 224, pl. 34, fig. 110, 1842,
streams and ponds of Long Island.
Esox raveneli HOLBROOK, Ichth. 8. C. 201, 1860, Charleston, S. C.
Esox americanus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 352, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna, 89, pl. 28, fig. 53, 1893.
Lucius americanus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 626,
1896.
The banded pickerel has an elongate body; its depth con-
tained about five times in the total length without caudal; the
length of the head three and one fourth times in the standard
length. The snout is contained two and two thirds times in
the length of the head, and the eye five and one half times in
the same length. The maxillary extends to vertical through
middle of eye; the lower jaw projects considerably beyond the
upper. Teeth in the jaws strong, directed backwards. The
ventral is placed in middle of body, the dorsal and anal fins far
back, opposite each other; their longest rays of about the same —
length, much longer than the bases of the fins. Caudal deeply
emarginate. B. 11-138; D. 11-14; A. 11-12. Scales in lateral
line 105. The body is usually dark green, sometimes brownish
black, above; the sides greenish yellow with about 20 dark
curved bars, which are generally very distinct; dorsal and
caudal fins dark brown, the other fins lighter, sometimes red-
dish; a dark bar from the eye to angle of jaw, another from the
snout through the eye to upper edge of opercle.
The banded pickerel is probably identical with the “ mackerel
pike” of Mitchill. It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 13
FISHES OF NEW YORK 293
inches in length, and will not average more than $ pound in
weight. It occurs only east of the Alleghanies, from Massa-
chusetts to Florida in coastwise streams. In Pennsylvania it
is limited to waters in the eastern part of the state, and the
Same is true in New York.
This pickerel is too small to have much importance as a food
fish. It resembles in general appearance and habits the little
pickerel of the west. It frequents clear, cold and rapid brooks
and is said to associate with the brook trout without injury to
the latter. |
Dec. 30, 1895, James Annin jr sent from Rockland N. Y. a
small pickerel which had attracted his attention on account of
its colors and markings. It was taken in a small spring brook,
tributary to the Beaver kill, which, about 10 or 15 miles below,
unites with the Delaware. Subsequently two examples were
forwarded alive from the same place, and one of them is still
living in the aquarium 1897. The following notes and measure-
ments, in inches, relate to the first individual of undetermined
sex, the organs being undeveloped.
MEASUREMENTS
Inches
eneth! imelindine: cand al Mime. cs. j35. 04 he oes a's mo daewoo’ 73%
External caudal lobe (horizontally)... ....0.....0.006 1%
Middle caudal rays (from end of scales).............. Vy
Boney Oi, Wea asi emsc ees fic tila cones Galo eke ehabele eons ene > 1%
StEAtest GepthoOrsvOGy. oc eos elciss out e kee ees cates 1%
meas: adept of Candal Pedunele.¢ 2 oijoe 53. is we oe os wale %
Pe GR OL SMOUTs =. cis cters cette anon Rica te o SiGe wie cele she 5B
Baar cinGas 1AseI aS SN na eo eet I OR ie Rhee Se eh ié
Renere Of Mand Dley 8257 ek oes ee ee ee «oes es! lis
PamMeemnGgl GYVOs. BO. 1g Sek be ea ene ee Bl ccs Be ie, S/he ie
ishwice from’ Snot 10: WOrsdlae wees s/s Aiaisked fs < His
Meee OTsaoTSAl DASE .%; 2. soba eal he otc 2 \e oa 8 ea 8 tp
denote jonvest dorsal Tay zens ashes’ h oo oeeraij. (ose 34
From end of dorsal to caudal origin. ................. TR
Distance: from, snout to PechOwals oa5 foes. eh SS ee 1%
dreucihe GIP PECLORAL. (22154. <ibiapte a Beste 8 SO oie 0 5, RapialS e alee 48
Distance from snout to ventral............ Eine tat cy, 3%
Gucmeahedsenventtal.. cans cote teen 25 oe Se tert 34
Pistamestiron snout, to Male ot). Messe? . eka Sh was 54
Reso of anal: bases set... eae es GE ie Sc tgkbe Saas vs 34
Tee ee GedGneet AMAL Daly siseys cee: 2 Sie’ u ule o's oS. 8 gweld is
From end of anal base to origin of lower caudal lobe. %
TT la a ee
294 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
B. 12; D.12; A. 11; V.9. Scales, 24-110. The maxilla reaches:
to below the middle of the pupil. The mandible projects +4 of
an inch when the mouth is closed. The diameter of the eye is:
contained five and two thirds times in length of head. The
stomach was empty, but insect remains were voided from the
vent.
Colors. About 20 oblique, interrupted, dark bands on the
body; a narrow oblique dark band under the eye and four rather
large dark blotches on the cheek and opercle; pectorals, ven-
trals and anal orange; a tinge of orange on the dorsal and
caudal; general color olivaceous gray, with golden reflections;:
lower parts creamy white; iris lemon mingled with pale brown;.
peritoneum silvery.
All the pickerels are liable to fungus attacks without appar-
ent cause, but, as a rule, they can be cured by the salt water
treatment. Their food consists of small live killifish, which
they approach slowly and deliberately till within 5 or 6 inches,.
when they rush, seize, and stop as abruptly as if stopped by:
an obstruction.
Eugene Smith says this pickerel is often found in brackish
water in the vicinity of New York, and is then more brown in.
color. L. reticulatus is found also on Long Island close:
to salt water, as at Water Mill.
148 Lucius vermiculatus (Le Sueur)
Little Pickerel
Esoz vermiculatus LE SUEUR in CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss...
XVIII, 333, 1846, Wabash River, Indiana.
Esox crassus AGaAssiz, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 308, 1854, Tennessee River,.
Huntsville, Alabama.
Esoxr umbrosus KIRTLAND, Proc. Cleveland Ac. Sci. 79, 1854, Rockport, near-
Cleveland, Ohio; Corr, Trans. Am, Phil. Soe. Phila. 409, 1866.
Esozr cypho Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 78, 1865, Waterford, Michigan;.
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 230, 1866.
Esox porosus Copzt, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. Phila, 408, 1866, substitute for-
cypho.
’ Esox salmoneus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 352, 1888.
Esoxr vermiculatus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 90, pl. 28, fig. 54, 18938.
Lucius vermiculatus JorRDAN & EXVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 627,.
1896.
FISHES OF NEW YORK - 295
The little pickerel has a short, stout body and a long head.
The greatest depth is nearly one fifth of the length without cau-
‘dal and two thirds of length of head; length of head two
‘sevenths of total without caudal; eye two fifths of length of
snout, one sixth of length of head. The maxilla reaches to
below middle of eye. Cheeks and opercles fully scaled; dorsal
origin twice as far from eye as from end of scales, its base two
fifths of head, its longest ray nearly one half of head; anal
under dorsal and with slightly longer rays; ventral nearly mid-
way between tip of snout and end of scales, its length equal to
snout and to pectoral. B. 11-13; D. 12; A. 11 or 12. Scales
in lateral line 105.
Body green or grayish, usually with many irregular streaks ,
or reticulations, which are sometimes entirely lacking; sides of
the head generally variegated; a dark bar extends downward
from the eye, and another forward. Fins plain, but the caudal
is sometimes mottled at its base. :
This pickerel inhabits the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers and streams flowing into the Great lakes from the south-
ward. In ponds formed in the spring by the overflow of river
banks it is one of the characteristic fishes and is often de-
‘troyed in great numbers by the drying up of such bodies of
water. In Pennsylvania the little pickerel, or trout pickercel, is
‘common in the Ohio and its tributaries. Prof. Cope mentions
it also as an inhabitant of the Susquehanna river, in which it
is probably not a native.
The U. S. Fish Commission obtained a moderate number of
specimens in the Lake Ontario region at the following New York
Jocalities.
Black creek, tributary of Oswego river,
Scriba Corner July 15
Lakeview hotel, 7 m. west of Oswego July 17
Wart creek : July 24
Great Sodus bay 3 Aug. 16
Outlet Long pond, 4 m. west of Charlotte Aug. 7
Marsh creek, near Point Breeze Aug. 21
296 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
This fish grows to the length of 1 foot and is, therefore, too
small to have much importance for food.
149 Lucius reticulatus (Le Sueur)
Chain Pickerel; Green Pike
Esozx reticulatus LE SvuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 414, 1818, Con-
necticut River, Adams, Mass.; Philadelphia, Pa.; DE Kay, N. Y..
Fauna, Fishes, 223, pl. 34, fig. 107, 1842; KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat.
Hist. IV, 283, pl. X, fig. 2, 1844; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI,.
229, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 358, 1888,;.
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 90, pl. 29, fig. 55, 1893. -
Esox tridecemlineatus MiTcHILL, Mirror, 361, 1825, Oneida Lake, N. Y.
Esox phaleratus (SAy) LE SuEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 416, 1818.
St Augustine, Fla.
Esox affinis HoLBRooK, Ichth. S. C. 198, 1860, Charleston, S. C.
Lucius reticulatus JORDAN & E'VERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 627,.
1896; EVERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries:
for 1894, 597, 1896; Mrarns, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 317,.
1898; Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. XXI, 344, 1898.
The chain pickerel has a long and slender body, its depth near
the middle equaling about two thirds of the length of the head
and contained five to six times in the total without caudal. The
caudal peduncle is slender, its depth little more than one third
of greatest depth of body. The snout is long and pointed, as.
long as the postorbital part of the head and about three times.
the length of the eye, which is one seventh to one eighth of
length of head. The dorsal base equals two fifths of length of
head, its longest ray equal to snout. The anal begins under the
third or fourth ray of the dorsal, its longest ray nearly one half
as long as the head. Caudal deeply forked. Ventral half way
from tip of snout to end of scales, its length equal to snout and
slightly greater than length of pectoral. B.15; D.15; A. 14.
Scales in lateral line about 125. The cheeks and opercles are
completely scaled.
The color is usually greenish, sometimes brown or almost
black. On the sides are many narrow, dark lines connected by
cross streaks, forming a network which suggested the name
reticulatus. Occasionally the body is uniform greenish, as.
in a specimen taken in the Potomac river a few years ago. In
the young the reticulations are very obscure, and a pale stripe
FISHES OF NEW YORK 297
is found along the middle line on the second half of the body.
In adults the sides are often golden or olive yellow, and have
dark reticulations. A distinct dark band under the eye.
The chain pickerel is known under other names; it is the jack
of the south, the federation pike of Oneida lake, N. Y. the green
pike of the Great lakes and the eastern pickerel of many writers.
It does not occur west of the Alleghanies, but is found from
Maine to Florida and Alabama east of this range of mountains.
It lives in ponds, lakes and streams and occurs within the same
territory as L. americanus, but farther away from the
coast. (After Eugene Smith.)
At Water Mill this pickerel occurs in or near brackish water
at the east end of Mecox bay, and it is in very plump condition, on
account of the abundance of small fishes on which it feeds, for
example, the silversides, young sunfish, and small killifishes of
several kinds.
Dr Meek notes that the species seems to be subject to indi-
vidual variation. In many respects the specimens from Cayuga
lake appear to be intermediate between reticulatus and
wermrculat.us:..,; li.is<not very common.
The pickerel is common in ponds and streams of the Hudson |
Highlands, according to Dr Mearns, and is taken in winter as
wellas insummer. A specimen weighing 34 pounds was caught
in Poplopen’s pond in 1882. It is abundant also in Cauterskill
lake, of the Catskill mountains. The U. 8. Fish Commission
obtained it in Black river, Huntingtonville N. Y. July 5.
Examples were sent from Canandaigua lake, and young were
obtained in Bronx river.
This pickerel is the largest of its group, reaching a length of
2 feet and a weight, occasionally, of 8 pounds, though this is
much above the average.
Like the pike, this is one of the tyrants among fishes, a fierce
and hungry marauder; and yet it has been introduced by fisher-
men into many waters in which it is not native and has greatly
multiplied. In the Potomac, the Connecticut, the Delaware and
*Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 29.
298 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
other large rivers the pickerel abounds; it is to be found in
large numbers lying in wait among the river grasses or in ponds
under the shelter of leafy water plants for the minnows which
it consumes in enormous numbers, or some unlucky insect, frog
or snake which attracts its voracious appetite.
Spawning takes place in winter and early in the spring, and
the young soon become solitary and wolfish like their elders. |
The fish obtained from Canandaigua lake spawned in their
tank in June 1897, and the young were naturally hatched, but
they died when about # inch long for want of acceptable food.
As a food fish not much can be said in praise of the chain
pickerel, though it is eaten and doubtless liked by a good many
people. The flesh is often coarse and watery and is always full
of small bones. This fish, however, furnishes considerable
sport to the angler, since it is a very free biter and fights with
great boldness and stubbornness when hooked. It is caught by
trolling with a spoon or still fishing with live shiners, pickerel
frogs and many other baits. A minnow gang is often very
effective in pickerel fishing. The hooks must be tied on gimp
as a protection for the line from the sharp teeth of the fish.
This species is always hard to keep in good condition in
captivity, because of its liability to fungus attacks. The salt
water treatment, however, keeps the fungus in check.
Subgenus Lucius
The longest known and most widely distributed species of
Lucius is the common pike, the typical species of the genus.
In the subdivision into groups this would be the sole representa-
tive of the Lucius -group, which has the cheeks fully scaled
and the lower half of opercles naked. The sides are pale
spotted on a darker ground, and the size is very much larger
than that of the pickerels. Fossil remains of the pike have
been found in quaternary deposits in Europe.
150 Lucius lucius (Linnaeus)
Common Pike; Pickerel
Eeor lucius LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 314, 1758, Europe; RICHARDSON,
Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 124, 1836; Gunruer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI,
226, 1866; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 353, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 91, pl. 29, fig. 56, 1893.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 299
JHsox estor LE Surur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 418, 1818, Lake Erie;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 222, 1842; Srorer, Syn. Fish. N. A.
184, 1846.
isox boreus AGASsiIz, Lake Superior, 317, 1850, Lake Superior.
Lucius lucius JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 628, 1896,
pl. C, fig. 269, 1900; EVERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr. Fish
& Fisheries for 1894, 597, 1896. ;
The pike has a stout, elongate body and a long head, with
‘broad and produced snout. The greatest depth is about one
fifth of the length without caudal. The caudal peduncle is
nearly equal to one half depth of body. The eye is nearly
Median and about one sixth of length of head, which is -3, of
‘total without caudal. The mouth is very large and strongly
toothed. The tongue, roof of mouth, pharynx and gill arches
bristle with teeth in cardlike bands, giving the fish extraor-
dinary power in seizing and holding its prey. The dorsal and
-anal fins are near the caudal. The dorsal base is a little longer
than its longest ray and equals depth of body at its origin.
‘Ventral fin midway between tip of snout and end of tail fin. B.
14 to 16; D. 17 to 20; A. 16 or 17. Scales in lateral line 120 to
125.
The ground color of the body is grayish varying to bluish or
‘greenish gray. The sides are thickly covered with pale blotches,
mone of them as large as the eye, arranged nearly inrows. The
dorsal, anal and caudal fins have many rounded, dark spots.
Adults without dark bar below eye. Naked part of opercle
bounded by a whitish streak. In the young the sides are
covered with oblique yellowish bars, which afterward break up
into the pale spots of the adult.
Pike is the best known name for this species, though the
misnomer “ pickerel” is rather extensively used. The origin
of pike is involved in uncertainty; some trace it to the resem-
blance in shape of the snout to the pike or spear, while others
believe it to refer to the darting motion of the fish when speed-
ing through the water. The name pickerel is used in Vermont
and around Lake George, N. Y. “ Frank Forrester” (Herbert)
‘styles it the great northern pickerel. The name jack is applied
in Great Britain to young pike. Brochet is the French name,
decht the German and luccio the Italian designation of the
300 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
species. In Prof. Cope’s paper in earlier reports of the Penn-
sylvania Fish Commission the names lake pike and grass pike —
are used for the fish.
Distribution. In the north temperate and arctic regions of
North America, Europe and Asia the pike is equally common.
In North America it extends from Pennsylvania to high northern:
latitudes... In Alaska, Townsend and others found it above the
arctic circle, and Dall and Nelson took it in abundance in the
Yukon. From Greenland and the islands of the Arctic ocean
the pike appears to be absent. The identity of our American
pike with the common one of Europe was recognized by Cuvier
and Richardson more than half a century ago; the former com-
pared specimens from Lake Huron with European examples, and
Richardson with the English pike, and both were unable to find.
specific differences between the two.
The pike is said to be common in Lake Champlain and in all :
its larger tributaries. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S.
Fish Commission collectors secured it at the following places.
Mud creek, Cape Vincent N. Y. June 25, 1894, Chaumont river |
July 10, outlet Long pond, 4 miles west of Charlotte N. Y.
AUS. LT.
Dr Meek found the species in Cayuga lake, where he says he
was unable to find any other fish of the genus except the pickerel..
James Annin jr obtained the pike in Silver lake, Wyoming co.
N. Y. July 1, 1896. He reports that it does not occur in Canan-
daigua lake.
On the continent of Europe the largest recorded specimen was
taken at Bregenz in 1862; this was said to weigh 145 pounds.
In Scotland a pike measuring more than 7 feet and weighing 72
pounds has been reported. We do not find monsters like these
in America. “ Frank Forrester ”’ mentions individuals of 16 to
17 pounds. Lake George, N. Y., is famous for its large pike. Dr
Frank Presbrey of Washington D. C. caught one there in 1889
weighing a little more than 16 pounds, and more than 30
examples, averaging in excess of 10 pounds each, were taken that
season by another person from Washington in the same waters.
se
a
Snel
FISHES OF NEW YORK 301
Some of the largest pike were upward of 4 feet long. The
average length is about 2 feet.
The fishing season generally begins June 1 and ends Decem-
ber 1; but many of the states have no close season. In Penn-
sylvania the close time lasts from December 1 to June 1.
The pike is a voracious fish and destroys everything within
its reach in the form of animal life; other fish, water birds and
mammals are consumed in enormous numbers. From its con-
cealment, like a beast of prey it darts out suddenly on its victims
and seldom misses its mark. The pike is even more destructive
than the pickerel, and two of the latter, measuring 5 inches in
length, have been reported to eat more than 100 minnows in a
day. Spawning takes place in winter and early spring on shal-
lows and frequently on overflowed meadows. The eggs are about
+ inch in diameter, and a female weighing 32 pounds was esti-
mated by Buckland. to contain 595,000. The young pike has a
very large yolk sac. The period of hatching varies, with the
temperature of the water, from 14 to 30 days. The female is said
to be larger than the male; the fish breeds at the age of three
years. At the age of one year the fish may reach a length of 12°
inches, and, if well supplied with food, it will increase in weight
from 2 to 3 pounds yearly.
The pike is a fairly good food fish and forms an important
element of the Lake Erie fisheries. Asa game fish the species
is widely known; it can be readily caught by trolling or spinning
or on lines set under the ice. Live minnows and frogs are
favorite baits; and Dr Henshall says it will rise to a large,
gaudy fly. In Lake George the white chub is one of the best
known baits.
Subgenus MASCALONGUS
The largest member of the pike family is the single repre-
sentative of the section Mascalongus, in which the lower
half of the cheeks, as well as of the opercles, is scaleless. The
scales are smaller than in the other groups.
The sides and vertical fins are profusely covered with roundish
black spots on a pale ground. The branchiostegals number 17
02 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
to 19. A color variety is occasionally met with having the body
uniformly dark gray, unspotted.
151 Lucius masquinongy (Mitchill)
Mascalonge; Spotted Mascalonge
Hsox masquinongy MITCHILL, Mirror, 297, 1824, Lake Erie.
Esox masquinongy (MITCHILL) KIRTLAND, Fishes of Ohio, 194, 1888, Lake
Tne THOMPSON, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. III, 168, 1850, Lake
Champlain; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S: Nat. Mus. 353, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 93, pl. 29, fig. 57, 1898. :
Lucius masquinongy JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 629,
1896, pl. C, fig. 270, 1900; EvERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr.
Fish & Fisheries for 184, 598, 1896.
The mascalonge has a stout and moderately elongate body, its
greatest depth, midway between the pectoral and ventral fins,
one fifth to one sixth of the total length to the end of the scales.
‘The caudal peduncle is short and slender, its depth one third of
‘greatest depth. The length of the head is two sevenths of the
total without the caudal, and the small eye equals less than one
fourth the length of snout. The eye is nearly in the middle of
the length of the head. The mouth is very large; the maxilla
extends to below the hind margin of the eye. The teeth are as
in the pike, but even more formidable. Dorsal and anal far
back, the origin of the former a little in advance of the anal
origin; the length of dorsal base about two fifths of head, longest
dorsal ray one third of head, caudal deeply forked; ventral mid-
way between end of head and end of anal, its length equal to
one half the depth of body; pectoral nearly equal to postorbital
part of head. B. 17-19; D. 17; A. 16; V. 12. Scales in lateral
line 150.
The color is usually dark gray, sometimes immaculate as in
the color variety immaculatus, but generally with numer-
ous distinct, roundish, black spots about as large as buckshot.
‘The dark spots are present only on the basal parts of the dorsal,
anal and caudal fins. The lower parts are pale, the belly white.
The name of this giant pike is apparently derived from the
jJanguage of the Ojibwa or the Cree Indians; it is variously spelled
FISHES OF NEW YORK 303:
and its meaning is uncertain, though the roots, according to
H. W. Henshaw, are probably mask (ugly) and kinongé (fish). In
the books it appears as muscalonge, muskellunge, muskallunge,
mascalonge and maskinonge, all variations of the same term.
Some writers style it the great pike, and by others it is confused
with the common pike, E. lucius. Prof. Cope mentions also
the name blue pike. |
The mascalonge is recorded by Prof Cope from Conneaut lake,
Crawford co. Pa., the specimen measuring 17 inches in circum-
ference behind the eyes. It is found occasionally in the Ohio
valley. The species, however, is most abundant in the Great
lakes region. In Lake Erie favorite localities are Dunkirk and
Barcelona N. Y., Erie Pa. and Mills’ Grove O. The northern
limit of the fish is not definitely fixed.
‘It is asserted by some persons that the fish inhabits Cayuga
lake, but others deny this. Dr Meek was unable to find it there:
after diligent search. It wag known in Lake Champlain more
than a half century ago and was described by Rev. Zadock
Thompson. Mitchill and Kirtland had it from Lake Erie. De
Kay confounded the mascalonge with the pike, and apparently
had no example of the former. In the St Lawrence river the
Species is well known.
It is recorded that in 1865 Mr Schultz caught a mascalonge at
Milwaukee weighing 100 pounds. In 1864 Fred Alvord declared
that he had an 85 pound specimen in Maumee bay. The average
length of the species is about 3 feet, and there is reason to
believe that a length of 8 feet is sometimes reached. Individuals
weighing 50 pounds are moderately common. With the excep-
tion of the lake trout and some of the salmon, this is undoubtedly
the largest game fish in the United States.
The fish seem not to be gregarious, but occur usually in pairs.
Their food consists mainly of smaller fishes, and their voracity
is notorious. In the spawning season in small rivers falling into
Lake Simcoe, Richardson states that they feed on small fishes
and on gelatinous green balls which grow on the sides of banks
under the water.
304 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
This is an excellent food fish, but not common enough to have
much commercial importance. As a game fish it has few
Superiors. The spoon bait is very effective in the capture of
mascalonge, and live fishes are extensively used. A corres-
pondent of Land and Water describes a singular and successful
lure made from a young brown calf’s tail, through the center of
which the shank of the hook was passed and fastened to a swivel.
152 Lucius masquinongy immaculatus (Garrard)
Unspotied Mascalonge; Barred Mascalonge
HLsoxr immaculdtus GARRARD MS§; noticed in several fishing TOUTES SS Eagle
Lake, Northern Wisconsin, fide JORDAN & HVERMANN.
Esox masquinongy immaculatus JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 5, 89, 1888.
Lucius masquinongy immaculatus JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat.
Mus. 6380, 1896.
Lucius lucius immaculatus BEAN, by error, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX,
353, 1897.
Body moderately stout and elongate, its greatest depth one
Sixth of the total length without caudal; least depth of caudal
peduncle contained two and two sevenths times in greatest depth ~
of body, and nearly four times in length of head; head long, its
length nearly three and three fourths times in total without
caudal; the maxilla extending to below the front edge of the
pupil, its length about one third of length of head; shout about
two fifths as long as the head; eye about one eleventh as long as
the head; the gill rakers mere clumps of spiny tubercles. The
dorsal fin is distant from tip of snout a space equal to two and
three fourths times length of head; the longest dorsal ray is three
sevenths as long ag the head, and only a little longer ‘than the
dorsal base. The ventral is nearly as long as the snout. The
anal base is one third as long as the head; the longest anal ray
is as long as the snout, and equal to the pectoral. B.18—-19; D.
16-18 (developed rays); A. 15-16 (developed rays). Scales about
153; gill rakers 13+28. Color olive ereen with golden tints; about
20 entire, blotchlike, irregular dark cross bands and several
parts of bands and blotches intervening; lower third of pectoral
pink; dorsal, caudal and anal with dark blotches forming pseudo-
bands; iris lemon yellow on a silvery white ground; no black
spots.
—
FISHES OF NEW YORK 305
Examples of unspotted mascalonge were received at the New
York aquarium from Chautauqua lake, N. Y. which belongs to
the Ohio river drainage system. It appears that the typical
spotted form also inhabits the Ohio basin, but occurs rarely. Mr
Annin sent one individual Dec. 4, 1895, and two on May 4, 1896;
from these three were obtained the following notes and measure-
ments in inches.
MEASUREMENTS
Dec. 4, 1895 May 4.1896 May 4, 1896
3
Length, including caudal fin........ 23% 27% 25 48
wencih to end:-of Scales? eu. tose te kee ck 23% 23
Length of caudal lobe (horizontally). aie SS ES CRS SO ied gate er rage a
Length of middle caudal rays...... DE ee oe ie ler Se EEE een
He Ol (BOO yw. eo ss he. Pe 35% 4 3%
Least depth of caudal peduncle.... 1% 13% 1%
WSN OF MEAG fh. Se soe sees Suet ca tae 534 65% 61%
MST LEONE “SAT OU Goren aictn op Siene boaeese 3 Be os 23% 234 214
ieneih Of “meaxilla> of Sous SR. 2% 236 21%
WENSth. OF MIANOIBIE So. cick cc acre clon 3% 4 334
TRMAIME OE-OL EY Creare ee ll ois) sivic == Ye 18 1s
Distance from snout to dorsal...... ...... 18% 1634
@iuensth- of, dorsal basesni5; 6. eso, 2s ek 234 27%
Hench of lonsest Morsal ray oss. os oe "3 27% 2%
Distance from snout to ventral..... ...... 13% 12%
Meo OF OV CTETAL Gee ak. cease. SA0CAt 2 ERs 2% 23%
Pee a eth, Of: aTiah PASEE oe clogs Gon. kee pied ecet Pee eke 2% 21%
ACHE tM OL 1ONAESUs aA LCRA Ver! tats o's s 7h iate oie, « 234, 2x
Pech | Of APOE ROE ee eee eo ears hie ye eae 234 ts
Branchiostegals ............- See 19 18 19
Dorsal rays (developed)............ 18 16 17
' Anal rays (developed).............. 16 15 15
’ RGONUSUOL SGARES Suz tis 47). ke Ua Seas oe Gas TS Oe oi ESR
ET Us Ia re CY ig SR IR AS BB Rete il AY od By RS en Oh abe deprnte ge
In all the specimens the maxilla extends to below the front
edge of the pupil. The gill rakers are mere clumps of spiny
tubercles. In the two males the diameter of the eye is con-
tained from four and one third to five times in the length of the
. snout, and from 10 to 11 times in the length of the head.
In the individual of Dec. 4, 1895, the lateral line tubes are
distributed over various parts of the sides without much regu-
larity except in the median line. There are no black spots.
About 20 entire, blotchlike, irregular cross bands and several
parts of bands and blotches intervening. The lower third of
306 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the pectoral is pink. The dorsal, caudal and anal with dark
blotches making pseudo bands. Iris lemon yellow overlying sil-
very white. The general color is olive green with golden tints.
The two males of May 4, 1896, furnished the following color
notes.
Olive green tinged with golden bronze; sides with about 23.
irregular dusky blotches resembling interrupted bands; dorsal.,.
caudal and anal with numerous large dusky blotches, those on
dorsal and anal almost forming bands; iris lemon yellow and.
silvery in the larger, almost vermilion and orange in smaller; a.
dark blotch at upper edge of opercle.
The Chautauqua lake mascalonge, according to James Anninm
jr who sent the specimens, is a very fine food and game fish,
and attains to the weight of 50 pounds. In the spring of 1895
it was not unusual to capture individuals weighing from 40 to:
50 pounds, and 20 to 30 pounds was a very common weight. In
winter the fish frequent nearly the same localities as in sum-
mer, being found in the vicinity of water plants. When the lake:
becomes very clear in February, they go into deep water, but
they live in deep water more or less all the year.
For the)fish culture operations the nets are set as soon after
the first of April as the ice leaves the lake. The fish begin to>
spawn a few days after and continue till the latter part of April.
They go into shallower water for spawning; most of them
spawn in from 10 to 15 feet of water. They do not resort to-
the gravel, like many other fish, but to mud, generally going
into bays. The eggs are placed in boxes, all of which are pro-
vided with screens at top and bottom. The bottom has an extra
screen, to prevent minnows from injuring the eggs. The boxes:
are sunk from 1 foot to 2 feet under the surface of the water..
Every day or two they are drawn up, the covers removed, and all.
bad eggs and sediment cleaned out.
During the first experiments in Chautauqua lake, N. Y. Monroe:
Green and Jonathan Mason obtained the eggs in April and May
1890, and these were artificially hatched. A large female:
yielded 60,000 eggs. With the water at the temperature of 40°
FISHES OF NEW YORK 307
to 46° very few of the eggs were developed, but when it neared
60°, in May, better results were secured. May 27, 75,000 young
fish were planted in the lake. The eggs were hatched in a box
suspended about 4 feet from the bottom in 18 feet of water.
Family POECILIIDAE
Killifishes
Genus FunpuLus Lacépéde
Body rather elongate, little elevated, compressed behind;
mouth moderate, the lower jaw projecting, jaws each with two
or more series of pointed teeth, usually forming a narrow band,
bones of the mandible firmly united; scales moderate; gill open-
ing not restricted above, the opercle with its margin not adnate
to shoulder girdle; preopercie, preorbital, and mandible with
mucous pores; dorsal and anal fins similar, small, or rather
large, the dorsal inserted either in front of, above, or \behind,
the front of anal; ventrals well developed; air bladder present;
sexes differing in color, size, and development of the fins, the
anal fin in the male normal; intestinal canal short; first superior
pharyngeal without teeth, second with teeth, third and fourth
coossified, with teeth. Species very numerous, mostly Ameri-
can, inhabiting fresh waters and arms of the sea. They are
the largest in size of the cyprinodonts, and some of them are
very brightly colored. They are oviparous and feed chiefly on
animals. Some of them are bottom fishes, burying themselves
in the mud of estuaries; others swim freely in river channels
and bays; still others are “top minnows,” surface swimmers,
feeding on floating insects in swamps and streams.
153 Fundulus majalis (Walbaum)
Bass Kully
Cobitis majalis WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisc. III, 12, 1792, Long Island.
Esox flavulus MitcHiL1i, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 439, pl. IV, fig.
8, 1815, New York.
Esoz zonatus MITCHILL, op. cit. 440, 1815, New York.
Fundulus fasciatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 216, pl. 31, fig. 98, 1842.
Hydrargyra majalis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVIII, 207,
1846. ~
308 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Fundulus majalis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, VI, 322, 1866; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 331, 1888; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm.
Fish. N. Y. 274, pl. XXII, figs. 28 & 29, 1890; Fishes Penna, 84, pl. 27,
fig. 51, 1898; JornpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 689, 1896,
pl. CI, figs. 271, 271la, 271b, 1900; Bran, 52d Ann, Rept. N. Y. State
Mus. 98, 1900.
The body is stout, oblong, not very deep or greatly com-
pressed. The head is contained nearly two and one half times
in the total length without caudal, and the depth four times.
The snout is moderately long, one and one half times as long
as the eye; the eye one fifth as long as head. The scales are
moderately large, those on the head about equal to the average
of those on the body; scales on the cheeks in about three longi-
tudinal rows; about 12 rows between dorsal origin and nape.
The pectoral in both sexes equals the distance from the middle
of the eye to the end of the head. The ventral and anal are
longer in the male than in the female. In the male the ventral
is one half as long‘as the head, in the female only about two
fifths of the head. The longest anal ray of the male equals
four fifths of the length of the head, while in the female it is
scarcely more than one half as long as the head. ‘The dorsal
of the male is differently shaped from that of the female, its
last rays being nearly as long as the longest, while in the female
the last ray is not much more than one half the length of
longest ray. D.18-14; A.11. Scales 35-15.
The sexes may be at once distinguished by their difference
in color, the female having several narrow lateral stripes, while
the male has distinct cross bands varying from 12 to 20 in num-
ber. In the male the sides and upper parts are dark olivaceous;
the sides are silvery, lower parts a beautiful yellowish green;
the sides are also marked by a varying number of dark bands,
the width of which varies also. A large black spot on the
operculum. The dorsal is olivaceous with a black blotch, some-
times circular in form, on the last three or four rays. The
pectorals are yellowish; ventrals yellowish green; anal oliva-
ceous; caudal orange. In the female the lower parts are white,
upper parts olivaceous, and along the sides is a median dark
FISHES OF NEW YORK 309
band, and below this are two short, interrupted dark bars. Two
or more short, transverse, dark bars on the caudal peduncle.
The striped killifish, also known as the banded or striped
mummichog, bass mummy, bass fry, mayfish, yellow-tail, and
New York gudgeon, is the largest member of its family known
on our eastern coast. Its range extends from Cape Cod to
Florida. Prof. Cope thinks that in Pennsylvania it probably
ascends the Delaware as far as the boundary of the state, and
I see no reason to doubt its occurrence even in fresh water.
The female is usually larger than the male, and examples
measuring 8 inches iv length have been recorded. It swarms
in shallow bays and salt marshes, and though not used as food,
it is extremely important for the subsistence of economic species
and is, also, extensively used for bait. The name bass mummy,
applied to the species on Long Island, refers to its use in the
capture of striped bass.. The species breeds in summer, and
the young are abundant in shallow water among eel grass and
other aquatic plants.
A permanent resident in Gravesend bay. In winter it inhabits
deep, muddy holes at the mouths of creeks. In captivity it is
the least hardy of all the marine killifishes.
154 Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus)
Killifish ; Mummichog
Cobitis heteroclita LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 500, 1766, Charles-
ton, S. C.
Poecilia macrolepidota WaALBAuM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. III, 11, 1792, Long
Island.
Esoz pisciculus M1TcHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 440, 1815, New
York. ,
Esox pisculentus MITCHILL, op. cit. 441, 1815, New York.
Fundulus viridescens DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 217, pl. 31, fig. 99, 1842,
New York.
Fundulus zebra DE KaAy, op. cit. 218, 1842, New York.
Fundulus pisculentus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 294, 1867.
Fundulus heteroclitus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 318, 1866; JoRDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 336, 18838; Bran, 19th Rep.
Comm. Fish. N. Y. 274, pl. XXIII, fig. 30, 1890; Fishes Penna. 86,
pl. 28, fig. 52, 1893; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 98, 1900.
F'undulus heteroclitus macrolepidotus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8.
Nat. Mus. 641, 1896, pl. CII, fig. 273, male, 1900; Mearns, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 317, 1898, salt creeks along the Hudson.
a
{
310 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ~
The body is short and stout in both sexes; its depth one fourth
of the length including the tail and slightly greater than the
length of the head. The head is moderately short, with an
obtuse snout and the space between the eyes very flat. The
lower jaw projects slightly. The eye is about two thirds as
long as the snout and one fifth the length of the head. The
pectoral reaches to the ninth or tenth row of scales; its length
is equal to the base of the dorsal. The dorsal is considerably
nearer to the end of the tail than to the tip of the snout; its:
longest ray in the female one half the length of head. The anal
is entirely under the dorsal; its longest ray equals the longest
of the dorsal, its base about one third the length of head. The
ventral origin is under about the twelfth scale of the median
line, its length two thirds of that of the pectoral, considerably :
less than half the head; when extended it reaches nearly to:
vent. The least depth of the caudal peduncle is one seventh of
the length including caudal. All the fins have rounded out-
lines, and the caudal is specially convex. Scales 14-35. D. 11;
v2 Xaa 0) Es
The females are nearly uniform olivaceous, lighter below;.
caudal with a median narrow band of a paler color; most of the
‘scales having a narrow, dusky submarginal streak; the scales
of the head very irregularly arranged and unequal in size. The
males are dark greenish, with many narrow, irregular, silvery
bars on the sides and with the belly yellowish or orange. The
sides are also more or less spotted with white or yellow. The
dorsal, anal and caudal are dark with many small pale spots..
On the last rays of the dorsal there is frequently a dark blotch,
which sometimes is surrounded by paler, giving it an ocellated
appearance. In the young this blotch is often subdivided into
two parts. Narrow dark bands are sometimes present in the
young male.
The killifish has been found in the Delaware by Prof. Cope.
It is frequently called mummichog or salt-water minnow, and
the name mudfish has also been applied to it. , In the vicinity of
Boston it is known to boys under the name of cobbler, and on
Long Island it is called mummy or chog-mummy.
a ee,
‘.
a
‘
f ,.
‘
4
:
FISHES OF NEW YORK Sue
This is the killifish of Schépff, the yellow-bellied and the
white-bellied killifish of Mitchill, and the big killifish and barred
killifish of DeKay. The Indian name mummichog is applied to
this as well as to other species, and some persons call it the salt-
water minnow. In Great South bay it is the mummy or chog-
mummy. It is extremely abundant in all parts of the bay, and
serves as food for larger fishes.
The striking difference in the colors of the two sexes has led
to their separation under distinct names by Mitchill, DeKay and
‘other writers.
It grows to the length of 5 or 6 inches; it has no importance as
a food fish, but is eaten in large numbers by many of the
valuable economic fishes, particularly the striped bass and the
weakfish. Dr Storer says it is an excellent bait for smelts.
Piscivorous birds consume it in large quantities, and domestic
ducks have been known to swallow it with apparent great relish.
Eggs have been found in this species as late as August. It
spawns in the spring and early summer, and the young are found
in great schools in summer in the eelgrass and on sandy beaches
in company with other species of killifish, the common silver-
side and various other fishes.
The killifish is a permanent resident in Gravesend bay, winter-
ing in deep, muddy holes near the mouths of creeks. According
to Eugene Smith, it stands captivity well and is often found
landlocked in ice or quarry ponds. The flesh has a sweet taste.
‘The range of the species is from Maine to South Carolina,
usually in shallow salt or brackish water, but sometimes
ascending streams beyond tidewater.
155 Fundulus diaphanus (Le Sueur)
Fresh-water Killy
Hydrargira diaphana LE SvEuR, Jour. Ac, Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 180, 1817,
Saratoga Lake; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 219, 1842.
Hydrargira multifasciata LE SUEUR, op. cit. 181, 1817, Saratoga Lake;
DE KAY, op. cit. 220.
Hydrargyra swampina CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVIII,
208, 1845, New Jersey.
Fundulus multifasciatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit, Mus. VI, 324, 1866.
Fundulus swampina JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 332,
1883.
fo)
812 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Fundulus diaphanus JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 334, 1883; HucH M. Sirs,
Bull. U. S. F.C. X, 65, 1890; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 645, 1896, pl. CITI, figs. 275, 275a, 1900; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
85, 1893; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 98, 1900; Mrarns, Bull.
Am, Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898.
The body is moderately slender and elongate, its greatest
depth equaling about two ninths of the total length without |
tail, or somewhat less than the length of the head. The head
is flat above, the width between the eyes equal to nearly half
the length of head. The mouth is very protractile, small, its.
width somewhat greater than the length of the lower jaw. The
upper jaw is as long as the eye, a little more than one fourth
the length of head, which equals about one fourth of total
length without caudal. The length of the dorsal base equals.
the depth of the body and much exceeds length of anal base.
Length of longest dorsal ray less than one half of head; longest
anal ray two thirds of length of head. The dorsal is midway
between the tip of the snout and the root of the caudal. The
anal is wholly under the dorsal. Length of pectoral six and one
half times in total. Caudal large, convex behind.. D. 14; A. 12.
Scales 44-46-13. |
The females are olivaceous with silvery; sides traversed by 15
to 25 narrow, dark cross bands; fins pale. The males, at least
in the breeding season, are pale olive with about 20 pearly white
cross bands.
The barred killifish, also known as the spring mummichog
and toothed minnow, inhabits the Great lakes and their tribu-
taries, east to Massachusetts, south to Virginia and Indiana,
west to Colorado, according to Cope south to Texas. The
species was first made known from Saratoga lake. It is very
abundant in the Lake Ontario region, having been taken by
U. S. Fish Commission collectors at the following New York
localities.
Mud creek, Cape Vincent June 25
Grenadier island, Lake Ontario June 28
Horse island, Sacketts Harbor - June 30
Mill Creek, Sacketts Harbor July 2
CoO
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FISHES OF NEW YORK
Stony Island July 2 and 3
Little Stony brook, Henderson bay July 4
Guffon creek, Chaumont ‘a layed
Chaumont river July L0
Great Sodus bay Aug. 6
Creek near Pultneyville | Ae Oe
Long pond, Charlotte Aug. £7
St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdens-
burg July 17
According to Dr Meek, it is common on the flats and in the
southern end of Cayuga lake, also in streams on the uplands, at
Cayuga and Montezuma. Dr Mearns took it in Echo lake and
Long pond. of the Hudson Highlands. The state museum
secured numerous individuals from Shinnecock bay July 21,
Scallop pond, Peconic bay July 28, and Mecox bay Aug. 1, 1898.
The fish is very common in a lake at 110th street and 5th
avenue, Central park, New York city.
In Eugene Smith’s experience the species throve better in
the aquarium than any other killifish except Fundulus
heteroclitus, and became very tame in captivity, though
always attacking the fins of other fishes. In the New York
aquarium the fish proved to be very delicate, usually dying from
fungus attacks before the salt water treatment removed the
parasite.
In Ohio, and west, is found a variety with very distinct and
somewhat irregular bands and:-the back always spotted, which
has been called variety menona by Jordan and Copeland.
Eastern specimens have the back unspotted and the cross bands
faint and regular, but extremely variable in number. The dif-
ference in coloration of the sexes is very striking, specially in
the breeding season, when the adult males have silvery cross
bands.
The barred killifish grows to the length of 4 inches. It runs
down into brackish waters along the east coast and ascends far
up the streams, delighting in cold water. It is eaten in large
numbers by the striped bass and the weakfish. In the fresh
waters the black bass and trout also feed on it.
314 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Genus Lucanta Girard
The body oblong, compressed; lower jaw prominent, the cleft
of the mouth short and very oblique; mouth moderate, the snout
not produced, each jaw with a single series of conical teeth;
scales very large; gill openings not restricted; dorsal and anal
rayS in moderate number, the dorsal above or slightly in
advance of the anal; anal fin not modified in the males.. Very
small, oviparous fishes of the brackish waters, swamps and
shallow bays of the United States.
156 Lucania parva (Baird & Girard)
Rawmeater Fish
Cyprinodon parvus BAIRD & GIRARD, Ninth Smithsonian Rept. 345, 1866,
Greenport, Long Island; GunTHEeR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 307,
1866. ;
Lucania parva JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 893, 1883; BEAN,
Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, pl..II, fig. 18, 1888; 19th-Rep: Comm,
‘Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; Hueu M. Smiry, Bull. U. S. F. C. X, 68, 1890;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 665, 1896, pl. CIX, fig.
292, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 99, 1900.
Body rather short and stout in the adult, its greatest depth
two sevenths of the length to base of caudal; caudal peduncle
moderately long and deep, its least depth nearly one half the
length of head; the mouth small, oblique, with heavy projecting
lower jaw; snout short, nearly equal to eye, about two ninths
as long as the head; eye rather large, its horizontal. diameter
two sevenths as long as the head; head stout, with obtuse muz-
zle, its length nearly one third of the total to base of caudal;
dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and base of middle
caudal rays, the dorsal base about one fifth of total length to
caudal base, the longest dorsal ray one half as long as the head, ©
the last dorsal ray a little more than one third as long as the
head. The anal fin begins under the middle of the dorsal, its
base as long as the snout and eye combined, its longest ray one
half as long as the head. The ventral is slightly in advance
of the dorsal, its length three eighths of length of head. The
pectoral reaches slightly beyond the origin of dorsal, its length
nearly one fifth of total length to base of caudal. Caudal large,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 315
roundish, scarcely truncate behind in the adult. D. ii, 8; A. ii, 6;
WV, 5.., Scales 10-27.
Color in life: males olive or pale brown, with bluish reflec-
tions, edges of the scales darker, dorsal dusky orange, some-
times with a large, black spot at the base in front, ocellated
with orange, caudal orange yellow, tipped with black, ventrals
and anal orange red, tipped with dusky, pectorals translucent;
females with the fins pale olive, without black spot or edgings.
Length 14 to 2 inches.
The species is found along the coast in brackish waters from
Massachusetts to Florida; very common on Long Island. Abun-
dant in Peconic, Shinnecock, and Great South bays, and in a
fresh-water stream at Water Mill L.1.; not yet reported from
Gravesend bay. It seldom exceeds 14 inches in length and is
interesting chiefly on account of its translucent body and grace-
ful movements. It has not proved hardy in captivity.
The species was first described by Prof. Baird from Green-
port Li. T. za
P Genus cyprinopon Lacépéede
Body very short and stout, the back elevated; mouth small,
the bones of the jaws well formed; snout short; teeth mod-
erate, incisorlike, tricuspid, in a single series; scales very large;
dorsal fin moderate, inserted in advance of front of anal, its
first ray not enlarged; anai smaller; ventral fins small, occasion-
ally wanting in specimens from desert pools; intestinal canal
little longer than body; gill membranes considerably united, free
from the isthmus; gill openings restricted, the opercle above
adnate to the shoulder girdle. Chubby little fishes, inhabiting
the brackish waters of middle America, sometimes living in
warm salt springs, their colors generally brilliant. Oviparous;
the sexes similar except in color.
157 Cyprinodon variegatus Lacépéde
Sheepshead Minnow
Cyprinodon variegatus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 486, 1808, South Caro-
lina; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 305, 1866; JorDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 329, 1888; Bran, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148,
1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y.
State Mus. 99, 1900; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
671, 1896, pl. CXI, fig. 296, 296a, 1900.
316 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Esor ovinus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 441, pi. IV, fig. 7,
1815, New York.
Lebias ovinus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 215, pl. 27, fig. 84, 1842.
Lebias ellipsoides LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 6, pl. 2, figs. 1, 2,.
1821; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 179, 1846. .
Body short and stout, heavy anteriorly, its width more than
one half its hight, its greatest hight two fifths to nearly one
half of total length to base of caudal, the males higher than
the females; caudal peduncle short, its least depth equal to
postorbital part of head; head conical, its width at gill covers
equal to its length without the snout, its length one third of —
total without caudal; jaws very short, mouth small, terminal,
slightly oblique when closed, the lower jaw somewhat promi-
nent, the upper protractile; the maxilla curved abruptly down-
ward at the end, about as long as the eye, not reaching to the
front margin of the orbit; eye circular, longer than snout, not
quite one fourth as long as the head, placed near the top of the
skull, about two thirds of width of interorbital space; dorsal
origin a little nearer to tip of snout than to base of middle
caudal rays, the dorsal base, in males, as long as the head with-
out the snout, three and two thirds in total length without
caudal,.the longest dorsal ray, in males, about equal to length
of head, and twice as long as the last ray. The ventral reaches
nearly or quite to anal origin, its length one half length of head.
The anal base is two fifths as long as the head, its longest ray
one fifth of total without caudal. The pectoral is narrow and
as long as the head in males, reaching almost to the beginning
of the anal; in females it is not quite so long as the head, and
does not reach beyond the middle of the ventral. Caudal fin
short and truncate, its length about one fourth of the total
without caudal, and about equal to the head without the snout.
D. 11; A. 10; B. 6. Scales 17-28.
This is known in Great South bay as the porgy mummy.
Mitchill recorded it as more rare than the other killifishes.
DeKay has it as the Sheepshead Lebias.
This little fish seldom exceeds 2 inches in length. The males
are more brightly colored and higher bodied than the females,
and have a narrow, dark margin to the caudal fin.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 317
The Sheepshead killifish ranges from Cape Cod to Florida. It
is not important except as food for other fishes. Very common
in salt water ditches.
One of the best of its family for aquarium purposes, as it
thrives and breeds in captivity; the young, however, may be
eaten by their parents.
Order SYNENTOGNATHI
Family ESOCIDAE
Needlefishes
Genus TYLOSURUS Cocco
Body elongate, very slender, not much compressed; both jaws
prolonged into a beak, the lower jaw somewhat the longer,
much the longer in young fishes, the very young resembling
Hemiramphus; each.jaw armed with a band of small,
sharp teeth, beside which is a series of longer, wide set, sharp,
conical, unequal teeth; no teeth on vomer or palatines; scales
small, thin; lateral line running along the side of the belly,
becoming median on the tail; no finlets; dorsal fin more or less
elevated anteriorly; caudal fin short, unequally lunated or
forked; pectorals moderate; ventrals small, the latter inserted
behind the middle of the body; gill rakers obsolete; bones
usually more or less green; size comparatively large. Species
numerous. Voracious fishes, chiefly American; one species
crossing to Europe; some of them entering rivers. This genus
differs from the old world genus Esox (Linnaeus) Rafinesque
(= Belone, Cuvier) in the absence of gill rakers and of vom-
. erine teeth.
158 Tylosurus marinus (Walbaum)
Billfish; Silver Gar
Esor marinus WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pise. III, 88, 1792, based on ScHopr,.
Sea Snipe, Long Island.
Esox longirostris MitcHILL, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 322, March, 1818.
Belone truncata LE SuEvR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. IT, 126, 1821; Dz Kay,
N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 227, pl. 35, fig: 112, 1842; Guntruer, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. VI, 244, 1866; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 136, pl. XXIV,
fig. 3, 1867.
Tylosurus longirostris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 874,
1883.
)
318 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Tylosurus marinus JORDAN & Forpicr, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 351, 1886;
BEAN, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish.
N. Y. 2738, 1890; Fishes Penna. 97, 1893; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 714, 1896; Mearns, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.
X, 318, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 99, 1900.
Body long, slender and somewhat compressed. The depth of
the body is less than one fifth of length of head; the eye is
rather large, two fifths of the length of the postorbital part of
the head. The pectoral is as long as the postorbital part of
the head and twice as long as the ventral. The distance of the
dorsal from the root of the caudal is one fourth its distance
from the tip of the lower jaw. The anal ends under the end of
the dorsal and begins in advance of the dorsal origin. The ven-
tral is almost equidistant from the root of the caudal and the
hind margin of the eye. D.15 to 16; A. 15 to 17; V. 6.
The body is green with a broad silvery band along the sides
and a dark bar on the operculum. The scales and bones are
green.
The silver gar, also called soft gar, billfish and needlefish, is
found along our coast from Maine to Texas, and, though a
marine species, it ascends rivers far above the limits of tides.
It has been found in the Susquehanna river at Bainbridge Pa.,
and it also runs up the Delaware, the Hudson and other rivers.
Schoépff is authority for the names sea pike and sea snipe for
this species at New York. Mitchill refers to it as the long-jawed
fresh-water pike, and also as the billfish, a name still in use in
various localities for this fish. Billed eel is the name used in
Great South bay. DeKay calls it the banded garfish. Still
another name used for the species is needlefish; and it is said
that gar is derived from a Saxon word meaning needle. _
The species is found on our coast from Maine to the Gulf of
Mexico. Mearns has found it in the Hudson and its estuaries in
autumn. Mitchill observed it so frequently in that river that
he considered it an inhabitant of fresh water. In Gravesend
bay the fish occurs from June to September. In Shinnecock
bay, Mecox bay, and Great South bay the writer collected it
almost everywhere.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 319
This species reaches a length of 4 feet. It is very destructive
to small fishes, which are readily seized in its long and strongly
toothed jaws. In the Gulf of Mexico the habits of the silver
gar have been observed by Silas Stearns, whose notes are to be
found in the Fishery Industries of the United States. It is found
at Pensacola Fla. in the summer, but retreats farther south in
the winter.
The silver gar swims at the surface and feeds on schools of
small fish, On the New York coast it devours killifishes,
anchovies, silversides, and other little species. Its movements
are swift and its aim certain. It has been known to seize
mullet and other fish one third as large as itself and is some-
times killed by attempting to swallow spiny fish too large to
pass through its throat. It spawns in the bays in May and June.
Mr Stearns found it to be an excellent food fish, though it is
seldom eaten on the Florida coast.
Though the fish is one of excellent flavor and, according to
DeKay, greatly relished by epicures, it meets with little favor in
northern markets. Nothing is recorded about its breeding
habits except the statement of Silas Stearns that it spawns in
the bays of the Gulf coast in May and June. The fish is not
hardy in transportation and in captivity.
159 Tylosurus raphidoma (Ranzani)
Houndfish ; Guardfish
Belone raphidoma RANZANI, Noy. Comm. Ac. Nat. Sci. Inst. Bonon, V, 359,
pl. 87, fig. 1, 1842, Brazil; GunrHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 249,
1866.
Belone gerania CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVIII, 487,
1846, Martinique; GUNTHER, op. cit. 241, 1866.
Belone crassa PorEy, Memorias, II, 291, 1861, Cuba.
Belone melanochira Pory, op. cit. 294, 1861; GUNTHER, op. cit. 249, 1866.
Tylosurus gladius BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 239, 430, 1882, Pensacola;
Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, pi. Il, fig. 15, 1888, young, Ocean City,
IN: Sale
Tylosurus crassus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 112, 1884.
Tylosurus raphidoma JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. (AD:
1896, pl. CXVI, fig. 308, 1900.
Body robust, little compressed, its greatest width a little more
than two thirds its greatest depth, which is about one fourth
320 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the length of head and one thirteenth of total to base of caudal;
caudal peduncle slightly depressed, a little broader than deep,
with a slight dermal keel; head broad, broader above than
below, three tenths of total length to base of caudal; inter-
orbital space nearly two thirds of length of postorbital part of
head, with a broad, shallow, naked, median groove, which is
wider behind and forks at the nape; supraorbital bones with
radiating striae; distance between nostrils a little more than
one sixth of length of snout; jaws comparatively short, strong,
tapering, very stiff, lower jaw wider and longer than upper, both
jaws with broad bands of small teeth on the sides, within these
a series of very large knife-shaped teeth. The length of the
longest teeth is a little more than three times their breadth.
Posterior teeth in both jaws directed backward, anterior teeth
erect, number of large teeth about 25 on each side of the upper
jaw and 23 below, length of the large teeth about one fifth of
diameter of eye, no vomerine teeth. Upper jaw from eye about
one and three fourth times as long as the rest of the head; eye
large, one seventh as long as snout, three eighths of postorbital
part of head, and five ninths of interorbital width; maxillary
entirely covered by preorbital; cheeks densely scaled; opercles
scaly only along anterior margin; scales minute, specially on
the back, somewhat larger below. JDorsal fin rather high in
front, becoming low posteriorly, the hight of its anterior lobe
equaling postorbital part of head, its longest ray two fifths of
length of dorsal base. In a young example, 64 inches long, the
posterior part of the dorsal is much elevated, the longest ray
equaling the distance from middle of pupil to end of head.
Caudal fin lunate, its lower lobe nearly one half longer than
the upper; middle rays about as long as eye; anal fin falcate, low
posteriorly, its anterior lobe equal to anterior dorsal lobe; ven-
tral fins inserted midway between base of caudal and middle of
eye, a little shorter than pectorals, and equal to postorbital part
of head; upper ray of pectorals broad, sharp edged, length of
pectoral three and two fifths in head, and slightly greater than
postorbital part of head. D. i, 21-23; A. i, 20-23; V. 6; P. 14.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 321
Color dark green above, silvery below; dorsal and pectoral
blackish; ventrals somewhat dusky; anal yellowish, the lobe
slightly soiled; caudal dusky olivaceous; no suborbital bar and
no scapular spot; a slight dusky shade on upper posterior part of
cheeks, and a yellowish bar on anterior edge of opercle; caudal
keel black.
This species is very closely allied to T. fodiator Jordan
& Gilbert, described from Mazatlan, differing from it appar-
ently in its longer jaws, slightly greater number of fin rays,
and larger scales. Here described from the type of T.
gladius Bean, which is 29 inches long.
A young example was seined at Ocean City N. J. Aug. 1, 1887.
D. i, 21; A. i, 20. Length 64 inches.
A dark cutaneous flap attached along the side of the mandible
and folded underneath, meeting its fellow of the opposite side
and concealing a small part of the lower jaw; dorsal black,
except on the first six rays, which are pale, much elevated at
the posterior part, where the longest ray equals the distance
from the middle of the eye to the end of the head. 14 black
blotches on sides not extending to caudal, the largest two thirds
as wide as length of eye; paired fins and anal pale; caudal the
same, except anterior half of upper lobe, on which the membrane
covering the rays is black, while the intervals between the rays
are pale; back greenish; under surface, except mandibular flap,
- silvery.
This species has not previously been recorded in the region.
The usual range of the species is from the West Indies and
Florida Keys to Brazil; the young straying northward occa-
sionally in summer. The fish reaches a length of 5 feet and is
sometimes dangerous to fishermen in its powerful leaps from
the water. The scales and bones are green; the flesh is little
esteemed for food on this account. A description and figure of
the young are published by Bean in the Bulletin of the U.S. Fish
Commission for 1887, p. 146, pl. 2, fig. 15.
322 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
160 Tylosurus acus (Lacépede)
Houndfish
Sphyraena acus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss..V,/ 6, pl fig. By AL S80s8e
Martinique.
Belone latimana Pory, Memorias, II, 290, 1861, Havana; GuNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 249, 1866.
Belone jonesi Goopr, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 295, 1877, Bermuda; GUNTHER,
Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ITI, 150, 1879.
Belone caribbea GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 241, 1866, not of
LE SUEUR.
Tylosurus acus JORDAN & FORDICE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 355, 1886; JorDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 716, 1896, pl. CX VI, fig. 309,
1900. .
Body slightly compressed, its greatest depth one twentieth of
total length, its greatest width about one twenty-eighth of the
same; free part of tail somewhat depressed, quadrate, its
depth one third of greatest hight of body; caudal carinae moder-
ate, black; head somewhat depressed above, striated, with a
broad, shallow median groove which expands posteriorly into a
wide, somewhat depressed triangular area, length of head con-
. tained three and one fourth times in total length without caudal;
superciliary region sharply striated; snout equal to maxillary,
one fifth of total length, and three times postorbital part of head;
mandible slightly shorter than distance from snout to nape, 10
times vertical diameter of eye, and projecting beyond tip of upper
jaw; eye equal to width of interorbital area and one eighth of
length of head; teeth large, sharp, not very close, maxillary teeth —
about 60, the largest one sixth as long as the eye; mandibular
teeth about 60, the largest one ninth as long as the eye; no
vomerine teeth; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout
equal to two and one fifth times length of head, stightly behind
anal origin, length of dorsal base five times long diameter of
eye, greatest hight of dorsal fin equal to greatest width of head,
and contained seven and one half times in length of head, last
dorsal ray about one third of anterior rays; anal base terminat-
ing anterior!y to end of dorsal at a distance equal to length of
first dorsal ray; ventral origin midway between front of orbit
and base of middle caudal rays, length of ventrals one seventh
FISHES OF NEW YORK 320
of length of head; length of pectoral slightly greater than that
of postorbital part of head; caudal forked, the lower rays about
one fourth longer than the upper. D. 23-24; A. 21-22; P. 13; V.5;
B.12. Scales in lateral line (estimated) 380. ,
Above deep green, below silvery white, opercles and cheeks
silvery white, anterior rays of dorsal and pectoral fins blackish,
caudal carinae also blackish.
“The houndfish, as it is called in Bermuda, is a graceful,
active species attaining to the length of 3 feet or more. It fre-
quents swift tide courses, where it preys upon small fishes, par-
ticularly the schools of silversides and anchovies. It takes the
hook well.” Goode
The species occurs in the West Indies and sometimes strays
northward as far as Buzzards bay in summer; it was first
described from Martinique. Individuals have been recorded from
Beaufort N. C.
Family HEMIRHAMPHIDAE
Balaos
Genus HYPORHAMPHUS Gill
Body elongate, moderately compressed, the sides of the body
not vertical, but more or less convex; the dorsal outline parallel
with that of the belly; upper jaw short, lower jaw prolonged
into a slender beak, bordered with membrane, this beak
shorter in the young; premaxillaries forming a triangular
plate, the teeth of which fit against the toothed part of
the mandible; maxillaries joined to premaxillaries; teeth
feeble, mostly tricuspid; gill rakers rather long; head covered
above with large, shieldlike scales; scales large, deciduous; no
finlets; caudal fin more or less forked, the lower lobe the longer;
dorsal and anal similar, opposite each other, not modified in the
males, last ray of dorsal usually short; ventrals small, inserted
well forward, nearly midway between opercle and base of caudal.
Oviparous. Air bladder large, simple, not cellular. Young with
the lower jaw short. Sides in our species with a distinct silvery
band, asin Atherina. Species numerous, in all warm seas,
324 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
going in large schools, but usually remaining near shore, feeding
chiefly on green algae. Size comparatively small.
161 Hyporhamphus roberti (Cuv. & Val.)
Halfbeak
Hemirhamphus roberti CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 24,
1846, Cayenne; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 268, 1866; Merk &
Goss, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sei. Phila; 223, 1884; BEAN, Bull. Ul Sab.
VII, 147, pl. IJ], fig. 16, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. No ¥. 274,
1890,
Hemirhamphus unifasciatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
376, 1883.
Hyporhamphus roberti JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N, A. 321,
1896; Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 721, 1896, pl. CXVII, fig. 312, 1900;
BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 100, 1900.
Body compressed, elongate, its greatest depth one eighth of
total length to caudal base, its greatest width equal to post-
orbital part of head; caudal peduncle short and deep, its least
depth equal to eye. From eye to end of upper jaw equals one
third the distance from end of upper jaw to hind margin of
opercle. Head including lower jaw three eighths of total
length without caudal, without projecting part of lower jaw
two elevenths of the same; eye equal to interorbital width,
about one eighth of length of head (one fourth of head to end
of upper jaw); projecting part of lower jaw a little longer than
rest of head; dorsal origin over the anal origin, 34 rows of
scales between it and the nape, base of dorsal equal to eye and
postorbital part of head combined, longest dorsal ray equal
to postorbital part of head, last dorsal ray less than one half the
longest, and about two thirds of the eye; anal base slightly
shorter than dorsal base, longest anal ray slightly longer than-
postorbital part of head, last anal ray one half of eye; ventral
origin about midway between eye and base of caudal, the fin
about as long as the postorbital part of head; pectoral base
high, on the level with the eye, the fin about as long as upper
jaw and eye combined; caudal fin symmetrically forked, the
middle rays two thirds as long as the external, and nearly twice
as long as the eye (from end of scales only a little longer than
the eye); dorsal and anal fins densely scaled; lateral line com-
FISHES OF NEW YORK Dae
mencing at the isthmus, running close to the ventral edge of
the body to the origin of the ventrals, where it rises slightly
and is discontinued over the end of the anal base. D. ii, 13;
A. i, 15; V. i, 6; P. 10; B. 12. Scales 7-54; vertebrae 34417—51.
Translucent green above; the scales above with dark edges;
a narrow silvery band, about one half the width of eye, along
the side from axil of pectoral to base of caudal; tip of lower
jaw crimson in life and with a short filament; three narrow
dark streaks along middle of back; anterior part of dorsal and
anal and tips of caudal dusky, almost black; peritoneum black.
‘The halfbeak is occasionally found on our northern coast to
Cape Cod, but appears to have been unknown to Mitchill and
De Kay. The species ranges southward to the Gulf of Mexico.
We found 12 small examples Oct. 1, 1890, at Fire island. Two
young examples were taken in Great Egg Harbor bay in 1887,
and a larger one, 64 inches long, was taken in the same locality.
According to B. A. Bean this fish was not abundant in the
‘Chesapeake, at Cape Charles, Va., during September 1890.
The halfbeak is a rare fish in New York waters. It attracts
attention because of the great inequality in the length of the
jaws, the lower jaw being many times as long as the short
upper jaw. One of the most striking color marks of this fish
is the crimson tip of the lower jaw. The body is silvery, darker
on the back, and has a distinct silvery lateral stripe.
In 1898 the writer collected this species for the New York
state museum in small numbers in Great South bay, during
August and September. Only one adult was obtained. The
localities are: south side Great South bay,:-Clam Pond cove,
and Horsefoot creek. This fish, like the silver gar, is readily
taken at night by means of a lantern. The light dazes the fish,
So that it does not see the net.
Genus EULEPTORHAMPHUs Gill
This genus consists of pelagic species related to Hemi-
rhamphus, the body much more slender and greatly com-
| pressed, and the pectorals very long, approaching those of the
flying fishes. Ventrals small, inserted posteriorly. Air blad-
326 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
der not described, probably cellular. One species in our
limits.
162 Euleptorhamphus velox Poey (?)
Slender Halfbeak
Euleptorhamphus velox Pory, Syn. Pise. Cubens, 388, 1867, Cuba; Jorpaw
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 724, 1896.
?Hemirhamphus longirostris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 276, 1866.
Euleptorhamphus longirostris PUTNAM, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 238, 1870;
Hemirhamphus (Euleptorhamphus) longirostris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 377, 1888.
Body much compressed, elongate, its greatest depth one
eleventh of total length from tip of upper jaw to base of caudal;
greatest width of head equal to long diameter of eye; least
depth of caudal peduncle two thirds of eye; snout equal to eye,
three and one third in head (length of head here is from tip of
upper jaw to hind margin of opercle); length of head including
lower jaw two fifths of total to base of caudal, the lower jaw
projecting beyond, upper a distance equal to three times rest
of head; eye three in head, greater than interorbital width;
dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout equal to four and
two thirds times length of head (without lower jaw), dorsal
base equal to nearly three times hight of body, longest dorsal
ray two thirds length of head; the anal begins under the third
ray of the dorsal, its base two and one third times hight of
body, its longest ray equal to hight of body; ventral short,
slightly shorter than eye, three and two thirds in head, extend-
ing nearly half way to anal origin; pectorals long, reaching half
way from pectoral origin to anal origin, nearly twice as long as
the head; caudal.lobes very unequal, the upper much shorter
than the lower. D.22; A.21; V.6; P.7, the upper very broad
and long, the others slender. The back with a very thin edge.
Color light brown above, the sides from the upper edge of the
pectoral base downward bright silvery, this extending also on
the head. Bs |
The species is found in the West Indies; it has been taken at
Newport R. I., and at Cape Cod. It reaches a length of 18
inches. The Hemirhamphus macrorhynchus of
FISHES OF NEW YORK oat
Cuvier and Valenciennes, taken in the south Pacific, appears to
be closely related.
Family SCOMBERESOCIDAE
Sauries
Genus scompmrREsox Lacépéde
Body elongate, compressed, covered with small, thin, decidu-
ous scales, the general aspect being that of a mackerel; both
jaws in the adult more or less prolonged, forming a slender
heak, the, lower, jaw: always the longer, teeth very feeble,
pointed, maxillaries joined fast to premaxillaries; pectoral and
-ventrals small; dorsal and anal low, similar to each other, each
with four to six detached finlets, as in the Scombridae; gill
rakers numerous, long and slender; pharyngeal bones essen-
tially as in Exocoetus, fourth upper pharyngeal on each
side wanting or fused with the third, third pharyngeal greatly
enlarged, separate from its fellow, covered with tricuspid teeth,
second with simple teeth, first toothless, lower pharyngeals
united, forming a triangular bone with concave surface, covered
with tricuspid teeth; into the hollow of this bone the upper
pharyngeals fit.
Pelagic fishes, swimming close to the surface in large schools
‘In temperate regions. They bear strong analogic resemblances
‘to the mackerels in form, color and habits, as well as in the
dorsal and anal finlets. The significance of these resemblances
is unknown. .
Young with the jaws short, precisely as in the genus Colo-
labis, but lengthening with age, which is not the case in
Cololabis. Air bladder large.
Atlantic.
163 Scomberesox saurus (Walbaum)
Saury ; Skipper
Esoxr saurus WALBAUM, Attedi. Gen. Pisc. III, 93, 1792, Cornwall.
_ Scomberesoz scutellatum LE SuEvuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 132, 1821,
Newfoundland.
Scomberesoxz equirostrum LE SuEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat, Sci. Phila. II, 132,
1821.
328 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Scomberesox storerti DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 229, pl. 34, fig. 111,
1842, New York; SToRER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 187, pl. XXIV, fig. 4, 1867.
Scomberesox saurus FLEMING, Brit. Anim. 184; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. VI, 257, 1866; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 21, 1879;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875, 1888; Jorpan &.
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 725, 1896, pl. CX VII, fig. 314,
1900.
Body compressed, elongate, its greatest hight one ninth of
total length to base of caudal; anal equal to eye and postorbital
part of head combined; least hight of caudal peduncle equal to
eye; both jaws slender and produced, the lower longer than
upper, the distance from eye to tip of lower jaw equaling one
fifth of total to base of caudal; eye one third as long as post-
orbital part of head, about one fifth of length of upper jaw;
small scales on opercle, but none on subopercle; body covered
with small scales; dorsal origin at a distance from front of eye
equal to five times hight of body, dorsal base three times as
long as the eye, longest dorsal ray one half as long as post-
orbital part of head, last dorsal ray equal to eye, five separate
finlets behind,the dorsal; anal under the dorsal, its base slightly
longer, as long as postorbital part of head, longest anal ray
equal to longest of the dorsal, last anal ray scarcely equal to
eye, six finlets behind the anal; caudal fin deeply forked, sym-
metric, the outer rays as long as the anal base; ventrals mid-
way between front of eye and base of caudal, length of fin about
twice diameter of eye, distance from ventral origin to anal
origin equal to length of upper jaw; length of pectoral one:
fourth the length of head to tip of upper jaw; lateral line con-
taining minute, roundish pores, near the ventral edge, in modi-
fied scales which extend obliquely backward. D. 11+v; A. 18+vi;
V.i,5;P.14. Scales 14-124 (136 to free part of middle caudal
rays, 80 rows from axil of pectoral to origin of dorsal); opercle
with about 8 rows of scales.
Back brownish to upper level of eye; sides with a silvery band,
nearly as broad as the eye and almost on the same level; lower
parts silvery with a golden tinge overlying it.
The saury grows to the length of 18 inches. It inhabits the
temperate parts of the Atlantic in Europe and the United
De
‘a
:
FISHES OF NEW YORK 329
States, congregating in schools in the open seas, where it is
preyed on by porpoises, tunny, bonito, cod, bluefish and other
predaceous animals. At Provincetown Mass., according to
Storer, large quantities are yearly thrown on the shore, but
they are considered worthless, while on other parts of Cape Cod
they are taken in immense numbers, and are considered very
nutritious food.
The saury, or skipper, is migratory, arriving on our coast in
summer and departing on the approach of cold weather. It is
a surface swimmer and, therefore, is particularly liable to the
attacks of voracious fishes. Couch says:
It is sometimes seen to rise to the surface in large schools and
fly over a considerable space. But the most interesting spec-
tacle, and that which best displays their great agility, is when
they are followed by a large company of porpoises, or their still
more active and oppressive enemies, the tunny and bonito.
Multitudes then mount to the surface and crowd on each other
as they press forward. When still more closely pursued, they
spring to the hight of several feet, leap over each other in sin-
gular confusion, and again sink beneath. Still further urged,
they mount again and rush along the surface by repeated starts
for more than 100 feet, without once dipping beneath, or
scarcely seeming to touch the water. At last the pursuer
springs after them, usually across their course, and again they
all disappear together. Amidst such multitudes—for more
than 20,000 have been judged to be out of the water together—
some must fall a prey to the enemy; but, so many hunting in
company, it must be long before the pursuers abandon. From
inspection we should scarcely judge the fish to be capable of
such flights, for the fins, though numerous, are small and the
pectorals far from large, though the angle of their articulation
is well adapted to raise the fish by the direction of their motions
to the surface. Its power of springing, therefore, must be
chiefly ascribed to the tail and the finlets. It rarely takes bait;
and, when this has happened, the boat has been under sail, the
men fishing with a “ lash,” or slice of mackerel made to imitate
the living body. |
The skipjack is frequently seen springing above the surface
on our coasts, and no doubt at such times it is pursued by
bluefish, bonito and, probably, mackerel or cod.
et lia
aren
330 . NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Family exocoETIDAE
Flying Fishes
Genus ExocoErus (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body elongate, broad above, somewhat compressed; head
short, blunt, narrowed below; mouth small; jaws very short,
about equal; chin without barbel; maxillaries not joined to the
premaxillaries; teeth very feeble or wanting; eyes large; gill
rakers moderate; scales large, deciduous; no finlets; dorsal fin
short, opposite anal; caudal widely forked, the lower lobe the
longer; pectoral fins very long, reaching past the beginning of
the anal, and serving as organs of flight, their great size en-
abling these fishes to sustain themselves in the air for some
time; ventral fins large, posteriorly inserted, also used as organs
of flight; air bladder very large; no pyloric caeca. Species
numerous in all warm seas, living mostly in the open water and
swimming in large schools.
Subgenus EXOCOETUS
164 Exocoetus volitans Linnaeus
Flying Fish
Exocoetus volitans LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 316, 1758; JonpAN & MEEK,
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 57, 1885; JonRpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 734, 1896, pl. CX VIII, fig. 318, 1900.
Exocoetus rubescens RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 205, January, 1818,
Banks of Newfoundland. :
Exocoetus affinis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 288, 1866.
Ezxocoetus melanurus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 379,
1883.
Exocoetus exiliens JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 380 and 904, 1883.
The hight of the body is nearly one sixth of the total length
without caudal, the length of the head one fourth. The depth
of the head equals the distance from the tip of the snout to
the hind margin of the orbit. Snout little produced, shorter
than eye, which is two sevenths to one third as long as the head;
interorbital space fiat or slightly concave, slightly greater than
diameter of eye; width of body at pectoral base four sevenths
of length of head; dorsal origin opposite anal origin, length of
longest dorsal ray two fifths of length of head; anal fin long, its
FISHES OF NEW YORK Sok
longest ray one third of length of head; pectoral fin reaching
slightly beyond dorsal and anal, its length five sevenths of that
of the body; ventral origin midway between the eye and the base
of caudal, the fin reaching beyond the middle of the anal base, its
length two sevenths of length of body. D. 11-138; A. 11-13.
Scales 55 (30 to 35 rows between occiput and dorsal origin; 25
rows before ventrals), 6 rows between the origin of dorsal and
the lateral line.
Pectoral fin with an oblique white blotch across its lower half,
and with a narrow whitish edge; ventrals grayish or whitish,
with a slight dusky shade in the axil; dorsal and anal without
dark markings.
The flying fish is found in open seas on the Atlantic coast; it
extends northward to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland; it is
known also in southern Europe, and in the Pacific and the Indian
ocean.
The flight of the flying fish has been much discussed, for and
against; but no doubt remains in the minds of those who have
seen the action at close range that the flight is genuine. Not
only can the fish start from the water and rise into the air, but
it can also change its direction suddenly at will, to escape its
pursuers, and it has been observed to hover like a humming bird
or a great moth and then dart off suddenly out of reach of the
net thrust out to secure it. Such an occurrence took place at
Woods Hole Mass., some years ago in the presence of the writer.
The flying fish is an excellent food fish, but does not come to
our markets frequently, because of its habitat in the open sea. it
comes aboard vessels occasionally in storms or when trying to
escape from its enemies, and is highly prized by its captors. |
The species reaches the length of 1 foot.
Subgenus cypsELURUS Swainson
165 Exocoetus heterurus Rafinesque
Flying Fish
Exocoetus heterurus RAFINESQUE, Caratteri Ale. Nuov. Gen. 58, 1810,
Palermo; JORDAN & MEEK, Prac. U. S. Nat. Mus. 59, 1885; JoRDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 735, 1896.
302 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Exocoetus comatus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y, 418, pl. V,
fig. 1, 1815. New York.
Exocoetus noveboracensis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, pl. V,.
fig. 3, 1815; Amer. Month. Mag. II, 323, March, 1818; DE Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 230, pl. 36, fig. 114, 1842, near New York; JORDAN &.
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 904, 1883.
Body slender, its greatest depth contained from five to five and
one third times in the total length without caudal; length of
head contained four and two thirds in total to base of caudal;
the snout slightly shorter than eye, its length three and three
fourths times in head, while that of the eye is contained three
and one fifth times; dorsal origin in advance of anal origin, dor-
sal base from one and one half to two times as long as anal base;
first ray of pectoral simple, second divided, third and fourth rays.
longest, extending to last ray of dorsal and contained one and
four ninth times in total length without caudal; ventral origin
midway between eye and base of caudal fin, the ventrals reaching
last ray of anal, the length contained two and three fourth
times in length of body. The lower caudal lobe is three fifths |
longer than the upper, which is equal in length to the hight of
the body. D.14; A.9; P.15; V.6. Scales 58-63, 33 rows before
the dorsal fin, 7 rows between the dorsal origin and the lateral
line; vertebrae 31+14—45.
Pectoral fins grayish brown with a broad whitish margin, an
oblique white band on their lower half; dorsal and anal uniform
erayish without bands; ventrals whitish, slightly dusky in the
axils. |
The species grows to the length of 15 inches. The young often
have a long barbel at the chin, this disappearing entirely in the
adult.
Dr Mitchill described a specimen, 1 foot long, which was taken
in a seine near New York.
This flying fish inhabits the Atlantic ocean and is most abund-
ant in the tropical parts, but strays northward to England and
to the banks of Newfoundland.
FISHES OF NEW YORK Be
166 Exocoetus furcatus (Mitchill)
Flywmg Fish
Exocoetus furcatus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 449, pl. V,
fig. 2, 1815; De Kay, N..Y. Fauna, Fishes, 231, 1842.
Exocoetus nuttalli LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 10, pl. IV, fig. 1,
1821, Gulf of Mexico; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 286, 1866.
Cypselurus furcatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 380,
1883.
Exoccetus furcatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 286, 1866; JorDAN
& MEEK, Proc. U: S. Nat. Mus. 61, 1885; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 737, 1896.
Body slender, compressed, moderately elongate, its depth con-
tained five and one fourth times in total length without caudal;
head not very broad, much narrowed forward, its length con-
tained four and one half times in total without caudal; the snout
rather pointed, more compressed than in other species; inter-
orbital area flat, its width at anterior margin of orbit equal to
diameter of eye, which is one third of length of head; mouth
small, maxillary not reaching orbitits length four and three
fourths in head, mandible two and one half in head; snout
four and one fifth in head; eye one third of length of head;
pectoral fin long and broad, its length one and two ninths in
length of body, extending to 10th ray of dorsal, first pectoral
ray simple, slightly more than one half the length of fin, second
ray divided, third and fourth rays longest; ventral origin mid-
way between hind margin of eye and base of caudal, ventrals
long, four ninths of length of body, their tips reaching almost to
caudal fin; dorsal fin rather high, its longest ray two thirds as
long as the head, its base nearly equal to head; anal fin inserted
farther back than dorsal, its base three fifths as long as dorsal
base, its longest ray one half as long as the head; lower caudal
lobe two sevenths as long as the body. D.13; A.9 to 10. Scales
in lateral line 46; about 29 rows in advance of dorsal fin and
about 23 on the lateral line in advance of the ventrals; 8 rows.
between the dorsal origin and the lateral line.
Brownish above, silvery below; the lower posterior half of
pectorals black, the upper pectoral rays with a broad white
_ band, the tips of the rays whitish, other parts marbled with
3o4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
black; the ventrals black except on two outer rays, on inner ray,
and a small spot on next two inner rays, about one fourth dis-
tance from ventral origin; axil of ventrals pale. Gtinther
describes the ventral as having the posterior part black. Three
black spots on dorsal fin and three blackish cross bands on the
lower caudal lobe, a black spot on tips of third, fourth, fifth,
and sixth rays of the anal, or the lower part of the fin some-
times black.
The species grows to the length of 6 inches. Young indi-
viduals have barbels at the symphysis of the lower jaw, which
vary in length and disappear with age. The fish is found
abundantly in warm seas, ranging north to Cape Cod and to the
Mediterranean. Specimens have been taken at Newport R. I.
Dr Mitchill described the species from an example 3 inches
long. His specimen had two barbels, each half an inch long.
The eyes, according to his description and figure, are very much
larger than in UH x0 CO eClUus hereru © ims:
167 Exocoetus gibbifrons Cuv. & Val.
Exocoetus gibbifrons CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 118,
1846, Atlantic; JoRDAN & MEEK, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 65, 1885;
JORDAN, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus, 528, 1886; JonDAN & HVERMANN, Bull.
47, U.S. Nat. Mus. 741, 1896.
Body robust, lictle compressed, its greatest depth one sixth.
of the total length without caudal; head rather short, inter-
orbital area slightly concave, about one fourth wider than eye;
profile of snout convex, descending more abruptly than in any
other American species, making a decided curve downward;
snout rather blunt, one fourth as long as the head; length of
head contained four and three fifth times in total without caudal;
maxillary two ninths as long as head; pectoral fins rather broad
and long, two thirds of total without caudal, their tips reaching
to tips of last rays of dorsal, first ray of pectoral simple,
its length five elevenths of length of fin, second pectoral
ray simple, about one half longer than first ray, third pectoral
ray divided, fourth ray longest; ventral origin midway between
hind margin of eye and root of caudal, length of ventrals about
one third of total without caudal, the fin reaching to last anal
N\
FISHES OF NEW YORK 335,
ray; dorsal origin far in advance of anal origin, longest dorsal
ray five elevenths of length of head; anal base five eighths as
long as dorsal base, longest anal ray one third of length of head;
least depth of caudal peduncle contained three and one fifth
times in length of head, the lower caudal lobe two sevenths of
total length without caudal. D.12; A.8. Scales before dorsal
30; before ventrals 25; between dorsal origin and lateral line 7.
Color brown above, silvery below; on each scale on the upper
part of the body a darker brown spot near its posterior
extremity, which gives the appearance of a dark brown streak
along each row of scales; pectorals uniformly brown, or greenish
brown; ventrals dusky, nearly black mesially, the posterior part
of the fin still darker; no dark markings on dorsal or anal fins;
caudal dusky, plain.
Atlantic ocean, two specimens known, both examined by Dr
Jordan, from whose description the above was taken. One indi-
vidual was secured by Samuel Powell at Newport R. I.; the other
was obtained by Dussumier in the Atlantic ocean and by him
presented to the Museum of Natural History at Paris. This.
example is 9 inches long.
Order HEMIBRANCHII
Half-gills
Family GASTEROSTEIDAE
Sticklebacks
Genus Bucania Jordan
Fresh-water sticklebacks, feebly armed, the skin not mailed,
the dorsal spines few and nondivergent, the gill membranes
forming a free fold across the isthmus, pubic bones fully united..
One species known.
168, Eucalia inconstans (Kirtland)
Brook Stickleback
Gasterosteus inconstans KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 273, pl. IT,
fig. 1, 1841, brooks of Trumbull County, Ohio; Storer, Syn. Fish.
N. A. 6&4, 1846; BEAN, Bull. 15, U. S. Nat. Mus. 130, 1879; JorDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 394, 1883.
\ ie
336 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Eucalia inconstans JORDAN, Proc, Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 65, 1877; EIGENMANN,
Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 238, 1886; Bran, Fishes Penna. 98, 1893;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 744, 1896; EverMann
& KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 599,
18986, Franklin County, Vermont,
The body is more elongated than in the other sticklebacks
described, and stouter, the caudal peduncle has no keel, and
the skin is entirely smooth. The ventral spines and pubic bones
are very small, the latter concealed under the skin. The
thoracic processes are covered by the skin, slender and widely
separated. The dorsal spines are short, nearly equal in length,
placed in a straight line, the anterior spines shortest. The
ventral spines are small and serrated. The depth equals one
fourth and the head two sevenths of the total length without
caudal. D. III-IV, I, 10; A. I, 10. Males in the breeding
season are jet black, tinged entirely with coppery red. The.
females and young are greenish, variegated with darker.
The brook stickleback occurs in the fresh waters from New
York westward to Dakota and is said to extend north to Green-
land. A variety from Cayuga lake has been described by Dr
Jordan. It has the ventral spines longer than the pubic bones.
In Pennsylvania the brook stickleback inhabits the Ohio val-
ley. In New York it occurs only in the western part, being
specially abundant in the Lake Ontario region. The U.S. Fish
Commission has specimens from Salt brook, 14 miles above
Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893, Mill creek, Sacket arbor, July
2, Cape Vincent, July 2, Black river, Huntingtonville, July
5, Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27, Four Mile creek, Nine
Mile point, near Webster, August 9, and Long Pond, Char-
lotte, August 17. Evermann and Bean collected it also July
28, 1894, at Saranac river, Plattsburg. Dr Meek found it com-
mon in standing and sluggish water on the flats of Cayuga lake
basin. John W. Titcomb obtained it from a small brook in
Franklin county, Vt., the outlet of Franklin pond, a tributary
of Pike river, which flows into Missisquoi bay.
It grows to a length of 24 inches, and has no value as food,
but is an interesting aquarium fish. It is however extremely
FISHES OF NEW YORK 337
pugnacious, and, when these fish are kept in confinement, great
mortality is caused by their quarrels. The species is abundant
in small streams, where it secretes itself among aquatic plants
and is always alert to attack small fishes and insects. Speci-
mens have recently been obtained from an artesian well in
South Dakota, the well having a depth of 700 feet. From this
great depth the fish were brought up in full strength and vigor,
and they were kept in an aquarium several months afterward.
A similar occurrence has been recorded by Mrs Eigenmann, in
the Proceedings of the National Museum for 18853, p. 217, of
Williamson’s stickleback at San Bernardino Cal. The well in
this case was only 191 feet deep. There is no doubt that the
fish reach the wells through streams which become subter-
ranean in a certain part of their course.
This species is a nest-builder and is vigorous in the defense
of its eggs and young.
This fresh-water stickleback appears to live better in bal-
anced tanks than in flowing water and is not hardy in captivity.
It feeds readily on chopped hard clams and Gammarus, the
latter being one of its natural foods.
169 Eucalia inconstans cayuga Jordan
Cayuga Lake Stickleback
Hucalia inconstans cayuga JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 1, 249, 1876,. Cayuga
Lake, Ithaca, N. .Y.; Merk, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 312, 1888;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 744, 1896.
According to Dr Jordan, this variety has longer ventral
spines than the common brook stickleback, these being as long
as the pubic bones (two thirds as long in inconstans).
The size is generally smaller, but the fin rays are the same as
WW 1 1'C.0 1S tan S:.
The variety occurs in small brooks and in the lakes about
Ithaca and Syracuse 'N. Y.
Genus PyGostrEvus Brevoort
This genus is characterized by the presence of 9 to 11
divergent spines and by the weakness of its innominate bones.
)
338 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM
Asin Eucalia, the gill membranes form a broad fold across.
the isthmus. Vertebrae 14+18=—32. Species two, in northern
regions, the following cosmopolitan; a second, Pygosteus
Sinensis Guichenot, from China.
170 Pygosteus pungitius (Linnaeus)
10 spined 8 tickleback
Gasterosteus pungitius LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 296, 1758, Hurope; Gun-
THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 6, 1859; SrorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 43,
pl. VIII, fig. 5,-1867; Bran, Bull. 15, U. S. Nat. Mus. 133, 134, 1879;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 898, 1883; BEAN, 19th
Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 244, 1890.
Gasterosteus occidentalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 68, pl. 42, fig. 135,
1842; SrorER, Syn. Fish. N, A. 638, 1846.
Gasterosteus concinnus RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 57, 1836, Sas-
katchewan River and Great Bear Lake.
Gasterosteus nebulosus AGassiz, Lake Superior, 310, pl. IV, fig. 2, 1850.
Pygosteus pungitius EIGENMANN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 235, 1886; JORDAN
& EVERMANN, ‘Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 745, 1896; BEAN, 52d Ann.
Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 100, 1900.
Body moderately elongate and compressed, its greatest depth
one sixth of total length to base of caudal rays, its width one
tenth of the same length and two fifths of the length of the
head. The head is one fourth of total length to base of caudal,
its width contained two and one third times in its length; the
length of the snout equals the width of the interorbital space,
and nearly one fourth the length of the head; the upper jaw is
slightly more than one fourth the length of head, and the man-
dible is nearly as long as the eye, which is contained about three
and one fourth times in length of head. The spinous dorsal
is inserted at a distance from tip of snout equal to two sevenths
of total length without caudal; its base is a little longer than
the head; its first and.second spines equal, and one fourth as.
long as the head; its last spine less than one fifth as long as.
the head. The base of the soft dorsal is three times as long
as the mandible; the antecedent spine is as long as the mandible; |
the first ray is longest, and is twice as long as the upper jaw.
The anal origin is twice as far from tip of snout as the spinous
dorsal; the anal base is twice as long as the middle caudal
FISHES OF NEW YORK 339
rays, and equals twice width of body; the first anal
spine is about equal to one half the depth of body;
the first anal ray longest and one half as long as
the head. The middle caudal rays equal width of head&
and about three sevenths of length of head; the external rays
are slightly more than one half the length of head; the length of
the caudal peduncle equals three times the length of last dorsal
spine; the least hight of the peduncle is contained seven and
one third times in length of head. The pectoral is twice as
long as the mandible; the ventral is at a distance from tip of
snout equal to three times length of ventral spine; the ventral
Spine is usually about two fifths as long as the head, or some-
what more. The dorsal spines are all in the same line in a
furrow, but they diverge so as to form a zigzag series. Pubic
bone weak, lanceolate, not serrate, its length about two fifths
head;ventral spines slender, pungent,serrulate above and below;
gill membranes free from isthmus behind, gill rakers long and
slender; caudal fin lunate, slightly emarginate. D. VII to XI,
1,9; A.1I,8. Color brownish above, the upper part of sides with
numerous darker blotches simulating bands, lower parts silvery,
pubic and thoracic regions often black. Length 3 inches.
The 10 spined stickleback inhabits the northern parts of
Europe, the Atlantic coast of America from Long Island to the
Arctic ocean; also tributaries of the Great lakes and northward
into British America and Alaska. In the Arctic fresh waters it
is represented by a form with shorter ventral spine, smaller eye,
lower fins, and other characters.
Notwithstanding its small size, this fish serves a very useful
purpose as food for the salmon and trout, and arctic explorers
have utilized it in vast numbers for feeding their dogs. Occur-
ring as it does in shallow fresh-water lagoons in summer,
apparently landlocked, and freezing solidly in winter, it has
always been a mystery how it survives.
This stickleback is less abundant in Gravesend bay than the
two spined and three spined species. In Great South bay it is
known as the thornback. In 1890 it was seen only once. In
340 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
1898 the state museum obtained a few specimens from Shinne-
cock bay, Peconic bay and several stations in Great South bay.
This species appears to run upstream farther than the others.
In the aquarium it often attacks fish and tears their fins into
shreds. During the breeding season the male becomes of a rosy
hue beneath. It is a hardy fish, enduring captivity better than
the other species. Often found in pools in the woods where
seemingly no other fish occur. (After Eugene Smith?)
Genus GAsTERosTEus (Artedi) Linnaeus
Sticklebacks with the innominate bones coalescent on the
median line of the belly, behind and between the ventral fins,
forming a triangular or lanceolate plate. Gill membranes
united to the isthmus ; tail slender, and usually keeled; skin
variously covered with bony plates; dorsal spines three in num-
ber, strong, with nondivergent bases. Species numerous.
Fresh waters and shores of all northern regions; the species
highly variable, those found in the sea usually with the body
completely mailed, the fresh and brackish water forms variously
mailed or even altogether naked.
171 Gasterosteus bispinosus Walbaum
Two. spined Stickleback
Gasterosteus bispinosus WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. III, 450, 1792; JorDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 396, 1883; JoRDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 748, 1896, pl. CXIX, fig. 320, as aculeatus,
1900; EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 31, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann.
Rept., N. Y. State Mus. 100, 1900. F
Gasterosteus aculeatus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 5, 1879; JoRDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 395, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna.
98, 1893; not of Linnaeus.
Gasterosteus neoboracensis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 66, pl. 6, fig. 17,
1842.
Gasterosteus biaculeatus Aenea Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 480, pl. I,
fig. 10, 1815, New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 65, pl. 3, fig. 8,
1842, New York and Hudson River to Albany; SToreER, Syn. Fish.
N. A. 62, 1846; Hist. Fish. Mass. 40, pl. VIII, figs. 2, 3, 1867.
The body is fusiform, moderately elongate and compressed;
the caudal peduncle is short and slender and distinctly keeled.
The hight of the body is less than the length of the head and
1ZLinn. soe. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 30-31,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 341
about one fourth of the total without caudal. The eye is one
fourth as long as the head. The sides are covered by about
33 bony plates. The processes from the shoulder girdle cover
the breast except a small naked area between them. At the
base of each dorsal spine is a large rough bony plate to which
the spine is hinged in such a way that it may be fixed and im-
movable at the will of the fish. The pelvic bone is lanceolate.
A cusp at the base of the ventral spine. The spines are all
closely serrated, those in front of the anal and soft dorsal
smallest. D. II, 1, 11-18; A. IJ, 9.
The living fish is greenish olive, lighter on the sides, the
lower parts silvery. The gill covers are silvery with dusky
spots; the iris silvery; pupil black; fins pale; the ventral mem-
brane sometimes red.
The two spined stickleback or burn stickle is found on both
sides of the Atlantic, its range on our coast extending southward
at least to New Jersey and northward to Labrador. This is the
largest of the sticklebacks and is said to grow to a length of
4 inches. In the North Pacific and Bering sea there is a related
species, G. cataphractus Pallas, which has been styled
the salmon killer. In Pennsylvania Mr Seal has found this
fish abundant in pools and ditches along the Delaware.
De Kay found this stickleback in the salt creeks about New
York and in the Hudson river as far up as Albany. The state
museum obtained it in 1898 in Shinnecock bay, July 22, and in
Scallop pond, Peconic bay, July 28. It is not common in sum-
mer. The following notes are from an article by Eugene Smith
of Hoboken. eee
Exceedingly common in the tidal creeks in the spring. The
nest of this fish is made on and in the sand with the aid of bits
of straw, weeds, etc. After the female has deposited the eggs,
the male stands over the nest and fans it with the pectorals,
only leaving to get food, or to resent an intrusion; he often
kills the female with whom he has paired. During this time the
male is red below and bluish and greenish above, with indistinct
darker bars. After the spawning season is over, they seem to
die off, at least they do in captivity. With proper attention
the young can be raised to quite a size.
342 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM
The two spined stickleback thrives and breeds in captivity,
but will not endure extreme heat in summer, and the adults wil]
eat their young.
Genus APELTES De Kay
Body moderately elongate, somewhat compressed, the back
elevated at the beginning of the soft dorsal fin, thence declining
in nearly a straight line to tip of snout; tail very slender, not
keeled; no bony dermal plates, the skin naked; innominate bones.
not joined on the median line but separated, forming a bony
ridge on each side of the abdomen, below which the strong ven-
tral spines are depressible; chest mostly bony; bare area in
front of pectorals small, but distinct; gill rakers rather short,
gill membranes attached to the isthmus, without free edge;
free dorsal spines three, strong, the first the longest, directed
to one side, the next two directed toward the other side at dif-
ferent angles, attached spine of dorsal and anal well developed,
a bony ridge on each side of the spinous dorsal.
172 Apeltes quadracus (Mitchill)
Four spined Stickleback —
Gasterosteus quadracus MiTcHILy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 4380, pl.
I, fig. 11, 1815, New York; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 67, pl. 6, fig.
18, 1842, the generic name Apeltes proposed; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. I, 7, 1859; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 41, pl. VIII, fig. 4, 1867.
Gasterosteus millepunctatus AYRES, Bost. Jour, Nat. Hist. IV, 294, pl. XII, !
fig. 3, 1844. Old Mans Harbor, Long Island.
Apeltes quadracus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 5, 1879; JORDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 396, 1883; BEAN, 19th Rept.
Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 244, 1890; Fishes Penna. 99, 1898; JorpAan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 752, 1896, pl. CXX, fig. 322, 1900;
EvuGENE Situ, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. No. 9. p. 31, 1898; MEarns, Bull.
Am, Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898; Brean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State
Mus. 100, 1900.
The body is fusiform in shape, the snout pointed and the
caudal peduncle slender. The sides are somewhat compressed.
The depth of the body equals the length of the head and is one
fourth of the total without caudal. D. III-IV, I, 11; A. i, 8.
The skin is scaleless. The first dorsal spine is the highest, its
length about half that of head.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 343
The living fish has the upper parts greenish brown. Below
the lateral line the color is darker and is mottled by the
extension upward of the white color of the abdomen. Young
Specimens have the brown color aggregated into several cross
bands, which become indistinct in the adult. The ventral mem-
brane is broad, scarlet in color, giving rise to one of the popular
names.
In Great South Bay the four spined stickleback is called thorn-
back. This is the “bloody stickleback” of Storer’s Fishes of
Massachusetts. It appears to be the commonest member of its
family in this bay in September and early October. We found
it common in various parts of the bay at a time when the two
spined stickleback, Gasterosteus bispinosus, was
not once seined, and cnly a single specimen of the 10-spined,
P.pungitius, was secured. Localities at which we have col-
lected the species are: Swan creek, Blue Point cove, Blue Point
Lifesaving station, Great River beach and Fire Island. The
species is most plentiful in brackish streams where there is an
abundance of aquatic plants. In 1898 the state museum ob-
tained it from the following additional localities: Shinnecock
bay, Peconic bay, Mecox bay, Howell’s point, Great South bay,
Bellport Lifesaving station, Nichol’s point and Fire Island
inlet. Examples taken at Patchogue August 24 were in fresh
‘water.
This species reaches a length of 2 inches. It swarms in the
shallow waters, specially in the northern part of its habitat,
and is particularly plentiful in brackish streams where there
are humerous aquatic plants. In salt marshes it is one of the
commonest of the little fishes, and it is not uncommon in the
mouths of rivers. In Pennsylvania Prof. Cope records it as
abundant in the tide water. streams and ditches of the Delaware.
It runs up stream into purely fresh water and is commonly asso-
ciated with the killies in small ditches and pools. This stickle-
back builds a rudimentary nest of plant bits, and behaves like
the above mentioned P. pungitius and G. bispinosus,
in most respects. It is hardy and can be kept all the year
i olga t Ileal a
344 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
round. I have successfully raised this fish to nearly mature
growth. (After Eugene Smith!)
The remarkable spinning habits of this fish have been
described by Prof. John A. Ryder in the bulletin of the U. S.
Fish Commission for 1881.
Family risTuLARNDAE
Cornet Fishes
Genus FISTULARIA Linnaeus
Body extremely elongate, much depressed, broader than deep;.
scaleless, but having bony plates present on various parts of the
body, mostly covered by the skin; head very long, the anterior
bones of the skull much produced, forming a long tube, which
terminates in the narrow mouth, this tube formed by the sym-
plectic, proethmoid, metapterygoid, mesopterygoid, quadrate,
palatines, vomer, and mesethmoid; both jaws, and’ usually the
vomer and palatines also, with minute teeth; membrane uniting
the bones of the tube below, very lax, so that the tube is capable
of much dilation; post-temporal coossified with the cranium;
branchiostegals five to seven; gills four, a slit behind the fourth;
- gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus, gill rakers
obsolete; basibranchial elements. wanting, pseudobranchiae Nets
wanting; air bladder large; spinous dorsal fin entirely
absent, soft dorsal short, posterior, somewhat elevateds.
anal fin opposite it and similar; caudal fin forked, the
middle rays produced into a long filament; pectorals small, with
a broad base, preceded by a smooth area as in Gasterosteidae,
pectoral ossic'es 3; interclavicles greatly lengthened, supra-
clavicles very small; ventral fins very small, wide apart, abdom-
inal (through partial atrophy of the. girdle, by which they lose
connection with the interclavicies), far in advance of the dorsal,
composed of six soft rays; pyloric caeca few; intestine short;
vertebrae very numerous (4+44 to 49428 to 33), the first four ver-
tebrae very long. Fishes of the tropical seas, related to the
‘Tinn. Soc. as Proc: 1807; ae. 9; pi at:
FISHES OF NEW YORK B45
sticklebacks in structure, but with prolonged snout and different
ventral fins. A single genus, with three species.
The bony shields, characteristic of this genus, are the
following:
1 A narrow strip along the median line of the back behind
the skull (confluent neural spines).
2 The pair of broader lateral dorsal shields are peculiar bones,
' separated processes of the occipital bone. These shields are the
longest, provided anteriorly with a ridge, which is prolonged
and extends far backward between the muscles of the back. This
ridge is flexible, and does not interfere with the lateral move-
ments of the fish; it appears to serve as a base for the attach-
ment of muscular fibers.
3 The narrow shield on the side is the postclavicle, its pos-
terior part being dilated and fixed to the lateral! dorsal shields.
4 The ventral shields are the interclavicles; their posterior
half is broadest, much pitted inferiorly; they are narrower before
the middle, leaving a free lanceolate space between them, and
are again a litt!e widened anteriorly, where they join the
clavicle and urohyal. These plates extend as far backward as
the ankylosed vertebrae. (After Jordan and Evermann)
173 Fistularia tabacaria Linnaeus
Trumpet Fish
Fistularia tabacaria LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 312, 1758; Dr Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 233, 1842; SToreR, Syn. Fish. N. A. 191, 1846; Gun-
THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 529, 1861; JornpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U.S. Nat. Mus: 389, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888; 19th
Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 273, 1880; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47,
U.S. Nat; Mus. 757, 1896.
Fistularia neoboracensis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 487,
pi, TEL, fie. 8, 1815.
Fistularia serrata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 232, pl. 35, fig. 118, 1842,
Massachusetts; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 140, pl. X XV, fig. 1, 1867;
GOODE & BEAN, Bull.’ Essex Inst. XI, 4, 1879, Rockport Mass., not of
CuvIER, Régne Anim. ed. 1, 349, 1817.
Body greatly depressed, elongate, its depth about one thirty-
fourth of its length to base of caudal and only about two thirds
of its width. The middle caudal] rays are produced into a thread-
0 he he he i a
346 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
like filament, which is a little longer than the snout. The snout
is greatly prolonged, two and three fourths times as long as the
rest of the head. Mouth at the end of the long tube oblique, the
lower jaw projecting a distance equal to one third of diameter of
eye; upper jaw two thirds as long as postorbital part of head,
lower jaw nearly twice as long as upper; eye nearly equal in
length to upper jaw, about nine and one half in length of.head;
snout three and two thirds in total length to caudal base; margin
of orbit with thin, sharp points in front and behind; dorsal origin
at a distance from tip of snout equal to three times length of
snout, base of dorsal slightly longer than eye, longest dorsal ray
one fourth the length of snout; anal exactly opposite dorsal, its
base equally long, its longest ray also equal to longest dorsal
ray; ventrals.small on a narrow base, their distance from tip
of snout and end of external caudal rays nearly equal; pectorals
short, on a broad base, their length one half the length of head
without the snout; caudal lobes equal, the upper external rays
three fifths as long.as the head without the snout. D.14; A. 13;
Me Ws
Reddish brown above, with numerous large, oblong, pale blue
spots on the sides and back, arranged in series; under surface of
head and belly at least to ventral fins, pale and silvery.
The fish was known to Dr Mitchill and described by him from
a specimen 14 inches long. We are not informed where he ob-
tained this example, but it was an individual in the fresh condi-
tion. Dr De Kay called it the spotted pipefish. and takes his
account from the report of Dr Mitchill.
The trumpet fish is generally common in the West Indies and
neighboring seas, where it is said to reach the length of 6 feet. fe
It is occasionally taken as far north as Cape Cod. It is not
common in that region, and is apparently rare in Great South
bay, though three examples were taken at Fire island, Septem-
ber 30, and-one at Blue Point Lifesaving station, October 7. In
Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. the species is moderately abundant,
as the writer seined 25 specimens in August and September 1887.
The species is interesting on account of its peculiar structure,
but is without economic value.
2
* FISHES OF NEW YORK ; 247
Order LOPHOBRANCHII
| Tuftgills
Suborder SYNGNATHI
Family SyNGNATHIDAE
Pipefishes
Subfamily syNGNATHINAE
Genus srpHosroma Rafinesque
Body elongate, very slender, six or seven-angled, not com-
pressed, tapering into a very long tail, the dorsal keels of the
trunk not continuous with those of the tail; head slender, taper-
ing into a long, tubelike, subterete snout, which bears the very
short, toothless jaws at the end; humeral bones firmly united
with the “breast ring;”’ body covered with a series of bony,
keeled, radiated plates, arranged in linear series; dorsal fin dis-
tinct, rather short, inserted before or opposite the vent, which
is near the middle of the body; caudal fin present, rather small;
anal fin minute, close behind vent; pectorals developed, short
and rather broad. Male fishes with an egg pouch along the
under side of the tail, formed by two cutaneous folds, and
splitting lengthwise to release the young fishes. Species very
numerous, inhabiting all warm seas; abounding in bays among
the seaweeds, and entering the rivers. The females in most
species are deeper than the males, with more robust trunk, with
longer snout, and a more distinct ventral keel.
~ Subgenus srpHosToma
174 Siphostoma fuscum (Storer)
Common Pipefish
Syngnathus fuscus STORER, Rept. Fish. Mass. 162, 1839, Nahant.
Syngnathus peckianus STORER, op. cit. 163, pl. I, fig. 2, 1839, Holmes’ Hole,
Marthas Vineyard; Syn. Fish. N. A. 238, 1846; Hist. Fish. Mass. 218, -
pl. XX XIII, fig. 3, 1867.
Syngnathus fasciatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 319, pl. 54, fig. 174, 1842.
“Syngnathus viridescens DE KaAy, op. cit. 321, pl. 34, fig. 176, 1842, Hudson
River, at Sing Sing.
Siphostoma fuscum and peckianum, GooDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI,
4, 1879.
Siphostoma fuscum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 388, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. U.S. F. C. VII, 184, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N, Y.
244, 1890; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 101, 1900; JornpDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 770, 1896.
348 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM .
The female is much deeper bodied than the male, the depth
of body equaling one third of length of head, while in males it
is only one fourth of this length. Tail very long, slender, and |
tapering, its length three fifths of total length without caudal;
snout a little longer than rest of head, with a well marked
median keel above and below, the upper one serrulate; occiput,
nuchal plates and opercle keeled, the carinations on opercile
sometimes nearly obsolete; belly slightly convex and with a
low keel; eye small, five in snout, three in postorbital part of
head; dorsal fin at a distance from tip of snout equal to two
and two thirds times length of head, the base of the fin one
fifth longer than head, the longest ray two sevenths as long as
base of fin, and about one third as long as the head, the fin
covering 5+5 body rings (4-54+5-4); anal fin of female reduced.
to two or three rays on a very narrow base, its length about
equal to length of eye; caudal convex when expanded, the mid-
dle rays longest, as long as the postorbital part of head; pec-
toral short, on a broad base, its length one fourth the length
of head. D.36 to 40; rings 19487 (or 18 to 20486 to 40.)
Color brown above, pale below, everywhere mottled with
brown; under surface of snout pale, lower part of opercles
Silvery. |
The common pipefish is abundant on our Atlantic coast from
Cape Ann to Virginia. It is known as the billed eel in Great
South bay. It is abundant in all parts of the bay. Though
this species is not valuable for food or bait, it is an interesting |
aquarium fish and has the same singular breeding habits as
the sea horse. After the ova of the females are excluded, they
are received and hatched, and the young are cared for, in the
marsupium of the male. The species, according to De Kay,
ascends the Hudson to Sing Sing, where it breeds in slightly
brackish water. It is to be found in shallow water among
aquatic plants. The female is conspicuously different from the
male in its colors and the much greater depth of its body. The
pipefish is moderately abundant in summer in eelgrass and sea
lettuce in Gravesend bay. In 1898 the state museum had it
from all parts of Great South bay and from Shinnecock,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 349
Peconic, and Mecox bays. Both young and adults were abun-
dant during the summer.
Males, females and young were abundant at Ocean City N. J.
early in August 1887; but the males were more numerous than
the females. The egg pouches of the males were filled with
eyed embryos, arranged in four series on each side. A male
64 inches long, taken near Ocean City, August 31, had the pouch
-unsymmetrically filled, the left side containing more than two
thirds of the whole number of embryos and increasing in carry-
ing capacity from behind forward. This is the billfish at
Somers Point.
In the aquarium the species is fond of shrimp eggs and small
Gammarus; but, on account of the difficulty of securing
proper food, its life in captivity is usually short. In a slowly
circulating tank, at a temperature of 54° F. several individuals
were alive and, apparently, in good condition.
Subfamily HIPPOCAMPINAE
Genus nrerocampus Rafinesque
The body strongly compressed, the belly gibbous, tapering
abruptly to a long quadrangular, prehensile tail; head with a
distinct curved neck, placed nearly at a right angle with the
direction of the body, surmounted by a compressed occipital
crest, on the top of which is an angular, star-shaped coronet;
top and sides of the head with spines. Physiognomy remark-
ably horselike, like that of a conventional knight at chess.
Body and tail covered with bony plates, forming rings, those en
the body each with six spines or tubercles, those of the tail with
four; pectoral fins present, short and broad; anal minute, usually
present; dorsal fin moderate, opposite the vent; egg pouch in the
male a sac at the base of the tail, terminating near the vent.
175 Hippocampus hudsconius DeKay
Sea Horse; Horsefish
Hippocampus hudsonius DE Kay, N. Y, Fauna, Fishes, 322, pl. 53, fig. 171,
1842; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 239, 1846; Hist. Fish. Mass. 222, pl.
XXXIII, fig. 4, 1867; Jonpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 907,
1883; BEAN, 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 243, 1890; Jorpan & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 777, 1896, pl. CXXI, fig. 327, 1900;
MEARNS, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898; Bran, 52d Ann.
Rept. N. Y. State Mus. T01, 1900.
{
350 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Syngnathus hippocampus, Sea horse Pipefish, MiTcHILu, Trans, Lit. & Phil.
Soe. N. Y. I, 475, 1815.
Hippecampus heptagonus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 386,
18838, not of RAFINESQUE.
Body short and deep, much compressed, much shorter than
ithe prehensile tail, which is three times as long as the head and
more than three times greatest depth of body; snout as long
as postorbital part of head, its depth two fifths of its length;
eye circular, two fifths as long as the snout; interorbital space
two thirds of diameter of eye; occiput with a five-pointed crest;
a sharp spine above the gill covers on each side, one above the
posterior part of the eye and one on each side of the throat; a
blunt spine between the nostrils; the edges of the bony plates
of body with the usual blunt spines. There are no cirri on the
individual here described, but the species is said to have them —
sometimes. DeKay does not mention cirri in his account of the
fish. Dorsal fin on 33 rings; base of dorsal one half as long |
as head; longest dorsal ray one half as long as snout. D. 19;
rings 12+32 to 36. Color light brown or dusky, without spots,
but sometimes with pale grayish blotches which are sharply
edged with paler and blackish. DeKay’s specimens were light
brown, with iridescent opercles, the iris yellow.
The sea horse is now known to occur on the New York and
New Jersey coasts in moderate numbers during the summer
months; its range extends from Cape Cod to Charleston.
Mearns states that, during the summers of 1895 and 1896, a
number of sea horses were taken by fishermen when netting
shrimp in the eelgrass bordering the salt marshes near Consook
island, at low tide. It has sometimes been found abundant in
the nets in Gravesend bay, but has not occurred in large num-
bers since 1895. In 1898 only a few individuals were taken in
Great South bay, and the same scarcity was observed by fisher-
men at Southampton L. I.
In captivity it thrives best ‘in balanced tanks, but its life is
short on account of parasitic attacks, which lead to swelling and
ankylosis of the jaws. Its food in the aquarium includes
Uneciola and shrimp eggs. The sea horse excites popular
interest on account of its singular shape, its prehensile tail,
FISHES OF NEW YORK ool
and the fact that the male carries the eggs and protects the
young in a pouch behind the vent. In this egg sac the young
are protected till large enough to live independently, going out
in search of food and returning to their shelter at pleasure.
Order ACANTHOPTERI
Spiny-rayed Fishes
Suborder SALMOPERCAE
Trout Perches
Family PERCOPSIDAE
Sand Rollers
Genus PERCoPsIs Agassiz
Body rather slender, pellucid, covered with rather thin scales;
dorsal fin with two slender spines or simple rays; anal with one;
scales roughest posteriorly; lateral line developed; preopercle
entire or very nearly so; vertebrae 17+17=—34. Atlantic slepe,
in cold or clear lakes and rivers.
176 Percopsis guttatus Agassiz
Trout Perch; Sand Roller
Percopsis guttatus AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 286, pl. I, figs. 1, 2, 1850, Lake
Superior; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 207, 1866; JonpAN & GiL-
BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 322, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. &, 1893;
EVERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr, Fish & Fisheries for 1894,
599, 1896 from THOMPSON; JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 784, 1896, pl. CX XI, fig. 329, 1900.
Salmoperca pellucida THomMPsON, Appendix Hist. Vermont, 33, 1853, Lake
Champlain, .
Percopsis hammondi Git, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 151, 1864, Kansas.
Body rather long and moderately compressed, covered with
thin ctenoid scales; head scaleless and without barbels;. gill
openings wide; opercles well developed; gill rakers short, tuber-
cular; skull highly cavernous; mouth small; the margin of the
upper jaw formed by the short nonprotractile intermaxillaries;
no supplemental maxillary bone; small villiform teeth on the
intermaxilliaries and mandible. The tongue is short, not free
at tip. Pseudobranchiae developed. Six branchiostegals. The
lateral line is continuous. The first dorsal over middle of body,
with nine to 11 developed rays; adipose fin small; the anal and
ventral eight rayed; caudal long, forked; pectorals narrow,
3o2 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM
placed high. The stomach is siphonal and with numerous
pyloric caeca, as in certain Salmonidae. The eggs are moder-
ately large and are excluded through an oviduct. Air bladder
present. The greatest hight of the body is about two ninths of
the total without caudal, the head about three elevenths. The
maxilla does not reach to the eye. The lower jaw is slightly
included. Scales in lateral line 47 to 50.
Color pale olivaceous, or brown, the upper parts with rounded
dark spots made up of minute dots; a silvery median stripe,
becoming obsolete in front; peritoneum silvery.
The trout perch is a common fish in the Great lakes and their
tributaries. It ranges north to Hudson bay, having been
obtained at Moose Factory by Walton Hayden, also from Nelson
river, near Rock Factory, by Dr Robert Bell. It has been
obtained in the Delaware river by Dr C. C. Abbott, in the
Potomac by Prof. Baird, in the Ohio by Drs Jordan, Henshall
and Bean, and Dr Gill has recorded the species from Kansas.
Dr Meek obtained no specimens from Cayuga lake, but he
has no doubt it is found there. The U.S. Fish Commission had
it from Lake Ontario, Nine Mile point, near Webster N. Y., in
1893; also from Cape Vincent and Grenadier island. The fish
is a resident of Lake Champlain, in which it was first discovered
by Thompson, several years before Agassiz secured it in Lake
Superior.
The trout perch is too small to be valuable for food, but is
doubtless an excellent bait. It is one of the most remarkable
fishes of our fresh waters, combining as it does the characters
of the salmon and some of the perches. Its name indicates
this singular relationship. It is voracious, takes the hook
freely, and spawns in the spring.
Suborder XENARCHI
Family aPHREDODERIDAE {| |.
Pirate Perches
Genus APHREDODERUs Le Sueur
Body oblong, elevated at the base of the dorsal, compressed
behind, the head thick and depressed, the profile concave;
FISHES OF NEW YORK oDD
caudal peduncle thick; mouth moderate, somewhat oblique, the
lower jaw projecting, maxillary reaching to anterior border of
the eye; teeth in villiform bands on jaws, vomer, palatines, and
pterygoids; premaxillaries not protractile, maxillaries small,
without evident supplemental bone; preopercle and preorbital
with their free edges sharply serrate, opercle with a spine;
bones of skull somewhat cavernous, sides of the head scaly;
lower pharyngeals narrow, separate, with villiform teeth; gill
membranes slightly joined to the isthmus anteriorly; gill rakers
tuberclelike, dentate; pseudobranchiae obsolete; gills four, a
small slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals six; scales mod-
erate, strongly ctenoid, adherent, lateral line imperfect or want-
ing; vent always anterior, its position varying with age, from
just behind the ventral fins in the young to below the opercle
in the adult; dorsal fin single, median, high, with but three or
four spines, which are rapidly graduated, the first being very
short; anal small, with two slender spines; ventral fins
thoracic, with a very short spine, the number of soft rays
usually seven; caudal fin rounded behind; air bladder simple,
large, adherent to the walls of the abdomen; vertebrae 14+15;
pyloric caeca about 12. A single genus, with probably but one
species, confined to the United States. :
177 Aphredoderus sayanus (Gilliams)
Pirate Perch
Aphredoderus sayanus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 35, pl. 21, fig. 62, 1842;
near Philadelphia Pa.
Aphredoderus gibbosus LE SUEUR, in CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat.
Poiss. [X, 448, pl. 278, 1838.
Aphredoderus sayanus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 35, pl. 21, fig. 62, 1842;
STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 47, 1846; JorRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S.
Nat. Mus. 460, 1888; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 145, 1888; Fishes
Penna. 101, 1893; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 786,
1896, pl. CX XII, fig. 331, 1900; EuGENE SmitTH, Proc. Linn, Soc. N. Y.
No. 9, 33, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 101, 1900,
Patchogue, Long Island.
The body is moderately stout, oblong, somewhat compressed
posteriorly. Scales ctenoid. The dorsal fin is continuous, with
three or four spines and 11 soft rays. The anterior spines much
the shortest. The anal has two spines and six rays. The mouth
354 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
is rather large for the size of the fish; the lower jaw somewhat
longer than the upper; the maxilla reaches to front of eye; jaws, |
vomer and palatine bones with villiform bands of teeth; lateral
line wanting. The depth of the body is two sevenths and length
of the head one third of the total without caudal. The eye is
two ninths as long as the head. The origin of dorsal is much
in advance of the middle of the total length; the pectorals do
not reach as far back as the ventrals; ventrals more than one
half length of head; the longest anal spine three sevenths of
length of head; the caudal rounded. Scales in 48 to 55 series.
The color is variable, sometimes olivaceous, at other times dark
brown with numerous dark punctulations; a dark bar at the
base of the caudal followed by a light one. |
The pirate perch ranges from New York westward to Minne-
sota, and in the Mississippi valley it extends to Louisiana. In
Pennsylvania the species occurs in Lake Erie, probably in tribu-
taries of the Ohio and in the lower Delaware. Common in East
lake at Patchogue and in the head of Swan river.
The farthest place east from which it is known appears to be
Suffolk county on Long Island.
This is one of the most interesting little fishes of the fresh
waters, particularly because the position of the vent varies with
age. In the young it is behind the ventrals, while in the adult
it is in the throat.
The fish grows to a length of 4 inches. Nothing is recorded
about its habits except that it is very voracious and feeds at
night. It is common in sluggish streams and ponds in the
shelter of aquatic plants. In captivity it has never been
observed to feed; perhaps it takes food, however, at night, but
it does not thrive in the aquarium.
| Suborder PERCHESOCES
Family arTHERINIDAE
Silversides
Genus menrp1a (Bonaparte) J. & G.
Body elongate, more or less compressed; head oblong, com-
pressed; belly before ventrals, more or less rounded in section,
19ee Ayres. Enumeration of the Fishes of Brookhaven L. I. etc. Bost-
Jour. Nat. Hist. 1844, IV.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 355
not compressed to an edge; mouth small, the gape curved, very
oblique, usually not reaching the eye; lower jaw short and weak;
maxillary slipping entirely under preorbital; jaws each with a
band of simple, usually villiform teeth; premaxillaries very
freely protractile, their spines comparatively long, nearly equal
to the eye, extending backward beneath a fold of skin, which
connects the basis of the maxillaries; posterior part of the pre-
maxillaries broad; no teeth“on vomer or palatines; both dorsals
short, the usual radial formula being D. V-1, 8, first dorsal
usually, but not always in front of anal; soft dorsal and anal
sealeless; scales rather large, entire.
178 Menidia gracilis (Giinther)
Slender Silversides
Atherinichthys gracilis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 405, 1861.
Menidia gracilis JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 797, 1896,
Specimens from St George’s Island, Potomac River.
The origin of the anterior dorsal fin is opposite to the vent,
exactly in the middle of the distance between the end of tke
snout and the base of the caudal. The distance between the
origins of the two dorsal fins is somewhat more than one half
of that between the origin of the posterior and the caudal.
The hight of the body is contained nine times in the total length,
the length of the head five and one half times. The silvery band
is narrow, and occupies a part of the fourth series of scales.
Seales with the margin entire. Caudal lobes equal in length;
caudal somewhat longer than the pectoral, and rather shorter
than the head. 31 lines long. Probably young. Habitat
unknown. D.IV, 1, 8; A. I, 19. Scales 9-40. (After Gtinther)
The specimens above referred to, from St George’s island,
lower Potomac river, were obtained by Dr Hugh M. Smith, of
the U. S. Fish Commission, in the summer of 1890.
The specimens were compared with the published descriptions
of M. beryllina (Cope) and were found to differ in some
minor details, the dorsal formula being V, I, 10 instead of V, I,
11, the anal rays averaging I, 16 or I, 17 instead of I, 18, and the
silvery stripe apparently taking a different course.
356 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Some large examples (84 inches long) of the Potomac river
silverside no. 43125, U. S. National Museum, collected. by W. P.
Seal, apparently in 1890, agree very well with the description
of beryllina and also with the characters of Dr Smith’s
specimens. It is probable that Cope’s name must be associated
with this fresh-water form, and not the name gr acilis of
Ginther. None of our individuals have four dorsal spines, and
there is no certainty that Dr Gtinther’s type came from the
United States. I have, however, followed Drs Jordan and
Evermann in their identification. !
The species is said to range from Woods Hole Mass. to Albe-
marle sound.
179 Menidia beryllina (Cope)
Fresh-water Silversides
Chirostoma beryllinum Corr, Trans. Am, Phil. Soc. 408, 1866, Potomac River,
at Washington, D. C.
Menidia beryllina JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 408, 1883;
BrAn, Fishes Penna, 100, 1898; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102,
1900.
Menidia gracilis beryllina JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
797, 1896, pl. CX XIV, fig. 338, 1900. Ha wea
The body is shorter than usual among the silversides. The
spinous dorsal is well separated from the soft dorsal, and its
posterior margin extends almost to the vertical from the first:
anal ray. The ventral reaches to below the first ray of the
dorsal. The length of the head is contained four and one fourth
times in the total length without caudal. The eye large, orbit
one third as long as the head; mouth small; the mandible
Slightly longer than the maxilla and slightly curved; greatest
depth of body one sixth of total length without caudal. Scales
in lateral line 36, transverse series 10. The lateral line is repre-
sented by a pore on the anterior part of the exposed portion
of each scale, except on the caudal peduncle, where it runs
through a groove. D. V—-I,11; A. 1,18; V.1,5; P.15. The caudal
is deeply forked.
Pale olivaceous in color with a silvery lateral band, on two
and one half rows of scales, with a lead colored margin, The /
anal base is lead colored; sides of the head silvery. |
FISHES OF NEW YORK 357
This species corresponds in many particulars with Menidia
peninsu lae of Goode & Bean, but in that species the silvery
streak covers only one and one half rows of scales. The soft
dorsal in M.peninsulae appears to show considerable vari-
ation in the number of rays.
The fresh-water silversides was first described from the
Potomac river, where it has recently been rediscovered in abun-
dance, both in fresh and brackish water. It is very common at
Water Mill L. I. and in fresh-water tributaries of Great South
bay. Several examples were seined in 1898 in salt water at
Clam Pond cove.
In some of the Water Mill specimens the following characters
were noted: D. V, 1,10; A. I, 16-17. Scales 8—40.
Its associates in fresh water at Water Mill were: Fundulus
diaphanus, Lucania parva, Eupomotis gib-
bosus, and Lucius reticulatys. In 1898 it was
obtained also in Shinnecock bay, Scallop pond (Peconic bay) and
Mecox bay. The localities in Great South bay were: Swan
river, south side of Great South bay, Horsefoot creek and Bell-
port Lifesaving station.
180 Menidia notata (Mitchill)
Silversides ; Friar ; Whitebait
Atherina notata MitTcHit1, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 446, pl. IV, fig.
6, 1815, New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 141, pl. 28, fig. 88,
1842, New York; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 87, pl. XVI, fig. 1, 1867.
Atherina viridescens MITCHILL, op. cit. 447, 1815, New York.
Chirostoma notatum GOoDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 21, 1879, and of
many other authors.
Atherina menidia DE Kay, op. cit. 142, pl. 74, fig. 236, 1842, New York; not
of LINNAEUS.
Atherinichthys menidia and notata GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 406,
1861.
Atherinopsis notatus BAIRD, Ninth Ann. Rept. Smith, Inst. 338, 1855.
Menidia notata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 407, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y.
271, 1890; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 800, 1896;
EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. No. 9, 32, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann.
Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900.
Body elongate, compressed, its greatest depth contained six
and one third times in total length without caudal, and equaling
358 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
three fourths of length of head; the caudal peduncle long and
slender, its least depth about one third the length of head; width
of body about one half the length of head; head short, pointed,
its length one fifth of the total without caudal; snout slightly
shorter than eye, about three and one fourth in length of head;
margin of upper jaw formed chiefly by the curved premaxillary,
which is nearly as long as the eye; eye equal to interorbital space,
and one third as long as the head; two rows of scales under the
eye; exposed part of maxilla two fifths as long as the eye; dorsal
origin nearly midway between tip of snout and base of middle
caudal rays; base of dorsal about as long as eye, longest dorsal
spine one third as long as the head, fifth dorsal spine one fifth
as long as head, interspace between the two dorsals contained
103 times in total length without caudal, second dorsal base one
half as long as head, longest dorsal ray equal to eye and
snout combined, last dorsal ray equal in length to snout; anal
origin under end of spinous dorsal, also under 25th scale of
lateral line, anal base three elevenths of total length without
caudal, corresponding with 15 rows of scales, longest anal ray
equal to snout and eye combined, last anal ray one fourth as long
as head. The vent is under the last spine of the dorsal. The
ventrals are distant from the end of the head a space equal to
length of head, length of ventral equal to snout and eye com-
bined, 15 rows of scales between ventral origin and throat.
Middle caudal rays about one half as long as head, external rays
five sixths as long as head, the fin deeply forked. The silvery
band nowhere covering more than the width of one scale, though
not limited to one row.
Translucent green; lateral band silvery, mostly on the level
of the eye, its width less than one half the diameter of eye.
Scales of upper parts with dark dots along their edges; chin
speckled.
The common silversides grows to a length of 6 inches.
The silversides was first made known by Dr Mitchill under the
name of small silverside, Atherina notata, and he des-
cribed the young of the same species as the green-sided silver-
side, Atherina viridescens, Dr De Kaystates that the
FISHES OF NEW YORK 359
silversides was known in the harbor of New York as the
anchovy and the sand smelt. Friar is a New England name for
the species; capelin is in use about Boston, and merit fish in the
vicinity of Watch Hill. Sperling is a name recently applied to
this species by some fishermen, and we have known persons to
offer the silversides as whitebait. In Great South bay it is
known as shiner.
The silversides is known to occur on the coast from Maine to
Virginia. It is one of the most abundant of the small fishes in
our waters, swimming in immense schools made up of fish of
different sizes, and it forms a considerable part of the food of
more valuable species, such as the mackerel, bluefish, weakfish
and flounders, and is very much in demand as a bait for hook
and line fishing. We seined the silversides in all parts of Great
South bay, and found it to be one of the most abundant and
characteristic species.
The common silversides, or spearing, lives in Gravesend bay
almost all the year, hibernating in spring holes in winter. It is
well suited for a captive life and can endure a temperature of
714° in the salt water.
In 1898 the species was found for the state museum at all
Long Island localities visited, Peconic bay, Mecox bay, the ocean
at Southampton, and throughout Great South bay. Small
individuals are sold in the markets as whitebait. In the time of
De Kay the fish was called anchovy and sand smelt and was
esteemed a savory food. 20 years before he wrote of the fishes
of New York, it was caught from the wharves and sold for bait.
Genus KIRTLANDIA Jordan & Evermann
This genus is close to Menidia, but differs from it in hav-
ing the scales laciniate and the dorsal and anal fins scaly.
Three species known from the United States and Martinique.
181 Kirtlandia vagrans (Goode & Bean)
Rough Silversides }
Chirostoma vagrans GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1879, Florida.
Jienidia vagrans JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 267, 1882, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 407, 1888.
360 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
Menidia vagrans laciniata Swain MS in JorpAan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 908, 969, 1888, Beaufort, N. C.; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Proc.
U. S. Nat. Mus. 589, 1883.
Menidia laciniata Swain in JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
969, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888, Great Egg Harbor
Bay, N. J.; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 795, 1896;
BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900..
Kirtlandia vagrans JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 794,
1896, pl. CX XIV, fig. 336, 1900.
Kirtlandia laciniata JORDAN & EVERMANN, op. cit. 795, 1896; BEAN, 52d Ann.
Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900.
Hight of the body contained five and one half to six times in
length without caudal, and six and two thirds times in total
length, considerably less than length of head and length of pec-
toral; origin of spinous dorsal fin situated behind a point mid-
way between origins of ventral and anal fins and opposite the
middle of the interspace between anal fin and vent; eye longer
than snout, one third as long as the head, and less than width
of interorbital space; mouth slightly protractile, lower jaw
equal to length of eye; length of head contained four and three
fourths times in total length without caudal, and equal to
length of pectoral; pectoral reaching only a very little beyond
origin of ventral when extended; ventral not reaching to vent,
its length one half the length of head; anal base about as long
as the head; caudal slightly forked, the lobes equal; vertical
fins excessively scaly; scales of body large, laciniate, some of
the exposed edges with 12 points. D. IV to V-I, 7; A. I, 18 to
19; V. I, 7; P. 14. Scales 7-48 to 50. Lateral silvery stripe
covering the lower two thirds of the third series of scales and
the upper one third of the fourth series.
Light greenish above; sides and belly silvery; tip of snout.and
of lower jaw yellow mingled with blackish; scales on the back
with several to many dark spots on the free edges, these usually
forming streaks; caudal yellow with dark points, its margin
dusky; dorsal and pectorals dusky; lower fins pale, the anal
with dark points at its base.
As here described, the species includes M. laciniata
(Swain) which has been recorded from New Jersey and North
Carolina. The only difference discoverable between them is in
FISHES OF NEW YORK 361
the number of the dorsal spines, which is generally four in
laciniata, but sometimes five, as observed in examples
from Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., no. 45158 U. S. National
Museum.
The rough silversides grows to the length of 4 inches; it is
not important for food, but serves as food for the larger fishes.
It was found abundant at Somers Point N. J. in August 1887,
where it had previously been unknown. The largest individual
taken in Great Egg Harbor bay, 44 inches long, was secured at
Longport N. J. |
The only example so far known in New York waters was
caught in Mecox bay, L. I. Aug. 1, 1898. Though the bay was
seined repeatedly afterward in search of the fish, no other speci-
mens were seen. The following notes were obtained: D. V, I, 7;
A. 1, 20; P. 14; V. 1,5. Scales 7-47.
Genus LABIDESTHES Cope
This genus differs from Menidia chiefly in the prolongation
of the jaws, both of which are produced into a short depressed
beak. The scales aresmallasin Leuresthes and Basil-
ichthys, their edges entire.
182 Labidesthes sicculus (Cope)
Brook Silwersides ; Skipjack ; Glassfish
Chirostoma sicculum Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila, 81, 1865, Crosse Isle,
Detroit River.
Labidesthes sicculus CoprE, Proc. Am. Phil. Soc. Phila. 40, 1870; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 406, 1883; MrrK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci.
IV, 312, 1888, Montezuma, N. Y.; BEAN, Fishes Penna, 100, 1893; Bull.
Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 357, 1897; Chautauqua Lake; Jorpan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 805, 1896.
The body is slender and elongate, its depth one sixth or one
seventh of the total without caudal. Length of head about two
ninths of total; eye two sevenths of length of head, two thirds of
lenathoOrisnout. "DD, 1V, 1 Es Ar 23. . Scales’ 14275. - Caudal
deeply forked.
Color olivaceous, the fish in life translucent, the upper parts
with small black dots, the silvery lateral band edged above with
lead color and covering one row and two half rows of scales;
cheeks silvery.
362 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The genus Labidesthes has a very oblique mouth, with
the upper jaw flat above and concave beneath, the inter-
maxillaries forming a rooflike beak. The mandible is convex.
The brook silversides, or skipjack, is found in streams and
ponds in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. It has also been dis-
covered recently in some of the southern states, from South
Carolina to Florida. In New York it is recorded from near
Montezuma, from Chautauqua lake, where it is called silver
skipjack and glagsfish, and from Lake Ontario. Dr Meek says
it is not found near Ithaca. The U. 8S. Fish Commission col-
lectors obtained it at the following places in New York:
Stony Island July 2 and 3
Great Sodus bay Aug. 6
Long pond, Charlotte : | Augie
Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20
The fish grows to the length of 4 inches and is important only
as food for larger species. It has been kept in the aquarium,
but does not endure transportation or captivity. The brook
silversides is a surface swimmer, and the name skipjack is
derived from its habit of skipping out of and along the surface
of the water. It abounds in “clear pools left in summer by
the fall of the waters in the streams, which has filled them.”
Family MUGILIDAE
Mullets
Genus mueit (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body oblong, somewhat compressed, covered with large
scales, head large, convex, scaled above and on sides; mouth
small, subinferior, the lower jaw angulated; jaws with one or
a few series of short, flexible, ciliiform teeth, no teeth on vomer
or palatines; eye large, with a large adipose eyelid, which is
little developed in the young; stomach muscular, like the
gizzard of a fowl. Species very numerous, living on mud and
running in great schools along the shores and in brackish lagoons
of all warm regions. We here exclude from Mugil the old
world group, Liza (type Mugil capito) similar in habit
FISHES OF NEW YORK 363
to Mugil, but lacking the adipose eyelid. (After Jordan &
Evermann)
183 Mugil cephalus Linnaeus
Striped Mullet
Mugil cephalus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 316, 1758; Europe; JORDAN
& SWAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 263, 1884; JorRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 811, 1896, pl. CX XVI, fig. 348, 1900; BEAN, 52d
Ann, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 108, 1900.
Mugil albula LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 520, 1766, Charleston, S. C.;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 403, 1888; BEAN, 19th
Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 272, pl. X XI, fig. 26, 1890.
Mugil lineatus MITCHILL, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 96,
1836, New York; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 144, pl. 15, fig. 42, 1842,
iNew York; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass, 39, pl. XVI, fig. 4, 1867.
Body fusiform, elongate, stout, its greatest width contained
one and three fourths times in length of head and equal to
length of ventral fin, greatest depth of body one fourth of total
length without caudal; snout narrow and somewhat pointed, its
length about one fifth of length of head, its profile scarceiy
more convex than profile of lower jaw; interorbital space little
convex, its width one half length of head; thickness of upper
lip scarcely more than one third of length of premaxillary; space
between the mandibles oblanceolate, its greatest width about
one fifth of its length; eyes covered by an adipose membrane
leaving a free space only about as wide as the pupil; length of ©
head contained three and one half to four times in total length
without caudal; eye about two sevenths as long as the head;
teeth in upper jaw in a rather broad band, the outer row slightly
enlarged, teeth in lower jaw similar but much smaller; scales
smaller than in M. curema, about 24 or 25 rows of scales
between tip of snout and origin of spinous dorsal, some scales
on top of head slightly enlarged, soft dorsal and anal fins almost
scaleless; origin of spinous dorsal midway between tip of snout
and base of middle caudal rays, about over the middle of the
ventral, base of Spinous dorsal one third as long as the
head, first spine longest, one half as long as the head, last
Spine one half as long as the first, interspace between dorsals
about one half length of head, upper margin of soft dorsal
deeply concave, base of the fin a little more than one third of
364 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM
length of head, longest ray one half the length of head, last
ray one fourth the length of head; caudal deeply forked, its
middle rays one half as long as the head, its ex
ternal rays nearly as long as the head; pectoral reaches to the
. 11th row of scales from its axil, about as far back as the end
of the ventral appendage, its length two thirds of length of
head; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and fifth
ray of anal, its length four sevenths of length of head, the fin
extending to below the end of the base of spinous dorsal, the
tip distant from the anal origin a space about equal to the
length of the fin. D. IV—I, 8; A. III, 8. Scales 14-42. Color,
dark bluish above; the sides silvery; exposed part of scales,
specially of eight or 10 upper series, darker than body color,
causing a striped appearance; belly and lower part of sides
yellowish; ventral fins yellowish; soft dorsal, anal and ventrals
dusky; tip and base of pectoral dusky.
The striped mullet grows to the length of 2 feet, but the
average size in New York waters is much less. | |
The fish is known in Great South bay as mullet and jumping ~
mullet; the name mullet is applied to it also in the Gulf of
Mexico, and is in general use along the east coast; it is known
in the Chesapeake as mullet or fatback. The latter name is
probably applied to more than one species.
The striped mullet is known on our coast from Cape Cod to
the Gulf of Mexico. The young are much more abundant than
the adults. In Great South bay we found the species not un-
common; two examples were taken at the mouth of Swan creek,
September 12. Several schools were present. We were informed
that they appear occasionally, and one gentleman of Patchogue
was very successful in taking this and its allied species with
hook and line. De Kay states that the striped mullet was first
cbserved in New York waters by Dr Mitchill. He found them in
the markets in the beginning of September. This species is one
of our choice food fishes. It is not uncommon in September in
Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., but we were informed that large
specimens are never taken in that body of water.
.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 305
In 1898 the striped mullet was not abundant in the waters
seined tifl fall; the -great schools were absent till October.
Several individuals were obtained in Mecox bay August 2 and a
larger number in Clam Pond cove, Great South bay, August 22.
The young of this species are abundant in Gravesend bay in
midsummer; larger ones appear in September and October.
One winter, some years ago, mullet hibernated in the mud in
Sheepshead bay and were taken with eel spears. The mullets
feed and thrive most of the year in captivity, but will not sur-
vive the intense heat of summer. In the aquarium their food
includes hard clam and shrimp.
In 1883 Jordan and Gilbert established a genus Queri-
mana for “little mullets with but two spines in the anal fin
and with the teeth in the jaws less ciliiform than in Mugil.
Adipose eyelid wanting; preorbital serrate.’ The genus was
based on Myxus harengus of Giinther. Querimana
is nothing more than the young of Mugil. The only good
character by which it was distinguished is the presence of two
anal spines instead of three; in all other respects Queri-
mana and Mugil agree perfectly. Asa matter of fact, all
young Mugils pass througha Querimana stage in which
only two of the three anal spines are developed, the adipose eye-
lid is rudimentary and the teeth are comparatively stouter than
in the adult. The third anal spine of Mu gi ° is really a simple
articulated ray till the fish reaches a length varying from about
40 mm to 50 mm. The first simple ray of the anal becomes a
Spine by the breaking off at an articulation, the subsequent
sharpening of the point, and the deposit of hard material in the
articulations, thus forming a somewhat slender, but perfect,
Spine.
This fact of development was carefully studied in large series
of specimens in the U. S. National Museum, and it is both inter-
esting and important from the fish cultural as well as the sys-
tematic standpoint. In Mugil cephalus one example,
41 mm long, shows the third anal spine very plainly; it is well
developed and has a sharp point, but several articulations still
ed
n
“
366 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
remain. Other examples of equal length have the first simple
anal ray scarcely developed into a spine, nd in still ners this
ray does not take on the character of a Spine at all. Queri-
mana harengus, the type of the genus, is the young of
Mugil curema, and Q. gyrans is the immature Mugil
trichodon. A.reexamination of the types of Querimana
gyrans shows the presence of 33 rows of scales in some ex-
amples instead of 29, as originally recorded.
184 Mugil curema Cuy. & Val.
White Mullet
Mugil curema CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 87, 1836,
Brazil; Martinique; Cuba; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VI, 145, 1888; 19th
Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 272, pl. X XI, fig. 26, 1890; JorDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 813, 1896, pl. CX XVI, fig. 344, 1900;
BEAN, 52d Ann, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 103, 1900.
Mugil petrosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 88, 1836, Brazil to New ©
York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 147, 1842.
Mugil brasiliensis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, III, 431, 1861; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 408, 1883.
Body shaped like that of the striped mullet, its width equaling
two thirds of length of head, its greatest depth contained three
and one half to three and five sixths times in total length with-
out caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle equal to one half the
length of head; snout nearly as in M. cephalus, sometimes
with its outline more declivous, its length one fifth of length of
head; interorbital space slightly convex, its width nearly one
half the length of head; thickness of upper lip scarcely one third
of length of upper jaw, space between the mandibles nearly
lanceolate, its width one sixth of its length; eyes covered with
an adipose membrane leaving only a space about as wide as the
pupil exposed, eye about two sevenths as long as the head;
head one fourth, or nearly one fourth, of total length without
caudal; teeth in outer row on premaxilla somewhat enlarged,
distant; scales rather large, about 22 rows between tip of snout
and origin of first dorsal; soft dorsal and anal densely scaled,
origin of spinous dorsal midway between tip of snout and. base
of external caudal rays, directly over the 10th row of scales,
counting from the axil of the pectoral, the first spine nearly
two thirds as long as the head, the last spine less than one half
FISHES OF NEW YORK 367
as long as the first, interspace between the dorsals equal to
three fifths of length of head, upper margin of soft dorsal deeply
concave, base of fin equal to length of postorbital part of head,
the longest ray three fifths of head, the last ray one fourth the
length of head; caudal deeply forked, its middle rays one half
as long as the head, its external rays equal to the head; pectoral
reaches the eighth row of scales, its length equal to head with-
out snout; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and third
ray of anal, its distance from vent equal to its own length,
which is two thirds of length of head; about 24 rows of scales
between the head and the anal origin, base of anal three fifths
as long as the head, longest anal ray equal to length of post-
orbital part of head, last anal ray two sevenths of length of
head. D.IV-—I, 8; A. III, 9. Scales -12-88.
Color silvery, bluish above; no dusky streaks along the sides
in life, but faint streaks are evident after preservation in
spirits; a small dark blotch at base of pectoral; caudal pale,
yellowish at base, dusky at tip; anal and ventrals yellowish;
two yellow blotches on side of head.
he white mullet reaches the length of 1 foot. On the
Atlantic coast it ranges from Cape Cod to Brazil; in the Pacific
it is recorded from California to Chile. It is a very important
food fish. | 3
The white mullet appears with the striped species, but is less
abundant in Gravesend bay and is smaller in size. The young
were taken in Great South bay in August 1898, and half grown
individuals were abundant in September and October. Adults
were scarce.
Dr Mitchill calls this the summer mullet. He records a speci-
men that weighed 24 pounds, the heaviest coming under his
observation. DeKay found the species in New York markets
in July and August.
185 Mugil trichodon Poey
Whirligig Mullet (young) ; Fantail Mullet
Mugil trichodon Pory, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y. XI, 66, pl. 8, figs. 4 to 8,
1875, Cuba; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 816, 1896. .
Mugil brasiliensis JORDAN & SwAIn, Proc. U. S. Nat, Mus. 270, 1884; not
of Agassiz fide JORDAN & HVERMANN,
368 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Querimana gyrans JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 26, 1884; Jor-
DAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 818, 1896.
Body robust, its greatest depth three elevenths of the total
length without caudal; head short, its length contained four
and one fifth times in total to caudal base; snout moderately
acute, its upper and lower profiles equally oblique; interorbital
space little convex, its width two fifths of the length of the
head; upper lip remarkably thick; space between the mandibles
underneath narrow, oblanceolate, rather pointed behind; an
adipose membrane covering all but the central part of the eye;
teeth comparatively large and wide set, about as long as the
nostril; about 21 rows of scales between origin of spinous dor-
sal and tip of snout, soft dorsal and anal densely scaled, the
margin of soft dorsal concave, the second, and longest, ray two
and three fourths times as long as the seventh; anal similar to
soft dorsal; the pectoral short, not reaching nearly to vertical
from front of spinous dorsal; caudal large, deeply forked. D.
IV-I, 8; A. III, 8. Scales 33-11. |
Upper parts dusky, olivaceous, with bluish reflections, lower
parts silvery; scales without dusky spots; a dark blotch at
base of pectoral; dorsals and caudal pale, the dorsals with
minute dark points, caudal with a dark margin; anal and
ventrals yellowish; pectorals pale, with fine brown punctula-
tions. :
The fantail mullet ranges from Brazil to the Florida Keys
and Cuba. The young, which is Querimana gyrans of
Jordan & Gilbert, migrates northward in summer to Cape Cod;
it has been recorded from Long Island and the vicinity of
Woods Hole Mass.
The species reaches the length of 10 inches.
Family sPHYRAENIDAE
Barracudas
Genus spHyrarEna (Artedi) Bloch & Schn.
Body elongate, subterete, covered with small cycloid scales; ,
head very long, pointed, pikelike, scaly above and on sides;
mouth horizontal, large; jaws elongate, the lower considerably
projecting, upper jaw nonprotractile, its border formed by the |
FISHES OF NEW YORK 369
premaxillaries, behind which are the broad maxillaries, large,
sharp teeth of unequal size on both jaws and on palatines; none
on the vomer; usually a very strong, sharp canine near the tip
of the lower jaw; opercular bones without spines or serratures;
gill openings wide, the gill membranes not united, free from
the isthmus; gill rakers very short or obsolete; branchioste-
gals seven; gills four; pseudobranchiae well developed; air
bladder large, bifurcate anteriorly; many pyloric caeca; lateral
line well developed, straight; pectoral fins short, placed in or
below the line of the axis of the body; ventrals I, 5, abdominal,
in advance of the middle of the body; first dorsal over ventrals,
of five rather stout spines, second dorsal remote from first
dorsal, similar to and opposite anal; caudal fin forked; vertebrae
24; first superior pharyngeal absent, second, third, and fourth
separate, with teeth, lower pharyngeals separate.
186 Sphyraena guachancho Cuy. & Val.
Long Barracuda
Sphyraena guachancho CuUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist, Nat. Poiss, III, 342,
1829, Havana; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 824,
1896.
Sphyraena guaguancho GOoDE & BEAN, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. II, 146, 1880;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, 1883.
Sphyraena guaguanche Pory, Memorias, II, 166, 1860; MEEK & NEWLAND,
Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 70, 1884.
Sphyraena giintheri HAty, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. XV, 270, 1875, Colon. .
Body moderately elongate, subcylindric, its greatest depth
one seventh of the total length without caudal, its width
two thirds of its depth and one third of length of head;
the caudal peduncle stout and not elongate, its least depth
one fourth the length of head. The head is long, nearly
one third of total without caudal, its width two sevenths
of its length; the lower jaw projects a space one half as
long as the iris, the top of head flat and with a long and
well marked median groove; the interorbital space equal to iris;
the maxilla broadly expanded and abruptly bent downward, its
width at the posterior end one fourth of its length, its end reach-
ing about to front of orbit; mandible as long as head without
postorbital part; preocular ridge three fourths as long as iris;
370 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
premaxillary teeth small, about 48 developed in the individual
examined (sometimes 35 to 40), front of the premaxillaries
with four large canines, the posterior pair slightly larger,
one third as long as the eye; three large, bladelike fangs
on each side of palatines; a large compressed fang at
symphysis of lower jaw, mandible with about 17 moder-
ately large, compressed teeth on each side; eye one sixth
of length of head, one half postorbital part of head; dor-
sal origin at a distance from snout equal to three times length
of snout, base of spinous dorsal one third length of head from
tip of upper jaw, second spine longest, nearly one third of
length of head, fifth spine one half as long as the second, inter-
space between first and second dorsal equal to snout and eye
combined, base of second dorsal two sevenths of length of head,
including lower jaw, longest ray as long as base of fin, last ray
one fifth of length of head; ventral a little in advance of spinous
dorsal, its distance from the head equal to length of pectoral,
its length two sevenths of length of head; anal origin under
middle of dorsal base, anal base one fourth the length of head,
longest anal ray equal to ventral, last ray one ha‘f the postor-
bital part of head; middle caudal rays very short, external rays
as long as snout and eye combined; pectoral as long as postor-
bital part of head; top of head with minute embedded scales;
cheeks and opercles scaly, but interopercle and posterior half of
opercle naked. B. VII, D. V—1, 9; A. I, 8; V.1, 5; P.1, 12. Scales
15 to 16-112 to 121-18 to 17. i
Color pale green above, soft dorsal yellowish; anal and ventral
fins chiefly pale but basal part of ventral dusky; pectoral and
caudal dusky at tip; dark punctulations on spinous dorsal and
on upper part of body. The specimen described is no. 30015,
Jamaica, in the U. S. national museum. .
An individual 212 inches long was taken at Woods Hole
Mass., and is described by Goode and Bean in Proceedings of the
U. S. National Musewn, II, 147, 1880. The species ranges from
the West Indies to Florida, and occasionally northward in sum-
mer to Cape Cod,
FISHES OF NEW YORK Bas
187 Sphyraena borealis De Kay
Northern Barracuda
Sphyraena borealis DE Kay, N, Y. Fauna, Fishes, 39, pl. 60, fig. 196, 1842,
New York; MEEK & NEWLAND, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 75, 1884;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 145, 1888; 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y.
271, 1890; JorDAN & EXVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 825, 1896.
Sphyraena spet JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, 1883; not
of Havy.
Body moderately elongate and compressed, its greatest depth
equal to length of snout, and contained seven and one half times
in total length without caudal, its width equaling two sevenths
of length of head; caudal peduncle subterete and tapering, its
least depth one fifth of length of head. The head is one third of
total length without caudal, its width one fourth of its length,
the lower jaw projecting a space equal to pupil, top of head
slightly convex, a very shallow median groove, the interorbita!
space equal to length of eye; maxilla broadly expanded poste-
riorly, its greatest width one fourth of its length, its end not
reaching front of orbit by a space two thirds as long as the eye;
mandible as long as snout and eye combined; preocular ridge
two thirds as long as the eye, not very prominent; premaxillary
teeth small, smaller anteriorly, about 45 in number, front of the
premaxillaries with three large canines on each side, one of them
much larger than the others, one third as long as the eye; two ©
large fangs on one side of the palatines, three on the other, fol-
lowed on each side by three smaller teeth; a large, compressed
fang ‘at the symphysis of lower jaw, mandible with 10 to 12
teeth, increasing in size and becoming more widely: separated
posteriorly; eye equal to interorbital width and its length con-
tained six and one fourth times in length of head; dorsal origin
at a distance from tip of snout equal to a little more than three
times length of snout, base of spinous dorsal ‘nearly one third as
long as the head, second dorsal spine longest, about one third
length of head, last dorsal spine one half of postorbital part of
head, interspace between dorsals one half of length of head, base
of second dorsal equal to longest dorsal ray and two sevenths
of length of head, last dorsal ray equal to long diameter of eye,
372 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and one seventhof lengthof head; ventral under the second spine
of the dorsal, its distance from the head one half of length
of head, and much greater than length of pectoral; anal origin
under fourth ray of second dorsal; the anal base two sevenths
of length of head, longest anal ray equal to base of anal fin, last
ray three fourths of diameter of eye, one third of postorbital part
of head; middle caudal rays very short, external rays one half
as long as the head; pectoral equal to postorbital part of head;
top of head- with numerous minute, embedded scales and with
many series of mucous pores; cheeks and opercles scaly and with-
out naked spaces. B. VII; D. V-II, 9; A. III, 8; V. I, 5; P. I,
12. Seales 13-126-13.
Color greenish above; lateral line yellow; lower parts silvery;
iris golden; young with dusky blotches on the back and along the
lateral line.
This fish seems to have been unknown to the early writers on
New York fishes, the species not appearing in any publication
earlier than De Kay’s New York Fauna, in 1842. Dr De Kay calls
it the northern barracuda, to distinguish it from the southern
species.
The young barracuda have been taken from Cape Cod to New
Jersey, the southern limit being indefinite. Individuals of 1
foot in length have been rarely seen, but examples measuring
from 2 to 6 inches are extremely common as far north as Cape
Cod annually, in the summer. De Kay makes the following state-
ment about the barracuda: “ This is a very active and voracious
little fish. A number of them were caught in the harbor of New
York and placed in a vessel with several other species. In a few
hours they had devoured them all, and then commenced devour-
ing each other. It has not been very commonly observed, owing
to the difficulty of capturing them; but I have reason to believe
that they are not very rare.” In' Great Egg Harbor bay the
young were found in abundance. The smallest example seen
there by myself was 22 inches long. The species was unknown
to the fishermen. In Great South bay a single a was
captured at Oak island September 30.
=.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 373
This barracuda is not seen in our markets, but the adults of
more southerly species are considered excellent food fishes. At
Key West and on Cozumel island, and in the West Indies, the
barracuda is highly prized:
Several young barracuda were caught in Gravesend bay in
September 1896. The species is not common in that bay. An
individual 54 inches long was seined at Sandy Hook, Oct. 8, 1897.
The fish does not live long in captivity.
Suborder RHEGNOPTERI
Family POLYNEMIDAE
Threadfins
‘Genus Potypacryius Lacépéde
Anal fin not much longer than soft dorsal, of about 13 or 14
rays; vomer with teeth; preoperculum serrate; free filaments
of pectorals mostly shorter than body; teeth in villiform bands
on both jaws, vomer, palatines, and pterygoids; preopercle
sharply serrated on its posterior margin, its angle with a scaly
flap; scales rather small, finely ctenoid; first dorsal with seven
or eight feeble, rather high spines, the first and last short, soft
dorsal and anal fins about equaling each other; pectoral fila-
ments three to nine; pyloric caeca in great number. Species
numerous, in warm seas.
188 Polydactylus octonemus (Girard)
Threadfin
Polynemus octonemus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 167,1858, Brazos; San-
tiago; Galveston; young; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 320, 1860;
GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. II, 128, 1880; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 413, 1883.
Polydactylus octonemus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8. Nat. Mus. 830,
1896, pl. CX XVIII, fig. 350, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.
IX, 358, 1897.
Trichidion octofilis GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 280, 1861, New York;
adult.
Trichidion octonemus GILL, op. cit. 280, 1861.
Polynemus octofilis JORDAN & GILBERT, Proce. U. 8. Nat. Mus. 590, 1882; Bull:
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 413, 1883.
Body compressed, moderately elongate, its greatest depth
from one third to two sevenths of the total length without
caudal, its thickness equal to two fifths of length of head;
374 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth one half the
length of head; head short, a little more than one fourth of
total length without caudal, its width nearly one half its length; —
snout obtusely conical, its length varying with age from one
seventh to one fifth of length of head; eye equal to interorbital
space and its length contained from four and one third to five
and one half times in length of head; mouth inferior, slightly
oblique, wide, the lower jaw included, maxilla broadly expanded
behind, its end reaching far behind eye, length of upper jaw
nearly one half of length of head; hind margin of preopercle
with numerous rather coarse spines. Distance of spinous dor-
sal from tip of snout equals one third of total length without
caudal, base of spinous dorsal one half as long as the head,
second spine longest one fifth of total without caudal, last dor-
sal spine two ninths as long as the second, interspace between
dorsals equal to postorbital part of head, base of second dorsal
contained one and three fourth times in length of head, longest
dorsal ray equal to postorbital part of head, last dorsal ray one
third as long as the head. Anal origin is under the fifth or
sixth ray of the second dorsal, the base of the fin equals the
second spine of the dorsal in length; the longest ray is one half
as long as the head; the last ray is as long as the snout and eye
combined. The ventral origin is under the middle of the spinous
dorsal; the length of the fin is about one half the length of head.
The pectoral reaches beyond the end of the spinous dorsal, but
not to the vent, its length equal to length of head without the
snout; the pectoral filaments are eight in number on each side,
the longest reaching past the vent. Caudal deeply forked, its
external rays longer than the head. D. VIII-I, 12; A. III, 13;
V.I1,5; P. 1, 15,8; B. VII. Gill rakers, 21 below the angle, the
longest nearly equal to eye; scales 6-70-10. Color light oliva-
ceous, with dark punctulations; belly whitish; pectoral black in
adult, pale in young.
The threadfin is found on the east coast of the United States.
from New York to Texas, occurring northward in summer only.
Sep. 24, 1896, three specimens were obtained by John B. De
FISHES OF NEW YORK 31D
Nyse in Gravesend bay and sent to the aquarium dead, as they
would not endure captivity. The fish agrees in coloration and
in every other respect with P. octofilis Gill, and is be-
lieved to be the adult form of P. octonemus Girard. This
is probably the first record of its occurrence in New York waters
for more than 30 years.
MEASURIUIMENTS
Inches
Length, including caudal. DE DLN SiR OLN ay eee, Sahin 834
Length to end of middle exudal TEAS Sitiee go ch ltt SUR Baal al S abadcadvci vin 7%
hength. to OTneim or amMmddale Caudal. GAYS. 2). jcc. cre on «lee eee . 6%
CE LOREESE COP Uli, Ol c IOC Vie tis 2 ae Gr Soh d4 kav ers © auebaie.S shaees elope See ene 2
WGuisit Cepting oneal WIEMIIIUCLe ie Vales acoade wed eretece alee e 16
SL Sra el oa aR GE aN Gory 5 0)" EE ANA gene eR Rene a Ban a Reet a Bene eae 1%
NMSA Oe VS EVO en nae eee estar cen OSS oes iv ae) ohh taal oc a ah id Ts
Oa E) Oil ONO gn Metab Me och vas yo edicbeaiN, a ibaa ete salen of elves a> aer busta eile. pce is
SPSS fila Ls MANO PMN MH MIU UN Glee We vasa ese sete to les see thn Sa eae wie oShdlele @ bona Slate 34,
MSM LINO ke MAAC OLE ete ae ee Bren etree ed cd aah Gee Stale oretetee's 3
Length of longest pectoral filament Bees EA Me ON Spe he reba A elle cy ol atelie 28%
Length of upper and lower caudal lobes Laie in Spall esr ee ee Gia ee 214,
PSN OM FOL OCUOR UL ye ao rer ale e eudiis oook he wah is ar Seale traeak c ctetahe wea we 1%
hewethvotiongest Guird)dorsalispimtes |: ski. vse « «Qe eels 1% -
EOS tH IOr SCCOMURMOL SAN WAVE eisai wit d ola aueieca ele crei@iahate Ba al 1%
EPS 2 FLA MMe sag 2 OH C22, pln 0 eA 2 eR on a 3
Mee Gas OL JOM eesti ray, bee ce Lt ki shales 44a e clSte elaty Sicllets oo ad ees if:
Meas i Olas Semaine ina tha eke ihc ULL aka. gu cand keane bus chplaniole ve lis
NGS EH OL DASE) Ol ES HOC OES AM, clei oliye ale lysrake cs eters kos aie alc Helole he 34
‘Length of base of second dorsal......... CONSEM, So eather ar epatar eta eae 1%
The longest pectoral filament reaches to below the inter-
space between the two dorsals and slightly past the vent. The
diameter of the eye equals the length of the snout and one fifth
the length of the head.
Group AMMODYTOIDEI
Family aMMODYTIDAE
Sand Lances
Genus ammopytEs (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body elongate, lanceolate, the skin with many transverse
folds running obliquely downward and backward, the small
cycloid scales mostly placed in cross series between them; lat-
eral line concurrent with the back; a fold of the skin along each
side of the belly; vomer not armed with a bicuspid tooth; color
silvery; vertebrae 62 or 63; one pyloric caecum. Carnivorous
376 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
fishes inhabiting sandy shores in cold regions, living in large
schools, burying themselves in the sand near the tide mark.
Valued as bait and useful as food for salmon and other larger
fishes.
189 Ammodytes americanus De Kay.
Sand Lance; Sand Eel
Ammodytes americanus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 317, pl. 52, fig. 167,
1842, Queens County, New York, and Stratford, Conn.; STorER, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 216, pl. XX XIII, fig. 2, 1867; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Hssex
Inst. XI, 20, 1879; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 414,
1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 833, 1896, pl.
CXXIX, fig. 351, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 359, 1897.
Ammodytes vittatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 318, pl. 60, fig. 197, 1842,
New York, apparently based upon a mutilated specimen, fide JORDAN
& EVERMANN.
Argyrotaenia vittata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 415, 1888.
Body long, slender, subterete, its greatest depth one tenth to
one twelfth of total length without caudal, its width two fifths
of length of head; head moderately long, with acutely pointed
snout, length of head one fifth of total without caudal; snout
nearly one third as long as the head; eye small, one sixth as long
as the head, and equal to width of interorbital space; lower jaw
somewhat projecting, the mandible nearly one half as long as
the head, the maxilla reaching back to front of orbit; dorsal
origin in advance of tip of pectoral; length of pectoral about
one half the length of head; length of anal base nearly one third
of total without caudal; dorsal and anal rays about equal in
length and not much longer than the eye; intermaxillary pro-
tractile; vomer not armed with a bicuspid toothlike prominence,
D. 55 to 63; A. 27 to 31. Lateral folds 127 to 141.
The specimens examined are from 4{-to 7 inches long, from
Nantucket, Woods Hole and Bass Rocks, Mass.
Colors as given by Dr Storer: of a dirty greenish brown on
the back, the sides and abdomen silvery, the top of the head
flesh-colored, the preopercles silvery, operculum cupreous and
Silvery, pupils black, iris silvery.
The sand lance occurs on sandy shores from Newfoundland to
Cape Hatteras. In certain harbors of Cape Cod and Marthas
Vineyard it often schools in myriads, so that the entire bottom
FISHES OF NEW YORK Sth
is covered from:1 to 2 inches deep and appears like an immense
sheet of silver. These little fish are a very important source of
food for the cod, salmon and other valuable fishes and are
excellent for bait.
De Kay found the young frequently washed on shore after
heavy northerly gales.
The sand lance appears in Gravesend bay in July, but is more
plentiful in winter. The fish buries itself in sand and some-
times, when alarmed, will leap 4 inches above the sand. In
captivity it swims continually and soon dies. It will not thrive
for want of sand and proper food.
Group BERYCOIDEl
Family MULLIDAE
: Surmutlets
Genus munuus Linnaeus
Villiform teeth in the lower jaw and on the vomer and pala-
tines, none in the upper jaw, the bone forming a hook over the
maxillary well developed; opercle without spines; interorbital
_ space flat and wide. Otherwise as in Upeneus, the head
rather shorter. One species known.
190 Mullus auratus Jordan & Gilbert
Red Mullet ; Goatfish
Mullus barbatus auratus JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 280, 1882,
Pensacola, Florida; Bull. 16, U: S. Nat. Mus. 981, 1883.
Mullus auratus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 39, 1884; Bean, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 359, 1897; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S.
Nat. Mus. 856, 1896, pl. CX XXII, fig. 360, 1900.
Body moderately deep and compressed, its width equal to
postorbital length of head, its greatest depth nearly equal to
length of head and contained three and one half times in total
length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle equal
to postorbital part of head; head two sevenths of total length
without caudal; anterior profile rather steep; intermaxilla
protractile; mouth small, terminal, the upper jaw one third
as long as the head and about equal to length of mandible; eye
placed high, interorbital space nearly flat, its width greater
378 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
[
than long diameter of the eye, and about two sevenths of length
of head, eye about three elevenths of length of head; barbels —
one fifth of total length to end of scales, and equal to length
of pectoral. The spinous dorsal begins over the fifth scale of
the lateral line, its base one half as long as the head, its longest
spine two thirds as long as the head, its last spine scarcely
as long as the eye, interspace between dorsals equal to one
third the length of head, base of second dorsal one half as long
as the head, longest ray slightly more than one half the length
of head, last ray as long as the eye. The ventral origin is under
the axil of the pectoral, also under the third scale of the lateral
line; the length of the ventral is one fifth of total length to
end of scales; the ventral fin reaches a little farther back than
the pectoral, to a point below the twelfth scale of the lateral
line. The anal origin is under about the third ray of second
dorsal; the base is as long as postorbital part of head; the long-
est ray one half, and the last ray two sevenths of length of
head. Caudal deeply forked, the middle rays, from end of
scales, two fifths as long as the outer rays, which are three
fourths as Jong as the head. Pectoral fin three fourths as long
as the head, reaching to below the 12th scale of the lateral
line, and end of spinous dorsal base. D. VII-I, 8; A. II, 6;
V.1.5;P.16. Scales 34-35-6.
Color scarlet; side with two yellow longitudinal stripes; snout
and caudal fin scarlet, the latter with about five narrow dusky
bands after preservation in spirits; first dorsal fin with an
orange band at base and a yellow band higher up, the rest of
the fin pale; second dorsal fin with about three narrow bands of
scarlet; anal and ventrals pale; pectoral reddish; iris violet or
golden; sides of head silvery, iridescent.
The red mullet ranges from Cape Cod to Florida; it is found
at Woods Hole Mass., occasionally in summer; on the red snap-
per banks off Pensacola Fla. it is moderately abundant. The
fish grows to the length of 8 inches. It has no economic value,
but furnishes food for the red snapper, groupers and other food
fishes.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 379
Three individuals of Mullus were captured in a seine at
Sandy Hook N. J. Oct. 8, 1897, and brought alive to the New
York aquarium, where they are now (Nov. 30, 1897) in good con-
dition and feed freely on shrimp. As the fish are living, it is
uncertain whether or not they are M. auratus; but they
agree in the main with the description of that species. Their
endurance of water at a temperature of 50° F. is unexpected.
Fishermen at Sandy Hook reported that large numbers were
seen there in September and October 1897.
Recént examination of one of the specimens above referred to
(No. 48796, U. S. National Museum) shows its entire agreement
with the type of Mullus auratus.
Group SCOMBROIDEI
Family sSCOMBRIDAE
Mackerels
Genus scomperR (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body fusiform, rather elongate, somewhat compressed; caudal
peduncle slender, without median keel, hut with two small keels
on each side; mouth wide, with a single row cf rather small,
slender teeth in each jaw and on the vomer and palatines;
maxillary slipping under the broad preorbital, a fleshy lobe on
each side of lower jaw near its junction with maxillary; scales —
very small, not forming a corselet; first dorsal of nine to 12
feeble spines, separated from the second by an interspace
greater than the base of the fin, second dorsal small, followed
by five to nine detached finlets; anal similar to second dorsal,
with similar finlets; pectorals and ventrals small, the former
placed high, on the level of the eyes; caudal fin small, widely
forked; pyloric appendages exceedingly numerous; air bladder
small or wanting; vertebrae normally formed, 14417 = 31; gill
rakers long and slender.
Subgenus scomBER
191 Scomber scombrus Linnaeus
Common Mackerel
Sconsber scombrus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 297, 1758, Atlantic; GOoDE &
BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14,1879; JoRnpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U: S.
Nat. Mus. 424, 1888; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
865, 1896, pl. CX X XIII, fig. 363, 1900.
380 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Sconaber vernalis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 423, 1815,
Sandy Hook, New Jersey; DE Kay, name omitted from chapter head-
ing, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 101, pl. 12, fig. 34, 1842, New York coast;
STorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 54, pl. XI, fig. 2, 1867. bene
Scomber scomber, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 492, 1766; GuNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 357, 1860.
Body moderately long, subterete, fusiform, the snout acute
and the caudal peduncle much tapering posteriorly, the great-
est hight two ninths of total length without the caudal, the least
depth of caudal peduncle equal to the short diameter of the
eye, the width of body one half the length of head; head conical,
pointed, its length one fourth of total without caudal, its width
one half its length, the width of the interorbital space one half
postorbital length of head; snout rather long, one third as long
as the head; lower jaw slightly projecting, the mandible extend-
ing behind orbit, its length more than one half the length of
head, the maxilla reaching to below front of pupil. The eye is
one fifth as long as the head. The spinous dorsal originates over
the middle of the pectoral; its base is a little longer than the
mandible; the second, and longest, spine is two fifths as long as
the head; the last spine is very short, about one third of length
of eye; the interspace between the dorsals is about equal to
depth of body; the second dorsal base is nearly opposite anal
base, slightly in advance, its length two fifths of length of the |
head; the longest ray is one fourth as long as the head, the last
ray two thirds as long as the eye; the second dorsal is followed
by five finlets, each as long as the last ray. The anal origin is
under the fourth or fifth ray of the second dorsal; the base of
the fin is one third as long as the head; the longest ray is one
half of postorbital length of head; the last ray is two thirds
as long as the eye; the fin is followed by five finlets which are
immediately opposite the dorsal finlets and of about the same
size. The middle caudal rays, from end of scales, are equal to
one half the greatest depth of body; the external rays are nearly
twice as long as the middle rays. The ventral origin is very
slightly in advance of the origin of spinous dorsal, its distance
from tip of snout equaling the distance from origin of second
dorsal to root of caudal fin; the length of the ventral equals three
: FISHES OF NEW YORK 381
eighths of length of head. The pectoral is one half as long as
the head; the fin reaches to below the sixth spine of the dorsal.
No air bladder. D. XI-I, 11-V; A. I, 11-V; V.1, 5; P. I, 16.
Color dark blue, or greenish blue, above, the upper parts with
30 or more wavy transverse bands of a darker hue, these extend-
ing below the lateral line and nearly to the median line of the
body; beneath the ends of these lines and slightly separated
from them is a narrow, longitudinal, dark streak running almost
the entire distance from the pectoral to the caudal; top of the
head very dark; a dark blotch in the axil of the pectoral; gill
covers and jaws silvery; sides white with cupreous reflections;
belly white.
The mackerel is one of the best known food fishes of the north
Atlantic, ranging from Norway to Spain in Europe and from
Labrador to Cape Hatteras in North America. It reaches the
length of 18 inches. The fish is migratory and frequently dis-
appears for a short or long period of time from its accustomed
localities. On the New York coast the mackerel appears in
May and June in great schools, but the number varies greatly in
different years. |
Two young, 34 to 54 inches long, were taken in Gravesend bay,
L. I., May 28, 1896, in John B. De Nyse’s shad fyke. No more .
were seen, and these were the first for the year. They come
about the time of the appearance of anchovy and weakfish.
They are often seen swimming at the surface of the bay in small
bunches of 18 or 20, occasionally 100, in the latter part of May
or early in June. They are always split up into small bunches,
probably by the attacks of weakfish and other predaceous spe-
cies which are present at the time. Flukes attack them also in
shallow water.
Subgenus pyEumMaTorHORUs Jordan & Gilbert
192 Scomber colias Gmelin
Chub Mackerel; Thimbleeye Mackeral
Scomber colias GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. 1329, 1788, Sardinia; DE Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 104, pl. 11, fig. 33, 1842; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47,
U.S. Nat. Mus. 866, 1896, pl. CX XXIII, fig. 364, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 360, 1897.
- >=
382 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Sconeber pneumatophorus DE LA RocuE, Ann. Mus. Nat. Hist. XIII, 315, 334,
1809, Balearic Islands.
Scomber grex M1TcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 422, 1815; Storer,
Syn. Fish. N. A. 90, 1846.
Scomber dekayi STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 52, pl. XI, fig. 1, 1867; GoopE &
BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879.
Body fusiform, subterete, moderately elongate, its greatest
depth two ninths of total length to base of caudal fin; least
depth of caudal peduncle two thirds of the short diameter of
the eye, its width more than one half the length of head and
equal to snout and eye combined; head conical, pointed, com-
pressed, its length contained three and three fourths times in
total to base of caudal, its width equal to one half its length,
width of interorbital space three fifths of length of postorbital
part of head; snout long, pointed, two sevenths as long as the
head; lower jaw slightly projecting, the mandible extending to
below hind edge of pupil, its length less than one half the
length of head; the maxilla reaching nearly to front of pupil.
The eye is large, covered in front and behind by an adipose mem-
brane, its length three elevenths of length of head or two thirds.
of length of postorbital part of head. The spinous dorsal origi-
nates over the middle of the pectoral, a little behind the inser-
tion of the ventral; the base is as long as the head without the
snout and is much longer than the mandible; the second spine
longest, one half as long as the head, the last spine minute,
about one fifth as long as the eye. The interspace between the
dorsals is only two thirds of depth of body. The second dorsal
base is chiefly opposite anal base, but more in advance than in
Scomber scombrus, its length equal to postorbital part
of head; the longest ray is one fourth as long as the head, the
last ray one half as long as the eye; the second dorsal is fol-
lowed by five finlets, which increase in size posteriorly, the last
one larger than last ray of dorsal, and two thirds as long as the
eye. The anal origin is under the fifth or sixth ray of the
second dorsal; the base of the fin is as long as the postorbital
part of the head; the longest ray equals the longest of the dor- |
sal; the last ray is one half as long as the eye; the fin is fol-
lowed by five finlets of the same size as the dorsal finlets and
FISHES OF NEW YORK 383
placed nearly opposite to them. The middle caudal rays are ©
very short; the external rays are as long as the snout and eye
combined. ‘The ventral origin is equally distant from tip of
snout and vent; the fin is two fifths as long as the head. The
pectoral is one half as long as the head and reaches to below
the fifth spine of the first dorsal. Air bladder present. D. IX
next ti tod2-Ve NL eV or VIZ OF, 5; P. 1, 19.- Scales
nearly 200.
Colors essentially the same asin Scomber scombrus,
the wavy transverse bands about 30 in number; sides mottled
- with small dusky blotches below the median line; about 20 black
specks on base of preopercle, usually arranged in more than one
series; belly and sides silvery; a black blotch in axil of pectoral.
The chub mackerel is found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,
north to England and Maine and to San Francisco; very com-
mon in the Mediterranean and in southern California; some-
times abundant on our eastern coast and frequently absent for
long periods. It reaches the length of 14 inches and is an im-
portant food fish.
July 25, 1887, the schooner Peter Cooper caught 6000 thimble-
eye mackerel off Manasquan N. J. About 50,000 mackerel were
taken by the menhaden steamer, A. Morris, near Ocean City, July
19,1887. Some of these were preserved in brine by W. B. Steel-
man, and I found them to be 8S. colias.
The thimbleeyes usually arrive in August. In 1886 they were
often caught. This species was not found in large numbers in
Gravesend bay in 1897, but in 1896 it abounded in all the little
creeks, and in some instances the fish could be dipped up by the
boat load with scoop nets. “The fish reached 10 inches in
length before the end of the summer. |
| Genus auxis Cuvier
Body oblong, plump, mostly naked posteriorly, anteriorly cov-
ered with small scales, those of the pectoral region enlarged,
forming a corselet; snout very short, conical, scarcely com-
pressed; mouth rather small, the jaws equal; teeth very small,
mostly in a single series, on the jaws only; tail very slender,
384 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
depressed, with a rather large keel on each side; first dorsal
short, separated from the second by a considerable interspace,
second dorsal and anal small, each with seven or eight finlets;
pectorals and ventrals small; no air bladder; branchiostegals
seven; pyloric caeca dendritical; gill rakers very long and slen-
der, numerous; vertebrae 39 in number, peculiarly modified,
essentially asin Gymnosarda.
193 Auxis thazard (Lacépéde)
Frigate Mackerel
Scomber thazard LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 9, 1802, Coast of New
Guinea. |
Auzis vulgaris CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 139, 1831,
Mediterranean.
Auxis rochei GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 369, 1860; Jornpan & GIL-
BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 425, 1883.
Auxis thazard JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 911, 1883; JoRDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 867, 1896, pl. CX XXIII, fig. 365, 1900.
Body stout, subterete, fusiform, tapering to a very low caudal
peduncle, the greatest depth one fourth of total length without
caudal, the width nearly two thirds of the depth; the least depth
of caudal peduncle about two fifths of length of iris; head short,
conical, pointed, its length one fourth of the total to end of mid-
dle caudal rays, its width two thirds of its length, the width of
the interorbital space one half postorbital length of head; snout
short, as long as the eye, one fifth as long as the head; the lower
jaw not projecting when the mouth is closed, the maxilla reach-
ing to below middle of pupil, the mandible two fifths as long as
the head and reaching nearly to below hind margin of orbit. The
eye is as long as the snout and one fifth as long as the head.
The spinous dorsal originates a little behind the origin of
pectoral and ventral, at a distance from tip of snout nearly equal
to one third of total length to caudal base; its base is nearly one
half as long as the head; the second spine longest, two fifths as
long as the head, the last spine minute, about one sixth as long
as the eye. The interspace between the dorsals equals the
length of the head without the snout. The second dorsal is in
_ advance of the anal; its base is about one fourth as long as the
head; its longest ray equals snout, and its last ray is less than
aw = —-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 385
one half the snout; the fin is followed by eight finlets, which de-
crease in size posteriorly. The anal origin is below the inter-
space between the end of the second dorsal and its first finlet; the
anal base is as long as the second dorsal base; its first ray is as
long ag the snout, its last ray is one half the short diameter of
the eye; it is followed by seven finlets, decreasing in size poster-
iorly. The middle caudal rays, from end of keel, are one fourth
as long as the outer rays, which are one half as long as the head;
“the caudal lobes form a very obtuse angle with the caudal
peduncle. The ventral origin is directly under the root of the
pectoral; the fin is as long as the snout and eye combined, the
ventral sheath about as long as the fin. The pectoral is falcate,
many-rayed, its length four ninths of length of head; the fin
reaches to below the last spine of the first dorsal. D. X—12-—
eh A NE VL 5s P. 22: Bo Vat. |
Color dark blue above with reticulated markings on the back,
chiefly in the second half of the length and all above the lateral
line; sides, lower parts and head silvery; ventral dark.
The frigate mackerel is found in all warm seas and ranges
northward occasionally to Cape Cod; it is a rare visitor in our
waters, but sometimes appears in immense schools. It has little
value as food. It reaches the length of 16 inches. The species
was unknown on our shores till 1880, when it arrived in almost
countless numbers. Its food is the same as that of the common
mackerel. ,
Genus GymMNosaRDA Gill
This genus according to Liitken differs from Thunnus 1)in
the absence of teeth on vomer; 2) by the complete absence of
scales outside of the corselet (for in Thunnus of the same
size the skin is covered with small scales; and the limits of the
corselet in the tunny and albicore are obscure, so that it can not
properly be said that they have distinct corselets), and 3) by an
important osteologic character, namely the peculiar develop-
ment, in the form of a network or trellis, of a portion of the |
abdominal part of the backbone, between the vertebrae proper
and the hemapophyses. Vertebrae 38. Species of smaller size
than the tunnies, also pelagic, and of little value as food.
oy
DP
=)
NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
194 Gymnosarda pelamys (Linnaeus)
Oceanic Bonito
Scomber pelamis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 297, 1758, tropical seas.
Thynnus pelamys CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 118, 1831.
Orcynus pelamys Pory, Syn. Pisce. Cubens. 362, 1868; GoopE & BEAN, Proce.
U.S. Nat. Mus. I, 24, 1878; Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879.
Euthynnus pelamys JORDAN & GILBERT, Bulli. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 430, 1883.
Gymnosarda pelamis DRESSLAR & FESLER, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 486, 1889;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 868, 1896.
Body oblong, abruptly tapering at both ends, stout, short, its.
greatest hight one fourth of total length to end of middle caudal
rays, its width a little more than one half the length’ of head,
equal to postorbital part of head; least hight of caudal peduncle
one half the length of eye; keel one fourth as long as the head;
head rather long, somewhat compressed, acute in front, conical,
its length two sevenths of the total without caudal, its width
over the opercles one half its length; snout not long, acute at tip,
somewhat compressed, its length two sevenths of length of head;
the mandible heavy and prominent, scarcely projecting; the
maxilla with rounded extremity extends to below middle of
pupil; the mandible extends to below hind margin of eye, its
length nearly one half the length of head. The eye is obliquely
oblong, its length about one fifth of length of head. The spinous
dorsal orginates immediately over the origins of the pectoral
and ventral; the base of the fin is four fifths as long as the head;
the first and longest spine one half as long as the head, the last
spine one fourth as long as the snout. The interspace between
the dorsals equals two thirds of length of snout. The second
dorsal is equidistant from the upper angle of the gill opening and
the base of the caudal fin; the base of the fin is as long as the
snout and equal to base of anal; the longest ray is a very little
longer than the base of the fin, the last ray is one fourth as long
as the snout; the fin is followed by eight finlets, the largest in
front, two fifths as long as the snout. The middle caudal rays,
measured from keel, one third as long as the outer rays, which
are nearly two thirds as long as the head (equal to postorbital
part of head). The anal origin is nearly under the end of the
second dorsal; the base of the fin is two sevenths as long as the
FISHES OF NEW YORK 387
head; the longest ray is as long as the base of the fin, the last
ray one third of length of snout; the fin is followed by seven
finlets, which are rather broader than those of the dorsal. The
ventral origin is directly under the origin of spinous dorsal; the
length of the fin is two fifths of length of head; the ventral
sheath is bifurcate and less than one half as long asthe fin. The
pectoral is scarcely falcate, its length one half the length of
head, the fin reaching to below the 11th spine of the dorsal.
ee Gor ke Ve Vee An A ADVI; P..283 NV. 1;-5:
The corselet is very prominent. Its contour is defined by lines
at the edge of the branchial cleft, about midway between the axil
of the pectoral and the median line of the belly, extending below,
beyond, and around the extremity of the pectoral (which, when
normally placed, touches with its tip the outer margin of the
corselet), then extending beyond its tip for a distance nearly
equal to its length, around up into the lateral line, down which
a narrow tract of scales continues to its extremity, though nar-
rowed to a single row after passing its curve; passing the lateral
line, the contour of the corselet curves forward and inward, then,
ascending to a point distant from the median line of the back
about the diameter of the orbit, it follows backward in a direc-
tion parallel to this line, to a point opposite the posterior extrem-
ity of the second dorsal, where it curves upward to the median
line of the body, and completes its circuit.
When viewed from above, the rows of scales appear to be
arranged concentrically about the origin of the first dorsal fin.
The scales are largest along the edges of the pectoral arch and
the dorsal fin, decreasing rapidly in size as they recede from
these regions. There are about 30 rows between the dorsal and
the upper margin of the pectoral, normally placed.
The upper parts deep bluish in life; the belly and flanks below
lateral line, the opercles and throat pearly opalescent white;
the lower part of the pectoral arch and tracts at the base of the
ventrals and anal, as well as those parts of the opercles where
the bone is close to the outer skin, chalky white. The corselet
is bronzed brown in the alcoholic specimen. There are four dis-
388 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
tinct bluish lines on the sides, which are nearly parallel with the
lateral line, and constitute the most prominent specific character.
The first of these begins directly under the tip of the pectoral,
the second at the margin of the corselet, at a point in the line
from the upper to the lower axillary angles of the pectoral. The
third and fourth are rather indistinct anteriorly, but very dis-
tinct in the posterior half of the body, and are about as far dis-
tant from each other as are the first two, the interval between
the two pairs being slightly greater than that between the mem-
bers of each pair, and equal to the diameter of the orbit. The
first or uppermost line is nearly straight, the others, following
the lower contour of the body, curve upward over the anal fin,
and all four become lost in the darker color of the caudal
peduncle. |
If the Japanese fish, which has been referred to this species,
be really the oceanic bonito, we must add the following notes on
colors; three shorter dark stripes on the middle of the body, be-
tween the lateral line and the uppermost of the four long stripes;
dark blotches on the membrane connecting the dorsal spines, be-
ginning between the sixth and seventh spines and continuing to
the end of the fin. It is not at all certain, in my estimation,
that the Japanese form is the same as ours, since it appears to
have a more compressed body, the spinous dorsal more poster-
iorly placed, and the color differences above mentioned.
The oceanic bonito is said to inhabit the warmer parts of the
Atlantic and Indian oceans and the seas of China and Japan.
It is a rare visitor in our waters and has no importance for food.
Persons who have eaten it say the flesh is dry and, sometimes,
disagreeable. It feeds on flying fish, skipjacks, small cuttle-
fish, mollusks, and marine plants. The maximum length re-
corded is 30 inches.
195 Gymnosarda alleterata (Rafinesque)
Inttle Tunny
Scomber alleteratus RAFINESQUE, Caratteri Alc. Gen. 46, 1810, Palermo.
Thynnus thunnina CuviER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 104,
1831, Mediterranean; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 364, 1860.
Thynnus brasiliensis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 110, Mediterranean.
Thynnus brevipinnis CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 112, Mediterranean.
OO Ee Pee Te RE BIC eR, LY eee ee
a =)
‘
:
FISHES OF NEW YORK 3389
Orcynus alliteratus GILL, Rept. U. S. Fish. Comm. 802, 1873; GooDE & BEAN,
Bull, Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879.
Buthynnus alliteratus JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 430,
1883.
Thynnus affinis GUNTHER, op. cit. II, 363, 1860.
Thynnus brevirostris GUNTHER, op. cit. II, 365, 1860.
‘Gymnosarda alleterata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 869,
1896, pl. CX XXIV, fig. 366, 1900.
Body fusiform, much tapered at both ends, moderately com-
pressed, its greatest hight one fourth of total length without
caudal, its width one half the length of the head; least depth of
caudal peduncle one third of length of snout; keel well devel-
oped, three eighths as long as the head; head moderate, pointed
in front, its leneth one fourth of the total to end of middle
caudal rays, its width over the opercles equal to eye and snout
‘combined; snout not long, acute at tip, its length two sevenths
of length of head; the interorbital space equal to snout; the
mandible heavy, not projecting, the maxilla expanded poster-
jiorly, extending to below middle of pupil; the mandible extends
to below hind margin of orbit, its length nearly one half the
length of head. The eye is one fifth as long as the head, and
two thirds of width of interorbital space. The spinous dorsal
originates directly above the insertion of the ventral and
‘Slightly behind that of the pectoral; the base of the fin is nearly
as long as the head; the longest spine is one half as long as
the head, the last spine about one half as long as the eye;
the interspace between the dorsals extremely short. The sec-
-ond dorsal is preceded by a short, stiff spine, which is about one
third as long as the eye; the base of second dorsal is one fourth
as long as the head; the longest ray is two ninths as long as
the head, the last ray one half as long as the eye; the fin is
‘followed by eight finlets, of which the fourth is longest, two
thirds as long as the eye. The middle caudal rays, measured
from the root of the fin, are two fifths as long as the outer rays,
which are two thirds as long as the head. The anal origin is
under the first detached finlet; the base of the fin is as long
-as the snout; the longest ray two ninths as long as the head,
the last ray two thirds as long as the eye; the fin is followed
‘by seven finlets, which are similar to the dorsal finlets. The
390 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
ventral origin is at a distance from tip of snout equal to one
third of total length to caudal base; the fin is two fifths as
long as the head, extending as far back as the pectoral, to a
point below the ninth spine of the dorsal. The ventral sheath
is little bifurcate at its tip, its length little more than one half
the length of ventral fin. The pectoral is somewhat falcate,
its length equal to postorbital part of head. D. XV—I, 12-VII1;
Asm, 12-V Tn SPs Pet 26%
Color bluish above, sides and lower parts silvery; several
wavy, more or less interrupted, dark streaks above lateral line,
beginning under the middle of the spinous dorsal; five or six
roundish brown spots, about as large as the pupil, between the
pectoral and ventral fins; tip of spinous dorsal and inner sur-
face of ventral dusky. .
The little tunny is common in the Mediterranean and the West |
Indies and ranges northward occasionally to Cape Cod. It is.
said to reach the length of 4 feet, but no individuals of that size
are recorded from our waters. Prof. S. F. Baird collected an:
example about 2 feet long at Woods Hole Mass. in 1871. <A spe-
cimen 13 inches long was taken at Pensacola Fla. by Silas.
Stearns in 1878. Though eaten in Mediterranean countries, the
flesh is not much esteemed.
Genus THuNNUs South
Body oblong, robust, with very slender caudal peduncle; head
conical; mouth wide, with one series of small, conical teeth in
the jaws and bands of minute villiform or sandlike teeth on
the vomer and palatines; scales present, those of the pectoral
region forming an obscure corselet; first dorsal of 12 to 15
spines, which grow gradually shorter backward, the interval
between last spine and second dorsal slight; second dorsal and
anal short and rather high, each with eight to 10 finlets; ven-
' trals moderate, pectorals moderate, inserted rather below the
level of the eye; vertebrae normal, 39 to 41 in number, the lower.
foramina very small. Open seas; the single species widely dis-
tributed. Size very large.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 391
196 Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus)
Tunny ; Horse Mackerel
‘ Scomber thynnus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 297, 1758, Europe.
Thynnus vulgaris CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 58, pl.
210, 1831, European Seas; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 105, pl. 10,
fig. 28, 1842, after STORER.
Thynnus brachypterus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 98, pl. 211, 1831,
Mediterranean.
Thynnus secundidorsalis STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 65, pl. XII, fig. 4, 1867.
Orcynus thynnus GOODE & BEAN, Bull, Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879; JorDAN &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 429, 1883.
Thunnus thynnus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 870, 1896.
Body oblong, tapering greatly at both ends, very robust, its
greatest depth nearly one fourth of the total length to end of
middle caudal rays, its greatest width one sixth of the same
length. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals the length
of the eye. The head is two sevenths of total length without
the caudal; the snout is rather short, acute, its length contained
three and one third times in length of head; the maxilla does
not quite reach to below front of eye; eye small, two fifths as
long as the snout, one seventh as long as the head. The spinous
dorsal originates above the insertion of the pectoral; the fin
is very long, reaching almost to second dorsal, high in front and
rapidly and regularly diminishing in hight posteriorly, its first
spine longest, four ninths as long as the head, the last spine
about as long as the pupil. The second dorsal base is as long
as the anal base and two fifths as long as the head; the fin is
deeply concave and very low behind, its longest ray one half as
long as the head; the fin is followed by nine finlets which are
about two thirds as long as the eye. The anal origin is under
the end of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is two fifths as
long as the head; the longest ray is nearly one half as long as
the head; the fin is deeply concave like the second dersal, and is
followed by eight finlets of about the same size as the dorsal
finlets. The caudal fin is very deeply forked, almost lunate in
shape, the middle rays, measured from caudal base, contained
two and one third times in the outer; the caudal keel is enor-
mously developed, its length equal to length of snout. The
ventral origin is under the second spine of the dorsal; the fin is
392 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
one half as long as the head; when extended it reaches to below
the 11th spine of the dorsal. The pectoral reaches to below the
12th spine; it is falcate, its length equal to length of head with-
out the snout. The corselet is not so well defined as in some
other related species, because the entire body is scaly. The
lateral line curves downward from a point under the origin of
the second dorsal. D. XIV, i, 18-IX; A. i, 12-VIII; V. I, 5.
Color dark blue above; grayish below with silvery spots; pupil
black, iris golden with greenish reflections; rays of spinous dor-
sal dusky, the connecting membrane nearly black, second dor-
sal reddish brown; pectorals silvery gray; ventrals black above,
white beneath; dorsal and anal finlets bright yellow, dark at
base and on anterior edge; gill covers silvery gray.
The tunny is the largest fish of the mackerel family, reaching
a length of 10 feet or more. It is pelagic, but comes to all
warm coasts, northward to England, Newfoundland, San Fran-
cisco, and Japan. In our waters it appears usually in summer
and is often taken in rather large numbers off Block Island, and
on Cape Cod and Cape Ann. On account of its enormous size
and great strength, it is often destructive to the fishermen’s
fixed nets. .
Dr Storer says it comes into Massachusetts bay about the
middle of June and remains till early in October. It was not
uncommon to observe 50 or more in a day at Provincetown. It
feeds on menhaden, mackerel, whiting, dogfish and other small
fishes. The usual implement of capture at first was the har-
poon, but, now that its flesh has become valuable for canning
and when marketed fresh, it is taken in pound nets and by line
fishing. The fish arrives on the coast in poor condition and
without value; but becomes very fat during the summer months,
and is then utilized for the oil, which is obtained from the.
head and belly by boiling, and for its flesh, which is favorably
regarded, either fresh, salted or preserved in cans.
The tunny is said to spawn in June, and the recently hatched
young, according to Yarrell, weigh 14 ounces, growing to 4
ounces by August and 30 ounces in October. Adults oftem
eg aha
FISHES OF NEW YORK 393
weigh 1000 pounds. The killer whale is the most dreaded enemy
of the tunny.
In southern California this fish is highly prized by anglers
who are fond of big game and hard play. Inthe Bay of Chaleur
and off Caraquette, in the Gulf of St Lawrence region, 100
tunny were captured by means of baited lines, and the fishing
was considered exciting because the fish pulled with such vio-
lence as to endanger the lives of the fishermen by dragging them
overboard. This kind of exercise might be had near Rockport
Mass. or off the New Jersey coast annually in summer.
Genus sarpa Cuvier
Body rather elongate, covered with small scales, those of the
pectoral region forming a corselet; caudal peduncle slender,
strongly keeled; head large, pointed, compressed; mouth large;
teeth in the jaws rather strong, conical, slightly compressed,
similar teeth on the palatines, but none on the vomer; maxillary
not concealed by preorbital; gill rakers long and strong; first
dorsal long-and rather low, of 18 to 22 rather stout spines,
which are gradually shortened behind; interval between the
last spine and the second dorsal short; second dorsal small, fol-
lowed by 8-9 finlets; anal fin similar, usually with one less fin-
let; paired fins small; pectorals placed below the level of the
pupil; no air bladder; pyloric caeca very numerous, treelike;
vertebrae normally formed, 50 to 54 in number. Fishes of
rather large size, of metallic coloration. (After Jordan and
Evermann) |
197 Sarda sarda (Bloch)
Bonito
Scomber sarda Buiocu, Ichth. X, 35, pl. 334, 1798, Europe.
Pelamys sarda DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 106, pl. 9, fig. 27, 1842; Gun-
THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IT. 367, 1860; StoRER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 63,
pl. XI, fig. 5, 1867.
Sarda pelamys GooDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879.
Sarda mediterranea JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 427, 1883.
Sarda sarda BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 138, 1888; Dresstar & FESLER,
Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 440, pl. VIII, 1889; Jornpan & EvermMann, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 872, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 360,
1897, Gravesend Bay.
394 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM
Body fusiform, much tapered at both ends, moderately elon-
gate, robust, its greatest hight nearly equal to length of head
and nearly one fourth of total length without caudal, its great-
est width two thirds of its hight; least depth of caudal peduncle
one third of length of snout; head four fifteenths to one fourth of
total length to caudal base, its width over the opercies equal
to length of its postorbital part; interorbital space strongly
convex, one third of length of head, greater than snout, twice
diameter of orbit; snout rather long, one third as long as the
head, acute, the jaws equal in front; maxilla much expanded
behind, reaching slightly behind orbit, the upper jaw one half
the length of head; mandible equal to width of body, reaching
considerably behind eye; eve small, vertically oblong, its verti-
cal diameter about one half the length of snout. The spinous
dorsal begins directly over the insertion of pectoral; the fin is
very long, high in front, tapering rapidly and almost regularly
to the last spine, which is only about one sixth as long as the
second, and longest, this being two fifths as long as the head.
The interspace between the dorsals is one half as long as the
eye. The second dorsal base is as long as the snout and eye
combined; the longest ray is four times as long as the last ray
and one third as long as the head; the upper margin of the fin is
deeply concave; the fin is followed by eight small finlets, the
longest as long as the eye. The anal origin is under the last
dorsal.ray or the first dorsal finlet; the base of the fin is as
long as the snout; the longest ray is nearly five times as long
as the last ray and three eighths as long as the head; the fin is
followed ky seven’ or eight finlets (usually seven) the long-
est equal to length. of eye; the anal. is .deeply contare
like the second dorsal. The caudal fin is crescentic, the
external rays three times as long as the middle rays and
the lobes narrow and tapering, their width at base about
one third of their length and one fourth the length of
head. The ventral origin is under the second or third spine
of the dorsal; the fin is three tenths as long as the head; its
sheath is small and raylike, less than one half as long as the
fin. The pectoral is falcate, broad at base, short, reaching to
rf FISHES OF NEW YORK 395
below the eleventh spine of the dorsal, its length one half the
length of head. The lateral line very wavy but with no great
curves; the caudal keel nearly as long as the eye and snout com-
bined. The corselet is developed only as a narrow stripe ex-
tending from the nape to a point a little behind the tip of pec-
toral, its width about one fifth of its length, and about equal to
eye. D. XX to XXI, 13 to-14-VHI; A. 14-VI or VII; V. I, 5;
eb 24.
Color steel blue above, the sides silvery, the abdomen and
under surface of head silvery white; from 10 to 20 dark bluish,
narrow bands obliquely downward and forward from the back,
some of them almost reaching the belly; iris yellowish; first dor-
sal fin sometimes pale, sometimes nearly black; pectoral dark
above, light beneath.
The bonito inhabits the Atlantic ocean on both coasts and is
common in the Mediterranean. On our coast it ranges habitu-
ally north to Cape Ann. It reaches the length of 30 inches and
the weight of 10 or 12 pounds. Though not generally esteemed
as a food fish, it meets with a steady sale either fresh or salted,
like the mackerel. The fish is believed to live in the open sea,
coming to the shores only to feed or to deposit its eggs. It is
predaceous and active, feeding insatiably on mackerel and men-
haden; it takes trolling bait as freely as the bluefish, to which
it is not inferior in quality of flesh.
The fish is generally scarce in Gravesend bay. Five were
taken in one day in a pound net in October 1897, an unusual
number for that species. The bonito will not live in captivity.
Genus scomMBEROMORUS Lacépéde
Body elongate, wholly covered with rudimentary scales, which
do not form a distinct corselet; head pointed, comparatively
short and small; mouth wide, the strong teeth in the jaws more
or less compressed or knife-shaped; villiform or sandlike teeth
on the vomer and palatines; maxillary not concealed by preor-
bital; gill rakers few; caudal peduncle with a single keel; spin-
ous dorsal low, of 14 to 18 feeble spines; soft dorsal and anal
short, similar, somewhat elevated and falcate, each followed by
396 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
’
seven to 10 finlets; ventrals small; pectorals moderate, near the
level of the eye; air bladder present; vertebrae normally
formed, 45 in number. Fishes of the high seas; graceful in form
and beautiful in color; among the best of food fishes. (After
Jordan and Evermann) |
198 Scomberomorus maculatus (Mitchill)
Spanish Mackerel
pe maculatus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 426, pas ae
. 8, 1815, New York. |
no maculatun. DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 108, pl. 78, fig. 232, 1842,
New York; GuntTuHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Il, 372, 1860; STorEr,
Hist. Fish. Mass. 68, pl. XIII, fig. 1, 1867; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex
Inst. XI, 15, 1879.
Scomberomorus maculatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426,
1883; BEAN, Bull. U. 8. F. C. VII, 188, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm.- Fish.
N. Y. 254, pl. VII, fig. 9, 1890; JonpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 874, 1896, pl. CX XXIV, fig. 368, 1900.
Body elongate, much compressed, fusiform, its greatest depth
from one fourth to two ninths of total length without caudal,
its width two fifths of its depth and equal to postorbital part of
‘head; least depth ‘ef caudal peduncle one half the postorbital
part of head; head rather short, compressed, the lower jaw |
heavy, but not projecting, length of head one fifth of total with-
out caudal; maxilla somewhat expanded posteriorly, extending
to hind margin of orbit, the upper jaw equal to snout and eye
combined; 16 strong conical teeth on each side in upper jaw, and
13 in the lower, vomer with a broad, short patch of minute, villi-
form teeth, palatine teeth similar, in club-shaped patches; man-
dible equal to head without snout; snout one third as long as
head, very acute; posterior nostril twice as large as anterior;
eye one fifth as long as head; interorbital space very convex, its
width nearly equal to snout; gill rakers short, 2 above and
11 below the angle of the first arch. The spinous dorsal origi-
nates over the insertion of the pectoral and considerably in ad-
vance of the ventral origin; the base of the fin is long, as long
as the head plus the length of the snout; the second and longest
spine is three sevenths as long as the head and four times as
long as the last spine, the fin decreasing in hight regularly from
FISHES OF NEW YORK 39T
the second to the last spine. The interspace between the dor-
sals is about one half the length of the eye. The second dorsat
base is three fourths as long as the head; the longest ray nearly
four times as long as the last ray, and one half as long as the
head; the fin is followed by eight finlets, none of which are
longer than the eye. The anal originates under the middle of
the soft dorsal; its base is two thirds as long as the head, its.
longest ray three and one half times as long as its last ray, and
one half as long as the head; the fin, like the second dorsal, is:
deeply concave; it is followed by eight finlets equal in size to the
dersal finlets. The caudal is very deeply forked, its outer rays.
as long as the head. The ventral originates under the fourth
spine of the dorsal, its length three elevenths of length of head,
the fin reaching to below the ninth spine of dorsal; there is no
ventral covering, the inner rays of the two sides being slightly
united at the base. The pectoral is broad, falcate, extending te
below the 10th dorsal spine, its length equal to head without
snout. D. XVII to XVII{-16 to 18-VIII to IX; A. ii, 16 to 17;
V.1,5; P.1, 21. Lateral line strongly developed, with a moder-
ate curve under the second dorsal, its course from there to
caudal somewhat wavy.
Color silvery; upper parts bluish; sides with numerous oblong
spots of a dull orange, none of them more than one third as long
as the snout, these spots fully as numerous above the lateral
line as below it; the membrane connecting the first eight spines
of the dorsal black, the rest of the fin white; soft dorsal with a
yellowish tinge, its margin dark; anal and ventral white; pec-
toral black inside, yellowish with dark borders outside and
covered with dusky points; caudal dusky except at base.
The Spanish mackerel inhabits the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
of North America, on our coast ranging north to Maine and
south to Brazil. It is one of the choicest of our food fishes and
grows to the length of 3 feet and the weight of 10 pounds. The
species spawns on the Long Island coast in August or earlier.
The eggs are very small, about 5 inch in diameter, and they
float in salt water. The rate of growth is unknown, as the
398 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM
young are seldom or never seen by persons who know the fish.
‘The Spanish mackerel is caught chiefly in pound nets.
It is recorded that the species has been obtained off the coast
of Maine by Capt. Atwood. Mitchill describes the species with-
out making any remark on its abundance or scarcity, and states —
that it comes in July. In 1854 the species had very little im-
portance in the New York market, but at the present time it is
one of the most highly prized fishes and is obtained in large
numbers. Spanish mackerel have been sparingly caught by
trolling off Fire island inlet. We did not obtain the species in
Great South bay, but Erastus Gordon of Patchogue informed
us that it is obtained in moderate numbers. In 1884 the fish
was not plentiful and the average price was about $1 each.
‘They appear in New York waters in July and usually leave in
September. The spawning season at Long Island begins late
in August and continues about a month. The Spanish mackerel
congregate in enormous schools. Mr Earll records the appear-
ance of a school off Long Island which was estimated to contain
several million individuals. The fish are taken principally in
traps; a few are caught by trolling, but this is an unsatisfactory
method of capture.
199 Scomberomorus regalis (Bloch)
Cero
Scomber regalis Biocu, Ichth. pl. 333, 1795, Martinique.
Cybium regale GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, II, 372, 1860.
Scomberomorus regalis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426,
1883; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875, 1896, pl
CXXXYV, fig. 369, 1900.
Very similar in shape and general appearance to S. macu-
latus; the greatest depth of body one fifth of total length
without caudal, the greatest width two fifths of length of head;
the least depth of caudal peduncle one half the length of
snout; head longer than in S. maculatus, two ninths of
total without caudal; the snout long and very acute, three
eighths as long as the head; the interorbital space scarcely con-
vex, its width two sevenths of length of head; jaws equal in
FISHES OF NEW YORK 399
front, maxilla not reaching to hind margin cf orbit, the upper
jaw equal to snout and eye combined and much more than one
half the length of head; the mandible equal to head without
snout, reaching to below hind margin of orbit; 15 or 16 large,
compressed, conical teeth in each side of upper jaw, and about
the same number of similar teeth in lower; eye large, more than
one fifth of iength of head, nearly equal to interorbital space;
gill rakers 34-12, the longest one half as long as the eye. The
Spinous dorsal originates a little farther back than the pec-
toral and nearly over the insertion of the ventral; the base of
the fin equals its distance from tip of snout; the second spine
is the longest, one half as long as snout and eye combined; the
fin is shaped as in S. maculatus, the last spine being very
short. The interspace between the dorsals is about one third
the diameter of the eye. The second dorsal base is one half
as long as the head and equal to its longest ray; the last ray
is one half as long as the eye; the fin is followed by eight or
nine finlets; its upper margin, like that of the anal, is deeply
convex. The anal origin is under the middle of the second dor-
sal; the longest ray a little exceeds longest of dorsal; the last
ray one half the length of eye; the fin is followed by eight fin-
lets. The caudal keel is one third as long as the head; the
caudal fin is very deeply forked, the outer rays as long as the
head and the lobes narrow at the base. The ventral origin is
midway between tip of snout and vent; the fin is two. thirds
as long as the snout and extends to below the seventh spine
of the dorsal. The pectoral is broad at the base, falcate, its
length equal to snout and eye combined, the fin extending to
below the 10th spine of the dorsal. D. XVII-i, 15-VIIT; A. i,
14—-VIII; V. 1.5; P.i, 24. Lateral line curved downward below
the second dorsal and the second half of it more or less undulat-
ing; pectoral scaly.
Color silvery; a narrow longitudinal stripe of brownish or
bronze beginning behind the pectoral and running to base of
caudal; numerous oblong brownish spots mostly below this
stripe, none of them more than one half the diameter of eye;
400 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
upper anterior part of spinous dorsal black, the rest of the fin |
white.
The spotted cero is found from Cape Cod to Brazil, but is not
common northward; it is abundant in the West Indies. The
Species grows to the length of 5 feet and the weight of 20 pounds;
it is a fish of the same good qualities as the Spanish mackerel
and is readily caught by trolling.
200 Scomberomorus cavalla (Cuvier)
Kingfish; Sierra
Cybium cavalla CuvIER, Régne Anim., ed. 2, II, 200, 1829, Brazil.
Cybium caballa CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 187, 1831,
Caribbean Sea; STorER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 98, 1846; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. —
Brit. Mus. II, 373, 1860. .
Scomberomorus caballa JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 427,
1883.
Scomberomorus cavalla DRESSLAR & FESLER, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 444, pl.
XI, 1889; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875, 1896.
Body more slender and elongate than in the other species of
the genus, its greatest depth one sixth to one fifth of total
length without caudal; rather less compressed than in S8.
regale; the least depth of caudal peduncle one half the length
of snout; head one fifth of total length without caudal; snout
acute, two fifths as long as head; maxilla long, reaching beyond
hind margin of orbit; mandible a little longer than snout and
eye combined; eye small, one sixth of length of head, the inter-
orbital space convex; teeth triangular, much compressed, about
25 to 30 in each side of each jaw; gill rakers very short, eight
below the angle on first arch. The spinous dorsal is inserted
directly above the origin of the pectoral and slightly behind the
ventral; its base equals one half the distance from tip of snout
to origin of second dorsal; the second, and longest, spine is —
three times as long as the last spine and two sevenths as long
as the head. The interspace between the two dorsals equals
diameter of eye. The second dorsal originates midway between
tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays; the base is as long
as the snout and eye combined and is about equal to anal base;
the longest ray is six times the length of last ray and equal to
snout; the upper margin of the fin is deeply concave; the fin is
FISHES OF NEW YORK 491
followed by nine small finlets, all nearly equal in size, about
two thirds as long as the eye. The caudal fin is crescentic, the
width of the lobe at base two fifths of its length, the external
rays two and one half times as long as the middle rays, meas-
ured from root of fin, and one third of distance from tip of
snout to origin of second dorsal. The anal origin is under the
te ee i ||
. .
middle of the second dorsal; the longest anal ray is four times
_
length of last ray and equal to snout; the upper margin is
deeply concave; the fin is followed by eight finiets, the longest
about one half the diameter of eye. The ventral is a little in-
advance of pectoral; its length one half the length of mandible,
the fin reaching to below the sixth spine of dorsal. The pec-
toral is falcate, median, its length equal to snout and eye com-
bined, and reaches to below the ninth spine of dorsal. A patch
of elongate scales on head behind and below the eye and at the
upper angle of the gill opening; several much enlarged scales ©
behind the head, in front of and above the base of pectoral.
The lateral line makes a deep downward curve under the end of
the spinous dorsal, and its second half is sinuous. A well devel-
oped caudal keel. D. XIV to XV, i, 15-VIII to IX; A. ii,
15-VIII; V. 1, 5; P.i, 28.
Color grayish silvery, the sides sometimes with dark spots, or
yellowish in the young; spinous dorsal blackish above, or with-
out dark blotch.
The kingfish, or cavalla, is a very important and valuable food
fish of the tropical Atlantic, coming in immense numbers to.
the Florida Keys, the West Indies, and north to Charleston,
occasionally, in summer, to Cape Cod. Southward it extends
to Africa and Brazil, frequenting the open seas. It grows to
the length of 6 feet and the weight of 100 pounds. In habits
it resembles the Spanish mackerel; it is caught by trolling, and
at Key West it is so abundant that two men in a small sailboat
sometimes catch more than 100 in a day. The flesh is excellent,
either fresh or smoked.
402 ' NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Family TRICHIURIDAE
Cutlas Fishes
Genus TRICHIURUS Linnaeus
Body extremely elongate, bandlike, the tail very slender,
tapering to a fine point, without caudal fin; head long, with a
very wide mouth; the jaws armed with unequal and very strong -
teeth; upper jaw with about four long, strongly compressed
barbed teeth; teeth on the palatines, none on the vomer; lower
- Jaw iongest; preorbital covering cleft of mouth posteriorly; dor-
‘Sal fin single, low, occupying the whole of the back, the spines.
not distinguishable from the soft rays; anal very long, its base
more than half the length of the body, composed of detached
spines which are very short, nearly hidden in the skin, the anter-
ior directed backward, the posterior forward; ventral fins want-
ing; pectorals small; no scales; lateral line decurved, concurrent
with the belly; vertebrae 39+120, ribs excessively frail. Color
silvery. Voracious fishes of the high seas, reaching a consider-
able size. (After Jordan and Evermann)
201 Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus
Scabbard Fish; Hawrtail
Trichiurus lepturus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 246, 1758, America;.
CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 237, 1831; Dm Kay,
N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 109, pl. 12, fig. 35, 1842, Jamaica, Sandy Hook;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 346, 1860; JorpAn & GILBERT, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 422, 1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8.
Nat. Mus. 889, 1896, pl. CXX XVII, fig. 375, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am..
Mus. Nat. Hist. 1X, 360, 1897.
Trichiurus argenteus SHaw, Gen. Zool. IV, 90, pl. 12, 1803, after LINNAEUS;
MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 364, 1815.
Body greatly compressed, elongate, tapering to a very fine
point, the greatest hight little more than one half of length of
head, which is contained from seven and one half to eight and
one half times in total; mouth wide, oblique; the lower jaw
strongly projecting, the maxilla mostly concealed under the pre-
orbital, reaching to below front of pupil, the mandible one half
as long as the head and extending to a point behind the orbit;
interorbital space flat, its width equal to diameter of eye; snout
long and acute, three tenths as long as the head; a single large
ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 403
nasal opening near the front of the orbit; eye round, one sixth
as long as the head; gill rakers spiny, few, about seven above the
angle of the first arch, those below the arch mostly small or
obsolete, the longest above angle about one _ third of
diameter of eye; operculum produced into a long, thin flap, acute
behind. The dorsal fin begins at a distance from tip of snout
equal to two thirds of length of head; its origin is not far behind
the eye; the longest ray is about three eighths as long as the
head. The pectoral is partly covered by the opercular flap; its
length equals length of snout. The vent is at a distance from
tip of snout which equals two and three fourths times length of
head. The anal fin, consisting of low, almost concealed, de-
tached spines, begins close behind the vent; its base is five and
one half times as long as the head. The lateral line drops rapidly
downward from the upper angle of the gill opening to a point
below the median line. Four long and strong fanglike teeth in
the front of the upper jaw and one or two fangs on the front of
the mandible, from seven to 10 sharp teeth in each side of each
jaw; small teeth on the palatines, none on the vomer. D. 1385;
A. 109. The individual described was taken at Point Pleasant
N. J. It is number 49224, U.S. National Museum. Color silvery.
The scabbard fish frequents warm seas and ranges north to
Cape Cod and Lower California; it is very abundant in the West
Indies. The fish is a voracious inhabitant of the high seas, and
reaches the length of 5 feet. It is highly esteemed for food in
Jamaica and at Pensacola; in Jamaica it forms the object of a
very important hook and line fishery. .
The scabbard fish is rarely seen in Gravesend bay. A young
individual was obtained from John B. De Nyse’s pound in August
1897. It had been captured by another fish while in the pound;
but was rescued in good condition.
Family 1isTioPHORIDAE
Sailfishes
Genus istiopHoRus Lacépéde
Body slender, much compressed, covered with elongate scales;
numerous small teeth on the jaws and palatines; ventral fins
404: NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
present, of two or three rays; dorsal fin extremely high, continu-
ous, as in the young of Tetrapturus and Xiphias, the
rays very numerous, none being aborted, the hight of the first
much greater than that of body; anal fin divided; air bladder -
sacculate; intestine short, nearly straight; sword usually shorter
and less flattened than in Xiphias, the edge more rounded,
the lower jaw more developed. The skin is also rougher. Large
fishes of the warm seas; the number of species uncertain, prob-
ably several. (After Jordan and Evermann) :
202 Istiophorus nigricans (Lacépéde)
Sailfish ; Spikefish |
Makaira nigricans LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 688, 1803, Rochelle.
Histiophorus americanus CuvVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII,
303, 1831, Brazil.
Istiophorus nigricans JORDAN & EXVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 891,
1896, pl. CXXX VII, ‘fig: 376, 1900; SsatTu, Bull. 0) S) iC) xvii
1898; Goopr, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. IV, 415, 1882.
Body compressed, highest in front, elongate, the greatest hight
one seventh of the total length from tip of upper jaw to end of
middle caudal rays; least hight of caudal peduncle one half of
postorbital length of head; the upper jaw projecting beyond the
_ lower a distance more than equal to greatest hight of body; the
profile of the head descending very steeply from the origin of the
dorsal to the eye; the lower jaw extending in front of the eye a
distance equal to postorbital part of head. The dorsal fin begins
on the nape and extends nearly the entire length of the back,
but the first is separated from the second by a very deep and
long notch and a short interspace; the longest spine equals one
half the distance from the eye to the second dorsal and is one
fourth of total length including caudal; the spinous dorsal forms
almost a semicircle when fully expanded, with a deep anterior
and a deeper median notch. The second dorsal base is one sixth
as long as the head to tip of upper jaw; its longest ray is one half
the length of postorbital part of head. The caudal is very deeply
forked, its width at base one fourth of length of external rays,
which are nearly one fourth of total without caudal. There are
two small keels on the base of the caudal. The divided anal fin
;
}
q
:
‘
,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 405
begins under the 33d spine of the dorsal, the base of the two fins
equaling one fourth the distance from tip of upper jaw to origin
of second dorsal; the longest ray equals postorbital part of head;
the second anal is similar to the second dorsal, but somewhat
smalier. The ventral originates under the fifth spine of dorsal;
its length is a little more than one fourth of total- length to end
of middle caudal rays. The pectoral is one half as long as the
beak and eye combined and nearly equals the greatest hight of
body. Eve small, one third of postorbital part of head. D.
XLIV-7; A. 9 to 10-7; V. 2.
Color bluish n piace: paler below; dorsal anger bluish, with
numerous roundish black spots, from one third to one fourth the
diameter of orbit, on its membrane.
The sailfish lives in the warmer parts of the Atlantic, ranging
northward to France and, occasionally, to Cape Cod. Here
described from a drawing of specimen taken at Woods Hole’
Mass.; color notes from Dr Jordan. The species reaches the
length of 10 feet. It is valuable for food but rarely comes to
our markets. | ;
Genus TETrRAPTURUS Rafinesque
Body much compressed, covered with rudimentary .embedded
scales; sword rounded on the edge; caudal keel double; small
teeth in the jaws and on the palatines; ventral fins represented
each by a single spine; dorsal fins separate in the adult, part
of the middle rays being aborted, not greatly elevated, their
hight not greater than the depth of the body; air bladder sac-
culated; vertebrae 12+12; intestine short, nearly straight; py-
loric caeca very numerous. Large fishes of the deep seas. They
Swim in deep water, according to Poey, and pass Cuba in pairs
in summer, bound for the Gulf of Mexico. Males smaller than
females. (After Jordan and Evermann)
203 Tetrapturus imperator (Bloch & Schneider)
| Billfish; Spearfish
AXiphias imperatcr BLocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 93, pl. X XI, 1801,
Mediterranean.
Letrapturus belone CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 280,
1833.
406 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM
Tetrapturus albidus Porky, Memorias, II, 237, 1861, Havana; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 420, 1883.
Histiophorus belone GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 513, 1860.
Tetrapturus imperator GoopE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. IV, 417, 1882; Jorpan
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 892, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C.
XVII, 97, 1898.
Body similar in shape to that of the sailfish, its greatest depth
contained six and one fourth times in total length without
caudal; the least hight of caudal peduncle one fourth of the
greatest depth. The head forms one third of total length with-
out caudal; the upper jaw is exactly twice as long as the post-
orbital part of the head and extends beyond tip of mandible a
space equal to length of eye and postorbital part of head com-
bined; the maxilla extends far behind the eye; the eye is about
one fifth as long as postorbital part of head. The dorsal begins.
on the nape, over the upper angle of the gill opening. The first
dorsal occupies nearly one half of the total length without
caudal; its anterior sixth is elevated and the rest of the fin
is low; the longest spine (the fourth) is about one third as long
as the head, the 10th is only one seventh as long as the head,
and the last is scarcely one half as long as the eye. The inter-
space between the dorsals is three elevenths of length of head.
The second dorsal base is one seventh as long as the head; its
first ray is one and one half times as long as the eye, and its
last ray is about equally long, but some of the intervening rays
are shorter. The caudal fin is narrow, crescentic, its width at
base of lobes one fourth of its length, the external rays equal
to one fourth the distance from eye to caudal base. The first
anal fin originates under the 29th ray of the dorsal; the base
- is one fourth as long as the head; the longest ray two sevenths
as long as the head, the last ray minute. The interspace be-
tween the anals is one third as long as the head. The base
of the second anal equals one third of postorbital length of
head, the first and last rays equal, and as long as the base of the
fin, the intervening rays shorter; two strong keels on the base
of the caudal, each of them about twice as long as the eye.
The ventral is very slender and long; it originates under the
ninth ray of the dorsal, its length equal to postorbital part of -
FISHES OF NEW YORK 407
head. The pectoral insertion is under the sixth ray of the
dorsal; the fin is nearly one half as long as the head; its position
is in the lower fourth of the hight. The sword is rounded on
the edges and much narrower than in the swordfish. D. III,
30 to 39-6; A. II, 13-6; V. 1, 4; P. 19; vertebrae 12 +12.
Color deep blue above, a little lighter on the flanks, passing
into white below; fins intense blue, second anal and outside of
pectoral clearer, first dorsal with rounded spots, more intense,
of same color; iris clear blue, cornea blackish.
Body covered with lanceolate, embedded scales. The color
notes here given are from Dr Goode’s excellent description in
Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum, IV, 420, 1882.
: The spearfish is found in the West Indies and on our Atlantic
coast, ranging northward to Cape Cod. Individuals more than
7 feet long have been taken, and the species is said to reach the
length of 26 feet. At Woods Hole it is generally rare; but be-
tween 1885 and 1890 numbers were captured in the traps in
ais ineyard sound and Buzzards bay during July and August,
according to Dr Hugh M. Smith. Most were caught in the trap
farthest up Buzzards bay, at Quissett harbor.
The spearfish in our waters is said to resemble the swordfish
in its movements and manner of feeding. Nothing is known of
its breeding habits or its young. It is taken by means of hooks
‘in deep water or by spearing at the surface. The hook fishing
is not altogether a safe pastime, as the fishermen are often
liable to be wounded or drowned by the fierceness and strength
of the fish.. Numerous instances are recorded of vessels having
been pierced by the beak of the spearfish, and parts of such
vessels containing the spear are exhibited in several museums.
The flesh of the spearfish is highly esteemed in some localities.
Family x1PHmubDaAEe
Swordfishes
Genus xipuHras Linnaeus
Swordfishes without teeth, and without ventral fins. Body
somewhat compressed; dorsal fins two, the anterior beginning
opposite the gill openings, falcate and elevated, its hight rather
408 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
less than that of the body, second dorsal very small, on the
tail, opposite the small second anal. In the young, teeth are
present, and the two dorsal fins are connected, the fin being
elevated as in the species of Istiophorus. First anal sim-
ilar to first dorsal, but smaller; less falcate, and far behind it;
pectoral fins moderate, faleate; skin naked, more or less rough,
specially in the young, which have rudimentary scales; sword
flattened and trenchant; caudal keel single; intestines long, sinu-
ous; air bladder simple; pelvic arch obsolete. Fishes of great
Size, reaching a weight of 300 to 400 pounds, the flesh red and
rich in flavor, highly valued as food. (After Jordan and Ever-
mann)
204 Xiphias gladius Linnaeus
Swordfish
Xiphias gladius LINNAEvS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 248,1758, Europe; Biocu, Ichth.
pl. 76, 1784; MircHiLt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 242, Feb. 1818; CuvIER &
IVALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat: Poiss. VIII, 255, pl. 225, 226, 18381; DE Kay,
N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 111, pl. 26, fig. 79, 1842; GuntHErR, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. II, 511, 1860; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 71, pl. XIII, fig. 2, 1867;
GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14, 1879; JornDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 420, 1883; JornpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8S.
Nat. Mus. 894, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 97, 1898.
Body fusiform, tapering greatly toward the caudal fin, the
head not long, but with a'very long upper jaw produced into a
beak or “sword,” the greatest depth of the body one sixth)
of total length to base of caudal, the least hight of caudal pedun-
cle nearly equal to length of eye. The upper jaw is three times
as long as the rest of the head; the “sword” is broad and
rather thin. The lower jaw extends in front of the eye a space
equal to one half of postorbital part of head. The angle of the
mouth is well behind the eye. The eye is circular, its diameter
one third of postorbital part of head and about +¢ of total
Jength of head. The dorsal begins over the upper angle of the
gill opening; it is very high, nearly as high as the body, strongly
falcate, its upper margin deeply concave, and the posterior rays
very short. The distance between the dorsals is less than one
third of length of head. The second dorsal is very small, its
base only one half as long as the eye, and its hight one and four
FISHES OF NEW YORK | 409
fifths times its length of base; it is located a very little in front
of the caudal keel. The caudal is crescentic, its external rays
two fifths as long as the head. The caudal keel is single,
median, its length nearly one sixth of length of head. The
second anal is directly under the second dorsal and is of about
the same size; the first anal is equidistant from the root of
the caudal and the end of pectoral base; its base is as long as
the caudal keel; its longest ray equals postorbital part of head,
its last ray minute; the margin of the fin deeply concave. The
pectoral origin is below the hind margin of the operculum; the
base is narrow, about one fifth of length of fin, which is equal
to depth of body. D.39 to 40-2 to 4; A. 18 to 21-3; P. 20.
Color “above rich purplish blue, shading into whitish be-
neath, the sides and belly with a silvery luster. Fins dark
bluish with silvery sheen except dorsal. Top of head rich pur-
plish blue, the color extending upon the rostrum. Lower side
of rostrum rich brownish purple. Eye deep blue.”
The swordfish inhabits the Atlantic and comes near both
coasts; it is most abundant between Cuba and Cape Breton,
rather common in the Mediterranean, and is occasionally taken
off southern California. The fish appear in the vicinity of
Sandy Hook about June first, and the fishing season continues
as far east as Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Shoals till
about the middle of September. They disappear to the south-
ward as soon as the cold winds begin to blow. They feed on
mackerel, menhaden, and squid. They are often caught on
trawl lines, but the chief means of capture is the harpoon.
The average length of swordfish is 10 feet, but individuals
measuring 16 feet are on record. An individual weighing 750
pounds was killed in 1874 off Portland.
The flesh of this fish is very palatable, and the fishery is an
important one as well as an exciting occupation.
Young swordfish have the skin covered with small, rough
excrescences, the jaws much more nearly equal, and the dorsal
and anal fins not divided into two separate parts.
i
410 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Family cARANGIDAE
Crevalles
Genus OLIGOPLITES Gill
Body compressed, oblong or lanceolate; caudal peduncle slen-
der, not keeled; head short, compressed, acute, occipital keel
sharp; mouth rather large, with small, sharp teeth in bands on
jaws, tongue, vomer and palatines, none on the pterygoids;
‘jaws about equal, the upper not protractile, except in the very
young, in which it is movable as in other Carangidae; maxillary
very narrow, without distinct supplemental bone; gill rakers
rather long; scales small, linear, and extremely narrow, em-
bedded in the skin at different angles; lateral line unarmed;
dorsal spines rather strong, three to five in number, nearly free |
in the adult; second dorsal very long, its posterior rays penicil-_
lated and nearly or quite disconnected, forming finlets; anal
rather longer than soft dorsal, much longer than the abdomen,
its last rays forming similar finlets, anal spines strong; ventral
fins depressible in a groove; pectoral fins very short. Species
few, in the tropical‘seas of America. (After Jordan and Ever- ~
mann)
°05 Oligoplites saurus (Bloch & Schneider)
Leather Jacket
Scomber saurus BLocHh & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth, 321, 1801, Jamaica.
Chorinemus occidentalis GunruEr, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 475, 1860; not
Gasterosteus occidentalis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 490. ¢
Oligoplites occidentalis GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 166, 1863.
Scombroides occidentalis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 447,
1883. ‘ :
Oligoplites saurus JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 973, 1883; JoRDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 898, 1896, pl. CX XXVIII, fig. 378,
1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 3860, 1897; Smiru, Bull.
U.S. F. C. XVII, 97, 1898.
Body elongate, much compressed, fusiform, its greatest hight
contained three and two thirds times in total length without
caudal (4 times in total to end of middle caudal rays), its width
two sevenths of its hight and two fifths of length of head; least
depth of caudal peduncle equals length of eye; head short, one
fifth of total without caudal, its width three sevenths of its
length; snout moderately pointed, its length about equal to orbit
FISHES OF NEW YORK 411
and three sevenths of length of head; nostrils a little nearer to
eye than to tip of snout, the anterior tubular and much smaller
than the posterior; interorbital space convex but with a narrow,
sharp, low keel, the width of the space equal to length of snout;
the slender maxilla reaches to below the hind margin of the eye,
the length of the upper jaw being a little more than the snout
and eye combined; the mandible is two thirds as long as the
head; a double series of small, sharp, curved, conical teeth in
each jaw; vomer and palatines with bands of villiform teeth,
an oblong patch of villiform teeth on the tongue; gill rakers
about 15, mostly below the angle, the longest two thirds as long
as the eye. The origin of the spinous dorsal is nearly over the
tip of the pectoral and at a distance from tip of snout equal to
one third of total length without caudal; the length of the base
equals length of head without the snout; the first spine, de-
pressible forward as well as backward, is nearly as long
as the pupil, the third and fifth equal and nearly as long
as the snout; the membrane behind the second to fifth
spines one half the hight of spines; the interspace between
the dorsals is very short. The second dorsal base equals
one half the distance from eye to root of caudal; the fin
is composed chiefly of detached or semidetached finlets;
the longest ray is equal to length of snout and eye com-
bined; the last finlet equal to length of eye. <A well developed
procumbent spine before the dorsal. The middle caudal rays
are one third as long as the external rays, which are as long
as the head. The anal fin is preceded by two strong, sharp, sub-
equal spines, the second as long as the eye, both followed by
membrane; the base of the anal equals that of the soft dorsal;
the longest ray two fifths as long as the head, the fin composed
chiefly of partly detached rays, the last ray about as long as the
snout. The ventral origin is directly under the lower axil of
the pectoral; the fin reaches to the vent and to a point below
the third spine of dorsal. The pectoral is on the level of the
lower margin of the eye; it is three fifths as long as the head
and reaches to below the second spine of the dorsal. Head
\
412 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
naked; body covered with small, linear, embedded scales, which
are irregularly arranged; fins scaleless. D. Vv, 1; :20;° ‘Ay, ae
20; V. I, 5; P. I, 16. Top of head and back bluish; sides and
lower parts silvery; fins, interopercle and iris yellow. —
The leather jacket inhabits both coasts of tropical America,
extending northward to Cape Cod and Lower California; it is.
very common in the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico. Rare
at Woods Hole, Mass., where only three examples were secured
from 1874\to 1886 in traps and pound nets. At Newport R. I.
the species is occasionally seen. The fish is rare in Gravesend
bay; an example 9# inches long and 24 inches deep was secured
in John B. De Nyse’s pound in the summer of 1896. The fish:
has no value as food.
Genus NAucRATES Rafinesque
This genus differs from Seriola only in the reduction of
the spinous dorsal to a few (four or five) low, unconnected
spines. The young, called Nauclerus and Xystop h-
orus, have the spines of the dorsals connected by membrane,.
and a more or less distinct strong spine at the angle of the
operculum. A single pelagic species widely distributed in the
open seas. 3
206 Naucrates. ductor (Linnaeus)
Pilotfish
Gasterosteus ductor LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 295, 1758, pelagic.
Scomber ductor MItcHIL.L, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 424, 1815.
Naucrates noveboracensis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII,
325, 1831; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 112, 1842, and figure of
Naucrates ductor, pl. 74, fig. 235. ;
Naucrates ductcr Cuvirr & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 312, pl.
232, 1831; GuNnTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 374, 1860; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 448, 1888; JorDAN & EVERMANN,.
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 900, 1896, pl. CX X XIX, fig. 379, 1900; Smiru,
Bull, U.S. F.C. XVIL, OF, 1898:
Naucrates indicus Cuviznr, Régne Anim. Ill. Poiss. pl. 54, fig. 1, 1830.
Body fusiform, elongate, moderately thick, its greatest hight
one fourth of total length without the caudal, and about equal
to length of head, its width equal to three fifths of length of
head; least depth of caudal peduncle about equal to long
diameter of eye; head subconical, the snout obtuse, length of
FISHES OF NEW YORK AAS
‘ head one fourth of total without caudal; snout two sevenths as
long as the head; interorbital space convex, its width one half
the length of head without the snout; maxilla expanded behind,
reaching to below front of eye; mandible three sevenths as long
as the head, reaching to below hind margin of eye; top of head
and cheeks scaly, most of opercle and preopercle and all of
interopercle naked; teeth in bands in the jaws but comparatively
few and weak; vyomerines and palatines also small and the
lingual patch narrow; gill rakers stout, short, about 17 below
the angle, the longest one half the length of eye; eye one sixth as
long as the head. The spinous dorsal consists of four short,
isolated spines, the first located nearly above the end of the
base of ventral, the second and third spines the longest and
about one fourth as long as the snout. The second dorsal
begins midway between tip of snout and base of caudal; the
base of the fin is nearly three times as long as the pectoral; the
second ray is longest and one half as long as the head, the last
ray as long as the eye; the upper margin of the fin is slightly con-
cave. There is a long, fleshy keel on the caudal peduncle, longer
than the postorbital part of the head. The caudal is deeply
forked, its outer rays more than twice as long as the middle
rays, both measured from base of caudal fin; the outer rays are:
as long as the head. The anal is preceded by two very small
Spines; the base of the fin is as long as the head; the longest
ray is as long as the snout and eye combined, the last ray as
long as the snout.: The vent is under the 10th ray of the dorsal.
The ventral fin is under the lower axil of the pectoral; its
length is three fifths of length of head; when extended, it
reaches to below the origin of the second dorsal. The pectoral
fin is below the level of the eye; its length is about equal to
length of ventral; it reaches to below the third spine of the
Horsals DPV aE 26 tots As Ee Ve to Wee We Sy PS bee:
Scales minute, about 55 rows between gill opening and origin
of second dorsal. Color bluish with five to seven broad, dark
bands, some of these extending on the fins; outer margin of
caudal, ventral and pectoral nearly black.
414 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The pilotfish is pelagic in all tropical and temperate seas; it
is occasionally taken on our coast as far north as Provincetown
Mass., but isnot atallcommon. It was reported at Woods Hole
Mass. by Prof. Baird in 1871. The young are developed in the
open ocean and are so different in appearance from the adult
that they have been described as a distinct genus. The fish has
no economie value.
Genus sERIoLA Cuvier
Body .oblong, moderately compressed, not elevated;- occiput
and breast not trenchant; head usually more or less conical,
not very blunt; mouth comparatively large, with broad bands of
villiform teeth on both jaws, tongue, vomer and palatines; a
broad, strong, supplemental maxillary bone; premaxillaries pro-
tractile; scales small; lateral line slightly arched, forming a keel
on the caudal peduncle, not armed with bony plates; sides of
head with small scales; first dorsal with about seven low spines,
connected by membrane; second dorsal very long, elevated in
front; anal similar to the soft dorsal but not nearly so long,
shorter than the abdomen, preceded by two very small free
spines, which disappear in old fishes; no finlets; ventral fins
very long; pectorals short and broad; gill rakers moderate.
Species of moderate or large size. |
207 Seriola zonata (Mitchill)
| Banded Rudder Fish ;
Scomber zonatus MircuiLtu, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 427, 1815, New
York Bay.
Seriola zonata CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 213, 1833;
Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 128, pl. 9, fig. 26, 1842, Long Island
Sound; Guntuer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 465, 1860; SrorEer, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 79, pl. XV, fig. 5, 1867; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. 8S.
Nat. Mus. 445, 1883; Goopr & BEAN, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 16, 1879;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 189, 1888; JornpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47,
U: S. Nat. Mus. 902, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 360,
1897; Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 97, 1898. |
Halatractus zonatus GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sei. Phila. 442, 1862.
Body fusiform, compressed, moderately deep, its greatest
depth one third of total length without caudal, its width less
than one half the depth and equal to postorbital length of head;
least depth of caudal peduncle equals one half length of snout;
s
FISHES OF NEW YORK 415
head rather long and subconical, compressed, its length nearly
equal to depth of body, nearly one third of total length without
caudal; snout long and pointed, three eighths as long as the
head, twice as long as the eye; interorbital space convex, indis-
tinctly keeled, its width equal to length of snout; maxilla
broadly expanded behind, reaching to below middle of pupil;
mandible extending to below hind margin of eye; nostrils small,
midway between tip of snout and eye; gill rakers 3415, the
longest two thirds as long as eye. The spinous dorsal origi-
nates a little behind the pectoral insertion and directly over
the origin of the ventral; the base of the fin is as long as the
postorbital part of the head; the first spine is much shorter
than the second, the third or fourth is longest, about as long
as the eye, the last is minute. The second dorsal is preceded by
a very short, stout spine; the base of the fin equals its distance
from the nostril; the longest ray is equal to postorbital part
of head, the last ray one fourth as long as the head and
reaches to the base of the caudal fin. A low, unarmed keel
is developed on the caudal peduncle. The caudal fin is deeply
forked, the outer rays being nearly as long as the head. The
anal fin is preceded by a single very small spine; the longest
ray is ‘one third as long as the head, the last ray one fourth
as long as the head; the margin of the second dorsal and anal |
fins is very slightly concave. The ventral is very long, reaching
nearly to the vent, and to below the 13th ray of the dorsal, its
length nearly equal to length of head. The pectoral reaches to
below origin of second dorsal, its length equal to snout and eye
combined. Lateral line strongly arched over the pectoral.
WA 3.37 to 885A. ‘1 to Ul, 4, 20-to 21. V. 1, 5; P. i, 19:
Color bluish above, lower parts white; five or six broad dark
bands on the sides, extending on the dorsal and anal fins; a
narrow dark band obliquely from the spinous dorsal to the eye;
spinous dorsal black; ventral black above, pale beneath; tips of
caudal fin white. The bands become fainter or disappear in
old fish.
The-banded pilot is found on our east coast from Cape Ann
to Cape Hatteras; it reaches the length of 2 or 3 feet.. The
-416 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
young are very common as far north as Cape Cod. The species
is seldom used for food. The name, shark’s pilot, is in use at
Somers Point N. J.
Two individuals of the banded pilot were taken in Gravesend
bay in September 1897. The species will live in captivity only
when it has ample room. It feeds on small killifish, which it
takes with a rush much like that of the brook trout. ae
208 Seriola lalandi Cuv. & Val. (?)
Amber Fish
Seriola lalandi CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 208, 1833,
Brazil; GunrTuerR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IL, 463, 1860; Goonpr & BrAn,
Bull. U. 8. F. C. I, 43, 1881; Jorpan & GineERt, Proc. U. §, Nat. Mus.
271, 1882; JorRDAN, Proce. U. S. Nat. Mus. 122, 123, 1884; JorpDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 903, 1896, pl. CXL, fig. 382, 1900;
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 160, 1897; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C.
XVII, 97, 1898.
Seriola gigas PorEy, Memorias, II, 227, 1860, Cuba.
Zonichthys gigas Porky, Syn. Pisce. Cubens, 371, 1868.
Body oblong, moderately elongate, robust, its greatest hight
‘contained four and one fourth times in the total length without
caudal, its width seven times; the least depth of the caudal
‘peduncle equals one seventh of the length of head; head long,
conical, its length two sevenths of total length without caudal;
snout long and somewhat pointed, its length two and one fifth
times diameter of eye and one third of length of head; the jaws
are equal in front; the maxilla reaches to below middle of pupil,
and the length of the upper jaw is contained two and two
sevenths times in length of head; the mandible is slightly more
‘than one half as long as the head; the expanded end of maxilla
exceeds the diameter of the eye, which is contained six and
two fifths times in length of head; gill rakers 4+10, the longest
nearly as long as the eye, very thin, much wider at base, and
tapering gradually to a small, rounded point, very finely toothed
on inner margin; teeth in broad, villiform bands in both jaws,
an arrow-shaped patch with long, slender backward process on
vomer, similar bands on palate and pharynx. The distance from
sneut to vertical from origin of spinous dorsal is nearly three
‘times the Jength of base of the fin; the third and longest spine
SS
FISHES OF NEW YORK 417
is seven and one half times as long as the last spine and nearly
-one fourth as long as the head; the base of spinous dorsal is
contained two and two sevenths times in length of head. The
interspace between the two dorsals is less than the length of
the eye. The second dorsal base is one and one half times as
long as the head; the second ray is the longest and equals three
times the length of the eye, the last ray about one third as
long as the second. The anal origin is under the middle of the
‘second dorsal and at a distance from the vent equal to one
fourth the length of head; the anal base is as long as the head;
the longest ray is nearly one half as long as the head, the last.
ray about equal to the last of the dorsal; the anal and second
dorsal fins are elevated in front but very low, for the most of
“their length. The ventral origin is directly under the insertion
of the pectoral; the fin when extended reaches to below the
last spine of dorsal, its length more than one half the length of
‘head. The pectoral is broad at its base, somewhat falcate, its
length nearly one half the length of head, the fin extending to
‘below the seventh spine of the dorsal. D. VII, 36; A. I, 24;
V.1I, 5; P. 21. Scales about 24-160-30.
The ground color is gray with purplish iridescence. A golden
bronze stripe beginning on the snout and continued behind the
-eye to the caudal in a nearly straight line, slightly above
‘the median line. Another bronze stripe begins above the
-eye and extends to the first dorsal. In life two dark bands
‘Showed between the eyes and extended to the first dorsal. Sides
-and lower parts much mingled with silvery white; iris gray
overlaid with golden yellow; pupil bluish black; all the fins
-ecolored like the body except the ventrals, which are whitish
underneath, and gray mingled with white above.
The weight of the fish was 13 pounds 14 ounces.
The specimen described was obtained by Mr De Nyse in Graves-
‘end bay, July 15, 1896. For the purpose of comparison and veri-
‘fication of this identification, a series of measurements is here
given in tabular form. |
418 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM
MEASUREMENTS
Inches.
Length, incliding candaliyiee en nek os oc eck eee ee 3316
Length to end of middle caudal rays................. 301%
Length of external caudal lobes from pit....:........ He
Length ot middilescaudalirays..\. o.) obs ok eae ae 2
Greatest depth-of woody eke cal oe Carre ne ee 634.
Least: depth ofieaudalipeduncles 0 i aah uw aes ees 1%
Greatest thickmesssot Ody ci sk8 i. sess Ae eee ya ae
Ten Suh Of | eRe he Oo oa a hte ees |e ee ea 8
Lenet hol WPPer ay aewees Co See cee Fae a a ee hee en ee 38%
Width acrossvendvot maxilda es wget! ay yo on Ue ie 1%
ene th OR. maa ml hl ec sie eA ke Ge eter cneke waar ee ae 41%
TONE TANGLE GIO IE oie od Stee eee Ion Ce I Be eee 234
Diameter of @yiet cs ist ete eee ie ee aioe cal ev ae 1%
Diammeher® Of <p Up il rears mene siete es ee BY: Sh S eRe 58
Distance from snout to vertical from first dorsal origin 10%
eneth of first dorsal basen? s) (ee ieee we cease eae 3%
Weenie THX OL ESiG SUMS SEG race elve sep ued atete she See a Ua eee onan 56
ENS Ob SECOMANSPIMEs, cates ghL teed | aust ie eae eae 1%
hheneth- of third..(loneest)! Spime. oe5 .ivictee ce ccs e 1%
Length? of seventh spines 16) seis ie ee ee oe YA
Distance from snout to second dorsal (obliquely)..... 14%
ensth. of second Gorsalbase aes vce cee we hes eens 11%
Length of second ray of second dorsal................ 334
Dee bays Ors THES PAPAIN cs.5 ee is oc eeabara te eters to ton cules loa Malena 1%
TGeMS Cy OE VAS GAN! oa ea, Us, ate ete ahce te awn io, cece ene a Aaa 1%
Wem ON Ol PECLOrAl Tc setsceri rs aia cece te ecten inne sane nl Rertiemnete 3%
Length of ventral........... aie Cree tadashi ar, fas ean s 456
Distance from ventral origin to anal origin. . beeline 10%
Histance from vett.to anal origin. flees. eee wee 2
The amber jack here mentioned is supposed to be identical
with the 8S. lalandi of Cuvier & Valenciennes, a species
ranging regularly from Brazil to West Florida and occasionally
northward in summer to Cape Cod. It grows to the length of
5 or 6 feet and the weight of 100 pounds, and it is a good food
fish as well as a robust and vigorous prize for the angler.
Genus ELacatis Bennett
Body long and slender; second dorsal and anal long, each with
one detached tinlet composed of two rays behind the rest of the
fin. Otherwise essentially as in Seriola. The short spines
preceding the anal fin are somewhat remote from the rest of
the fin. Branchiostegals 7; lateral line not armed; villiform
teeth in bands in the jaw, on the vomer and the palatines.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 419
209 Elagatis bipinnulatus (Quoy & Gaimard)
Ranner
Seriola bipinnulata Quoy & GAIMARD, Voyage Uranie, Zo6l. I, 363, pl. 61,
fig. 3, 1824; Keeling islands.
Seriolichthys bipinnulatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 468, 1860.
Seriola pinnulata ,Pory, Memorias, II, 233, 1860.
Hlagatis pinnulatus JORDAN & GILRERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 446, 1883.
Hlagatis bipinnulatus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 906,
1896; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. LX, 361, 1897.
Body moderately elongate, slender, fusiform, its greatest
depth one fourth of total length without caudal, its width three
eighths of length of head; least depth of caudal peduncle equals
diameter of eye; head conical, compressed, its width over
opercles equal to length of postorbital part; a low occipital keel;
snout moderately long, obtusely pointed, its length nearly equal
to width of interorbital space, and contained three and one
fourth times in length of head; lower jaw slightly projecting;
maxilla almost reaching to below front of eye, the upper jaw
one third as long as the head; mandible reaching nearly to
below front margin of pupil, its length equal to postorbital part
of head; interorbital space with a low keel between two shallow
furrows, its width one third of length of head; eye one fourth
the length of head (in young examples 5} inches long}, about
one fifth in older fish; gill rakers 9+27, the longest one half
as long as the snout. The spinous dorsal base is short, equal
to postorbital part of head; the spines are very slender, closely
placed, the longest not so long as the eye; the spines are depres-
sible into a sheath; the origin of the fin is over the middle of the
length of the pectoral. The soft dorsal originates about over
the end of the ventral, midway between tip of snout and base of
caudal; the longest ray is as long as the postorbital part of the
head; the fin is shaped as in Seriola, the second half being
very low, the last ray about two thirds as long as the eye; the
fin is followed by two finlets, the longest as long as the eye. The
caudal is deeply forked, the middle rays, from base of fin, one
third as long as the outer rays, which are as long as the head;
no keel on the caudal peduncle. The anal origin is under the
15th ray of the dorsal; the base of the fin is as long as the head;
420 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the longest ray is three eighths as long as the head; the last ray
two thirds as long as the eye; the fin is followed by two finlets,
the longer as long as the eye. The ventral reaches a little be-
yond the origin of the soft dorsal; the length of the fin is equal
to snout and eye combined. The pectoral is as long as the ven-
tral; it reaches to below the last spine of the dorsal; the fin
originates slightly in advance of the ventral insertion. Body
covered with small, cycloid scales; head naked except on sub-
orbital and postorbital regions; scales extending somewhat on
bases of soft dorsal and anal fins. D. VI-I, 26 to 27,2; A. II, I,
16 to 17, 2; V.1, 5; P.I, 20. Scales 16-110-20.
Color of upper parts bluish; lower parts pale yellowish;
caudal fin yellowish, the margin dusky; ventrals and pectorals
yellowish tinged with blue; a blue band as wide as the eye from
orbit to upper margin of caudal peduncle; another from snout
along lower margin of orbit and continuing to the caudal, pass-
ing above the pectoral.
The runner is récorded from the East Indian archipelago,
Polynesia, and tropical parts of the Atlantic, straying north-
ward in summer, rarely to Long Island, where specimens have
been taken by Dr Seth E. Meek and John B. De Nyse. The fish
attains to the length of 30 inches. The example captured by
Mr De Nyse was taken in his pound at Gravesend bay Aug. 2,
1895; it is now preserved in the U. S. National Museum. The
length of the specimen is about 15 inches. Young fish, about
4 to 6 inches long, are before me from Florida and Cuba.
Genus pEcarTEeRus Bleeker
Body elongate, little compressed, almost perfectly fusiform;
head short, pointed; mouth rather small; jaws about equal, the
dentition feeble; maxillary rather broad, with a supplementary
bone; premaxillaries protractile; scales moderate, enlarged for
the whole length of the lateral line, but spinous and bony pos-
teriorly only; second dorsal and anal each with a single detached
finlet; free anal spines very strong; first dorsal well developed,
persistent; pectorals comparatively short; abdomen rather
shorter than anal fin; gill rakers long and slender. Species
numerous.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 421
210 Decapterus punctatus (Agassiz)
Scad; Round Robin
Scomber hippos M1iTcHiLu Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, pl. V, fig. 5, 1815;
Am. Month. Mag. II, 246, Feb. 1818, not of LINNAEUS.
Caranz punctatus AGASSIZ, Spix. Pisce. Bras. 108, pl. 56a, fig. 2, 1829, Brazil;
CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 38, 1833; DE Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 122, pl. 73, fig. 233, 1842; GunrHer, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. II, 426, 1860.
Decapterus punctatus Pory, Syn. Pisc. Cub. 368, 1868; JorDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 482, 18838; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish.
N. Y. 256, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 362, 1897; Jorpan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 907, 1896; Smitu, Bull. U.S. F. C.
XVII, 97, 1898.
Body scombriform, moderately elongate, its greatest depth one
fifth to two ninths of total length without caudal, its width one
half the length of head; least depth of caudal peduncle one sixth
the length of head; head subconical, moderately compressed, its
width one half its length, the snout obtusely pointed, as long as
the eye, two sevenths as long as the head, the jaws subequal in
front; maxilla expanded posteriorly, reaching to below front of
eye; premaxilla projectile; mandible one half as long as the
head, reaching to below front of eye; eye round, equal to snout,
two sevenths of length of head; interorbital space convex, cov-
ered with small scales, its width equal to eye; a low, but dis-
tinet nuchal keel; opercular bones partly naked; gill rakers
very numerous, long and slender; a small prominence on the
shoulder girdle in front of base of pectoral; teeth in jaws uni-
serial, teeth on vomer and palatines, present or absent on
tongue. The spinous dorsal originates over the 13th or 14th
‘scale of the lateral line and slightly in advance of the middle of
the pectoral; the base of the fin is as long as the head without
the snout’ the first spine is very slender, and as long as the
eye; the longest spine as long as the snout and eye combined.
‘The soft dorsal base is one third of total length including the
caudal: the longest ray is one half as long as the head, the last
ray two thirds as long as the eye; the fin is followed by a single
finlet consisting of two rays, the length equal to length of eye.
‘The middle caudal rays are two fifths as long as the outer,
which are five sixths as long as the head. The anal base is one
422 NEW YORK STATRD MUSEUM
third of total length without caudal; the fin is preceded by two
short, stiff spines with a membrane behind each, the first of
these spines two thirds as long as the eye; the longest anal ray
is one half as long as the head and three times as long as the
last ray; the fin is followed by a single two-rayed finlet which is
three fourths as long as the eye. The ventral origin is equally
distant from tip of snout and anal origin; the fin reaches to
below the sixth spine of the dorsal, its length one half the
length of head. The pectoral reaches to below the end of the
spinous dorsal, its length three fourths of length of head. Head
scaly except on the nasal, mandibular and preorbital regions;
body covered with small scales; dorsal, anal and pectoral fins
more or less scaly at base; lateral line with a long arch in its
anterior one half, passing through enlarged scales in its curved
part and armed with 41 scutes in its straight part. D. VIILi,
31-I; A. II-i, 24 to 27-I; V. 1, 5; P. 1, 20.
Color slaty blue above, silvery below; a small, dark, opercular
spot, smaller than the pupil; a series of 12 or 18 dark points in
the curved part of the lateral line.
The dotted scad, or round robin, is a very common fish at the
Bermudas and in the West Indies. On the east coast it is found
from Cape Cod to Brazil, but only young or half grown speci-
mens are taken on Long Island and around Cape Cod. The
species grows to the length of 1 foot. In the Bermudas it is ar
important food fish and furnishes infinite sport for the small
anglers.
Dr Mitchill illustrates it in fig. 5, pl. 5, of his. Fishes of New
York, and names it the hippos mackerel. In Dr De Kay’s New
York Fauna it is the spotted caranx. It is taken not uncom-
monly at Woods Hole Mass. The species appears to be rare in
New York waters, as it was known to De Kay only from the
descriptions of Mitchill and Cuvier. The fish has not been recog-
nized in Gravesend bay, but it is abundant in August at South-
ampton L. I. and has been taken at Fire Island in October dur-
ing the fall migration.
ae ee ee ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 423
211 Decapterus macarellus (Cuv. & Vals
Mackerel Scad
Carang macarellus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 40, 1833
(Martinique); GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 426, 1860.
Decapterus macarellus PoEy, Enumeratio, 79, 1875; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 483, 18838; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S.
Nat. Mus..909, 1896, pl. CXL, fig. 383, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.
Hist. [X, 362, 1897; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 97, 1898.
Body elongate, fusiform, subterete, its greatest depth one
fifth of total length, its width one half the length of head; least
depth of caudal peduncle one eighth of length of head; head
long, subconical, snout obtusely pointed, lower jaw slightly pro-
_ jecting, length of head one fourth of total without caudal; max-
illary not quite reaching to front of orbit; the upper jaw equal
to length of snout; mandible extending to below front of eye,
its length equal to postorbital part of head; nostrils on top of
head, nearer eye than to tip of snout; eye large, one fourth the
length of head; interorbital space convex, its width equal to
eye; a very low keel on top of head; no scales on nasal and pre-
orbital regions; gill rakers 8+30, the longest two thirds as
long as the eye. The spinous dorsal originates at a distance
from tip of snout equal to one third the total length without
caudal; the longest spine is one half as long as the head, the last
Spine minute. The interspace between the two dorsals is one
half the diameter of eye. The second dorsal base equals one
third of total length to end of middle caudal rays; the anterior
one fourth of the fin is much higher than the rest, the longest
vay one third of length of bead, the last ray one half as long as
the snout; the fin is followed by a single finlet of two rays, the
longer two thirds as long as the eye. The caudal fin is moder-
ately forked, the middle rays, from base of fin, four sevenths as
Jong as the outer, which are equal to snout and eye combined.
The anal fin is preceded by two short, sharp spines, the first
jJonger, one half as long as the snout; the rays begin under the
ninth ray of the second dorsal; the base is as long as the dis-
tance from ventral origin to preanal spines; the longest ray
about one third as long as the head, the last ray one half as
Jong as the snout; the fin is followed by a single two-rayed finlet,
424 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM -
which is two thirds as long as the snout. The ventral insertion
is under the lower axil of the pectoral; the fin extends to below
the fifth spine of the dorsal, its length equal to postorbital part
of head. The pectoral extends to below the sixth spine of the
dorsal, its length equal to the head without the snout. Small
scales on nape; nasal, preorbital and mandibular regions naked;
sides of head mostly with enlarged, thin scales; small scales on
opercle; margin of subopercle finely serrate; body covered with
small scales; anterior half of lateral line with a slight curve, the
scales prominent; posterior half of lateral line straight and
armed with about 31 keeled scutes, the armed portion consti- |
tuting the second half of the length. D. VIII-i, 34-1; II-i, 28-1;
V.1,5; P.1, 24. Scales 15-100+31-18. |
Color slate blue or plumbeous above, silvery below; a small,
black opercular spot, smaller than pupil; upper axil of pectoral
black.
The mackerel scad inhabits the warm parts of the Atlantic,
ranging northward in summer to Cape Cod. It has not yet been
reported in Gravesend bay, but was seined in abundance in the
Atlantic at Southampton L. I. Aug. 31, 1897, associated with
Decapterus punctatus, young Scomber, Poma-
tomus, Rhombus, Clupea, Etrumeus, two species
of Stolephorus, and Paralichthys.
The species grows to the length of 1 foot. It is excellent
for food but large individuals seldom reach our coast. It is
said to be more abundant along the south Florida coast, where
it lives in shallow water and in harbors, usually moving about in
small schools. At Key West the fish are caught in seines, and
are eaten.
Genus TRAcHURUS Rafinesque
Body rather elongate, somewhat compressed, not elevated,
tapering to a slender caudal peduncle, which is as broad as
deep; scales present, not very small; lateral line armed through-
out with plates, those on the caudal peduncle larger and spin-
ous; an accessory dorsal branch to the lateral line; snout rather
long; mouth moderate; minute teeth mostly in single series om
FISHES OF NEW YORK 425
jaws, vomer and palatines; dorsals two, the first preceded by a
procumbent spine, no finlets; two strong spines before the anal,
connected by membrane; pyloric caeca numerous. About 4
species known; found in all warm seas.
212 Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus)
Gascon; Saurel
Scomber trachurus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 298, 1758, Mediterranean.
Carane trachurus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 11, pl. 246,
1833; CUVIER, Régne Anim. Ill. Poiss. pl. 57, fig. 1.
Trachurus saurus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 912, 1883.
Trachurus trachurus BuocH, Naturgesch. Ichth. II, 138, pl. 36, 1784;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 419, 1860 (in part); LUTKEN, Spolia
Atlantica, 125, 1880; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 269,
1882; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 910, 1896, pl.
CXL, fig. 384, 1900.
Body strongly compressed and moderately deep, the depth
contained four times in the length of the body; head rather.
long, its length being contained three and one half times in that
of the body; eye large, equal to snout, its length contained four
times in that of the head; mouth moderate, the maxillary reach-
ing the front of the eye; arch of lateral line short, reaching
scarcely beyond pectoral, one and one third in the straight part,
the plates high, nearly ag high anteriorly as posteriorly, their
hight more than half of eye. Greenish, sides silvery; a dusky |
opercular spot. Length one foot. North Atlantic, chiefly on the
coasts of Europe, south to Spain and Naples; it is very rare on.
our coast, recorded from Newport R. I., Pensacola, and Cape San
Leeas. -D. VITI-I, 29; A. TI-I, 28; scutes 40+37.
The saurel, or scad, ranges north to the Trondhjem fiord,
latitude 65°, and is said to occur as far south as Portugal. On
the coast of Holland it is known as the marse banker, or hors. It
is interesting to American ichthyologists, since the similarity of
its habits to those of the menhaden caused the latter fish to be
called among the early Dutch colonists of New York by the same.
name.
The seads are described by European writers as occurring on
those coasts in enormous schools, moving like menhaden but with
feeding habits similar to those of our bluefish. They are fairly
A?6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
4
good food fishes, but of small size, seldom exceeding 1 foot in
length. Only a few specimens have been recorded on our Atlan-
tic coast from Newport R. I., Pensacola Fla., and Cape San Lucas,
Lower California.
Genus TRACHUROPS Gill
This genus is close to Caranx, differing in the more elon-
gate form and specially in the structure of the shoulder girdle,
which has a deep cross furrow at its junction with the isthmus,
with a fleshy projection above the furrow.
213 Trachurops crumenophthalmus (Bloch)
Big-eyed Scad; Goggler
Scomber crumenophthalmus Buocu, Ichth. pl. 348, 1793.
Scomber plumieri BuLocn, op. cit. pl. 344, 1798, Antilles; StorRER, Syn. Fish.
N. A. 100, 1846.
Caranx crumenophthalmus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 107, 1803;
CuviIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 62, 1833; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 429, 1860; JornpANn & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S.
Nat. Mus. 434, 1883.
Trachurops crumenophthalmus JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.
196, 1883; JORDAN & EVVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 911, 1896,
pl. CXLI, fig. 385, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 362,
1897; SmirH, Bull..U. S. F. C. XVII, 97, 1898.
Body oblong elongate, little compressed, the back not elevated.
The depth is contained three and one half times in the length.
Head elongate, rather pointed, the lower jaw projecting; maxil-
lary reaching past the front of the eye, which is very large,
longer than snout, much deeper than cheeks, and greater than
the interorbital width. The length of the head is contained
three and one half times, while that of the eye is contained three
times in the length of the body. A single series of teeth in each
jaw, very weak teeth on vomer and palatines, a patch of teeth
on tongue. Shoulder girdle near isthmus with a fleshy projec-
tion, in front of which is.a deep cross furrow; adipose eyelid
largely developed; scales: comparatively large; cheeks and breast
scaly; gill rakers long and numerous; lateral line scarcely arched,
its scutes weak, but little carinated; dorsal spines slender; free
anal spines strong; pectorals falcate, shortish, about one and
one seventh in the head; an angle at lower posterior part of
opercular region as inClupea. Bluish olive above, silvery
FISHES OF NEW YORK 427
below; a faint opercular spot. Length about 2 feet. D. VIII-I,
26; A. II—-I, 22; scutes 35.
Found on both coasts of tropical America, and extending
northward on our east coast to Cape Cod; common in the West
Indies and on the west coast of Mexico; also found on the coast
of Africa and in most tropical seas; abundant in the Caribbean
sea in winter.
This is the goggler or goggle-eyed jack of the Bermudas and
the Cicharra of Cuba. In the Bermudas it is a food fish of
some importance. In January 1885 a few individuals were
seined at the island of Cozumel, off Yucatan. The fish was found
to be excellent for the table.
At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it is common
every year from about October 15 to November 15, the individ-
uals taken measuring from 4 inches to 6 inches in length.
July 25, 1901, a single example, about 4 inches long, was picked
up dead on the ocean beach opposite Clam Pond cove; one of a
number of little fish which had probably been driven ashore by
bluefish or some other predatory species, for the fish had recently
died, and there had been no storm. Seven species in all were
found in a distance of about 2 miles; they were common mackerel,
bluefish, mackerel scad, two species of anchovy, young sea her-
ring, and the big-eyed scad.
The big-eyed scad is taken in the fall in Gravesend bay. It
was found Aug. 31, 1897, in the surf at Southampton L. I. This
fish will not endure close confinement, but will live within suit-
able limits of temperature in large bodies of water. In captivity
it feeds on small killifish, shrimp, and chopped clams.
Genus caranx Lacépéde
Body ovate or oblong, compressed, the back sometimes con-
siderably elevated, sometimes little arched; head moderate or
rather large, more or less compressed; mouth moderate or large,
oblique; maxillary broad, with a well developed supplemental
bone, extending to below eye; premaxillaries protractile; teeth
‘developed in one or few series, unequal, or at least not in villi-
form bands, villiform teeth usually present on vomer, palatines,
428 NEW YORK STATER MUSEUM
and tongue, wanting or deciduous in some species; gill rakers
long; eye large, with an adipose eyelid; dorsal spines rather low,
connected; second dorsal long, usually elevated in front, both fins
depressible in a groove; anal fin similar to second dorsal and
nearly as long, preceded by two rather strong spines, its base
longer than ‘the abdomen; caudal fin strongly forked, the
peduncle very slender; ventral fins moderate; pectorals falcate;
no finlets; scales present, mostly very small; lateral line with its.
posterior part armed with strong bony plates, which grow larger
on the tail, each plate armed with a spine, a short dorsal branch
of lateral line usually present; preopercle entire in the adult,
serrate in the young, usually with a membranaceous border.
Species very numerous in all warm seas. |
Subgenus Tricnorrervs Rafinesque
214 Caranx hippos (Linnaeus)
Crevallé
Scomber hippos LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 494, 1766, Charleston, South
Carolina. .
Caranzx carangus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 91, 18335.
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 448, 1860.
Caranx defensor DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 120, pl. 24, fig. 72, 1842;.
HOLBROOK, Ichth, S. C. 87, pl. 12, fig. 1, 1860.
Carangus hippos GILL, Proe. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 483, 1862; GoopE & BEAN,,.
Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 16, 1879.
Caranz hippus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 487, 1883;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 200, 1883.
Caranz hippos BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 189, 1888; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat..
Hist. IX, 362, 1897; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 103, 1900;.
JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 920, 1896, pl. CXLI,.
fig. 387, 1900; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat, Hist. X, 318, 1898; SMITH,.
Bull. U. 8S. F. C. XVII, 98, 1898.
Body oblong, the anterior profile very strongly arched. The
depth is contained two and one half times in the length. Head
large and deep, its length being contained three and one half
times in that of the body; mouth large, low; lower jaw promi-
nent, maxillary extending to nearly opposite posterior border
of eye, two and one third in head; teeth in upper jaw in a
broad villiform band, an outer series of large, wide set, con-
ical teeth, teeth of lower jaw in one row, a distinct canine on
each side of symphysis; villiform teeth on vomer, palatines,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 429
pterygoids, and tongue; lateral line with a wide arch, its length
one and one third in straight part, the angle under fifth dorsal
ray, plates not covering all of the straight part, lateral line
(scutes) about 30; dorsal spines short, rather stout; gill rakers
stout, rather long, 15 below angle; occipital keel sharp; eye not
very large; pectoral falcate, one fifth longer than head; breast
naked, with only a small triangular patch of scales in front of
ventrals; caudal lobes equal, nearly as long as head. D. VIII-I,
20; A. II-I, 17.
Olivaceous above, sides and below golden; a large, distinct.
black blotch on opercle, bordered behind with pale; a large faint
black spot on lower rays of pectorals, the latter sometimes
wanting in young; axil of pectoral with a black blotch; edge of
soft dorsal black; upper edge of caudal peduncle dusky.
The crevallé is found on the east coast from Nova Scotia
southward, ranging to the West Indies and Brazil. The young
are very common along the coast of southern New England in
summer. De Kay calls it the yellow caranx, and Mitchill men-
tions it as the yellow mackerel. The specimens seen by both
these authors came from the bay of New York.
At Woods Hole Mass. the young arrive in July and leave in
October. In Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., young individuals
were taken sparingly in August. De Kay records the species:
as abundant in New York bay in September and October. The
writer saw Several examples from a fish trap at Islip L. I., Oct. 1,.
1890.
Young crevallé make a croaking sound when captured in a
net or held in the hand.
On the gulf coast of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi the
fish is migratory, just as it is here; it.makes its appearance in
April, spawns in July or August, and then disappears and is
replaced by the young. It feeds on small fish, which it pur-
Sues eagerly, and is preyed on by sharks and porpoises.
It grows to the length of 15 inches and is highly prized for
food. |
The crevallé can be successfully kept in captivity in large
pools with a temperature above 50° in winter. The fish occa-
sionally school together under a large shark and follow it about.
:
:
.
AZ( NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Subgenus pararractus Gill
215 Caranx crysos (Mitchill)
Yellow Mackerel
Scomber crysos MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 424, 1815, New
York.
Carane pisquetus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 97, 1838,
San Domingo, Cuba, and Brazil; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 435, 1888. c
Paratractus pisquetus GiLL, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 432, 1862; Goopr
& BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 16, 1879.
Caranz chrysos STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 75, pl. XIV, fig. 3, 1867;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 445, 1860.
Caranx chrysus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 970, 1883;
BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N: Y. 256, pl. VII, fig. 10, 1890.
Caranz crysos DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 121, pl. 27, fig. 85, 1842;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 921, 1896, pl. CXLII,
fig. 888, 1900; BEan, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 362, 1897; Smiru,
Bill. U.S. BC, XVI OS. 5 isos:
Body oblong, moderately elevated, the dorsal and ventral
outlines about equally arched. The depth of the body is con-
‘tained about three and one fourth times in the length. Profile
forming a uniform. curve. The length of the head is contained
three and three fourths times in the length of the body. Snout
rather sharp; mouth slightly oblique, a little below axis of
body; maxillary reaching about to middle of orbit; teeth
comparatively large, a single series in lower jaw, upper jaw
with an inner series of smaller teeth, no canines, teeth on
vomer, palatines and tongue; eye rather small, shorter than
snout, three and one half in head; gill rakers long and numer-
ous; pectoral as long as head, barely reaching anal, rarely
longer than head in certain specimens from Key West, possibly
referable to C. caballus; scales moderate; cheeks and
breast scaly; lateral line with a weak arch anteriorly, which is
about half the length of straight portion, lateral scutes numer-
ous, developed on whole straight part of lateral line, lateral
line 50 (scutes). D. VIII-I, 24; A. II-1, 19. ”
Greenish olive, golden vellow or silvery below; a black blotch
on opercle; fins all pale. An individual 34 inches long, taken
\
FISHES OF NEW YORK A3ZE
at Beesleys Point N. J. Aug. 11, 1887, showed the following col-
ors: caudal yellow; basal half of elevated part of anal yel- —
low; cheeks and lower half of sides also yellow; a black oper-
cular spot, but none on pectoral; several narrow pale bars on
sides; tip of elevated part of soft dorsal dusky; membrane be-
tween dorsal spines dusky; iris copper color.
The yellow mackerel is a widely distributed fish in warm seas;.
it is recorded from the East Indies, both coasts of tropical
America,and northward to Cape Ann and the Gulf of California.
The young are common at Woods Hole Mass., where they appear’
in July and become most abundant in October. Individuals 1
inch long have been obtained there about July 1; larger fish
occur in the fall. In August 1898 only a few young ones were:
secured in Great South bay and at Southampton IL. I.
The fish probably spawns in west Florida in May in the salt
water bayous, as the young fish are seen coming out of such
places in schools in the fall on their way to the sea. Fish weigh-
ing about a pound or two are considered equal to pompano for
the table, but large fish are not esteemed, the flesh being dark
and almost tasteless. The species reaches the weight of 20
pounds.
The yellow mackerel resembles the big-eyed scad in its endur--
ance of captivity and its feeding habits. At the end of Novem--
_ ber it has been known to thrive in a pool containing about
50,000 gallons of water in company with the crevallé, the big--
eyed scad and other species.
Genus atEctis Rafinesque
Body rhomboid, deep, strongly compressed, more or less com-
pletely covered with minute embedded scales, sometimes appar--
ently naked; scutes on the straight part of the lateral line en-
larged, bony and spinous, as in Caranx, but much less de-
veloped; mouth moderate, with bands of villiform teeth on jaws,
vomer, palatines and tongue; first dorsal fin little developed, the
spines short and rudimentary, mostly disappearing with age;.”
soft dorsal and anal similar to each other; the first five or six.
432 NEW YORK STATD MUSEUM
rays of each fin elongate and villiform in the young, becoming
shorter with age; ventral fins elongate in young, short in the
adult; pectorals falcate; no finlets; caudal peduncle narrow, the
caudal widely forked; gill rakers moderate, stout. This genus
is not essentially different from Caranx, the great change in
form arising from no important modification of the skeleton.
The changes due to age are surprisingly great, as Dr Liitken has
shown, the characters of the nominal genera being chiefly stages
in the growth of individuals. The young individuals are almost
orbicular in form, with the filaments excessively long. Tropical
seas.
216 Alectis ciliaris (Bloch)
Threadfish; Cobblerfish ; Shoemakerfish
Zeus ciliaris Buocu, Ichth. VI, 29, pl. 29, 1788, East Indies.
Zeus crinitis AKERLY, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts, XI, 144, pl. 2, 1826, Shoreham.
Blepharis crinitus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 123, pl. 25, fig. 76, 1842.
Blepharichthys crinitus Git, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 262, 1862.
Carane sutor GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 454, 1860.
Alectis crinitus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 488, 1883.
Alectis ciliaris JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 981, 1896;
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 362, 1897; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y.
State Mus. 103, 1900; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 98, 1898.
Body oval, much compressed, highest at the elevated bases of
the dorsal and anal fins. The depth of the body is contained
from one and one fourth to two times in the length of the body.
The length of the head is contained three and one third times in
that of the body. Mouth nearly horizontal in the adult, very
oblique in the young; preorbital very deep; first rays of dorsal
and anal filamentous, exceedingly long, in the young much
longer than body, becoming shorter with age; lateral with a wide
arch, the curved part about equal to the straight part; scaly
sheath of fins little developed; scutes 12, scutes becoming
stronger and blunter with age; ventrals broad; occipital keel
sharp; pectorals long and falcate, longer than head. D. VI-I,
19; A. IJ-I,16. Bluish above, golden yellow below; a dark blotch
on opercle; a black spot on orbit above; a black blotch on dorsal
and anal in front.
The threadfish is found on the east coast from Cape Cod to the
Caribbean sea and on the Pacific coast of tropical America. In
= Se
FISHES OF NEW YORK 433°
western Mexico it attains to the length of 3 feet and is used for
food. At Woods Hole Mass., it is usually uncommon, but some-
times abundant, appearing about the middle of June and re-
maining till November.
De Kay described a specimen from Long Island sound, the only
one observed by him. One was taken in a pound net at Islip
Aug. 18, 1898, by W. F. Clock. The threadfish enters Gravesend
bay occasionally in summer. In captivity it will not endure a
-water temperature much below 60°.
Genus vomer Cuyv. & Val.
This genus is closely allied to Caranx, from which it differs
only in its distortion of form, and in its weak teeth and very low
fins. Body broad, ovate, very strongly compressed, all the out-
dines sharply trenchant; head very gibbous above the eyes, its
anterior profile vertical; lateral line strongly arched, its pos-
terior part with very weak shields; scales minute, rudimentary;
soft dorsal and anal extremely low, not falcate. Young much
deeper in form than the adult, all the fins higher, resembling
Selene. Warm seas.
217 Vomer setipinnis (Mitchill)
Horsefish ; Moonfish
Zeus setapinnis MITcHIt1, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 38, pl. I, fig. 9,
1815, New York.
‘Vomer browniit CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 189, pl. 256,
1833, New York & West Indies; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 127,
pl. 25, fig. 78, 1842.
Argyreiosus setipinnis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 459, 1860.
Selene setipinnis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 440, 1883.
Vomer setipinnis GILL, Proc. Ac, Nat. Sci. Phila. 486, 1862; JoRDAN & GIL--
BERT, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 934, 1896, pl. CXLIV, fig. 392, 1900;
BEAN, Bull. Am, Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 362, 1897; Smitu, Bull. U.S. F. C.
XVII, 98, 1898. .
Body oblong, rhombic, less elevated than inSelene vomer;
profile anteriorly nearly vertical, highest above eye, snout some-
what protruding, belly mostly arched in young; mouth oblique;
maxillary reaching vertical from front of orbit. The depth of
the body is contained twice in the length in an adult but only
from one and one fourth to one and three fourths in the young.
‘The length of the body is three and one fourth times the length
434 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
of the head. Scutes 20; ventral fins minute; dorsal and anal
very low, specially in adult, the long rays disappearing very
early; pectorals falcate, about as long as head. D. VIII-I, 21 or
22; A. II-I, 19 or 20.
Color above plumbeous or greenish; sides and lower parts.
lustrous silvery; membrane of second dorsal light yellow at base,
the membrane with minute black points; pectorals greenish,
tinged with dusky; young with a black blotch, smaller than the
eye, at the beginning of the straight part of the lateral line.
The horsefish inhabits the seas of tropical America, ranging
from Maine to Brazil and from Lower California to Peru. In
Summer it is sometimes abundant as far north as Saco Me., and
at Woods Hole Mass., in Buzzards bay and Vineyard sound, but
sometimes it is rare in those waters. When present, it appears
in August and remains till September. The fish is also reported
in western Africa. Mitchill calls it the bristly dory. He records.
it from New York bay. De Kay states that it appears in New
York waters in July and August, and that it is esteemed for
food. An individual was brought from Gravesend bay Oct. 21,
1896, and a young example, known there as dollarfish, was re-
ceived from the same locality Oct. 22, 1896.
The species reaches the length of 1 foot. It is esteemed an
excellent article of food. It finds its way to New York in con-
siderable numbers every year but is rarely seen in other markets.
Nothing is known of its breeding habits.
The horsefish has several additional common names: sunfish,
jorobado (Cuba), blunt-nosed shiner, pug-nosed shiner, and hump-
backed butterfish.
Genus SELENE Lacépéde
Body very closely compressed and much elevated, the profile
very oblique or nearly vertical; edges of body everywhere trench-
ant, specially anteriorly; head short and very deep, the opercle
very short, and the preorbital extremely deep; an abrupt angle
at the occipital region; mouth rather small; premaxillaries pro-
tractile, fitting into a notch between the bases of the maxillaries :
maxillaries broad, each with a supplemental bone; tongue nar-
FISHES OF NEW YORK ; 435
row, free; teeth minute, on jaws, tongue, vomer, and palatines;
gill rakers long and slender; spines of fins usually weak, more or
less filamentous in the young; free anal spines immovable, some-
times obsolete in the adult; soft fins falcate, much elevated; no—
finlets; head naked; scales minute; lateral line wholly unarmed.
Coloration silvery. Tropical seas. Notwithstanding its extra-
ordinary form, this genus differs in no important regard from
Caranx.
218 Selene vomer (Linnaeus)
Lookdown ; Moonfish
Zeus vomer LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 266, 1758, America.
Argyreiosus vomer LACHPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 566, 1803; Dz Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 124, pl. 75, fig. 238, 1842; GunruEr, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. II, 458, 1860; Gitt, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 437, 1862; Bran,
19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 256, 1890.
Argyriosus vomer GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 16, 1879.
Selene argentea LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 560, pl. 9, fig. 2, 1803, (adult).
Zeus capillaris MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 383, pl. II, fig. 2,
1815, (young), New York.
Zeus rostratus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. VT 884 phil, fet,
1815, (young), New York.
Zeus geometricus M1ITcHILL, Am, Month, Mag. II, 245, Feb. 1818, (adult),
New York.
Argyreiosus capillaris DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 125, pl. 27, fig. 82, 1842,
New York.
Selene vomer CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 177, 1833;
BREVOORT, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. V, 68, pl. 4, 1853; JorDAN &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 489, 1883; JoRDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 936, 1896, pl. CXLIV, fig. 398, (young), pl.
CXLYV, fig. 393a, adult, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 363,
1897, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 1038, 1900; SmirH, Bull. U. S.
FF. C. XVII, 98, 1898.
Selene gallus BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 189, 1888.
The depth of the body is contained one and one half times in
the length; while the length of the head is contained three times
in the length of the body. Diameter of eye, length of opercle,
and distance from eye to profile about equal; eye twice in maxil-
lary, two and one half in preorbital; mandibles very deep, the
- dentary bones thin, approximate; one or two of the dorsal spines
greatly elongate and filamentous in the young, short in the
adult; ventrals variable in length, usually as long as the eye
in the adult, variously elongate in partly grown specimens; the
a SS SS eS =
fi
}
Hil
iif
at
wi
Hit
436 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
long dorsal rays contained twice in the length of the body; the
pectoral two and three fourths times; and the long anal rays
two and two thirds. D. VII-I, 22; A. II-I, 20. Bluish above,
sides and below silvery with golden reflections; anterior edge
of soft dorsal black; axil dusky.
Examples measuring from 3 to 4 inches, taken at Beesleys.
Point N. J. Aug. 10-11, 1887, showed the following colors: sil-
very; five golden bands on sides, one of which extends through
the eye and below it half way to maxilla, or slightly farther.
The second and third soon fade, persisting only above median
line and at their lower extremities.
The example taken August 11 is 4 inches long; its longest first
dorsal ray measures 64 inches; the other is 3 inches long, and
has a filamentous spine measuring 5 inches.
The lookdown is found on both coasts of tropical America
and in temperate parts of the Atlantic north to Cape Cod and
Lower California... At Woods Hole Mass. it is rare, but a few are
taken annually in traps and seines, usually in September.
Storer describes a specimen 54 inches long from New Bedford
Mass. Mitchill mentions the fish under two names, hair-finned
dory and rostrated dory, but gives no special locality. De Kay
calls it the hair-finned argyreiose and notes its appearance in
New York waters about the latter end of' August and its cap-
ture in gill nets. The writer obtained four young examples by
seining at the Blue Point Lifesaving station Oct. 7, 1890. Aug. .
29, 1898, he took another young individual in the seine at Dun-
can’s creek, Great South bay.
The fish is interesting only from its silvery colors and singular
sbape, which make it a great attraction for the aquarium.
Three individuals of the moonfish were obtained from Gravesend
bay Sep. 8 and 29, 1897. In November they were transferred
to a tank in which the water was at a temperature of 68° to 70°
F, and they were successfully kept through the winter.
Genus cHLOROscomBRUs Girard
Body oblong ovate, closely compressed, but not elevated; the
abdomen prominent anteriorly, its curve being much greater
' FISHES OF NEW YORK 437
than the curve of the back; occiput and thoracic region trench-
ant; caudal peduncle very narrow, the fin widely forked; scales
small, smooth; lateral line arched in front, unarmed, or with
_a few small plates; head nearly naked; preorbital low; mouth
rather small, oblique, lower jaw scarcely projecting, upper jaw
protractile; maxillary broad, emarginate behind, with a large
supplemental bone; jaws, vomer and palatines with feeble teeth,
mostly in single series; first dorsal of feeble spines, connected
by membrane; second dorsal and anal long and low, similar,
much longer than the short abdomen; no finlets.
219 Chloroscombrus chrysurus (Linnaeus)
Casabe; Bumper
Scomber chrysurus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. NII, I, 494, 1766, Charleston.
Seriola cosmopolita CuvirR & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 219,
pl. 259, 1833; Dm Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 129, pl. 74, fig. 237, 1842.
‘Chloroscombrus caribbaeus GIRARD, Mex. Bound. Surv, Zoo6l. 21, pl. 9, fig.
6, 1859, Joseph island, Texas.
Micropteryx chrysurus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. II, 460, 1860.
‘Chloroscombrus chrysurus GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 487, 1862; JORDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 441, 1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 988, 1896, pl. CXLV, fig. 394, 1900.
The depth of the body is contained two and one third times
in the length; length of head contained three and three fourths
times in the length of the body; head rather deep than long;
opercles very short; snout short; mouth very oblique; maxillary
reaching anterior margin of eye; eye very large, longer than
snout, about three in head; chord of curved part of lateral line
scarcely longer than head, one and two thirds to one and three
fourths times in length of straight part; lateral line wholly un-
armed; caudal peduncle longer than deep, its diameter less than
that of the eye; ventrals very small, fitting into a groove in
which the vent is situated; pectorals long, falcate, one third the
length. D. VIII-I, 26; A. I-I, 26.
Color of upper parts pale greenish; sides of head and body
Silvery iridescent; a nearly square black blotch on caudal pedun-
cle above; dark spots on opercle and axil of pectoral; inside of
mouth black; first dorsal translucent with a yellow tinge ante-
riorly and with minute dusky points, second dorsal translucent
4388 - NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
at base, numerous black points anteriorly, margin yellowish,
pectoral yellowish, ventral white, preanal spines and connecting
membrane white, anal translucent at base, rest of fin yellowish
with a few dusky points.
The casabe is a small fish of wide distribution along our east.
coast, ranging from Cape Cod to Brazil; it is common in the
Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and in Cuba, but rather rare from
Charleston northward. The only authority for its occurrence
in. New York waters till recently has been Cuvier and Valen-
ciennes, who claimed to have a specimen from New York. De
Kay did not regard it as a member of the fish fauna. In 1899,
however, W. I. De Nyse secured several fine examples at Grayves-
end beach, L. I., and one of these, 8 inches long, is now
in the U. S. National Museum, where it is numbered 49219.
The fish grows to the length of 10 inches. It has no value as
food, but is a beautiful species.
Genus TrRacHinotTus Lacépéde
Body compressed, moderately elevated, the general outline
ovate; caudal peduncle short and rather slender; abdomen not
trenchant, shorter than the anal fin; head moderately com-
pressed, very blunt, the snout abruptly truncate; mouth nearly
horizontal the maxillary reaching the middle of the eye; premax-
illaries protractile; maxillary without distinct supplemental
bone; jaws, vomer and palatines with bands of villiform teeth,
which are deciduous with age; preopercle entire in the adult; gill
rakers short; gill membranes considerably united; spinous dorsal
represented by six rather low spines, which are connected by
membrane in the young but are free in the adult. In old speci-
mens the spines appear small on account of encroachments of
the flesh, and ultimately often disappear. Second dorsal long,
elevated in front; anal opposite to it and similar in form and
size; two stout, nearly free spines in front of anal, and one con-
nected with the fin, these often disappearing with age; scalcs.
small, smooth; lateral line unarmed, little arched; no caudal
keel.
_ FISHES OF NEW YORK 439
When extremely young, the preoperculum is armed at the
angle with three large spines, and smaller ones above and below.
The spinous dorsal is developed as a perfect fin, and teeth are
present on the jaws and palatine arch. In this stage the species
has never been described by previous naturalists, and conse-
quently has received no name, as the corresponding stage of
Naucrates (Nauclerus) has. At an early period the
preopercular spines are absorbed into the substance of the pre-
operculum and disappear. The spinous dorsal and the teeth are
Still retained. In this condition it remains for some time, the
spinous dorsal, however, gradually losing its relative size, while
the soft vertical fins increase. In this stage the species belongs
to the genus Doliodon of Girard. At a later period the
membrane connecting the dorsal spines has become obsolete,
and the species then represents the genus Trachynotus,
as understood by Cuvier and Valenciennes, and others. Finally,
in old age, the teeth of the jaws, palate, and pharyngeal bones
have fallen out, and the lobes of the dorsal, anal and caudal
fins attain their greatest extension and become pointed. This
final stage has been made known by Holbrook under the new
generic name of Bothrolaemus. Gill
The pseudobranchiae also disappear in old specimens. Some
of the species of Trachinotus (carolinus ete.) are
among the most highly valued of our food fishes. Most of them
are however not of superior quality.
220 Trachinotus falcatus (Linnaeus)
Round Pompano; Ovate Pompano
Labrus falcatus LiInNAEws, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 284, 1758, America.
The Spinous Dory MircuHii, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, pl. VI, fig. 10,
no description.
Zeus spinosus MircHiLut, Am. Month, Mag. II, 246, Feb. 1818.
Trachinotus spinosus DE Way, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 117, pl. 19, fig. 53, 1842,
New York harbor.
Trachinotus rhomboides CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII,
407, 1831.
Trachinotus fuscus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. VIII, 410, 1831, Brazil.
Trachynotus rhomboides JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 974,
1883; BEAN, Bull. U.S. F. C. VII, 139, pl. III, fig. 5, 1888, young.
Trachynotus ovatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 481, 1860, (in part, not
Gasterosteus ovatus of LINNAEUS); JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 442, 1883; Bran, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 255, pl. LX,
fig. 12, 1890.
"Phila, Acad. Nat. Sci. Proc. 1862, p. 440.
spinners me paren atone psa Brea was
* —— = n
440 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Trachinotus falcatus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 941,
1896, pl. CX LVI, fig. 396, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX,
363, 1897; SmiTH, Bull. U. 8. F. C. XVII, 98, 1898.
Body broadly ovate, moderately compressed, profile very
evenly convex from procumbent spine to level of upper edge of
eye, where it descends almost vertically. The depth of the body
is contained one and three fifths times in the length; the length
of the head is contained three and three fourths times in that
of the body. The vertical part is about one and one third times
the eye; the length of snout nearly equal to eye; mouth nearly
horizontal; maxillary reaching to vertical from middle of eye,
its length two and two thirds in head; jaws without teeth in
adult; dorsal spines short and thick, not connected by mem-
brane in adult; ventrals short, their tips scarcely reaching half
way to anterior anal spine, three in head; caudal widely forked;
lobes about two and two thirds in length of body; dorsal and
anal fins faleate; anterior rays reaching almost to posterior end ~
of fins; in adults, dorsal lobe two and two thirds, anal lobe four
and one half, in length of body. D. VI-I,19; A. III, 18.
Color, bluish above, silvery below; the fins all bluish with
lighter tips. In the young the coloration is different from that of
the adult. An individual 14 inches long, taken at Beesleys Point
N. J. September 2, was mainly silvery when captured, but on
being placed in a small aquarium almost instantly became dark
brown, the dorsal and anal nearly black. On the ventrals, the
anal spines, and the anterior tip of the anal fin was observed the
usual vermilion, shading into orange. Five young, from 1 inch
to 13 inches long, seined August 10 and 11 at Beesleys Point,
exhibited, after immersion for several days in alcohol, the fol-
lowing colors: general color silvery, thickly sprinkled with
dusky; sides wholly or partly suffused with pink; ventrals and
tip of anterior anal rays orange; dorsal and anal dusky, with a
narrow, pale marginal band; caudal milk white, the lower lobe
faintly tinged with yellow; iris pink. r
The ovate pompano inhabits the Atlantic coasts of tropical
and temperate America; it is common in the West Indies; on
our east coast it occurs north to Cape Cod and south to Brazil;
FISHES OF NEW YORK 441
young individuals are very common about Cape Cod in summer,
but no adults are seen. The young, from 4 to 1 inch long, ap-
pear in July, according to Dr Hugh M. Smith, and by September,
- when they disappear, they are two inches long. 13 young, aver-
aging a little more than 2 inches in length, were obtained at
Oak Island beach September 30.
The young of the round pompano are caught occasionally in
Summer in Gravesend bay. Early in September 1897 a small
one was placed in a tank, where it lived and fed regularly till
November. The low temperature of the water then killed it.
Mitchill gives a figure of the fish in the Transactions of the
Literary and Philosophical Society of New York under the name
Spinous dory, but no description. De Kay calls it the spinous
trachinote, and describes a specimen 3 inches long from the har-
bor of New York, taken in September 1817. He mentions it as
a casual visitor from the south.
According to Dr Goode the species is known in the south as
the shore pompano and in the Bermudas as the alewife. About
the Bermudas this pompano is sometimes very abundant as, in
1875, a school containing 600 or 700 was seined on the south
shore of the islands. The fish is highly esteemed there for table
use.
The ovate pompano grows to the length of 15 inches and is
generally prized for food.
221 Trachinotus argenteus Cuv. & Val.
Silvery Pompano
Trachinotus argenteus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 4138,
1831, New York and Rio Janeiro; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 116,
1842: BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 255, pl. X, fig. 13, 1890;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 944, 1896; SuirH, Bull.
U. 8. F. C. XVII, 98, 1898.
_Trachinotus cupreus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 414,
1831, Martinique.
Body oblong, compressed, deep, its greatest depth one half of
total length without caudal, its thickness one fourth the depth
and nearly one half the length of head; least depth of caudal
peduncle one sixth of greatest depth; head short, two sevenths
of total without caudal; eye small, circular, equal to snout, one
442, : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM.
fourth as long as head; interorbital space convex, its width two
fifths of length of head; maxilla reaches to below front of pupil;
mandible reaching to below hind margin of orbit, its length
equal to snout and eye combined; nostrils nearer to tip of snout
than to eye, the anterior in a very short tube; teeth in villiform
bands in both jaws, but more developed in the lower than in the
upper; gill rakers short and stout, the longest about one half |
as long as eye. The origin of spinous dorsal is a little behind
origin of ventral; the base of the fin equals postorbital length of
head; the spines are all short, the third, and longest, two thirds
as long as the eye. The antecedent spine of the soft dorsal is
two thirds as long as the eye; the base of the fin equals three
times the length of snout and eye combined; the longest ray is
three times as long as the last ray and two thirds as long as the
head. The middle caudal rays are three sevenths as long as
the outer rays and one fourth longer than the head. The anal
origin is under the sixth ray of the soft dorsal; the fin is pre-
ceded by two short isolated spines and a third closely connected
with the first ray; the second of the antecedent spines is two
thirds as long as the eye; the longest ray is two thirds as long
as the head, and the last ray is about as long as the eye. The
ventral origin is at a distance from tip of snout equal to one
third of total length to end of middle caudal rays; the fin
reaches to the vent and to below the fourth spine of the dorsal.
The pectoral reaches to below the fifth spine of the dorsal, its
length equal to length of head without the snout. D. V, I, 24;
A. II, I, 22; V.1, 5; P. I, 17. ‘Color silvery, with tips of anterior
part of dorsal black and with blackish on the middle of the pec-
toral.
The measurements above are from an example nearly 6 inches
long, no. 15085, U. S. National Museum, taken at Tompkinsville
N. Y. Another example 3; inches long, no. 36036, U. S. National
Museum, was collected at Blue Point cove, L. I. There are a |
number of additional examples in the U. S. National Museum
from localities south of New York. The individual from Tomp-
kinsville is almost exactly of the size of the type of the species
FISHES OF NEW YORK 443
as recorded by Cuvier and Valenciennes and it agrees perfectly
with the description of their T. argenteus. These authors
had two specimens, one from New York and the other from Rio
Janeiro, each 6 inches long. Dr Jordan, who has examined the i
types of the species, says one of them is a foot long, and that it .
has 25 dorsal rays and 25 rays in the anal. |
There is still some question whether or not the argenteus
of Cuvier and Valenciennes is the young of T. carolinus
(Linnaeus). If we consider them identical we must assume that
the very young, say from 1 inch to 2 inches long, are much more
elongate than when they reach the length of 3 inches. I am :
unable to decide the question at present; but still incline to the |
belief that the silvery pompano is a distinct species. I have . |
examined specimens fully 10 inches long which retain the depth
of body characteristic of the young, that is, one half of total
without caudal. 3 |
The example from Blue Point cove, Great South bay, was i
figured by the writer in the 19th report of the N. Y. Fish Com- 1]
avission, pl. 10, fig. 13. De Kay, in his work on the fishes of New i
York, p. 116, translates the description of Cuvier and Valen- H
ciennes, not having obtained a specimen of the fish.
222 Trachinotus carolinus (Linnaeus) |
Gasterosteus carolinus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 490, 1766, Carolina.
Trachinotus pampanus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 415, i
pl. 237, 1831, Brazil, Charleston. ;
Trachynotus pampanus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 484, 1860.
Bothrolaemus pampanus HOLBROOK, Ichth. S. C. 81, pl. 11, fig. 2, 1856. Ht
Lichia carolina DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 114, pl. 10, fig. 30, 1842, off
i
i
|
|
Common Ponvpano |
|
|
|
Sandy Hook.
Trachynotus carolinus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 442,
1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 140, 1888, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish.
Neovo 254) pl VILT, fis: 11 1890;
Trachinotus carolinus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 944,
1896, pl. CXLVII, fig. 398, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX,
363, 1897, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 104, 1900; Suiru, Bull.
eS Bhe Ce XevV 11,98; 1898: i
H
Hi
Body oblong ovate, elevated, profile forming a gentle curve
from the middle of the back to the snout, where it descends
444 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
abruptly. The depth of the body is contained two and one third
times in its length; the length of the head is contained four
times in that of the body. Dorsal and anal falcate, their lobes
reaching when depressed nearly to the middle of the fin; pec-
toral reaching to opposite the vent. Gill rakers short; slender
in the young, becoming thick in the adult. Length 18 inches.
D. VI-I, 25; A. I-I, 23.
Uniform bluish above, sides silvery, golden in the adult, with-
out bands, fins plain silvery or dusky. ;
This fish has no other name on our east coast except the
southern variation of pompeynose. In Great South bay the
name butterfish is applied to it because it is confounded with
the Poronotus triacanthus, to which the name
properly belongs. Mitchill described it under the name thorn-
backed grunt, a name not now in use. The pompano ranges om
our coast from Cape Cod to Florida, the adults rarely or never
coming into northern waters, but the young are taken in
variable numbers every year. At Woods Hole they sometimes.
occur in considerable numbers,and they have been taken in great
abundance in Great Egg Harbor bay, but not recently. In
Great South bay, in 1890, only a single young individual was.
secured at Oak Island beach on the last day of September. It
occurs occasionally also on the Pacific coast. Dr De Kay, in
1842, mentioned it as an exceedingly rare species on the New
York coast. His description was based on a specimen taken off
Sandy Hook more than 20 years before. In 1898 young speci-
mens were found in moderate numbers at Oak Island beach,
Great South bay, September 14, and on the east side of Fire
Island beach September 16. The young are summer and fall
visitors in Gravesend bay. 22 individuals were placed in a tank
in August 1897, and grew rapidly till the temperature of the
water fell below 60° F in November. During this month all of
them died.
The species reaches the length of 20 inches. It is one of the
finest of our food fishes. )
FISHES OF NEW YORK 445,
Family POMATOMIDAE
Bluefishes
Genus Pomaromus Lacépéde
Body oblong, compressed, covered with rather small scales,
which are weakly ctenoid; caudal peduncle rather stout; head
large, compressed; mouth large, oblique; premaxillaries pro-
tractile; maxillary not slipping under the preorbital, provided
with a large supplemental bone, lower jaw projecting; bands
of villiform teeth on vomer and palatines, those on the vomer
forming a triangular patch; jaws each with a single series of
very strong, compressed, unequal teeth, widely set, upper jaw
with an inner series of small depressed teeth; villiform teeth
on the base of the tongue; occipital keel strong; free edge of
preopercle produced and serrated; gill membranes free from the
isthmus, not united; branchiostegals seven; gills four, a slit
behind the fourth; pseudobranchiae large; gill rakers slender,
rather few; opercle ending in a flat point, cheek and opercles.
sealy; lateral line present, unarmed; dorsal fins two, the ante-
rior of about eight weak, low spines connected by membrane
and depressible in a groove; second dorsal long, similar to the
elongate anal, both fins being densely scaly; fin rays slender;
two very small, free anal spines, sometimes hidden in the skin;
ventrals thoracic, I, 5; peduncle stout; pectorals rather short;.
caudal fin forked, the lobes broad; air bladder simple, with thin:
walls; pyloric caeca very numerous; vertebrae 10+14—24 as usual
in Carangidae. <A single species, found in nearly all warm seas.
223 Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus)
Bluefish; Snap Mackerel; Snapper
Perca saltatrixr LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 293, 1758, Carolina.
Gasterosteus saltatrir LINNAEUS, op. cit. ed. XII, 491, 1766.
_ Scomber plumbeus MircuiLy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 424, pl. IV, fig.
Aes ted Co
Temnodon saltator CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 225, pl.
260, 1833; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 130, pl. 26, fig. 81, 1842; Hor-
BROOK, Ichth. S. C. 62, pl. 9, fig. 2, 1856; GunrTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. II, 479, 1860; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 81, pl. XV, fig. 1, 1867.
Pomatomus saltator JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 448, 1888.
A446 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Pomatomus saltatrix GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 20, 1879; JornDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 914, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U.S. F. C.
VII, 145, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 269, pl. XX, fig. 24,
1890; Bull. Am, Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 368, 1897; 52d Ann. Rept. N, Y.
State Mus. 104, 1900; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 98, 1898; MEArns,
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 319, 1898; Jonpan & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 946, 1896, pl. CXLVIII, fig. 400, a HUGENE
Suita, Proce. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 32, 1898.
Body robust, moderately compressed; belly compressed to a
bluntish edge. The depth is contained four times in the length
of the body. Head deep; top of head and a ridge on each side
above the cheeks naked; cheeks much longer than. opercles.
The length of the head is contained three and one third times
in the length of the body. Pectorals placed rather low, their
length a little more than half that of the head. D. VIII-I, 25;
A. II-I, 26; Lat. 1. 95. Bluish or greenish, silvery below, a
black blotch at the base of the pectoral. | |
Some of the many names applied to this widely distributed
fish are the following: mackerel (New Jersey), horse mackerel
(New York and Rhode Island), snapping mackerel (New Eng-
land and New Jersey), skip mackerel (New York), snapper and
blue snapper (New England), greenfish (Maryland, Virginia and
North Carolina), salt-water jack (southern states), tailor (Chésa-
peake bay), whitefish (Hudson river). Bluefish is the name most
extensively used on the coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.
The bluefish ranges on our coast from Maine to the Gulf of
Mexico, and is believed to frequent warm seas of both conti-
nents. It has ranged farther to the northward ‘this year than
for many years before. We have heard of its capture in the
-vicinity of Mount Desert Me. On our coast and elsewhere its
movements are erratic, and its abundance fluctuates greatly
within certain periods; it disappears sometimes altogether for
a term of years. The young, under about 1 inch in length,
seem to be unknown. The spawning habits and localities have
not been recorded. The smallest known examples were ob-
tained at the surface offshore by the U. S. Fish Commission.
The writer has seined individuals a little more than an inch
long at Ocean City N. J. the last of August. The young ascend
rivers into fresh water.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 447
This is one of the most destructive of all fishes. It feeds
ravenously, and, when gorged with food, continues to destroy
its victims for the sake of gratifying its killing propensity. It
follows the great schools of alewives, weakfish, mullets and
other valuable food fishes along our coast in summer, and the
young may be discovered in shallow bays and sounds pursuing
the silversides, young herring, anchovies and other fishes smaller
than themselves. According to De Kay bluefish were unknown
on the New York coast till about 1810, when a few appeared.
In 1815 Dr Mitchill wrote: “ Young ones are taken plentifully
with the hook at our wharves by the boys in August.” The
largest mentioned by Mitchill was 13 inches long, 3 inches deep
and weighed about 14 ounces. The name bluefish was in use
at the time of Mitchill’s report.
De Kay noticed the gradual disappearance of the weakfish
with the increasing abundance of bluefish. :
The best known methods of taking bluefish are by trolling at
the surface with a squid of metal or bone and by heaving and,
hauling in the surf near the mouths of streams into which ale-
Wives are running. Artificial minnows are also used with a
light rod, when young bluefish are seen feeding near the surface.
The most recent method in use by anglers is that of chumming
in the manner usually employed-in striped bass fishing. This
method, which involves the use of rod and reel, was in use near
the inlet at Fire Island early in October 1890. During the sum-
mer, in this bay, it was not an uncommon thing for anglers to
catch 150 or 200 small bluefish with hook and line in a single
day. The species is to be found in all parts of the bay visited
by us. It was taken at the following localities: Blue Point
cove, Oak Island and Fire Island. Large numbers of bluefish
were caught late in September by means of gill nets set in the
ocean near Blue Point Lifesaving station. A fisherman caught
450 at one time and 250 at another, the dates being Sep. 23 and
24,1890. In August of that year bluefish drove immense schools:
of round herring (Etrumeus teres) on the ocean beach,
near the Lifesaving station. September 24, while walking along
the beach of East Island, not far from the Blue Point station, in
448 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
a distance of half a mile, I saw 51 round herring lying on the
beach, having been chased in a short time previously by bluefish.
When the fishermen find the round herring on the shore, they
know that bluefish are present. Small bluefish were caught in
a trap at Islip Oct. 1, 1890. In the summer of 1898 young blue-
fish were abundant in all the waters visited in Peconic bay and
Great South bay and were taken as late as October 16.
During the warm season they often run up the rivers, the
young, called snappers, frequently into nearly fresh waters.
(After Eugene Smith‘) |
The bluefish is so active in its movements that it is difficult to
keep it in captivity. As with the species of Caranx and
Seriola, however, its longevity depends on range and tem-
perature; in a large body of water, not co‘der than 60° in winter,
it can be maintained easily.
Family RACHYCENTRIDAE
Sergeant Fishes
Genus RACHYCENTRON Kaup
Body elongate, fusiform, subcylindric, covered with very small,
smooth, adherent scales; lateral line nearly parallel with the
back; head rather broad, low, pikelike, the bones above appear-
ing through the thin skin; mouth rather wide, nearly horizontal,
the maxillary about reaching front of eye; both jaws, vomer,
palatines and tongue with bands of short, sharp teeth, lower jaw
longest; premaxillaries not protractile; preopercle unarmed;
first dorsal represented by about eight low, stout, equal, free
spines, each depressible in a groove; soft dorsal long and rather
low, somewhat falcate, similar to and nearly opposite anal; two
weak anal spines, one of them free from the fin; pectorals mod-
erate, placed low; ventrals thoracic, I, 5; caudal fin strong,
forked, on a moderate peduncle; no caudal keel; no finlets; gill
rakers rather short, stout; no air bladder; branchiostegals seven;
pyloric caeca branched; vertebrae 1241325. Probably only one
species; a large, strong, voracious shore fish, found in all warm
seas. Its relations are with the scombroid fishes, though not
1Z,inn, Soc. .N. Y. Proc. .1897." no, 9; p. 82.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 449
close ro any of the other groups. The superficial resemblance to
Echeneis, as Dr Gill has shown, is not connected with any
intimate homology. (After Jordan and Evermann)
224 Rachycentron canadus (Linnaeus)
Crabeater ; Cobia
Gasterosteus canadus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 491, 1766, Carolina.
COentronotus spinosus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 490, pl. III,
fig. 9, 1815, New York.
Elacate atlantica CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 334, pl.
Te Noel haze. Om An Acye SN. Yo. Hana, Mishes, 113, pl. 25, fig... 77,
1842.
Hlacate nigra GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 375, 1860.
Elacate canada JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull.’16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 418, 1888;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 144, pl. II, fig. 18, 1888, 19th Rep. Comm.
Fish. N: Y. 270, pl. XX, fig. 25, 1890, (young), Great Egg Harbor Bay.
Rachycentron canadus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 948,
1896, pl. CXLVIII, fig. 401, 1900; Smiry, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 98,
1898.
Head much depressed. The length of the head is contained
four and one fourth times in the length of the body; while the
width of the body is contained five and two thirds times in its
length. Mouth moderate, the short maxillary reaching front of
orbit; pectorals broad and falcate; caudal deeply emarginate, the
upper lobe slightly the longer; lateral line wavy and irregular,
descending posteriorly. Length 5 feet. D. VIII-1, 26; A, II, 25.
Color, olive brown; sides with a distinct broad dark band and a
less distinct band above and below it; lower parts silvery.
The crabeater inhabits all warm seas, occasionally appearing
on our Northern coast in summer and ranging northward to
Massachusetts bay. Individuals are occasionally taken at
Woods Hole Mass.
Dr Mitchill had a specimen of the crabeater which was caught
in New York bay June 11, 1815. He found in its stomach 20
spotted sand crabs and several young flounders. The fish was
eaten at his table, and pronounced one of the best he had ever
tasted. This example was 31 inches long. Dr De Kay styles it
the northern crabeater. The specimen described by him was
captured in Boston harbor, and placed in a live car with other
fish, chiefly porgies (QStenotomus chrysops), and it de-
450 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
stroyed and ate every fish in the car. Dr A. K. Fisher of Wash-
ington has found the young of the crabeater in the Hudson near
Sing Sing. Though we have no specimens of the crabeater from
Great South bay, there is scarcely a doubt of its occurrence in
that body of water.
A young example, 3 inches long, was caught at Somers Point
N. J. near the club house, Aug. 2, 1887, by Capt. Richard Cham-
berlain. Ground color nearly black; a white stripe, about as
wide as pupil, from upper angle of gill opening to caudal; another
one, but narrower, begins at lower extremity of pectoral base,
curves very slightly upward, fading out near the tail; upper
caudal lobe with a narrow whitish margin along its upper sur-
face, relieved by a trace of orange red at its base; lower caudal
lobe with a narrow orange red margin; pectorals, ventrals, and
caudal black; back fades to a dark green; belly grayish white;
iris golden bronze. This species has not previously been re-
corded from Great Egg Harbor bay, and the young seems not to
have been described.
Another example, 4 inches long, was seined in one of the thor-
oughfares in the bay August 23. This has the same markings as
the first. The caudal when fully expanded, is rounded, the end
truncate; there is no emargination as in the adult. A figure of
the young is published in the bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commis-
sion, 1888, v. 7, pl. 2, fig. 13. |
Family Coryphaenidae
Dolphins
Genus coRYPHAENA Linnaeus
Body elongate, compressed, covered with small cycloid scales;
cleft of the mouth wide, oblique, the lower jaw projecting; cardi-
form teeth in the jaws and on the vomer and palatine bones, a
patch of villiform teeth on the tongue, no teeth on the esophagus;
opercular bones entire; skull with a crest which is more elevated
in the adult than in the young; a single, many-rayed dorsal fin,
not greatly elevated, extending from the nape nearly to the
caudal fin; anal similar, but shorter, both without distinct spines;
pectoral fins very short and small; ventrals well developed,
FISHES OF NEW YORK A451
thoracic, I, 5, partly received into a groove in the abdomen;
caudal fin widely forked; lateral line present; gill membranes
free from the isthmus; branchiostegals seven; no pseudo-
branchiae; no air bladder; pyloric appendages very numerous;
vertebrae about 30. A genus with probably only two species.
Very large fishes, inhabiting the high seas in warm regions,
noted for their brilliant and changeable colors. (After Jordan
and Evermann)
225 Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus
Common Dolphin
Coryphaena hippurus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 261, 1758, open seas;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 405, 1860; Cuvier & VALENCIENNES,
Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 278, pl. 266, 1883; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. 8. Nat. Mus. 914, 1888; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 952, 1896, pl. CXLIX, fig. 402, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.
fist. 368, 1897; Smrru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 99, 1898.
Coryphaena hippuris MirvcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 378, 1815.
Coryphaena sueurii CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 302, 1833.
Coryphaena globiceps Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 132, pl. 10, fig. 29, 1842,
off New York.
Coryphaena sueuri JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 455, 1883.
A TT AE TE SET
aris.
aes
Body elongate, compressed, highest anteriorly, the greatest
depth equal to length of head and to one fourth of total length
without caudal; the greatest width about equal to postorbital
length of head; least hight of caudal peduncle one fourth the
length of head; maxilla reaching nearly to below end of eye;
—
apecan pees ee
Ne =
Soeaacies
ee
upper jaw equal to snout and eye combined; mandible reaching
FIST et gmt
past hind margin of orbit. The profile of the snout becomes
nearly vertical with age; the male has the forehead elevated,
forming a crest which projects slightly beyond the upper jaw.
-Eye small, one half the length of snout, ione sixth the length of
head. The dorsal origin is nearly above the eye; the fin occupies
the entire back, the longest spines (12th to 14th) equal postorbital
iength of head, the last spine two ninths as long as head.
Caudal very deeply forked, the middle rays less than one sixth
as long as the external rays, which are one third as long as the
dorsal base. The anal begins under the 32d spine of the dorsal;
its base is as long as the head and pectoral combined, its longest
_ ray one third as long as the head, its last ray equal to eye, the
452 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
fin emarginate anteriorly. The ventral origin is directly under
the pectoral base and under the 18th spine of the dorsal, its
length one sixth of total length without caudal. The pectoral
origin is below the 13th spine of the dorsal; the fin extends to
below the 28d spine, its length equal to length of head without
snout. D. 56-64; A. 25-30; V. I, 5; P. I, 19. Scales about 175;
gill rakers 10, all below angle, the longest one half as long as
Eite eve:
Colors in life brilliant, changing suddenly at death; greenish
above, white or golden below, with bright blue spots, the largest
on the back and head, forming bands on the snout; dorsal pur-
plish blue, with pale longitudinal lines; other fins tinged with
blue; caudal yellow; in spirits, silvery with blackish spots,
smaller than the pupil, on the sides below the lateral line.
The dolphin inhabits all warm seas; it is common in the Gulf
of Mexico, and its summer range includes Cape Cod. Large
individuals are rare in Vineyard sound, but the young, from 2 to
12 inches long, are observed nearly every year in floating gulf
weed, usually in July and August.
Mitchill mentions the species without referring to a particular
Specimen; but De Kay states that an individual 42 inches long
was captured off the harbor of New York and presented to the
Lyceum of Natural History. An example, 17 inches long and 22
inches deep, was caught off Sandy Hook late in August 1897 by
a fisherman while trolling for bluefish. f
The dolphin attains to the length of 6 feet. It is an excellent
food fish.
226 Coryphaena equisetis Linnaeus
Small Dolphin
Coryphaena equisetis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 261, 1758, high seas;
CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. [X, 297, pl. 267, 1888; Guy-
THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, II, 407, 1860; JorpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 914, 1883; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 9538, 1896.
Lampugus punctulatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. IX, 327, 18383;
Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 134, pl. 11, fig. 31, 1842. .
Coryphaena punctulata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 454,
1883,
FISHES OF NEW YORK r Ailey
This is said to be the Lampugus punctulatus of
Cuvier and Valenciennes, to which is ascribed the following
characters. Hight of body contained nearly five times in its
length; head five and one fourth times; depth of head five
sevenths of its length; profile obliquely descending; pectorals
one tenth of total length; ventrals one eighth; caudal lobes one
fifth; 10 or 12 posterior rays of dorsal and anal dilated at their
extremities and projecting beyond the connecting membrane.
- Color silvery, blackish on the back, with a few small black dots
onruhe body, * Debi; Ay 25;°V.1,.5; P. 19.
The specimen described is 13 inches long. It was taken in the
Atlantic at the equator.
De Kay has described a dolphin measuring 2 feet which was
taken on a hook at the light-ship off the harbor of New York
and which he supposed to be identical with the species just men-
‘tioned. The characters of the fish are given as follows. Length
of head rather less than one eighth of total length; hight of
body one eighth and of caudal peduncle at its lowest part one
twentieth of total; eye large, its length contained four and four
sevenths times in length of head and more than one diameter
distant from tip of snout; dorsal fin beginning just behind the
orbit, its last 10 or 12 rays somewhat elevated and projecting
beyond the connecting membrane; pectoral origin under ninth
dorsal spine; the fin one twelfth of total length including
caudal; ventral length contained nine and three fifths times in
total; anal origin nearly midway between posterior margin of
orbit and base of caudal. Length 24 inches; head 34 inches;
iMeht se inches... 53s’ cA. 255 Vite o aP 20,
Color sea green above the lateral line; silvery on the sides,
with metallic reflections on the opercles; iris yellowish; dark
reddish brown stripes across the head; a series of distant
rounded spots along the base of the dorsal fin; a few scattering
ones on the back part of the head, and confused series of
similar spots on the sides below the lateral line; dorsal, pec-
torals and ventrals brown; anal and caudal fins light colored.
‘Hist. Nat. Poiss. 1833. 9:327,
454 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM p
Jordan and Evermann, in Bulletin 47, U. S. National Museum,
p. 953, state that the small dolphin is not recorded from the
coast of the United States; but that it inhabits the open At- ©
lantic and occurs rarely in the West Indies. De Kay, however,
described a dolphin, above mentioned, which appears to agree
with the published descriptions of the Coryphaena equi-
setis Linnaeus; and there is no reason to suppose that this
pelagic species does not occasionally visit our shores. It is true
that all the young dolphins from the New England and New
York coasts examined by me belong to the larger species; but
materials for study are scarce, and it is unwise to base a con-
clusion on insufficient investigation.
Family CENTROLOPHIDAE
Rudderfishes
Genus PALINURICHTHYS Bleeker
Body oblong, ovate, moderately compressed; profile very blunt
and convex; mouth moderate; maxillary narrow, with a small
supplemental bone; premaxillaries protractile, little movable;
jaws nearly equal, each with about one series of small, slender
teeth; no teeth on vomer or palatines; preoperculum, interoper-
culum, and suboperculum finely serrated; gill rakers long; gill
membranes separate, free from the isthmus; scales small,
smooth, larger, thicker, and more adherent than in Stroma-
t-eus; cheeks scaly; fins rather low; dorsal fin long, preceded
by six to eight short, subequal, rather strong spines, the last
ones connetted by membrane, the others nearly free, all much
lower than the soft rays; anal fin similar but shorter, preceded
by three spines, which, like the dorsal spines, are nearly em-
bedded in thick skin; vertical fins densely scaly toward their
bases; caudal fin emarginate; caudal peduncle stout; ventral fins
large, thoracic, I, 5; pectoral fins moderate, rounded, or falcate.
227 Palinurichthys perciformis (Mitchill)
Rudderfish; Black Pilot
Coryphaena verciformis MiTCHILL, Am. Month. Mag. II, 244, Feb. 1818, New
York Harbor.
Palinurus perciformis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 118, pl. 24, fig. 75, 1842;
StorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 74, pl. XIII, fig. 3, 1867.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 455
Pammelas perciformis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 485, 1860.
lirus perciformis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 452, 1888.
Palinurichthys perciformis Git, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 20, 1860; JORDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 964, 1896; GoopDE & BEAN,
Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 16, 1879; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX,
363, 1897; SmiTH, Bull. U. S.. Ff. C. XVII, 99, eye BEAN, 52d Ann.
Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 104, 1900.
Body ovate, compressed, its depth two fifths of its length
without the caudal; head short, blunt, its profile convex, its
length two sevenths of the total without caudal; mouth moder-
ate; maxillary narrow, reaching to opposite front of pupil; a
small supplemental bone; eye with adipose eyelid; eye nearly
equal to snout, two ninths as long as the head; top of head scale-
less; cheeks scaly; jaws nearly equal, each with about one series
of small, slender teeth, no teeth on vomer or palatines; gill
rakers long; pectorals nearly as long as the head. D. VIII, 20;
A. III, 16. Lateral line 75. Blackish green, everywhere dark,
the belly almost similar and not silvery, sides often mottled
with linear blotches. Length 1 foot.
The rudderfish is found on the Atlantic coast of North
America from Maine to Cape Hatteras; usually off shore under
drifting logs, boxes and other objects, but occasionally entering
bays; one specimen was taken off Cornwall, having drifted
across the Atlantic. The rudderfish is rare in Gravesend bay.
One or two will usually appear there during the summer, but
some years none are seen. The fish is common 2 or 3 miles off
shore, and its capture with a dip net is not difficult. Numerous
young and half grown examples were so taken off Southampton
L. I. Aug. 3, 1898, and a fine adult was captured by Capt. George
Yarrington in Clam Pond cove, Great South bay, Oct. 11, 1898.
Aug. 4, 1901, a school of rudderfish numbering about 50 was
seen at the dock at Water Island, Great South bay, and one of
them was obtained for the state museum.
Family STROMATEIDAE
Harvestfishes
Genus RHOMBUS Lacépéde
Body ovate or suborbicular, strongly compressed, tapering
into a slender caudal peduncle, which is not keeled or shielded;
456 NEW YORK 8TATE MUSEUM
head short, compressed, the profile obtuse; mouth small, ter-
minal, the jaws subequal; premaxillaries not protractile; jaws
each with a single series of weak teeth; scales very small,
cycloid, silvery, loosely inserted, extending on the vertical fins;
opercular bones entire; gill membranes separate, free from the
isthmus; gill rakers moderate; lateral line continuous, concur-
rent with the back; dorsal fin long, more or less elevated in
front, preceded by a few indistinct spines—usually one or more
procumbent spines in front of dorsal and anal, each of these
with a free point both anteriorly and posteriorly; anal fin
similar to dorsal, or shorter, usually with three small spines;
ventral fins wanting; a single small, sharp spine, attached to the
pubic bone, occupying the place of the ventrals; pectorals long
and narrow; caudal widely forked. Species few, mostly Ameri-
can. This genus differs from Stromateus chiefly in the
prominence of the pelvic bone, which projects as a lamina
beyond the skin. (After Jordan and Evermann)
%
Subgenus RHOMBUS
228 Rhombus paru (Linnaeus)
Harvestfish ; Pappyfish
Stromateus paru LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 248, 1758, Jamaica; JORDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 914, 1883.
Chaetodon alepidotus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 460, 1766, Charleston.
Stromateus alepidotus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 451, 1888.
Stromateus longipinnis M1TcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 366, 1815,
New York Bay.
Rhombus longipiynis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IX, 401,
pl. 274, 1833; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 136, pl. 75, fig. 239, 1842.
Stromateus gardenii GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 399, 1860.
Rhombus paru JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 965, 1896,
pl. CL, fig. 404, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 364, 1897;
SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 99, 1898.
Body ovate or suborbicular, strongly compressed, its greatest
depth about three fourths of its length without the caudal;
caudal peduncle short and slender, its least depth contained two
and three fifths times in the length of the short head; mouth
very small, oblique, the maxilla reaching to below front of eye;
no pores along side of back; eye round, as long as the snout,
and about one fourth as long as the head; profile of head very
FISHES OF NEW YORK 457
obtuse;- dorsal origin a little behind pectoral origin, base of
dorsal almost equal to greatest depth of body, front of fin ele-
vated, the longest ray as long as the pectoral, its length con-
tained two and three fifths times in total length without caudal;
anal base nearly as long as dorsal base, the longest anal ray
much longer than the pectoral, the last dorsal and anal rays
very short, scarcely two thirds as long as the eye, caudal deeply
forked, its lobes equal, the longest rays as long as the pectoral.
Seales small, thin and deciduous. D. IV to V, 45; A. II, 48.
Scales about 90; vertebrae 15+15.
Color greenish above, golden yellow below. Mitchill gives the
following description: “silvery, with tints of blue, green and
iridescent; dusky on the head, and with inky patches on the
belly towards the tail, which in certain lights appear beauti-
fully red and purple; back bluish, with occasional clouds.”
The harvestfish inhabits the West Indies and is found on our
Atlantic coast from Cape Cod southward, ranging to Brazil.
The young are frequently seen swimming beneath the Portu-
guese men-of-war.
De Kay had several specimens of the species, but found it less
common than the short-finned harvestfish, KR: triacanthus.
At Charleston the fish is called rudderfish.
The species reaches a length of 8 inches. It is a valuable
food fish. It is a Summer visitor in Gravesend bay and is some-
times rare, but was formerly abundant there. It is not adapted
to a captive life. At Woods Hole Mass. Dr Smith reports it as
usually rare, but occasionally common. As a rule only three
or four are taken in a season, but one year 300 or 400 were
obtained. It occurs mostly in June and July, associated with
the butterfish, R. triacanthus.
Subgenus Poronotus Gill
229 Rhombus triacanthus (Peck)
Butierfish ; H arvestfish
Stromateus triacanthus PEcK, Mem. Amer. Acad. II, part 2, 48, pl. 2, fig. 2,
1800, Piscataqua River, N. H.; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 451, 1883; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 398, 1860.
458 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Stromateus cryptosus MirTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 365, pl. I,
fig. 3, 1815. New York Bay.
Rhombus triacanthus DE KaAy, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 187, pl. 26, fig. 80, 1842;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. pl. XV, fig. 4, 1867; JoRDAN & HVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 967, 1896, pl. CL, fig. 405, 1900; Bran, Bull.
Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 3638, 1897; Smiru, Bull. U. S. EF. C. XVII, 99,
1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 104, 1900.
Poronotus triacanthus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 16, 1879; BEAN,
Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 140, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 257,
pl. XI, fig. 14, 1890.
Body oval, much compressed. The depth is contained two
and one third times in the length. Dorsal and ventral outlines
about equally curved. The length of the head is contained four
times in that of the body. Snout very blunt, rounded in profile;
mouth small, the maxillary not reaching the orbit; caudal
peduncle very short; anterior rays of dorsal and anal little ele-
vated; lateral line high, a series of conspicuous pores above it
near the base of the dorsal; pectorals much longer than head;
gill rakers rather long, two thirds the diameter of the eve,
which is four in head. Length 10 inches. D. IT], 45; A. II, 38.
Bluish above, below silvery. Maine to Cape Hatteras; very
abundant.
This is known as the dollarfish, harvestfish and lafayette.
Mitchill called it the cryptous broad shiner, and De Kay described
it under the name short-finned harvestfish. About Cape Cod it
is the sheepshead and skipjack. In Connecticut it is called
pumpkin seed and at Norfolk starfish.
The butterfish ranges from Maine to South Carolina, and is
gradually replaced southward by the long-finned harvestfish,
Rhombus paru. It is a summer visitor, associated with
the mackerel. De Kay records it in New York bay July 1, and
obtained it from fyke nets in New York harbor as late as Octo-
ber 12. We seined young examples at Blue Point Lifesaving
station October 7, and others were secured September 30 at Oak
Island beach. It is taken chiefly in pound nets, and has recently
become a highly prized market fish. A few years ago it was
little esteemed. The young are to be found in the summer
months swimming at the surface in sheltered bays and fre-
‘
FISHES OF NEW YORK 459
quently under the shelter of the streamers of jellyfishes, where
they are sometimes destroyed by the lasso cells of their host.
The harvestfish is present in Gravesend bay from April to
November. Adults were taken at Southampton beach Aug. 1
and Aug. 3, 1898. The fish was not found in Great South bay
during the summer and fall of 1898.
Group PERCOIDEA
Perchlike Fishes
Family CENTRARCHIDAE
Sunfishes
Genus pomoxys Rafinesque
Body more or less elongate, strongly compressed, the snout
projecting; mouth large, oblique; maxillary broad, with a well
developed supplemental bone; teeth on vomer, palatines, ento-
pterygoids and tongue; lower pharyngeals narrow, with sharp
teeth; gill rakers long and slender, numerous; opercle emar-
ginate; preopercle and preorbital finely serrated; scales large,
feebly ctenoid; fins large, the anal larger than dorsal, of six
Spines and about 17 rays; dorsal with six to eight graduated
spines, the spinous dorsal shorter than the soft part; caudal fin
emarginate; pectorals rounded or obtusely pointed, with 15 or
16 rays, the upper longest; ventrals close together, each with a
strong spine; branchiostegals seven; lateral line complete, the
tubes straight and extending at least on the anterior half of the
exposed surface of the scale; posterior processes of the premax-
illaries not extending to the frontals; supraoccipital and pari-
etal crest very strong, produced forward on the frontals to be-
tween the orbits; vertebrae 18+15=33.
230 Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque
Crapptre
Pomoxis annularis RAFINESQUE, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 417, pl. 17,
fig. 1, 1818, Ohio River “Silver perch or Goldring’”’; JORDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 464, 1883; Bran, Fishes, Penna. 103, pl. 30,
fig. 59, 1893; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 987, 1896,
pl. CLIV, fig. 415, 1900.
Pomozis nitidus GIRARD, Proe. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 200, 1857 or, U. S. Pae.
R. R. Exp. Fish. 6, pl. 2, figs. 5-8, 1858; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. _
I, 257, 1859.
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iaconspecgecadtlacsio.onepaetaam ae
_
In the crappie the depth of the body is two fifths of the total
length, not including the tail. The length of the head is one
third of the total. The mouth is oblique and larger than in the
calico bass. The eye is about equal to the snout and nearly one
fourth the length of the head. The upper jaw nearly one half
the length of head; the maxilla reaches slightly beyond the mid-
dle of the eye. The longest rays of the dorsal and anal are
about one half as long as the head. The pectoral is longer
than the ventral and reaches only to above the origin of the
anal. The ventral when laid back reaches to the vent. D. VI,
16; A. VI, 17. Scales 7-45-13. There is considerable variation
in the number of spines and rays in the dorsal .and anal fins.
Color clear silvery olive, the sides mottled with dark greenish
blotches. On the upper part of the body are traces of narrow
vertical bars. The dorsal and caudal are mottled, but the anal
is usually uniform pale.
460 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Among the many names which have been applied to the crap-
pie are: bachelor, newlight, campbellite, sac-a-lait, bridge perch,
strawberry perch, chinquapin perch, speckled perch, tin perch,
goggle-eye, John demon, shad, white croppie and timber croppie.
In the lower Mississippi valley the crappie is one of the most
common fishes. It is abundant also in the Ohio valley and oc-
curs rarely in Lake Erie. The Ohio, Illinois and Mississippi
rivers are particularly noted for an abundance of crappies, and
the fish is very plentiful in Lake Pontchartrain, La., where it is
one of the most highly prized of the smaller game fishes.
Dr Meek did not obtain the crappie in the Cayuga lake basin,
but says it may be found in the canal near Montezuma, where
the calico bass is said to be frequently taken. 7
The crappie is a very general favorite for pond culture, can be
readily transported and under favorable conditions multiplies
prodigiously. Its range has been very much extended by arti-
ficial means. The best distinguishing marks between the crap-
pie and the calico bass are the more elongated form of the
crappie, the presence of six spines in the dorsal and the nearly
uniform whitish color of the anal. In the crappie the greatest
FISHES OF NEW YORK 461
depth of the body is usually contained two and one half times in
the total length without the tail, while in the calico bass the
depth equals one half the length. These two species are so
similar in size and habits that they are rarely distinguished
except by ichthyologists.
The crappie grows to a length of about 1 foot and usually
weighs 1 pound or less; but in a lake near St Louis an individual
weighing 3 pounds has been recorded.
Crappie fishing usually begins in June and lasts till the com-
ing of cold weather. Large numbers of these fish are collected
near Quincy III. for distribution to other waters. At Peoria Ill.
Prof. Forbes has taken them in March and April; he has found
them also in Pistakee lake and at Ottawa. Cedar lake, Ind. and
King’s lake, Mo. are celebrated crappie waters. Near Coving-
ton Ky. in private ponds belonging to Joseph Schlosser there
are myriads of crappies as well as other game fishes.
Prof. S. A. Forbes has studied the feeding habits of the
crappie, and finds that the young live chiefly on entomostraca
and small insect larvae. The adults subsist on the same food
when obtainable. but in times of scarcity they feed to some
extent on other fishes. Small minnows and darters have been
found in their stomachs. In the autumn Prof. Forbes has
found a larger percentage of small fishes, sometimes constitut-
ing nearly two fifths of their food. The hellgramite is eaten
by the crappie. In cold weather it does not consume one fourth
the amount of food which it takes in the early spring. The
crappie prefers still waters, thriving even in warm and muddy
water, and has been taken in large numbers in midsummer at
depths of only a few feet; in cold weather it retires to deeper
water, becomes rather sluggish and takes little food. Dr Hen-
shall states that the crappie is found about dams and in deep
still parts of streams and ponds, specially about logs, brush and
drift.
The crappie is a very free biter and can be caught readily with
minnows or worms. Spoon bait has been successfully used in
trolling for this species. It is recorded that two men have
462 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
taken a thousand crappies in three days’ fishing with hook and
line. As the fish is gregarious, congregating in large schools,
and fearless, it can be taken in the immense numbers given.
The best bait for crappie is a small shiner. It rises well also
to the artificial fly. As a food fish this is one of the best in our
inland waters, and its adaptability for life in artificial ponds
should make it a favorite with fish culturists.
231 Pomoxis sparoides (Lacépéde)
Calico Bass; Strawberry Bass
Labrus sparoides LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 517, 1802, South Carolina.
Cantharus nigromaculatus Lm SuEuR, in, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist.
Nat. Poiss. IIT, 88, 1829, Wabash River.
Centrarchus hexacanthus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss, VII,
458, 1831, Charleston, S. C.; KrrTLanp, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 480,
pl. X XTX, fig. 2, 1841; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 257, 1859.
Pomotis hexacanthus HOLBROOK, Ichth. S. C. 15, pl. 3, fig. 1, 1856.
Pomoxys sparoides JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 465, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 102, color pl. 9, 1893.
Pomoxis sparoides MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 312, 1888; Boriuman, Rep’t.
U.S. F. C. XVI, 559, pl. 68, fig. 2, 1892; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 987, 1896, pl. CLIV, fig. 416, 1900; EHuGENE Smita,
Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. for 1897, 33, 1898.
The calico bass has the depth about one half the length, not
including the tail, the head about one third. The mouth is very
oblique and smaller than in the crappie. The eye is as long as
the snout and one fourth as long as the head. The maxilla
reaches to slightly beyond the middle of the eye. The dorsal
and anal fins are very high; the longest rays are half as long |
as the head. The pectoral is as long as the ventral, slightly
shorter than the longest ray of the dorsal. The ventral reaches
to third anal spine. D. VII, 15; A. VI, 17-18. Scales 7-42-15.
The sides are olivaceous with silvery reflections and mottled
with pale green. The dorsal, anal and caudal show pale spots
surrounded by green reticulations.
The calico bass, on account of its wide distribution and vari-
ability, has received a profusion of names. Many of these are
variations of the term bass. It is known, for example, as straw-
berry bass, grass bass, lake bass, Lake Erie bass, bank lake bass,
silver bass, and big-fin bass. Other names for the species are
ies AT a — =e
a a re ee ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 463
strawberry perch, chinquapin perch, goggle-eye perch, silver
perch and sand perch. Still other names of local application are
barfish, bitter head, tinmouth, sac-a-lait, lamplighter, razor-
back, goggle-eye, black croppie and lake croppie. The Species
is mentioned in the fish laws of Pennsylvania under the name
of Lake Erie bass or grass bass.
The distribution of the calico bass is naturally extensive, and
it has been still further increased by artificial introduction.
The fish has been carried to France, and examples measuring
about 8 inches in length were recorded there several years ago.
There is, however, some confusion in that country between the
calico bass and the common sunfish, and there is no doubt that
some of the latter species have been introduced into Germany
under the mistaken belief that they were calico bass.
This bass is indigenous east of the Alleghanies from New
Jersey southward to Georgia. It abounds in the Great lakes
region, Mississippi valley south to Louisiana, most common
northward, and occurs in the Missouri. In the Ohio valley
it was rather uncommon till its introduction in large numbers.
It was introduced into the Susquehanna river by the Pennsyl-
vania Fish Commission, and has become acclimatized there; also
into the Monongahela, the Lehigh, and other waters.
Fishermen of the region about Montezuma informed Dr Meek
that the fish is frequently taken from the canal near that place,
where it is known as calico bass. The U. S. Fish Commission
obtained two examples in Long pond, at Charlotte N. Y. Aug. 17,
1894.
This bass grows to a length of about 1 foot and a maximum
weight of nearly 3 pounds, but the average weight is about
1 pound. It spawns in the spring, and the close season in some
states extends to June 1. Gravid females were caught near
Havre de Grace Md. in May. These were taken in the Susaque-
hanna and Tidewater canal, where the species is becoming
rather abundant. The food of the calico bass consists of worms,
small crustaceans and fishes. Though a native of deep, sluggish
waters of western rivers and lakes, it readily adapts itself to
Sree soa
Se
= Bia et
464 NEW YORK STATP MUSEUM
cold, rapid streams and thrives even in small brooks. - The
Species is suitable also for pond life and may be kept in small
areas of water provided they have sufficient depth. It does not
prey on other fishes, and its numerous stiff spines protect it from
larger predaceous species. It swims in large schools and is
often found in comparatively shoal water. The nest-building
habits have been described by Duclos from observations made
at Versailles, France. This writer unfortunately had under
observation both the calico bass and the common sunfish, and
his statements need comfirmation. The game qualities of this
bass are noteworthy. It is a free, vigorous biter, its endurance
is rather remarkable considering its size; as a food fish the
species is highly prized, and its increase in eastern rivers is
greatly to be desired.
Genus acanrHarcuus Gill
Body oblong, robust, not much compressed or elevated;
mouth not very large, the broad maxillary with a well developed
supplemental bone; lower jaw projecting; teeth on vomer, pala-
tines, pterygoids and tongue, lingual teeth in a single patch,
pharyngeal teeth sharp; gill rakers few, rather long and strong;
opercle emarginate; preopercle entire; scales cycloid, large;
lateral line complete; dorsal spines usually 11; anal spines five;
caudal fin rounded behind. Close to Ambloplites, differ-
ing chiefly in the rounded caudal. One species known.
232 Acantharchus pomotis (Baird) -
Mud Sunfish
Centrarchus pomitis BAtrRD, Ninth Smithson. Rep’t, 325, 1855, New Jersey,
New York; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 256, 1859.
Acantharchus pomotis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 469,
1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, 1888; Fishes Penna. 107, 1893;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 989, 1896, pl. CLY,
fig. 418, 1900; EUGENE SmiTuH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. for 1897, 34, 1898.
The mud sunfish has an oblong and moderately elongate body,
its greatest depth, near the vent, two fifths of the total length
without the caudal. The greatest thickness is a little less than
one half the depth. The caudal peduncle is short and deep, its
least depth two fifths of greatest depth of body. The head
FISHES OF NEW YORK 465
‘is moderately large, rather more than one third of total length
without the caudal, its width equal to the length of its postorbi-
tal part. The snout is very short and obtuse, its length about
one half that of the eye. The eye is placed high, its diameter
contained three and two thirds times in the length of the head.
The interorbital space is slightly convex, its width three fourths
the length of the eye. The mouth is large, the maxilla broadly
expanded behind and reaching nearly to below the hind margin
of the eye. A well developed supplemental maxillary bone, two
thirds as long as the eye. Six rows of scales on the cheeks.
The operculum ends in two thin, flat points, between which
there is a black spot, about two fifths as long as the eye. Gill
rakers short and few, five developed on the first arch, the long-
est two fifths as long as the eye. The spinous dorsal begins
over the fifth scale of the lateral line; its base is as long as
the head without the snout. The first spine is very short, one
half as long as the eye; the spines increase very gradually in
length to the last, which is as long as the eye and snout
combined. The soft dorsal base is two thirds as long as that
of the spinous dorsal; its rays are longer than the spines, the
longest (fourth to sixth) about one half as long as the head.
The anal begins under 18th scale of the lateral line; the first
Spine one half as long as the eye; the spines increase in length
to the last, which is one third as long as the head; the rays are
long, the longest (fourth) equal to postorbital length of head.
The ventral reaches to the vent. The pectoral reaches to below
the 15th scale of the lateral line. The caudal is rounded, its
middle rays five sevenths as long as the head. The lateral line
is complete and runs parallel to the dorsal outline. D. XII, 11;
A. VI, 10; V.I, 5; P.14. Scales 6-43-12. In spirits the color
is dark brown; two or three dusky stripes on the sides below
the lateral line; a dark shade around the nape extending back-
ward behind the eye; two dark stripes across the cheeks and
operculum; a dark opercular flap as described above; the fins
unspotted. In life the fish is dark green. The example
described, no, 17844 U, S, National Museum, from New Jersey,
=
cs ca
a nn nN | ree emeintnaabs ty
:
i
466 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
is 44 inches long. It has more dorsal and anal spines than are
usually present in this sunfish.
The colors of living specimens were described by Prof. Baird
as follows:
Dark greenish olive, with three or four irregular longitudinal
bands of dull greenish yellow, and occasionally cloudy spots of
golden green. Sides of the head of this color, with three indis-
tinct hands of dark olive. Iris purplish brown; cornea olive
green. Fins quite uniform, very dark greenish olive, with
darker margins, except the pectorals, which are light olivaceous,
and the ventrals, the spinous rays of which are uncolored.
Some specimens may be better described as dark golden green,
with longitudinal bands of dark olive, broken up by cloudings
of greenish. ;
Baird called it the bass sunfish because of its resemblance in
shape to some of the basses. The species ranges from New
York to North Carolina in sluggish streams near the coast.
Baird collected it in Rockland county, N. Y. Eugene Smith took
it in the upper Hackensack valley. Baird found it not rare in
Cedar Swamp creek, near Beesleys Point N. J. in 1854; and the
writer obtained a single individual in Gravelly run, not far from
that locality, in 1887, associated with the pirate perch, striped
mud minnow, barred killifish and young pickerel.
The mud sunfish reaches a length of 6 inches. It prefers
muddy water and may even lie embedded in mud. Eugene
Smith says it is shy, seclusive and nocturnal in its habits.
Genus amBLoriires Rafinesque °
Body oblong, moderately elevated, compressed; mouth large,
the broad maxillary with a well developed supplemental bone,
lower jaw projecting; teeth on vomer, palatines, tongue, ento-
pterygoids and ectopterygoids, lingual teeth in a single patch,
pharyngeal teeth sharp; branchiostegals six; opercle ending in
two flat points; preopercle serrate at its angle; other membrane
bones chiefly entire; gill rakers rather long and strong, dentate,
less than 10 in number, developed only on the lower part of the
arch; scales large, somewhat ctenoid; lateral line complete, the
tubes occupying at least the anterior half of the surface of the
scale; dorsal fin much more developed than the anal fin, with 10
FISHES OF NEW YORK 467
or 11 rather low spines; anal spines normally six; pectorals
obtusely pointed with 14 or 15 rays, the upper longest; caudal
fin emarginate.
233 Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque)
Rock Bass; Redeye
Bodianus rupestris RAFINESQUE, Am. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817, Lakes
of New York, Vermont & Canada.
Cichla aenea LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 214, pl. 12, 1822, Lake
Ontario.
Centrarchus aeneus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 84, 1829;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 27, pl. 2, fig. 4, 1842, Lake Champlain,
Great Lakes, streams of western New York, Hudson River; STORER,
Syn. Fish. N. A. 37, 1846.
Ambloplites rupestris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 466, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 105, color pl. 10, 1893; EVERMANN & KENDALL,
Rept. U. S. F. C. for 1894; 600, 1896; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 990, 1896, pl. CLYVI, figs. 419, A, B, C; MEEK, Ann. N. Y.
Ac. Sci. IV, 318, 1898; EuGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. for 1897,
33, 1898; MEARNS, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 319, 1898; BEAN, 524
Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 104, 1900.
The rock bass has a robust oblong body; its depth is con-
tained two and one third times in the total length without
caudal, the head two and four fifths in this same length. The
caudal peduncle is stout, almost as deep as long. The dorsal
profile is rather steep; strongly concave over eye. The eye
is large, about one fourth the length of head, equal to snout.
The mouth is large, the maxillary reaching to vertical from
posterior end of pupil. The heavy lower jaw projects slightly.
The vomer, palatines, tongue and pterygoid bones all toothed;
the teeth on the tongue in a single patch. The pharyngeal
teeth are sharp. The opercle ends in two flat points; preopercle
serrated at its angle. Gill rakers long and strong, less than
10 in number; six branchiostegals; scales large, those on the
cheeks in about eight rows; caudal rather deeply emarginate.
The dorsal base is about one and one half times as long as that
of the anal. The spines of both fins are stout and rather short.
The first spine of the dorsal is over the seventh scale of the
lateral line, and the last spine is over the 25th scale. The first
soft ray is over the 26th scale, and the last ray over the 35th.
The anal origin is under the middle of the spinous dorsal, and
me ee
468 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
(
the last anal ray is opposite the last dorsal ray. First dorsal
spine shortest, one half the length of longest spine, which is
about three fifths as long as the longest ray. The spines and
rays of the anal are in about the same proportion to each other
as those of the dorsal, the first spine being the shortest and the
longest about three fifths as long as the longest anal ray. The
soft parts of the dorsal and anal are high and rounded. The
pectoral is rather short and broad. The ventral long and
slender, directly under base of pectoral. The lateral line is
complete, placed high on body and follows the contour of the
back. D. XI,11; A. VI, 11. Scales 5-46-14.
Color olive green with a brassy tinge and much dark mottling;
the young are pale or yellowish, irregularly barred and blotched
with black; adults with a dark spot at the base of each scale,
these spots forming interrupted black stripes; a dark spot on
the opercle; soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins with dark mot-
tlings; iris golden overlaid with crimson. — |
The rock bass is known under a variety of names. Among
them are the following: redeye, red-eyed perch, goggle-eye and
lake bass. It is found in Lower Canada, Vermont and through-
out the Great lakes region, west to Manitoba, and it is native in
Minnesota and Dakota; southward it ranges through the Mis-
Sissippi valley to Texas. In the Ohio valley it is very common,
while in the Middle Atlantic states, east of the Alleghanies, it
has probably been introduced. Its existence in the Susque-
hanna has been known for many years. Whether it is indige-
nous in Pennsylvania waters is uncertain. It has been intro-
duced into some parts of Virginia, while in other portions of
tnat state it is native. It is indigenous in North Carolina. Its
distribution in Pennsylvania has been greatly extended by
artificial introduction, and it is now well established in the
Delaware, specially in its upper waters. De Kay records it from
Lake Champlain, the Great lakes and the larger streams in the -
western counties of New York. Meek Says it is a very common
and well known species in the Cayuga lake basin. In the Passaic
river and other waters it is an introduced species. Evermann
FISHES OF NEW YORK 469
and Bean obtained a specimen in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y.
July 19, 1894. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Com-
mission collectors secured it at the following localities in New
York state in 1894 and previous years.
Marsh creek, near Pointbreeze.
Mouth Little Salmon creek
Chaumont river
Guffon creek, Chaumont
Mill creek, Sacketts Harbor
Black creek, tributary of Oswego river, Scriba Corner
Sandy creek, North Hamlin
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk
Cape Vincent
Little Stony brook, Henderson bay
Long pond, Charlotte
Cemetery creek, Watertown
Great Sodus bay
Grenadier island, Lake Ontario
Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point
Nine Mile point, Webster
Under circumstances favorable as to water and food supply
the rock bass grows to a length of 14 inches and a weight of 2
pounds. It increases in depth and thickness with age.. The
largest example we have examined is one of 2 pounds weight,
length 14 inches, from the James river, Va., taken near Rich-
mond. Dr William Overton reports that rock bass weighing
32 pounds have been taken in his vicinity at Stony creek, Va.
In February and March this fish frequents the mouths of small
streams, and in summer it seeks shady places under high banks
or projecting rocks. The species is gregarious, going in large
schools. It thrives where there is not much current and is very
well adapted for culture in artificial ponds. It is as common
in lakes and ponds as in the streams. Sluggish, pure dark
water suits it best. ;
The fishing season begins in June and lasts till the approach
of cold weather. The rock bass feeds on worms, crustaceans
470 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and larvae of insects early in the season; later its food consists
of minnows and crawfish. The young feed on insects and their
larvae. The spawning season is May and June, and gravelly
shoals are resorted to for depositing the eggs.
The rock bass bites very freely and is a fair game fish and.
excellent for the table. It fights vigorously, but its endurance
is not great. Suitable baits are white grubs, crickets, grass-
hoppers, crawfish and small minnows. Common earthworms are
also successfully used.
; Genus CHAENOBRYTTUs Gill
This genus has the general form and dentition of Amblo-
plites, with the convex opercle, 10 dorsal and three anal
spines of Lepomis. Preopercle entire; branchiostegals six;.
caudal fin emarginate; scales weakly ctenoid; vertebrae 13+16—=
29; posterior processes of the premaxillaries extending nearly
to the frontals; frontals posteriorly with a transverse ridge con-.
necting the parietal and supraoccipital crest, which are very
strong.
234 Chaenobryttus gulosus (Cuv. & Val.)
Warmouth ; Goggle-eye
Pomotis gulosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 498, 1829,
Lake Pontchartrain and lagoons about New Orleans.
Centrarchus viridis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. VII, 460, 18831,.
Charleston, S. C.
Centrarchus gulosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. VII, are 1831;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 258, 1859.
Chaenobryttus antistius McKay, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. 88, 1881, Lake woe
gan; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 467, 1883.
Chaenobryttus gulosus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 468,
1883; Bottman, Rept. U. S. F. C. XVI, 562, pl. 69, fig. 3, 1892; JonDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 992, 1896, pl. CLVII, fig. 421,
1900.
The body of the warmouth is heavy and deep, more elongate
than in Lepomis, its greatest depth contained 1rom two to
two and one half times in total length without caudal; head
rather long, its length contained from two and one fifth to two
and two thirds times in the total without caudal; eye large,
about one fourth as long as the head, and about equal to the
snout; mouth large, the maxillary reaching to below hind margin
of eye; gill rakers eight or nine besides some rudiments; oper-
-
FISHES OF NEW YORK A771
cular spot about as large as the eye. The dorsal begins farther
back than the pectoral, its spines low, the longest equal to dis-
tance from tip of snout to middle of pupil; pectoral short, not
reaching to anal; ventrals nearly reaching vent, the spine about
-one half the distance from origin of ventral to vent. D.X, 9 to
10; A. III, 8 to 9. Scales 6-40 to 46-11 to 12; pores 37 to 42;
6 to 8 rows on cheek.
Color in life clear olive green clouded with darker, usually
without red or blue; a dusky spot on each scale more or less
distinct; vertical fins mottled with dusky; a faint spot on last
rays of dorsal bordered by paler; three oblique dusky bars radi-
ating from eye; belly yellowish.
The warmouth inhabits the eastern United States from the
‘Great lakes to South Carolina and Texas,ranging west to Kansas
and Iowa. It occurs chiefly west or south of the Alleghanies.
The fish reaches a length of 10 inches and is a food species of
some importance. It is extremely voracious and, consequently,
a favorite for angling. In form and color it varies greatly.
Genus ENNEACANTHUS Gill
Body rather short and deep, compressed; mouth small; the
supplemental maxillary bone well developed; teeth on vomer
and palatines, none on the tongue; opercle ending behind in two
flat points, with a dermal border; preopercle entire; scales ;
rather large, the lateral line sometimes interrupted; gill rakers
short, nine or 10-below angle of arch; dorsal fin continuous,
normally with nine spines; anal fin smaller than the dorsal, with
three spines; caudal fin convex behind; branchiostegals six.
Species of small size and bright coloration, intermediate
between Lepomis and Centrarchus. Abnormal vari-
ations in the number of dorsal and anal spines have given rise
to the nominal genera Hemioplites and Copelandia.
235 Enneacanthus obesus (Baird)
Banded Sunfish
Pomotis obesus BAIRD, 9th Ann. Rept. Smith. Inst. 324, 1855, Beesleys
Point, N. J.
Bryttus fasciatus HOLBROOK, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 51, pl. 5, fig. 3, 1855,
St John’s River, Fla.; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 260, 1859.
472 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Pomotis guttatus Morris, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 3, 1859, Delaware River,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Enneacanthus obesus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 470, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 108, 1893; EUGENE SMITH; Proc. Linn. Soc. 1897,
34, 1898, Hackensack Valley, N. Y.
The body of the banded sunfish is elliptic in form, its depth
more than one half the total Iength without caudal, its thickness.
equal to two fifths of its depth. The caudal peduncle is short
and stout, its least depth one third of greatest depth of body.
The head is short, two fifths of total length without the caudal;
the snout is very short and oblique, its length about two thirds
of the diameter of the eye, which is one third as long as the head,
and exceeds the width of the interorbital space. The mouth is.
oblique, moderate in size, the maxilla broadly expanded pos-
teriorly and reaching to below the middle of the eye; a supple-
mental maxillary bone. A black opercular flap, two thirds as
long as the eye. Scales on cheeks in four rows. Gill rakers short
and spiny, 13 developed on the first arch, the longest scarcely
one half as long as the eye. The first dorsal spine is over the
pectoral base, minute, less than one half as long as the second,
which is two thirds as long as the eye; the spines increase in
size to the last, which is one half as long as the head; the fourth
and longest soft ray is two thirds as long as the head. The
ventral begins a little behind the pectoral base; the spine is two
fifths as long as the head; the fin reaches to the second anal ray,
its longest ray produced into a filament. The anal begins under
the 18th scale of the lateral line; the base is two thirds as long
as the head; the first spine is two thirds as long as the second,
which is as long as the eye; the last spine is as long as the eye
and snout combined. The anal rays increase in length to the
fifth, which is as long as the head without the snout. The
pectoral is below the median line and reaches to above the third
anal spine. The caudal is rounded, the middle rays as long as
the head without the snout. The lateral line is imperfect after
the 17th to the 19th seale: D. TX, 11; A. IIT, 10; V. 1, Sess
Scales 5-32-10. The type of the species, no. 6538, U. 8. National
Museum, from Beesleys Point N. J. is here described; it is 3%
inches long.
FISHES OF NEW YORE 473
The banded sunfish inhabits coastwise streams from Massachu-
setts to Florida.. It occurs in southeastern Pennsyivania but is
rare. —
This species grows to a length of 3 inches. It is olive green
in color with five to eight dark cross bars intermingled with
golden or purplish spots. There are lines and spots also on the
cheeks. The flap on the opercle contains a velvety black spot
with a purple border. Below the eye is a dark bar. This is a
beautiful little species, but has no economic importance.
In our vicinity it inhabits the entire Hackensack valley, pre-
ferring quiet, weedy places. For the aquarium it is the most
desirable of all the sunfishes, as well on account of its hardiness
as of its harmless nature. Hugene Smith
236 Enneacanthus gloriosus (Holbrook)
Blue-spotted Sunfish
- Bryttus gloriosus Ho~tBRroox, Jour. Ac, Nat. Sci. Phila. 52, pl. 5, fig. 4,
1855, Cooper River, S. C.; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 260, 1859.
Hemioplites simulans Corr, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 218, 1868, Tuckahoe
Creek, near Richmond, Va.
Enneacanthus simulans JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 470,
1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 108, 1893, Trenton, N. J.
Enneacanthus eriarchus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 4€9,
1883.
Enneacanthus eriarchus JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 469, 1883.
Enneacanthus gloriosus BOLLMAN, Rept. U. S. F. C. XVI, 564, 1892; JorDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 993, 1896, pl. CLVIII, fig. 442,
1900; MEARNS, Buil. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 319, 1898.
The blue-spotted sunfish has an elliptic body, its greatest
depth one half of the total length without the caudal, its thick-
ness nearly two fifths of its depth. Caudal peduncle short, its
least depth one third of greatest depth of body. Head moder-
ately large, three eighths of total length without the caudal;
snout very short and oblique, two thirds as long as the eye,
which is nearly one third as long as the head; mouth moderately
large, oblique, the broadly expanded maxilla reaching nearly to
below front of pupil; lower jaw slightly projecting; the oper-
culum ends in two flat points, between which there is a dark spot
two thirds as long as the eye and bordered below by a narrow
pearly stripe; gill rakers short and stout, 11 developed on first
474 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
arch, the longest one third as long as the eye; four rows of
scales on the cheeks. The spinous dorsal begins over the fourth
scale of the lateral line; its base is two thirds as long as the
head; the first spine is nearly one half as long as the eye; the
spines gradually increase in length to the fourth, which is equal
to those that follow it and to the length of the postorbital part
of the head; the fifth, and longest, soft ray is as long as the
head without the snout; the last soft ray is as long as the
postorbital part of the head. The anal origin is under the
14th scale of the lateral line; the base of the anal fin is as
long as the head without the snout; the first spine is one
fourth as long as the head; the third and longest spine equals
the postorbital part of the head in length; the third and fourth
soft rays are longest, as long as the head without the snout.
The ventral reaches to the second anal ray, its spine as long
as the postorbital part of the head. The pectoral is placed
below the median line of the body; it reaches to below the
14th scale of the lateral line. The caudal is rounded; its middle
rays are three fourths as long as the head. The lateral line is
usually complete, sometimes imperfect on one side. D. IX, 11;
A. TIT, 10; V. 1,5; Pith. Seales 4-31-10 |)
In spirits the color is brownish; about seven or eight rows of ©
scales below the lateral line with pearly blotches forming inter-
rupted stripes; a dark band under the eye; the dorsal, anal, and
caudal profusely spotted with roundish, pearly spots. Young
individuals are obscurely banded. In life the spots of the male
are blue, and the fins are higher than in the female; the opercle
bears a pearly blue spot. The specimens described, no. 20356,
U.S. National Museum, are from Trenton N. J. The largest is
3 inches long.
The blue-spotted sunfish is found from New York to South
Carolina. According to Cope, it is very common in southeastern
Pennsylvania. Mearns obtained it only in Long pond, a sheet
of deep water almost a mile in length, 4 miles west of Highland
Falls N. Y. He discovered the species there more than 23 years
ago, and reports it still common.
i ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 4AF5
This is a small species, not much larger than the banded sun-
fish. It is a handsome fish, but has no importance for food.
. Genus apomoTis Rafinesque
This genus is very close to Lepomis, from which it differs
only in the development of the supplementary maxillary bone, ©
which becomes rudimentary or wanting in the adult of Le-
pomis. The mouth is largest in the species in which this
bone is best developed. Lower pharyngeals narrow, with acute
teeth; gill rakers well developed, long and stiff; pectoral blunt-
ish, shorter than head; scales moderate, 43 to 50. Species
widely distributed in American waters, similar in habit to the
species of Lepomis.
237 Apomotis cyanellus (Rafinesque)
Green Sunfish; Redeye
Lepomis cyanellus RAFINESQUE, Jour. de Phys. 420, 1819, Ohio River;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 473, 1883; BEAN, Fishes
Penna. 110, pl. 31, fig. 61, 1898; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 313,
1888; EVERMANN & KENDALL, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. XII, 111, 1894.
Pomotis longulus BAIRD & GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 391, 1853,
Otter Creek, Arkansas; Marcy’s Expl. Red River, 245, pl. 12.
Bryttus longulus BAIRD & GIRARD, l. ¢c, 25, 1854; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. I, 259, 1859.
Calliurus longulus GIRARD, U. S. Pacif. R. R. Exp. Fishes, 16, pl. 5, figs.
5-8, pl. 6, figs. 5-8, 1858; Rept. U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv. Ichth. 5, pl. LV,
figs. 1-4, 1859.
Calliurus formosus GIRARD, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 200, 1857, Arkansas;
U.S. Pacif. R. R. Exp. Fishes, 14, pl. 5, figs. 14, 1858.
Apomotis cyanellus RAFINESQUE, Jour. de Phys. Paris, 420, 1819; BoULENGER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 21, 1896; Jonpan & EVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 996, 1896.
The green sunfish has an oblong body, its greatest depth, at
the ventrals, equal to three sevenths of the total length without
the caudal, and its thickness three eighths of its depth. The
least depth of the caudal peduncle equals four fifths of its
length, and about one third of greatest body depth. The head
is one third of total length without the caudal, its width nearly
one half its length. The snout is moderately pointed, and as
long as the eye, which is two ninths as long as the head. The
interorbital space is nearly flat, its width a little greater than
the length of the eye. The nape is moderately arched. The
-
-—— e
476 NEW YORK STATE. MUSEUM y
mouth is moderately large, the maxilla not widely expanded
behind and reaching to below the front of the pupil. Supple-
mental maxillary bone well developed; seven rows of scales on
the cheeks; gill rakers short and stiff, 11 developed on the first
arch, the longest one third as long as the eye; a short, broad
opercular flap, its width and length about equal and two thirds |
of length of eye. The spinous dorsal begins over the sixth
scale of the lateral line, its base nearly equal in length to the
head; the first spine is two thirds as long as the eye; the spines
increase gradually in length to the seventh, which is two fifths ©
as long as the spinous dorsal base and one half the length of
the head without the snout; the 10th spine is nearly as long as
the seventh; the seventh and longest soft ray is one half as long
as the head; the last ray is one third as long as the head. The
base of the soft dorsal is about two thirds as long as the
spinous dorsal base. The anal begins under the 24th scale of
the lateral line; the first spine is three fourths as long as the
eye; the second is nearly twice, and the third two and one half
times as long as the first; the length of the anal base equals
one fifth of the total without the caudal; the fourth and longest
anal ray is as long as the postorbital part of the head; the last
ray is a little more than one half as long as the fourth. The
caudal fin is emarginate, the middle rays three fourths as long
as the external. The ventral reaches to the vent, its spine one
half as long as the head, without the snout, its length one fifth
of the total without the caudal. The pectoral reaches to below
the 17th scale of the lateral line. The lateral line follows the
outline of the back. D. X, 11; A. III, 10; V. 1,5; P. 13. Scales
7-47-14.
In spirits the color is pale brown, the fins paler. The oper-
cular flap has a dark spot as described above. In life there is
generally a black blotch on the hinder part of the dorsal and
anal; the ground color is greenish with a brassy tinge on the
sides, the lower parts yellowish; blue spots and gilt borders
usually ornament the scales, and faint dark bands are often’
present. The dorsal, anal and caudal have blue or green mark-
FISHES OF NEW YORK ATT
ings, and the anal is margined in front with orange. The iris
is red and the cheeks are striped with blue. The specimen
described, no. 36313, U. S. National Museum, from the Sac river,
Mo., is 7 inches long.
The blue-spotted sunfish, also known as the green sunfish
and redeye, occurs from the Great lakes region, throughout the
Ohio and Mississippi valleys south to Mexico. It does not occur
in the Middle Atlantic states east of the Alleghanies. Dr Meek
did not find this fish near Ithaca. A few specimens were taken
near Montezuma N. Y. None of the collectors of the U. 8. Fish
Commission obtained it in the Lake Ontario region.
The species reaches a length of 7 inches, and is an extremely
variable one. Prof. Cope refers to it as a good panfish and
states that it is abundant in the Ohio basin. In the Ohio valley
it is one of the characteristic fishes, inhabiting ponds and
ascending small streams. It frequents deep holes and the
shelter of overhanging roots.
Genus Lepomis Rafinesque
‘Body oblong or ovate, more or less compressed, the back in
the adult somewhat elevated; mouth moderate or small, the
‘jaws about equal; maxillary narrow, the supplemental bone
reduced to a mere rudiment, or altogether wanting; teeth on
vomer and usually on palatines, none on tongue or pterygoids,
lower pharyngeals narrow, the teeth spherical or paved, all or
nearly all sharp, few or none of them conical; gill rakers mostly
short; preoperculum entire; operculum ending behind in a con-
vex flap, black in color, which in some species becomes greatly
developed with age; branchiostegals six; scales moderate;
dorsal fin continuous, with 10 spines; anal with three spines;
caudal fin emarginate; pectorals long or short; vertebrae
usually 13+16 or 17—29 or 30. Coloration brilliant, but evanes-
cent. A large genus, one of the most difficult in our fish fauna
in which to distinguish species. The form of body, develop-
ment of ear flap, and hight of spines vary with age and con-
dition, while the general appearance and the numbers of fin
rays and scales are essentially the same in all. Several at-
Wit
478 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
tempts have been made to subdivide the group, but the char-
acters used, drawn from the pharyngeals, gill rakers, palatine
teeth, and pectoral fins, are themselves subject to variation,
changing or disappearing by degrees without marked gaps.
238 Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus)
Long-eared Sunfish
Labrus auritus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 283, 1758, Philadelphia, Pa.
Labrus appendix MitcuHitt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 247, February, 1818.
Pomotis appendix DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 32, 1842, from MiIrcHILy;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 14, pl. III, fig. 4, 1867.
Pomotis rubricauda STORER, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 177, 1842, Concord,
N. H.; GunrTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 262, 1859.
Lepomis elongatus and mystacalis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
_ Mus. 475, 1883.
Lepomis auritus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 477, 1888;
BEAN. Fishes Penna. 1138, pl. 31, fig. 68, 1898; JorpDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1001, 1896, pl. CL.XIX, figs. 425, 425a, 1900;
MEARNS, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 319, 1898; HUGENE SMITH, Proc.
Linn. Soe. N. Y. 1897, 34, 1898.
The long-eared sunfish has an oblong, moderately elongate
body, its depth nearly one half of the length without the caudal
and its thickness a little more than one third of its depth. The.
caudal peduncle is moderately short, its least depth three
fourths of its length and one third of greatest depth of body.
The head is rather large, its length without the flap one third
of the total without caudal, its width one half of its length.
The space between the eyes is convex, its width a little more
than the length of the snout, which is two ninths as long as the
head including the flap. The upper edge of the snout is oblique.
The eye is one fourth as long as the head without the flap.
The mouth is moderate in size, the maxilla not very broadly ex-
panded behind and extending to below the front of the pupil.
The scales on the cheeks are very small, in about eight rows.
The opercular flap is long, narrow and pointed, its length equal
to that of the snout and about twice its width. The gill rakers
are short and stout, about 11 developed on the first arch, the
longest one third as long as the eye. The spinous dorsal begins
over the sixth scale of the lateral line; its base is two sevenths
of total length without caudal; the first spine is two thirds as
ees —
tai iil tic SiS piel agents
ES STW ee a ee ee
2» Ca ih ie ale sealer Pas ee iia. Flares
} >
FISHES OF NEW YORK 479
long as the second, which is as long as the eye; the fourth
(longest) is one and one half times as long as the eye; after the |
fourth the spines slightly decrease in length, the last being
little longer than the eye; the fifth (longest) soft ray is as long
as the base of the soft dorsal and equal to the snout and eye
x combined; the last soft ray is a little more than one half as
long as the longest. The anal begins under the 21st scale
of the lateral line; the length of its base equals that of
the soft dorsal; the spines are short and stout, the first two
thirds as long as the second and one half as long as the third,
- which is one and one half times as long as the eye; the fourth
(longest) soft ray is as long as the base of the fin; the last ray
is two thirds of this length. The caudal is emarginate, the
middle rays two thirds as long as the outer. The ventral
reaches beyond the vent, sometimes to the origin of the anal.
The ventral spine is one half as long as the fin. The pectoral
has a broad base and extends to below the 19th scale of the
lateral line. D. X, 10; A. ITI, 9; V.1,5;P.14. Scales 7-43-13.
The lateral line follows the curve of the back.
In spirits the color is pale brown; the fins somewhat paler;
the ear flap black; a brownish streak in front of the eye and
another horizontal one beneath it. In life the color is
olivaceous; the belly, specially in breeding males, orange. The
scales on the sides have reddish spots on a bluish ground.
Dorsal, anal and caudal usually yellowish. The stripes on the
head are bluish.
The specimen described, no. 33152, U. S. National Museum,
from Bainbridge Pa. is 53 inches long.
The long-eared sunfish has a very extensive range and is
known under many common names, among which are the fol-
lowing: bream, red-tailed bream, redhead bream, red-bellied
bream, perch, sun perch, red-bellied perch and redbreast.
The species is common in streams east of the Alleghanies
from Maine to Florida, and in tributaries of the Gulf of Mexico
to Louisiana. In the southern states the typical long-eared
sunfish is replaced by a variety with larger scales on the cheeks
480 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and belly and a dusky blotch on the posterior part of the soft
dorsal fin. |
Mearns found this sunfish abundant in the Hudson and in
Poplopen’s creek, a tributary of the Hudson; he took it also
in Highland lake. Eugene Smith reported it to be very com-
mon in the upper Passaic river, in the Great Swamp and in the
Bronx river.
The long-eared sunfish averages about 8 inches when adult
and weighs about 1 pound. In the south the size and number
of individuals are greatly increased. This fish feeds on worms,
insect larvae, crustaceans, mollusks and small fishes. In the
Susquehanna this is one of the most common of the sunfishes;
in the Delaware also it is abundant, and reaches a large size.
Though not important commercially, it is taken in large num-
bers on the hook and is an excellent food fish. It takes any
kind of live bait very readily and furnishes good sport also with
the artificial fly. In.the Hudson Highlands region, according
to Mearns, it is commonly sold in the markets; fishermen take
it in fykes, and by angling, using dough, grasshoppers and angle-
worms for bait. He has caught it in the most rapid parts of
Poplopen’s creek when angling for brook trout.
239 Lepomis pallidus (Mitchill)
Bluegill; Blue Sunfish
Labrus pallidus MiTCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y¥. I, 407, 1815, near
New York.
Pomotis incisor CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VII, 466, 1831,
New Orleans; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 33, 1842 (extralimital).
Pomotis gibbosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. VII, 467, 1831, Charles-
ton, S.C;
Pomotis speciosus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 263, 1859.
Lepomis pallidus. JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 479, 1883;
MEEK, Ann. N, Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 318, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 112, pl.
31, fig. 62, 1893; JonDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1005,
1896, pl. CLX, fig. 427, 1900.
The blue sunfish has a deep, elliptic body, its greatest depth
at the ventrals one half of the total length without the caudal;
the thickness equals about one third of the depth. The caudal
peduncle is short and deep, its least hight nearly one half the
length of head. The head is one third of the total length with-
—
te -*
ay ne ponent Tae my sah Eins no ss
—_ = * n « —_—— 7
en, er a es
mi ac cet itl eS Saggy em
os FISHES OF NEW YORK 481
out the caudal; its width equals one half of its length. The
snout is short, obtuse and oblique, less than the eye in length.
The interorbital space is slightly convex, its width one third of
the length of the head. The mouth is small, oblique, the max-
illa not greatly expanded behind, reaching to below the front
of the eye. The width of the preorbital equals one half the
diameter of the eye. Scales on the cheeks in five rows. The
gill rakers are short and stout, about 15 developed on the first
arch, the longest little more than one fourth as long as the eye.
No supplemental maxillary bone. No palatine teeth. The
lower pharyngeal bone narrow, with teeth in only about four
series, chiefly acute. The spinous dorsal begins over the fourth
scale of the lateral line; the spines are stout, the first as long
as the snout and one half as long as the fifth and longest; the
spines following the fifth not much shorter; the first seven soft
rays about equal in length and one half as long as the head;
the last ray one third as long as the head. The base of the
spinous dorsal is nearly as long as the head; the soft dorsal is
two thirds as long as the spinous. The anal begins under the
20th scale of the lateral line; its base is as long as the head
without the snout; the spines are short and heavy, the first
five sixths as long as the eye, the second a little longer than the
eye, and the third one half as long as the head without the
snout; the longest rays are the fourth to the seventh, which are
one half as long as the head. The caudal is notched, its middle
rays three fourths as long as the outer. The ventral reaches
almost to the anal, its spine being one half as long as the head
without the snout. The pectoral is broad and reaches to below
the 18th scale of the lateral line. The lateral line follows the
carve of the back. ' D.-X; 11; A» 11, 10; V. 1,5; P. 18.° Scales
7-41-15.
In spirits the color is pale brown, the scales with a pale mar-
gin; a large dark blotch on the hind part of the soft dorsal; a
black opercular flap, its width and length about equal, shorter
than the eye. The living fish varies with age from light green
to dark green. The young have the sides silvery, tinged with
482 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
purple and with many vertical greenish bands, which are some-
times chainlike. The dark blotch of the soft dorsal is often
indistinct in the young. In very old individuals the belly is
often coppery red. The specimen described, no. 27845, U.S.
National Museum, from Peoria IIl., is 74 inches long.
The propriety of using Mitchill’s name pallidus for the
blue sunfish is extremely doubtful. His description can be
much more readily referred to a species of Enneacanthus,
and the locality “ near New York” does not possess this sunfish
among its native species. 3
The blue sunfish, blue bream, copper-nosed bream or dol-
lardee, is a very widely diffused species and varies greatly in
size, color and length of the ear flap. It is found in the Great
lakes and throughout the Mississippi valley to Mexico. East of
the Alleghanies it ranges from New Jersey to Florida. In
Pennsylvania it is abundant only in the western part of the
state, including Lake Erie. Dr Abbott has recorded it from the
Delaware river. Dr Meek says that it is found in the Cayuga
lake basin in small numbers with the blue-spotted sunfish,
Apomotis cyanellus, which he took near Montezuma.
The blue sunfish grows to a length of nearly 1 foot, and indi-
viduals weighing nearly 2 pounds are on record. Adults, how-
ever, average 8 inches in length, with a weight of less than 1
pound. The size of the individuals depends on the habitat. In
large lakes and streams it grows to a greater size-than in small -
bodies of water. In southern waters it attains to a larger size
than in northern waters. It lives in ponds as well as in streams
and thrives in warm waters. It is considered equal to the rock
bass as a panfish and can very readily be taken by hook fishing.
Genus. EvuPomotTis Gill & Jordan
Very closely related to Lepomis, differing only in the
blunter and more pavementlike teeth of the lower pharyngeal
bones. These bones are, in typical species, broad and concave,
specially in the adult. There is considerable variation among
the species, and it is possible that this division can not be main-
tained. Most of the species have long pectoral fins, the sup-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 483
plemental maxillary lost or very much reduced, and the
opercular flap always with an orange patch on its lower
posterior part. Gill rakers various, usually short. The reten-
tion of this -genus is possibly justified by convenience, but
neither the longer pectorals nor the blunt pharyngeals separate
it sharply from Lepomis.
240 Eupomotis gibbosus (Linnaeus)
Sunfish ; Pumpkin Seed
Perca gibbosa LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 292, 1758, Carolina. .
Sparus aureus WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pisce. 290, 1792, lakes of New York.
Morone maculata M1TCHILL, Report in Part, 19, 1814.
Pomotis vulgaris CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 91, 1829,
Lake Huron, New York, Virginia; and Carolina; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna,
Fishes, 31, pl. 51, fig. 166, 1842; Ho~BrRook, Ichth. S. C. 6, pl. 1, fig. 2,
1856.
Pomotis auritus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 261, 1859.
Lepomis gibbosus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 482, 1883;
MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac, Sci. IV, 318, 1888; BEAN, Fishes, Penna, 115, pl.
32, fig. 65, 1893.
Eupomotis aureus MATHER, App. 12th Rept. Adirondack Sury. N. Y. 7,
1886.
Eupomotis gibbosus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1009,
1896, pl. CLXI, fig. 429, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 364,
' 1897; Mrarns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 320, 1898; EuGENE SMITH,
Proe. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 35, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State
Mus. 104, 1900.
The body of the common sunfish is nearly ovate, its depth
one half the total length without caudal; its thickness one third
of the depth. The caudal peduncle is short and compressed,:
its least depth less than the thickness of the body. The head
is moderately large, one third of the total length without
caudal, its width one half its length. The snout is short and
depressed, its length four fifths of the diameter of the eye,
which is one fourth as long as the head. The interorbital space
is nearly flat, its width one and one half times the diameter of
the eye. The mouth is small and oblique; the maxilla not much
expanded behind and reaching to below the front of the eye.
Scales on the cheeks in four rows. The opercular spot is short,
less than two thirds the diameter of the eye, and has a whitish
margin behind. The gill rakers are very short, moderately
stout, 10 or 11 developed on the first arch, the longest less than
484 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
one fourth the diameter of the eye. The spinous dorsal begins
over the third scale of the lateral line; its base is as long as
the head without the opercular flap; the first spine is two thirds
as long as the eye; the spines increase in size, the fourth, fifth
and sixth being nearly equal in length and about as long as
the eye and snout combined; the sixth and longest soft ray is
as long as the postorbital part of the head, while the last ray
is less than one third as long as the head. The base of the soft
dorsal is as long as that of the spinous dorsal. The anal origin
is under the 23d scale of the lateral line. The anal base is two
thirds as long as the head; the first spine is about one half as
long as the third (longest), which is two fifths as long as the
head. The first and second rays are the longest, nearly as long
as the base of the fin. The last ray is two thirds as long as the
first. The ventral reaches beyond the vent; its spine is one half
as long as the head without the snout. The pectoral reaches
to above the anal origin. The caudal is emarginate, its middle
rays four fifths as long as the outer. The lateral line follows
the curve of ‘the back, D. X, 12> A. Il], 10> Vil) 5.)
Scales 6-42-18. ;
In spirits the color is pale brownish, the opercular flap black
with a narrow whitish margin behind and beneath, and. the
dorsal fin with faint dusky blotches. In life this is one of the
most brilliant of sunfishes, the upper parts being greenish olive
with a bluish tinge, the sides profusely spotted with orange,
the belly and lower fins orange and the dorsal and caudal fins
bluish with orange spots. The cheeks are orange with undulat-
ing blue stripes; the opercular flap is black, emarginated behind
and underneath with bright scarlet. 3
The specimen described, no. 20304, U. S. National Museum,
from the Susquehanna at Havre de Grace, is nearly 6 inches
iong. |
The common sunfish, or sunny, pumpkin seed, bream, tobacco
box, and pondfish is one of the best known fishes of the United
States.
It is found from Maine westward through the Great lakes
region to Minnesota and in the eastern states south to South
FISHES OF NEW YORK 485
Carolina. In western rivers, however, it is seldom: found south
of the latitude of Chicago. In New York the sunfish abounds
almost everywhere, in the lowlands as well as the highlands
and in brackish as well as fresh waters; it has even been taken
oceasionally in salt water on Long Island. Large individuals
have been received from Canandaigua lake and from lakes in
the Adirondacks. Dr Meek found it very common throughout
the Cayuga lake basin. The collectors of the U.S. Fish Commis-
sion obtained it in almost all the waters visited by them (21
localities) in the Lake Ontario region. Eugene Smith reports it
from most of the moraine ponds of Long Island and Staten
Island, and in quarry ponds of the Palisades, wherein it is fre-
quently placed by boys. Ponds and lakes in the parks of New
York city are well stocked with this species. Mearns reported
it as abundant in the Hudson and in all the ponds and slow
streams of the Hudson Highlands. Mather recorded it as a
common fish in most of the Adirondack waters, the exceptions
being Piseco lake, G lake, Coald lake, Sents’ lake, T lake, Willis
pond, Murphy, Warner and Bug lakes.
The common sunfish grows to a length of 8 inches and a
weight of about 4 pound. Its food is similar to that of the
long-eared sunfish; and it is one of the readiest biters known
to the angler. The habits of this fish have been described by
Dr Theodore Gill and W. P. Seal. The latter states that the
male in the breeding season is readily identified by his brighter
coloration, conspicuous ear flaps and a luminous border around
the fins while in the water. The nest is a depression in the mud,
sand or gravel, hollowed out by means of the fins. In the
Potomac he found a number of nests which were located from
a few inches to several feet apart. The male watches the nest
and drives away all intruders. The eggs are only about 35
of an inch in diameter and not very numerous. They are
attached to stones and aquatic plants. Mr Seal has reason to
believe that the male alone is concerned in building the nest
and in the care of the eggs and young.
The species is usually hardy in captivity, but is subject to
fungus attacks which yield readily to treatment with brackish
486 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
water. In the aquarium, according to Eugene Smith, the com-
mon sunfish by incessant attacks often kills associates of many
kinds. Itisa very gamy fish, common everywhere and is usually
found in the company of shiners, minnows and killies. In
quarry ponds, of the Palisades, says the same author, the fish
will thrive and multiply as freely as the goldfish, provided there
is water enough throughout the year.
Genus MICROPTERUS Lacépede
Body oblong, compressed, the back not much elevated; head
oblong, conical; mouth very large, oblique, the broad maxillury
reaching nearly to or beyond the posterior margin of the eye,
its supplemental bone well developed; lower jaw prominent;.
teeth on jaws, vomer and palatines in broad villiform bands,
the inner depressible, usually no teeth on the-tongue; preopercle
entire; operculum ending in two flat points without cartilagin-
ous flap; branchiostegals normally six; gill rakers long and
slender; scales rather small, weakly ctenoid; lateral line com-
plete, the tubes straight, occupying the anterior half of each.
scale; dorsal fin divided by a deep notch, the spines low and’
rather feeble, 10 in number; anal spines three, the anal fin much
smaller than the dorsal; pectorals obtusely pointed, the upper :
rays longest; ventrals close together below the pectorals; caudal. -
fin emarginate; posterior processes of the premaxillaries not
extending to the frontals; frontals posteriorly with a transverse
ridge connecting the parietal and supraoccipital crests, which
are very strong; vertebrae 16+16 or 17=32 or 33. Size large.
Two species, among the most important of American “ game ”
fishes.
241 Micropterus dolomieu Lacépéde
Small Mouthed Black Bass
Micropterus dolomieu LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 325, 1802; Jonpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 485, 1883; MATHER, App. 12th Rept.
Adirondack Surv. N. Y.. 5, 1886; MEEK, Ann, N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV,
318, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 116, color pl. 11, 1893; HvermMann &
KENDALL, Rept. U. 8. F. C. for 1894, 600, 1896; JoRDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1011, 1896, pl. CLXII, figs. 480, 430a, 1900;.
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 364, 1897; MEarns, id. X, 320,.
1898; EUGENE SmiTH, Proce. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 35, 1898.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 487
Centrarchus obscurus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 30, pl. 17, fig. 48, 1842,
Onondaga Creek, N. Y.; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 258, 1859.
The small mouthed bass differs most markedly from the
Jarge mouthed in the size of its jaws, the shallower notch in the
dorsal fin and the smaller scales. There are about 11 rows of
scales above the lateral line and seven below it; 72-74 scales
in the lateral line. The ninth spine of the dorsal is longer than
the eye and fully two thirds as long as the fifth and longest
spine. The upper jaw extends backward to below the hind
margin of the eye. The body is ovate oblong in shape, its
greatest depth about equal to length of the head and one
_ third of the total without caudal, becoming deeper with age.
The eye is less than two thirds as long as the snout and about
one sixth the length of head. The pectoral is not much longer
than the ventral and slightly more than one half the length of
head. The soft dorsal and anal are more scaly at the base than
in the large-mouthed species. The scales on the cheeks and
breast are very much smaller than those on the middle of the
sides.. D. X, 138-15; A. ITI, 10.
The young are dull yellowish green, the sides mottled with
darker spots, which sometimes form short vertical bars. Three
dark stripes on the head; caudal yellowish at the base; a broad
black band near middle of tail and a broad whitish margin
behind. The dark lateral band characteristic of the large
mouthed species is not found in the small-mouth. In the adult
the prevailing color is olive green, the stripes on the head
remaining more or less distinct. |
One of the early names for the small mouthed black bass is
that of growler, which appears in the writings of Cuvier, who
was under the impression that the name was applied because of
a noise sometimes produced by this bass. At the time of his
writing the name growler was pretty generally identified with
the black bass. Among the names applied to this fish by _
- Rafinesque are lake bass, big bass, spotted bass, and achigan.
He also mentions it under the names painted tail, bridge perch,
yellow bass, gold bass, brown bass, dark bass, minny bass, little
488 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
bass, hog bass, yellow perch, black perch, trout perch, streaked
head, white trout and brown trout. In the southern states the
small-mouth is known as the trout, perch and jumper. In Ala-
bama it is called mountain trout. Some persons style it the
bronze backer. The most appropriate name and the one by
which it is best aoa is that. of black bass or small mouthed
black bass. |
This species is indigenous to the upper parts of the St Law-
rence basin, the Great lakes region and the-basin of the Mis-
Sissippi. East of the Alleghanies it is native to the headwaters
of the Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers, but north of these
streams, though not originally an inhabitant of the waters, it
has been widely distributed by artificial introduction.
In the St Lawrence river Evermann and Bean obtained the
fish 3 miles below Ogdensburg N. Y. July 17, 1894, evidently the
young of the year, as the specimen is 1# inches long. In Scioto
creek at Coopersville N. Y. they secured an example 12 inches
long July 19, 1894. Field assistants of the U.S. Fish Commission, »
collecting in the Lake Ontario region of New York in 1894 and
preceding years, took specimens in the following localities.
Big Stony creek, Henderson Harbor
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk
Marsh creek, Point Breeze
Four mile creek, Nine Mile point, Webster.
Wart creek
Black river, Huntingtonville
Cape Vincent
Mouth Little Salmon creek
Great Sodus bay
Sandy creek, North Hamlin
Long pond, Charlotte
Meek did not find this species in the vicinity of Ithaca. Near
_ Cayuga and Montezuma it is less common than the large-
mouthed black bass. Mather reported the species in Racquette,
Forked, White, Fourth, Bisby and Sucker lakes, Black and
Moose rivers, and in Partlo pond; St Lawrence county, in all of
FISHES OF NEW YORK 489
which it has been introduced. The fish is not uncommon in Lake
Champlain; it is abundant in the vicinity of Caledonia N. Y.
Eugene Smith records it from the Passaic river. The writer has
found it abundant in the Bronx.. Mearns mentions it from Long
pond, in the Hudson Highlands, where it reaches the weight of
5.or 6 pounds. oak :
This bass does not grow so large as the large mouthed, seldom
exceeding 8 pounds in weight and averaging but 24 pounds. A
fish of the latter weight will measure 15 inches in length, while
one of 8 pounds will measure 2 feet.
The food of the black bass consists of crawfish, frogs, insects
and their larvae, minnows and other aquatic animals of suitable
size. The young can be fed on small fresh-water crustaceans,
such as Daphnia and Cyclops. Among the successful baits for
this species are stone catfish, hellgramites and crickets.
The black bass prefers rapid water, is extremely active, and
frequents clear, pure, swiftly flowing streams, and thrives at
greater elevations than those preferred by the large mouthed
species. It hibernates in the winter and spawns in the shallows
on gravelly bottoms in spring. It follows its prey into shallow
water and frequently leaps far out of the water in its efforts
to escape from the hook or when frightened by the sudden
approach of an enemy. It swims in schools and is often found
in the shelter of sunken logs and in the vicinity of large rocks.
The spawning season begins in March and ends in July. The
period of incubation lasts from seven to 14 days. The eggs are
bound together in bands or ribbons by an adhesive substance.
They adhere to stones on which they are deposited. The parent
fish build nests and protect the eggs and young. In the Dela-
ware the current is more rapid and the temperature lower than
in the Susquehanna; hence the bass spawn earlier in the latter
than in the former. The spawning fish have nearly all left
their spawning beds in the Susquehanna early in July, but at
this time most of the nests in the Delaware are still full of eggs.
_ By some writers it is believed that the female prepares the
nest before the male joins her. The males fight for the
490 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
possession of the female and are said to help the process of
ejecting the eggs by biting or pressing the belly of the female.
After the eggs are deposited, the female guards the nest from |
the attacks of the crawfish and other fishes. The young
are consumed by many birds and by frogs and snakes. Yet,
notwithstanding the numerous enemies of the black bass, its
multiplication has been rapid and enormous.
The small mouthed black bass ceases to take food on the
approach of cold weather and remains nearly dormant through
the winter, except in artificially heated water. A number of
the young of the year, received from James Annin jr of Cale-
donia N. Y. Oct. 6, 1896, scarcely fed at all in the following
winter, but when the spring was advanced they fed eagerly and
grew rapidly.
242 Micropterus salmoides Lacépéde
Large mouthed Black Bass
Labrus salmoides LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 716, 1802, South Carolina.
Huro nigricans CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 124, pl. 17,
1828, Lake Huron; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 15, pl. 69, fig. 224,
1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 255, 1859.
Micropterus pallidus GoopDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 19, 1879.
Micropterus salmoides JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 484,
1883; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 318, 1888; Brean, Fishes Penna.
118, pl. 32, fig. 66, 1898; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 364, 1897;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1012, 1896, pl. CLXIII,
fig. 481, 1900; MEARNS, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 320, 1898; HUGENE
SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 36, 1898; Brean, 52d Ann. Rept.
N.Y. State Mus. 105, 1900.
The large mouthed black bass takes its common name from
the size of its jaws; the lower jaw projects very strongly, and
the maxilla in the adult extends beyond the hind margin of the
eye. The depth of the body is about one third of the total with-
out caudal, and does not equal the length of the head. The eye
is shorter than the snout, about one sixth of the length of the
head. The pectoral is half as long as the head, much longer
than the ventral. The spinous dorsal is very low, its ninth and
10th spines not so long as the eye, its fourth spine longest,
about one fourth the length of head. Seven to eight scales
above the lateral line, below 16 and in the lateral line about
cao sn a ace,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 491
68. The color is greenish, silvery below. The young have a
broad dark lateral band. D. X, 18; A. III, 10-11.
This species may best be distinguished from the small
mouthed black bass by the size of its mouth and the number
of rows of scales above the lateral line. The young of the
small mouthed species, also, never have a dark lateral band.
Common names for this species are, Oswego bass, river bass,
green bass, moss bass, bayou bass, trout, jumper, chub and
Welshman. Throughout the north it is generally known as bass,
in Virginia and North Carolina as chub and in Florida and west
to Texas as trout.
The large mouthed bass has a wide distribution, being
indigenous to the eastern United States, from Manitoba to
Florida and Texas, except New England and the Middle Atlantic
states east of the Alleghanies, where it has been extensively
introduced. It inhabits the fresh-water ponds, lakes and slug-
gish streams. It is found also at the mouths of rivers empty-
ing into the Gulf of Mexico, where the water is brackish.
Dr Meek found the large mouthed species scarce near Ithaca
and more common near Montezuma and Cayuga. James Annin
jr collected the young at Caledonia. The U.S. Fish Commission
had it from the following places in the Lake Ontario region:
Lakeview hotel, 7 m. n. e. of Oswego
Marsh creek, Point Breeze
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk
Mouth Little Salmon creek
Stony Island
Four Mile creek, Nine Mile point, near Webster
‘Creek at Pultneyville
Chaumont river
Great Sodus bay
Three Mile creek, Oswego
Long pond, Charlotte
Dr Mearns first observed the species in the Hudson in the
autumn of 1882, where the fish were caught in fyke nets during
October and November. Eugene Smith records it from all lakes
and rivers adjacent to New York city.
492 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Young individuals, from 14 to 2 inches long, were seined im
Bronx river in August 1897.
The average weight of the large mouthed bass in southern
waters is less than 5 pounds, and still less in northern waters.
In Florida it attains a large size, as much as 3 feet in length,
and a weight of 25 pounds. Its growth and size depend on the
waters where it is found, and the natural food supply of small
fish, crawfish and frogs.
It is a very active fish; its movements are affected by season-
~ al changes and the search for food and places for spawning. In
polluted streams the bass are often compelled by the impuri-
ties to seek new haunts in pure water. The young bass feed on
animal food at an early age. The large mouthed bass is said to
be more cannibalistic than the small mouthed. Small fishes.
(minnows) of all kinds, crawfish, frogs, insects and their larvae,
and aquatic animals of all kinds, suitable in size, make up the
diet of this fish. It feeds both at the surface and on the bot-
tom, pursuing its prey with great activity. When surrounded
by seines or caught on hooks this species will often leap 5 or
6 feet out of the water, and its habit of jumping over the cork
lines of seines has given it the name of “jumper.”
In cold weather the bass seeks deep places, often hibernating
under rocks, sunken logs and in the mud. Favorite localities
are under overhanging and brush-covered banks, in the summer,
and among aquatic plants, where the fish lies in wait for its
prey. ?
The spawning season of the large mouthed bass is about the
same as that of the small mouthed species, beginning in April
and lasting till July. Its eggs are adhesive, sticking to stones
during the incubation period, which lasts from one to two weeks
according to the temperature of the water. The young bass
remain in the nest a week or 10 days, and at the age of two
weeks will measure about # of an inch in length. In suitable
waters it is estimated that the large mouthed bass will weigh
at the age of three years from 2 pounds to 4 pounds.
The Oswego bass is even more destructive to fish than M.
dolomieu. It will eat any fish which it can manage to get
FISHES OF NEW YORK 493.
into its mouth and will lie on the bottom for days so gorged
that it can not stir. In voracity it is only equaled, but hardly
excelled by the pike. This bass bears captivity well. (After
Eugene Smith?)
The young above referred to as coming from Caledonia N. Y.
hibernated and took scarcely any food during the winter, but
fed ravenously in spring, summer, and fall. They proved very
hardy in captivity. |
““Ramily PiRciIDAE
Perches
Genus sTizosTEpIon Rafinesque
Body elongate, fusiform, the back broad; head subconical,
long; cheeks, opercles, and top of head more or less scaly;
mouth large, the jaws about equal; premaxillaries protractile, |
little movable; teeth in villiform bands, the jaws and palatines
with long, sharp canines; gill rakers slender, strong; gill mem-
branes separate; preopercle serrated, the serrae below turned
forward; opercle with one or more spines, terminations of
radiating striae; dorsal fins well separated, the first with 12 to
‘15 spines, the second with 17 to 21 soft rays, last dorsal spine
not erectile, bound down by membranes; anal spines two, slen-
der, closely appressed to the soft rays, which are rather long,
11 to 14 in number; ventral fins well separated, the space
between them equal to their base, ventral spine slender, closely
appressed to the soft rays; scales small, strongly ctenoid;
lateral line continuous; branchiostegals seven; pseudobranchiae
well developed; pyloric caeca three to seven. Two species,
differing considerably from each other. Large carnivorous
fishes of the fresh waters of North America.
Subgenus sT1zOsSTEDION
243 Stizostedion vitreum (Mitchill)
Pike Perch; Pike; Wall-eyed Pike
Perca vitrea Mitrcuitt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 247, Feb. 1818, Cayuga Lake,
NEY.
Lucioperca americana CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 122,
1828, New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 17, pl. 50, fig. 163, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit: Mus. I, 74, 1859.
?hainn?y Soe, N.Y. Proe: 1897. no.-9, p. 36.
494 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Stizostedium vitreum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 525, 1883.
Lucioperca vitrea EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 38, 1898.
Stizostedion vitreum MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 314, 1888; Bran, Fishes
Penna. 127, color pl. 18, 1898; EVERMANN and KENDALL, Rept. U.S. F.C.
for 1894, 601, 1896; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1021, 1896, pl. CLXIV, fig. 483, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus, Nat. Hist.
IX, 364, 1897.
The pike perch belongs to the genus Stizostedion, which
has been distinguished from the saugers by the structure of its
pyloric caeca, which are three in number, nearly equal in size,
and about as long:as the stomach, and also by the presence
of 21 soft rays in the second dorsal, while the saugers have 18.
It may be remarked that all of these characters are more or less
variable. The 8S. vitreum has the body long and moderately
deep, its depth varying with age and equaling from one sixth
to one fourth of the total length without caudal; the length of
the head is contained in the same standard four and two thirds
times; the eye is moderate, about two thirds as long as the snout
and a little more than one sixth of the length of the head; the
lower jaw projects slightly; the maxilla reaches to beyond the
pupil; the cheeks and opercles are more scaly than in thesaugers;
the soft dorsal is nearly as long as the spinous; length of long-
est dorsal spine about half the length of head. D. XIII, I, 21; A.
II, 12 to 18. About 90 scales in lateral line, 10 above and 19
below. The pectoral reaches to below the 10th spine of the dor-
sal; it is as long as the ventral and one half the length of head;
the vent is under the fifth ray of the second dorsal.
Color olivaceous, mingled with brassy; sides of the head ver-.
miculated; the dorsals, caudal and pectoral with bands; those of
the dorsals and caudal not continuous; sides with about seven
oblique dark bands, diftering in direction; a jet black blotch on
the membrane behind the last spine of the dorsal. |
The pike perch has received a great many common names. One
of the most unsuitable is “ Susquehanna salmon,” which is used
in Pennsylvania. In the eastern states the species is styled the
perch pike or the pike perch, glasseye and wall-eyed pike. In
the Great lakes region it is known as blue pike, yellow pike, green
pike and grass pike. In the Ohio valley and western North Caro-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 495
lina it is the jack; in Lake Erie and. Canada, the pickerel; in
some parts of the Ohio valley, the white salmon or jack salmon.
The Cree Indians call it the okow and the French Canadians doré
or picarel. Among the fur traders of British America it is called
the hornfish.
The pike perch or wall-eyed pike inhabits the Great lakes -
region and extends northward into British America, where it
has been recorded as far as 58° north by Dr Richardson. It
ranges south in the Mississippi valley to Arkansas, and in At-
lantic streams to Georgia. According to Dr Meek the species is
found in Cayuga lake, but is not common. In Lake Champlain
it is one of the principal game fishes. James Annin jr of Cale-
donia obtained specimens in the Canandaigua lake region. It
has been introduced into numerous lakes by the Fisheries, Game
and Forest Commission of New York. The.U. S. Fish Commis-
Sion secured examples in the Oswego river at Oswego and at
Point Breeze in August 1894.
This species is said to reach a weight of 50 pounds, but the
average weight of the market specimens is less than 5 pounds.
In the Susquehanna it occasionally reaches 10 pounds or upward
in weight. The pike perch feeds on the bottom on other fishes,
and has been charged even with destroying its own young. It
prefers clear and rapid waters, and lurks under submerged logs
and rocks, from which it can readily dart on its prey. Spawning
takes place in April and May, and in Pennsylvania continues
till June. Favorite spawning localities are on sandy bars in
shallow water. The period of hatching varies from about 14 to
30 days, depending on the temperature of the water. The eggs
vary from about 17 to 25 to the inch, and a single female has been
_ estimated to contain from 200,000 to 300,000. In astate of nature
only a small percentage of the eggs are hatched out; the greater
proportion are driven on the lake shores by storms or devoured
by fishes on the spawning beds. The number of pike perch annu-
ally hatched by artificial methods is enormous. This advance is
due to improvements in the treatment of adhesive eggs. For-
merly these were hatched by placing them on glass plates, to
496 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
which they readily adhere. Recently it has been found that the
sticky substance can be washed off the eggs, after which they
are placed in jars and hatched like eggs of the shad and
whitefish.
“Dexter,” in Forest and Stream, Aug. 14, 1890, makes the fol-
lowing statement about the habits of this species in the lakes.
These fish run up the rivers before or as soon as the ice is out,
and after spawning lie off the river’s mouth feeding on and off
the sand flats, as the spring rains bring down plenty of worms,
and probably other matter which they feed on. As soon as the
water gets warm, they sag off and work along the shores in 10
to 30 feet of water, preferring cobbly bottom; from here they go
into very deep water, coming on the reefs to feed, and when the
wind blows very hard, or for a day or so after a big blow, you
will find them right on top of a reef. I think the wind changes
the water over the reefs, making a new current and cooler water,
so they come up to feed. They are a bottom fish, and to fish for
them successfully one must go to the bottom for them. They are
nearly as particular as salmon trout about the water they inhabit
and consequently rank very high as a food fish, ae white, solid
and extremely free from bones.
The colors of the pike perch change remarkably with age. The
young have oblique dark bands much like those of the kingfish
of our east coast, and bear little resemblance in the pattern of |
coloration to the parent. The eye of the living fish is like a glow-
ing emerald. The rate of growth must be rapid. In July 1888
we took examples from 4 to 6 inches long, some of ch seemed
to be the young of the year.
This is one of the finest food and game fishes of the United
States. Its flesh is firm and white, flaky and well flavored. Com-
mercially the species ranks high in the Great lakes region, being
next in importance to the whitefish. In angling for the pike
perch live minnows are used in preference to all other baits, par-
ticularly such as are more or less transparent and with silvery
sides, as the fallfish or dace, the corporal roach, the redfin and
the gudgeon. On some parts of the Susquehanna, between
Columbia and Harrisburg, the favorite mode of capture is by
trolling with the spoon with the same kind of tackle as is used.
for the black bass.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 497
James Annin jr of Caledonia sent two individuals Ap. 25, 1896,
for- identification. They furnished the following notes and
measurements in inches.
= 5
Length, ineluding caudal. 2.2.2 2... 6. 18% 18
Length to end of middle caudal rays.. 18 17%
PePth Ole bOM ys nes ocsesels iattia lovee seve? ots 3% 34
Least depth of caudal peduncle....... 1% 1%
MENS LN Ole WCAC rac asia steee oie seis eccsy slp: 43/4, 43%
Hene th OL SMOUb otis ss afoot css ele a oe BEA 114
DITMETCL OFC VCs Se icttecle so ele ees té té
2 Su aia eo gto) eg 00 2 Si ee aa eg a re ie 2 1%
rene PORN DLE... ceteie cama sre 6 Stace 274, 214
ENO) OTS ek cap oraxer ons oes Buc. al'e- atm, mcuelsovettes aaacae XIV, I, 21 SEV; 1:20
SS INL i 2 UN Ca aR LH. tt EYL At
GALES ie einen rey ter tase La aim Wel a i oioiasataneien ee 92 93
The pyloric caeca are long and loaded with fat. The male is
brassy; the female gray and whitish.
In November of 1896 and 1897 Mr Annin shipped adult individ-
uals from Canandaigua lake by express without an attendant,
and there was scarcely any loss of fish in transportation, though
the journey lasts 12 hours.
The blue pike of Lake Erie, or white salmon of the Ohio river,
was formerly distinguished by name from the common pike
perch, but is now considered unworthy of a separate name. This
is a very Small variety seldom exceeding 15 inches in length and
a weight of 2 pounds. The dorsal has 14 spines and 20 rays.
The spines are rather lower than in the pike perch, the colora-
tion similar, but the adult is bluish or greenish and has no brassy
mottling. The fins are darker, and there is a trace of a band
along the dorsal, besides the black blotch on the hind portion.
Jordan & Evermann say of this variety: “The name sal-
moneum has been applied to the so called ‘ blue pike’ origin-
ally described from the Ohio river, but more common in the Great
lakes, particularly Ontario and Erie. It is smaller and deeper
in body than the ordinary vitreum and different in color, but
it is not likely that any permanent distinctions exist, this
species, as usual among fresh-water fishes, varying largely with
the environment and with age.”
498 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Subgenus cynoperca Gill & Jordan
244 Stizostedion canadense (Smith)
Sauger; Sand Pike
Lucioperca canadensis C. H. SmitTu, in Griffith’s Cuv. Régne-Anim, X, 275,
pl. 7, 1834; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 19, pl. 68, fig. 221, 1842:
(extralimital); GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 75, 1859. |
Stizostedium canadense JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 526,.
1883.
Stizostedion canadense MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 314, 1888; Bran,,.
Fishes Penna. 180, pl. 34, fig. 70. 1898; HvERMANN & KENDALL, Rept.
U. S. F. C. for 1894, 601. 1896; Jonpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S.
Nat. Mus..1022, 1896, pl. CLXIV, fig. 434, 1900.
Body slender, not much compressed, roundish; its depth con-
tained four and one half to five times in the total without caudal.
The head is pointed, about two sevenths of standard length
and contains the eye five to five and one half times: The
mouth is smaller than in the pike perch; the maxilla reaches to-
the hind margin of the eye. D. X11 to XIII, 1,17 to 18 Ae
12. Scales 92 to 98; 4 to 7 pyloric caeca, unequal in size and
all of them shorter than the stomach.
Color olivaceous above; sides brassy or pale orange, mottled
with black in the form of irregular dark blotches, which are
best defined under the soft dorsal. The spinous dorsal has.
several rows of round black spots on the membrane between
the spines; no black blotch on the hind part of the spinous.
dorsal. Pectorals with a large dark blotch at base; soft dorsal
with several rows of dark spots irregularly placed; caudal yel-.
lowish with dark spots forming interrupted bars.
The sauger is known also as sand pike, gray pike and green:
pike, pickering, pickerel and horsefish. It is found in the St
Lawrence river and Great lakes region, the upper Mississippi:
and Missouri rivers and in the Ohio, where it is said to have
been introduced from the lakes through canals. This is a small
fish, seldom exceeding 18 inches in length, and embraces several.
varieties. It is very common in the Great lakes and is abun-
dant in the Ohio river. It is doubtful whether it is native to:
Ohio or introduced. It is also found rarely in Cayuga lake..
Rey. Zadock Thompson, in his History of Vermont, says it is much:
FISHES OF NEW YORK 499
J
less common in Lake Champlain than the pike perch, but is fre-
quently taken in company with it. It usually swims very near
the bottom of the water, and hence it has received the name of
ground pike (pike perch). As an article of food this species is
locally held in the same high esteem as the common pike perch.
John W. Titcomb of St Johnsbury Vt. informed Evermann
and Kendall that the sauger, or rock pike, as it is locally called,
is caught in seines while fishing for the pike perch. It does
not grow as large as the latter, and is not much valued as a food
fish. The authors mentioned received two examples of the fish
from A. L. Collins of Swanton Vt., one of them a nearly ripe
female 144 inches long, weighing three fourths of a pound, the
other an unripe male 15 inches long, weighing three fourths of
a pound. These specimens were believed to indicate that the
Sauger spawns earlier than the pike perch. The stomach of the
male contained a three inch minnow, too badly digested for
identification, and a number of small insects.
It is very extensively used for food, but is not generally con-
sidered equal to the pike perch.
245 Stizostedion canadense griseum (DeKay)
Gray Pike; Sauger; Sand Pike
Lucioperca. grisea DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 19, 1842, Great Lakes;
streams and inland lakes of western New York; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. I, 76, 1859.
Lucioperca pepinus ESTES, in HALLOcCK’s Sportman’s Gazetteer, 322, 1877,
Lake Pepin. ;
Stizostedium canadense var. griseum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 526, 1883.
Stizostedion canadense griseum JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 1022, 1896.
This is the common sand pike or sauger of the Great lakes
region and southwestward. It differs from the typical cana-
dense chiefly in the smoother opercles and head bones, the
fewer opercular spines, and the less complete scaling of the
head. The two need fuller comparison and may prove to be
distinct species, but this is unlikely. Length 10 to 18 inches.
500 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Genus PERcA (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body oblong, somewhat compressed, the back elevated;
cheeks scaly; opercles mostly naked; the operculum armed with
a Single spine; preopercle and shoulder girdle serrated; pre-
opercle with retrorse, hooked serrations below; mouth moder-
ate, terminal; premaxillaries protractile; teeth in villiform
bands on jaws,,vomer, and palatines, no canine teeth; bran-
chiostegals seven; gill membranes separate; pseudobranchiae
small, but perfect; no anal papilla; scales rather small, strongly
ctenoid, lateral line complete, the tubes straight and not extend-
ing to the extremity of the scale; dorsal fins entirely separate,
the first of 12 to 16 spines; anal fin with two slender spines,
well separated from the soft rays; ventral spines well devel-
oped, the ventral fins near together; caudal emarginate; air-
bladder present; pyloric caeca three; vertebrae very numerous,
21+20 or 21—41 or 42. Fresh waters of northern regions; three
closely related species now known, Perca fluviatilis in
Europe, P. schrenckii in Asia, and P. flavescens in
North America. _
246 Perca flavescens (Mitchill).
Yellow Perch; Ring Perch
Morone flavescens MITCHILL, Report in Part, 18, 1814. |
Bodianus flavescens MITCHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 421, 1815.
Perca serrato-granulata CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 47,
1828, New York; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 5, pl. 22, fig. 64, 1842.
Perca granulata CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. II, 48, pl. IX, 1828, New
York; DE Kay, op. cit. 5, pl. 68, fig. 220, 1842.
Perca acuta CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. IT, 49, pl. X, 1828; DE Kay, op.
cit. 6, pl. 68, fig. 222, 1842.
Perca gracilis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. II, 50, 1828, Skaneateles
Lake, N. Y.; DE KAy, op. cit. 6, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat, Fish. Brit. Mus.
I, 60, 1859.
Perca americana JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 524, 1883.
Perca flavescens CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. II, 46, 1828; DE Kay, op.
Glin. cose pl... 1, Schley eles GUNTHER, op. cit. 1, 59, 1859;
SrorEeR, Hist. Fish. Mass. 4, pl. II, fig. 1, 1867; MrEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac.
Sci. IV, 314, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 126, color pl. 12, 1893; EVER-
MANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. F. C. for 1894, 602, 1896; JorpDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1023, 1896, pl. CLXYV, fig. 435,
1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 365, 1897; MEArns, Bull.
Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 320, 1898; Hucenr SmiTu, Proc. Linn. Soc.
N. Y. 1897, 37, 1898.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 501
The yellow perch has a fusiform and moderately elongate
body, its greatest hight at the ventral origin two sevenths of
the total length without the caudal and nearly equal to the
length of the head. The least depth of the caudal peduncle
equals one third of length of head. The greatest width of the
body equals one half its greatest hight. The head is moderately
long, its length contained three and one fourth times in the
standard, with pointed snout, one and one third times as long
as the eye. The interorbital region is flat, its width one and
one half times the diameter of the eye. The mouth is rather
large, the jaws equal, and the maxilla reaching to below middle
of pupil. The preopercle is coarsely dentate on its hind
margin, the teeth on the superior border directed partly upward
and partly backward, those on the lower limb pointing down-
ward and some of them forward. The scapula and humerus
are finely serrate. Scales on the cheeks in about 18 rows from
before backward; a single row or two imperfect rows of scales
on the subopercle; four short rows of scales on the upper an-
terior part of the opercle. Gill rakers 6414, the longest one
half as long as the eye. The spinous dorsal begins over the
base of the pectoral; the first spine is one third as long as the
head to the end of the opercular spine; the fourth and longest
Spine is as long as the eye and snout combined; the last spine
is minute and concealed in the dorsal furrow. The soft dorsal
in the specimen described is preceded by two spines, the first
two thirds as long as the eye and one half as long as the second;
the longest ray is as long as the longest spine, and twice as
long as the last ray. The ventral origin is under the fourth
' spine of the dorsal; the fin equals one fifth of the total length
without the caudal. The anal origin is under the fourth or
fifth soft dorsal ray; the first anal spine one third as long as
the head and nearly as long as the second; the last anal ray
less than one half as long as the longest, which is one half as
lomg as the head. The caudal is notched, the middle rays con-
tained one and one third times in the length of the outer rays.
The pectoral is as long as the ventral. D. XV, II, 13; A. II, 8;
502 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
V.1,5; P. 15. Scales 7-57-13. The lateral line curves upward
in a long curve following the dorsal outline till below the end
of the soft dorsal, where it becomes straight and median. Color
olivaceous varying into greenish or bluish, the sides yellow, with
about six to eight dark bands, the widest wider than the eye Is.
long. The upper fins are olivaceous, the lower orange and rosy.
The specimen described, no. 22862, U. S. National Museum,.
Washington D. C., is 9 inches long.
The yellow perch, ringed perch or striped perch is found
throughout the Great lakes region, rivers and ponds of New
England and northwestward, and in streams east of the
Alleghanies south to Georgia. It does not occur in the Ohio
valley or southwest, though, after the construction of the Ohio
canal, Kirtland recorded it from the Ohio river. In 1790:
Dr Mitchill transferred some of them from Ronkonkoma to Sue-
cess pond, a distance of 40 miles, where they soon multiplied.
In 1825 yellow perch were transported from Skaneateles to
Otisco lake and Onondaga lake; in the latter they increased re-
markably. In Otsego lake DeKay caught some weighing nearly
three pounds. Meek states that the species is common through-
out the Cayuga lake basin. Evermann and Bean took it in the
St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg; also in Scioto.
creek, Coopersville N. Y., July 19, 1894, young specimens 14 to 1%
inches long. In the Lake Ontario region the U. 8. Fish Commis-
sion collectors obtained it at the localities in this state here
mentioned.
Mouth of Salmon river
Mouth of Little Salmon creek
Black creek, tributary of Oswego river, Scriba Corners
Sandy creek, Hamlin
Grenadier island
Stony island
Chaumont river
Outlet of Long pond, Charlotte
Little Stony brook, Henderson bay
Cape Vincent
FISHES OF NEW YORK 503
Creek at Pultneyville
Great Sodus bay |
Four Mile creek, 1 mile above mouth
Lakeview hotel, 7 m. n. e. of Oswego
Three Mile creek, near Oswego
Long pond, Charlotte
Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point.
The yellow perch is one of the most abundant fishes of Lake
Champlain and in the mouths of rivers falling into that lake.
The fish abounds in the parks of New York and Brooklyn.
In the Hudson Highlands Dr Mearns reported it as abundant
in the Hudson as well as in all of the larger mountain lakes
and ponds. It habitually frequents Poplopen’s creek from its
source to its mouth. In the Hudson, he was informed, it is
unusual to take specimens weighing more than 1 pound; but in
Poplopen’s pond he has taken a number that weighed about 2
pounds each. In the same pond Jerome Denna caught two
which weighed 24 to 3 pounds each; and a fisherman named
Samuel Runnels assured Dr Mearns that he had taken a yellow
perch there which weighed 4} pounds. The fish continue to
feed in that region throughout the winter. Eugene Smith ob-
tained the fish in Greenwood lake, Orange co., and in Hacken-
sack streams, in Rockland county.
The species reaches a length of 1 foot and weight of two
pounds. It is one of the best known of our food fishes and has
excellent game qualities. Its flesh, however, is rather soft and
coarse and is far inferior to that of the black bass and other
members of the sunfish family. It is a voracious feeder, its
food consisting of small fishes, crustaceans.and other animal
matter.
The yellow perch spawns early in the spring. The eggs are
adhesive and inclosed in thin translucent strips of adhesive
mucus. The spawning of this species was described by William
P. Seal in Forest and Stream of Ap. 17, 1890.. The spawning
season extends from December to April. Mr Seal describes the
egg mass as having the shape of a long tube, closed at the ends
504 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and arranged in folds like the bellows of an accordion. When
folded the mass was about 8 to 12 inches long, but was capable
of being drawn out to a length of 3 or 4 feet. Spawning in the
aquarium took place at night and was observed by William
Maynard, who describes it as follows. ‘The female remained
quiet in one spot on the bottom of one of the hatching aquaria
tanks, one or more of the males hovering over and about her
with pectoral fins vibrating with intense activity. The males
would at times lie close alongside of her and at other times
endeavor to force themselves under her with the evident inten-
tion of assisting in the extrusion of the eggs.” Mr Seal remarks
that “the roe when taken from the dead fish not yet ripe is in
a single compact mass, covered by a thin membrane; but in
spawning the mass separates, one side being spawned before
the other.” This was noticed in a specimen which had spawned
one side and appeared to be unable to get rid of the other. It
was stripped from, her and artificially fertilized successfully.
Mr Seal believes-that the yellow perch spawns at the age of
one year. 3
The yellow perch thrives moderately in captivity, though sus-
ceptible to attacks of fungus, which are easily overcome by the
use of brackish water. Its food in captivity consists chiefly of
chopped hard clams; sometimes live killifish are used.
Genus PERcINA Haldeman
Body elongate, slightly compressed, covered with small,
ctenoid scales; lateral line continuous; ventral line with en-
larged plates which fall off, leaving a naked strip; head
depressed, rather pointed, the mouth being small and inferior,
overlapped by a tapering, subtruncate, piglike snout; upper
jaw not protractile, maxillary small, exposed; teeth on vomer
and palatines, gill membranes scarcely connected; dorsal fins
well separated, the first the larger, of 13 to 15 spines, the second
dorsal rather longer than the anal, which has two spines, the
first of which is usually the shorter; pectorals symmetric,
rounded or bluntly pointed, their rays 14 or 15, their spines
moderate; ventral fins well separated, the interspace about
4
FISHES OF NEW YORK 505
equal to their base; air bladder and pseudobranchiae present,
rudimentary; vertebrae (P. caprodes) 23+21—44. General
pattern of coloration olivaceous, with dark vertical bands alter-
nately long and short. Size largest of the darters, approach-
ing that of Aspro, a genus to which it is more nearly related
than the other darters are.
247 Percina caprodes (Rafinesque)
Log Perch; Hogmolly
Sciaena caprodes RAFINESQUE, Am. Month. Mag. 534, 1818, fide JoRDAN &
EVERMANN.
Etheostoma caprodes RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien, 38, 1820; SToRER, Syn.
Wish. N. A. 18, 1846; Bran, Fishes Penna. 122, pl. 33, fig. 68, 1893.
Pileoma semifusciatum DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 16, pl. 50, fig. 162,
1842; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 76, 1859.
Percina caprodes JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 499, 1883;
EVERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U.S. F. C. for 1894, 602, 1896; JorDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1026, 1896, pl. CLXYV, fig. 486,
436a, 1900.
Body long, moderately compressed; head long, with pointed
snout; mouth small, the lower jaw not reaching near to tip of
snout, and the maxilla not extending to the front of the eye.
The head forms one fourth of the total length without the
caudal, and the depth equals about one sixth. Scales on cheeks
and gill covers, also on the space before the first dorsal; breast
scaleless. A row of enlarged plates on the belly, which are
sometimes deciduous. Fins moderately low and rather long.
D. XV, 15; A. II, 9. Lateral line with 92 scales. Color green-
ish yellow; sides with about 15 dark cross bands, extending
from back to belly; alternating with these above the lateral
line are fainter bars. Fins barred. A black spot at the base
of the caudal.
The log perch, hogfish, hogmolly, rockfish or crawl-a-bottom
is found in the Great lakes region, Quebec and the eastern states
south to Virginia, also in the Mississippi valley south to Ala-
bama and Texas. De Kay obtained it at Westport on Lake
Champlain, where it appeared to be very abundant, as well as
in many streams in that vicinity. Its local name there he gives
as little pickerel or pickerel, which it shared in common with
cet ay
506 ) NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
many other species. Evermann and Kendall had it from
Rouse Point and Plattsburg, on the west shore of Lake Cham-
plain.
This is the largest of the darters, reaching a length of 8
inches, and in many respects resembles the perches. 1: takes
the hook very readily. The log perch is found in rapid streams
with gravelly or rocky bottom and prefers clear waters.
248 Percina caprodes zebra (Agassiz)
Mamtou Darter
Pileoma zebra AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 308, pl. IV, fig. 4, 1850.
Percina manitou JORDAN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 53, 1877.
Percina caprodes var. manitou JORDAN UL GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 500, 1883.
Percina caprodes zebra JORDAN and EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
' 1027, 1896.
Head four and one fourth; depth seven; nape always naked;
lateral black bars short, shorter than in caprodes, not
extending much above lateral line, these also more or less con-
fluent, about 20 in number; a black caudal spot; dorsal and
caudal mottled. D.XV-14; A.II,10. Scales 90.
Lakes of northern Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and north-
ward to Lake Superior; the common form in the Great lakes.
The typical zebra is well distinguished from caprodes,
but specimens variously intermediate have been obtained in
Illinois by Dr Forbes, and in the Potomac by Dr Bean. (After
Jordan and Evermann) ee
Evermann and Bean obtained the Manitou darter in the
Racket river, at Norfolk N. Y. and in the St Lawrence 3 miles
below Ogdensburg; also in Scioto creek, at Coopersville N. Y.
Collectors for the U. S. Fish Commission secured specimens at
the following places in 1893: :
Nine Mile point, Lake Ontario June 11
Grenadier island June 27
Horse island, Sackett’s Harbor June 80
Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25
Mouth Little Salmon creek July 25
Marsh creek, Point Breeze Bay Aug. 2
FISHES OF NEW YORK 507
GenuS HADROPTERUS Agassiz
Body rather elongate, compressed or not; mouth rather wide,
termina!, the lower jaw included, the snout above not protruding
beyond the premaxillaries, which are not protractile; teeth on
vomer and usually on palatines also; gill membranes separate
or more or less connected; scales small, ctenoid, covering the
body; belly with a median series of more or less enlarged
spinous plates or ctenoid scales, which in most species fall off
at intervals, leaving a naked strip, in some species persistent
and but slightly enlarged; sides of head scaly or not; lateral line
complete or nearly so; fins large, the soft dorsal smaller than
the spinous or the anal; anal spines two (one of them very
rarely obsolete); dorsal spines 10 to 15; ventral fins more or
less widely separated, specially in species with caducous plates.
Wertebrae’39¢10 44-0 H.- as pyro, 1942842; H: evides,
18+22—40; H. scierus, 18+22—40;H. phoxocephalus,
19+20—39. Parietal region more or less depressed, not strongly
convex in cross-section; supra-occipital crest usually present,
but small. Pyloric caeca two to four. Coloration bright, often
brilliant, sides usually with dark blotches.
Subgenus atvorpius Girard
249 Hadropterus aspro (Cope & Jordan)
Black-sided Darter
Alwordius aspro COPE & JORDAN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 51, 1877, substi-
tute for Etheostoma blennioides of KIRTLAND and es JORDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 501, 1883.
Etheostoma aspro BEAN, Fishes Penna. 123, 1898.
Hadropterus aspro JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1032, 1896,
pl. CLXVI, fig. 438, 1900. \
Body slender, fusiform, elongate, its greatest depth one sixth
of length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle nearly
one third of length of head; head rather long and pointed, one
fourth of total length without caudal; the maxilla extends
slightly past front of eye; the mandible is included; the eye large,
equal to length of snout and to one fourth the length of head;
gill membranes slightly connected; postorbital part of head a
little longer than the remainder; the nape scaly or naked; cheeks
508 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
with very small scales, sometimes hardly visible; large scales
on opercles; dorsal origin at a distance from eye equal to length
of pectoral, base of spinous dorsal nearly equal to one third of
total length without caudal, fourth to seventh spines longest,
equal to snout and eye combined, last spine two thirds as long
as the first and equal to snout; base of second dorsal one half
as long as first, the longest ray twice as long as last ray and
equal to postorbital part of head; the caudal peduncle rather
long and slender, from end of second dorsal to end of scales
being nearly equal to the head; caudal fin slightly emarginate,
the middle rays three fourths as long as the external, and one
third of length of head; the anal origin at a distance from tip
of snout ejualing twice the length of spinous dorsal base, the
anal base equal to postorbital length of head, the two spines
nearly equal, about one third as long as the head, the longest
ray (fifth) equal to one half the length of spinous dorsal base; the
ventral not far behind the base of the pectoral, its length about
one half the distance from its origin to origin of anal; pectoral
one fifth of total length to end of middle caudal rays; lateral
line straight, extending from eye to base of caudal fin; breast
naked; a series of enlarged caducous scales on median line of
belly... D.-XII-to: XV,;11 to 138; A. 4], 8 to 10; Vid, seas
Scales 9-65 to 80-17; vertebrae 19+23—42; pyloric cacea three. —
The sides are straw colored or greenish yellow, with dark
tessellations and marblings above and with about seven large
dark blotches, which are partly confluent; the fins are barred,
and there is a small spot at the base of the caudal.
The black-sided darter, or blenny darter, is found in the Great
lakes region westward to Manitoba and southward to Missouri,
Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas, being specially abundant in
the Ohio valley. The U.S. Fish Commission had it from Marsh
creek, Point Breeze. It prefers clear streams with gravelly bot-
toms and is more active in its habits than most of the other
darters, not concealing itself so closely under stones. It grows
to the length of 4inches. As an aquarium fish it is unsurpassed
by any of its kindred, and its sudden and remarkable changes
FISHES OF NEW YORK 509
of brilliant colors during the breeding season render it unusually
attractive.
Genus COTTOGASTER Putnam
Body rather robust, little compressed; head moderate,
bluntish; mouth moderate or small; the lower jaw included;
premaxillaries protractile or occasionally (in shumardi)
joined by a narrow frenum to the frontal region; maxillary not
adherent to the preorbital; teeth on vomer; gill membranes
nearly separate; scales ctenoid; the middle line of the belly
anteriorly naked or with caducous scales; lateral line continu-
ous; dorsal fins large, the second usually smaller than the first
and smaller than the anal; anal spines two, the first the longer;
pyloric; caeca three; vertebrae 18+20==88 (co pelandi); skull
short, the frontal region not very narrow, parietals little convex
transversely, sutures distinct; no supra-occipital crest. Colora-
tion not brilliant. Size moderate.
250 Cottogaster copelandi (Jordan)
Copeland’s Darter
Boleosoma tessellatum THompson, Appendix Hist. Vermont, 5, 1853, not of
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 20, 1842.
Rheocrypta copelandi JORDAN, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 9, 1877.
Cottogaster putnami JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 498, 1883.
Cottogaster copelandi JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8. Nat. Mus. 1045,
1896.
Body rather slender and elongate, the depth being contained
from five and one half to six and one half times in the length;
head rather large and long, somewhat narrowed, resembling that
of Boleosoma. Its length is contained from three and
three fourths to four and one fourth times in the length of the
body. Mouth small, horizontal, subinferior; cheeks naked;
opercles and neck each with few scales; throat naked; ventral
plates well developed; scales moderate, strongly ctenoid;
pectoral as long as head. D. X to XII-10 to 12; A. II, 8 or 9.
Scales 6-44 to 56-8.
Color brownish olive; a series of rather small, horizontally
oblong, black blotches along the lateral line, forming an inter-
rupted lateral band; back tessellated; blackish streaks forward
510 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and downward from eye; ventral fins dusky in the male; vertical
fins with dusky specks; a small inklike speck at base of caudal
persistent in most specimens; a black spot on anterior rays of
spinous dorsal.
Length 24 to 3 inches. Great lakes region, from Lake Cham-
plain to Lake Huron; represented in New York waters by the
subspecies C. putnami.
251 Cottogaster cheneyi Evermann & Kendall
Cottogaster cheneyi EVERMANN & KENDALL, Bull. U. S. F. C.'1897, 129, pl. 8,
fig. 8, 1898, Racket River near Norfolk, N. Y.; JORDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2851, 1898.
Head four; depth six; eye four in head; snout four; maxillary
three and one half; interorbital width five and one half. D.
XI-12; A. Il, 8. Scales 7-56-6. Body rather stout, heavy for-
ward, compressed behind; head heavy; mouth moderate, slightly
oblique, lower jaw included, maxillary reaching front of pupil;
premaxillaries protractile; cheeks, opercles, breast, and nape
entirely naked; scales of body large and strongly ctenoid; lat-
eral line complete, straight; median line of belly naked ante-
riorly, with ordinary scales posteriorly; fins large; dorsals sep-
arated by a space equal to half diameter of eye, origin of
spinous dorsal a little nearer origin of soft dorsal than tip of
snout, its base about equal to length of head, longest dorsal
spine two and one half in head, the outline of the fin gently
and regularly rounded; soft dorsal higher than spinous portion,
the second to 10th rays about equal in length, scarcely twice
in head, the first, 11th, and 12th rays but slightly shorter than.
the others; anal moderate, its origin under base of third dorsal
ray, the spines slender, the second a little longer than the first,
whose length is three and three fourths in head, longest anal
rays about two and one fifth in head; caudal lunate, the lobes
more produced and pointed than usual among darters; pectorals
long and pointed, the middle rays longest, about one and one
sixth in head, reaching tips of ventrals; ventrals well separated,
not nearly reaching vent, the longest rays one and one fourth
in head. Color in alcohol, back dark brownish, covered with
FISHES OF NEW YORK pit
irregular spots and blotches of darker; side with about eight
or nine large dark spots lying on the lateral line; belly pale;
top of head dark; snout black; lower jaw and throat dark; a
broad black line downward from eye to throat; cheek and
opercles rusty; spinous dorsal crossed by a median dark line;
ventrals blue black; other fins pale, but dusted with rusty
specks. :
An examination of the 14 cotypes shows some variation in
the species. In two examples there is a well developed frenum,
rendering the premaxillaries nonprotractile, and in a third
specimen the frenum is partially developed; in some individuals
the origin of the spinous dorsal is exactly midway between the
tip of snout and origin of soft dorsal. The females and imma-
ture males are less highly colored than the adult male
described above. Length 12 to 24 inches.
This species seems most closely related to Cottogaster
shumardi, from which it may be readily distinguished by
the shorter snout, the naked cheeks and opercles, the smaller
soft dorsal, the smaller anal and the coloration.
15 examples of this interesting darter were obtained July 18,
1894, by Eyermann and Bean in the Racket river near Norfolk,
St Lawrence co. N. Y. It did not seem to be very common, as
- only 15 examples resulted from numerous hauls of the collecting
seine.
Named for A. Nelson Cheney, state fish culturist of New York
in recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge
of the food and game fishes of that state. (After Evermann
and Kendall)
Genus DIPLESION Rafinesque
Body rather elongate, subterete; head very short and blunt,
with tumid cheeks; the profile very convex; mouth small,
inferior, horizontal; premaxillaries protractile, little movable,
joined to the forehead mesially by a slight frenum; maxillary
not protractile, adnate for most of its length to the fleshy skin
of the preorbital; lower jaw very short; teeth in jaws strong,
no teeth on vomer or palatines; gill membranes broadly con-
512 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
nected; gill rakers very short; scales moderate, rough; lateral
line complete; no enlarged ventral plates; dorsal fins large, the
Spinous dorsal longer and lower than the second, of about 13
spines; anal smaller than second dorsal, with two strong spines;
ventrals moderately separated ; pectorals long, symmetric; ver-
tebrae (blennioides) 194+23—42; pyloric caeca four; frontal
region of skull very narrow, ethmoid region abruptly decurved,
parietal region moderately convex (less so than in Etheo-
stoma, moreso thanin Boleosoma); no supraoccipital
crest. Coloration largely green.
252 Diplesion blennioides (Rafinesque)
Green-sided Darter
Etheostoma (Diplesion) blennioides RAFINESQUE, Journ. de Physique, 419,
1819.
Etheostoma blennioides BEAN, Fishes Penna. 121, 1893.
Diplesion blennioides JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 497, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1053, 1896, pl. CLXX,
fig. 449, 1900. ;
The body is stout and long; the head moderate in size, its
length contained four and one half times in the total without
caudal and slightly exceeding the depth of the body; mouth
small; lower jaw included within the upper; eyes large, placed
high and narrowly separated by a longitudinal furrow; scales
rather small except some larger ones on the belly, which are not
Shed; cheeks finely scaled; gill covers with large scales; nape
scaly; breast naked. The males have a large anal papilla.
Anal spines stout; caudal fin notched. Males have the lower
pectoral rays and the ventral and anal rays enlarged and thick-
ened. D. XIII-13; A. II>8. Scales 65 to 78; vertebrae 42.
Color olive green; upper parts tessellated; sides with seven
or eight double crossbars, each forming a Y-shaped figure, these
bars sometimes joined above so as to form an undulating lat-
eral band and clear deep green in life, and the sides speckled
with orange. There is a dark bar from the eye forward and
another downward, besides some olive stripes on the head.
Spinous dorsal blue above with a pale margin and dark orange
brown at base; soft dorsal and anal deep blue green tinged with
4
FISHES OF NEW YORK ; 513
red; caudal greenish with faint bars. Females and young are
less conspicuously colored, but in the same general pattern.
The green-sided darter extends from Pennsylvania westward
to Kansas and south to Alabama... The U.S. Fish Commission
had specimens from Sandy creek, North Hamlin N. Y., Aug. 20.
The species is notable for its beauty; it grows to a length of 5
inches; it is common in gravelly streams and occurs only in clear |
water. In habits it is similar to the Johnny darter, but it is less
~tenacious of life than that fish. In the aquarium it is shy and
retiring, spending most of its time in the concealment of water
plants or decorative rock work. |
Genus BoLEosoma De Kay
Body moderately elongate, fusiform, but slightly translucent;
head small, narrowed forward, the profile convex; mouth small,
horizontal, the lower jaw included; premaxillary protractile;
maxillaries not adnate to preorbital; vomerine teeth present; :
scales large; lateral line continuous or interrupted behind; belly i
with ordinary scales; gill membranes broadly or narrowly con-
nected; dorsal spines usually nine, very slender and flexible, soft
dorsal much larger than anal; anal normally with a single, short,
slender spine, the first soft ray simple, but articulate; ventrals
well separated; vertebrae (B. nigrum) 15+22-—37; pyloric
caeca three to six; frontal region of skull very short and narrow; i
parietal region flattish above; no supraoccipital crest. Colora-
tion olivaceous and speckled, the males with inky black in spring;
no red or blue. Size small. Very active little fishes, abounding
among weeds in clear streams. :
253 Boleosoma nigrum (Rafinesque)
Johnny Darter
Htheostoma nigrum RAFINESQUE, Ichthyol. Ohien, 37, 1820; BEAN, Fishes i
Penna, 120, 1893. i
Boleosoma maculatum AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 305, pl. IV, fig. 3, 1850, Fort |
William; GunTuER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 77, 1859.
Boleosoma nigrwm JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 492, 1888;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1056, 1896, pl. CLXX, Ht
fig. 450, 1900. i
tained slightly more than four times and the depth about five
| i
The body is slender, spindle-shaped. The conical head is con- i
A em
514 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
times in the total length. The snout is somewhat decurved.
Mouth small and the lower jaw included within the upper. The
gill covers are scaly, cheeks naked except in occasional individ-
uals, and the nape is usually scaled. The fins are high, but lower
and smaller than in other species of Boleosoma. D. VIII
to X, 10-14; A. I. 7 to 9; scales 5-44 to 55-9.
Color olivaceous; the back with brown tessellations; sides with
many W-shaped blotches. The head is speckled above; in males
generally black. In the breeding season the whole anterior part
of the male is often black. A dark line forward from the eye
and sometimes another downward. This is one of the small
species, attaining a length of only 24 inches. It is found on the
bottom in clear small brooks, where it lies partly concealed by
sand, and changes its colors according to its surroundings.
The Johnny darter ranges from western Pennsylvania to Mis-
souri and Dakota. In the Great lakes region it is abundant,
and it is one of the commonest darters in the streams of Ohio.
It does not occur in eastern Pennsylvania. In New York it ap-
pears to occur in the Great lakes region only.
i]
254 Boleosoma nigrum olmstedi (Storer)
Tessellated Darter
_ Etheostoma olmstedi SToReR, Jour. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 61, pl. 5, fig. 2, 1841;
Hist. Fish. Mass. 30, pl. IV, fig. 1, 1867; Bran, Fishes Penna, 120,
pl. 33, ig.a67, 1898.
Boleosoma olmstedi GooDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 19, 1879.
Boleosoma olmstedi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 492, 1888;
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 365, 1897.
Etheostoma nigrum olmstedi MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 313, 1888.
Boleosoma nigrum olmstedi EVERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. F. C. 1894,
603, 1896; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1057, 1896,
pl. CLXXI, fig. 451, 1900; HucENE Smiru, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897,
36, 1898. .
Boleosoma tessellatum DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 20, pl. 20, fig. 57, 1842.
The head is contained four and one fourth times in total
length; depth five and one fourth times. The cheeks and opercles
are scaly; nape and breast naked. The lateral line is complete,
with about 50 scales. D. IX, 14; A. I, 9.
The color is olivaceous; fins with many narrow bars; the back
tessellated; sides with blotches and zigzag markings. Head in
:
FISHES OF NEW YORK 515
spring males black. A dark streak forward from the eye and
another downward.
This darter secretes itself on the bottom in small clear brooks,
swimming rapidly for a short distance when alarmed. The sexes
are very different in appearance, the males having higher and
more brightly colored fins than the females. The males are
larger than the females and in the spring are much spotted with
black. The common darter, or tessellated darter, is found from
Massachusetts to Georgia. It is replaced in Cayuga lake and
some other regions to the southward by a black spotted variety,
which differs from the common form still further in having the
nape and breast closely scaled. De Kay states that it occurs
in most of the fresh-water streams of the state. It is found in
Lake Champlain. Evermann and Bean took it in Scioto creek,
at Coopersville, in the Saranac, at Plattsburg, in the St Law-
rence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, and in Racket river, at
Norfolk. In the Lake Ontario region the U.S. Fish Commission
collectors obtained it in the following localities:
Cape Vincent \ June 21
Mud creek, Cape Vincent June 25
Grenadier island June 27
Horse island, Sackett’s Harbor June 30
Mill creek, Sackett’s Harbor July 2
Stony Island July 2and 8
Little Stony brook, Henderson bay | | July 4
Cemetery creek, Watertown July 5
Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7
Chaumont river July 10
Spring brook, Pulaski | July 24
Mouth of Salmon river, Selkirk July 25
Mouth Little Salmon creek July 25
Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27
Great Sodus bay | Aug. 6
Long pond, Charlotte Aug. 17
Sandy creek, North Hamlin | Aug. 20
>
516 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
According to Dr Meek it is common at each end of Cayuga
lake, but is not found in the streams at the southern end above
the falls. The species ‘was obtained in small numbers by the
writer in Bronx river in August, 1897. Eugene Smith has
obtained it in tidal creeks where the water is impure but not
saline. It.is recorded from streams of Long Island.
The tessellated darter eTOWS to the length of 34 inches. It is
a near relative of the Johnny darter, Boleosoma nigrum
of Rafinesque. In captivity Eugene Smith has found it delicate,
able to live only in water of low temperature and not deep
unless in circulation. In balanced tanks it thrives and feeds
freely on minced clam, Gammarus, and earthworms, the last
to be used only occasionally.
De Kay observed it usually at the bottom of clear springs or
streams, lying for a while perfectly still near the bottom, and
then suddenly darting off with great velocity at its prey, a habit
from which is derived its name of darter. He mentions also
the name grand-oranchee, applied to it in New York by the de-
scendants of the Dutch colonists, but this name is not satis-
factorily explained.
The best account of the movements of the fish is given by
Zadock Thompson in his History of Vermont. He noted its power
of bending its neck and moving its head without moving the
body, a very unusual faculty among fishes.
Genus ETHEOSTOMA Rafinesque
Body robust, or rather elongate, compressed; mouth terminal,
or subinferior, varying in size; the lower jaw included or pro- .
jecting; premaxillaries not ‘protractile; maxillary movable;
teeth rather, strong, usually present on vomer and palatines;
gill membranes separate or more or less broadly connected;
scales moderate or small, ctenoid, top of head without scales,
scales of the middle line of the belly persistent and similar to—
the others; lateral line well developed, nearly straight, often
wanting posteriorly; fins large, with strong spines, first dorsal
usually longer and larger than the second, with seven to 15
spines; anal with two strong spines, the anterior usually the
’
if
FISHES OF NEW YORK 51T
larger, the second rarely obsolete, anal fin always smaller than
the soft dorsal; ventral fins more or less close together; skull
narrow, the parietal region very strongly convex in cross-
section, supraoccipital crest very small or wanting; lower
pharyngeals very narrow; vertebrae 33 to 39, usually 15+21—36;
pyloric caeca three or four; bones rather firm. Coloration
various, often brilliant. As here understood, a very large genus
covering a great variety of forms. Many attempts at further
subdivision have been made. Intergradations of all sorts occur,
and the technical characters do not always indicate the real
relationship. Many of the species are excessively variable, each
brook having its peculiar race.
Subgenus oLicockePpHauus Girard
255 Etheostoma coeruleum Storer
Blue Darter; Rainbow Darter
Etheostoma coerulea STORER, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. II, 47, 1845, Fox
River, Ill.
Poecilichthys coeruleus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 517,
1883.
Etheostoma coeruleum MEEK, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. 119, 131, 155, 1891; Bran,
Fishes Penna. 125, 1893; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 1088, 1896.
Body short, comparatively stout; head large; mouth moder-
ately large, the lower jaw included within the upper. The
maxilla extends to the front of the eye. The length of the head
is contained three and three fourth times in the tofal length
without the caudal, and the depth of the body four and one
fourth times. Five rows of scales above the lateral line, eight
rows below the lateral line, and 45 rows from head to base of
caudal, nape and breast generally scaleless. D. X, 12; A. II, 7.
The body of the male is olivaceous with darker blotches on
the back, 12 bars of indigo blue running obliquely downward
and backward across the sides. The spaces between the bars
are orange, as are also the throat, breast and cheeks. The base
of the spinous dorsal is crimson, surmounted by orange and
margined with blue. The soft dorsal is orange, its base and
margin blue. In the female the blue and orange colors are
518 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
chiefly wanting, and the dorsal, anal and caudal are checked or
barred.
The blue darter, blue Johnny, rainbow darter, or soldier fish,
is found in the Ohio valley and in some parts of the Mississippi
valley. It abounds in gravelly streams and ascends small
brooks, but not in large numbers. The U.S. Fish Commissiom
obtained many individuals in Marsh creek at Point Breeze N. Y.
Aug. 2, and a few in Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point,
June 11, 1898.
The blue darter reaches a length of 3 inches. It is not so
active aS some of the other darters, but in coloration it is the
most beautiful of all. One of the most interesting accounts of its
habits is republished in Bulletin 47, U. S. National Museum, from
the writings of Jordan and Copeland. It will follow to the sur-
face of the water a piece of meat suspended by a thread and ~
has been seen to catch a water insect by a swimming leg and
release it several times, apparently for the mere pleasure of
playing tricks. “
. Subgenus ETHEOSTOMA
256 Etheostoma flabellare Rafinesque
| Fantail Darter
Etheostoma flabellaris RAFINESQUE, Jour. de Physique, Paris, 419, 1819.
Etheostoma linsleyi STORER, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 37, 1851, Wolcott,
Wayne County, N. Y.
Catonotus fasciatus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 68, 1859, Madrid,
PIN 2X3
Catonotus flabellatus VAILLANT, Recherches sur Etheostom. 121, 1873, with.
plate.
Etheostoma flabellare JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 513;
1888; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 314, 1888; Bran, Fishes Penna.
(125, 18938; JorDAN & HEVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1097, 1896;:
EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 37, 1898.
Body slender, elongate; head long, lower jaw strongly pro-
. jecting. The species is readily recognized by its low fins,
specially the spinous dorsal, and its prominent lower jaw. It
runs, however, into several varieties, one of which, occurring in
Indiana and northwestward, has black spots on the scales form-
ing lateral stripes; another variety from the Cumberland river
FISHES OF NEW YORK 519
is distinguished by its thick jaw and nearly plain coloration. In
the male the spinous dorsal is one half as high as the soft
dorsal. The female has higher spines than the male; the spines
have fleshy tips. No scales on nape, head and breast. A large
black humeral scale. The length of the head equals one fourth
of the total length without caudal, and the depth one fifth. D-
VIII, 12; A. II, 8. Scales 7-50-7. The lateral line ends at the
middle of the length.
The general color is olivaceous, the upper parts dusky; the
sides with dark streaks formed by the spots at the base of the
scales. The males have dusky crossbars; the soft dorsal and
caudal barred. The spinous dorsal of the male has an orange
margin.
The fantail darter is found from western New York to North
Carolina, and in the Ohio valley. In the Lake Ontario region
the U.S. Fish Commission collectors obtained it from the follow-
ing places:in 18938:
Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point June 11
Grenadier island June 28 and 29
Horse island, Sackett’s Harbor June 30
Mill creek July 2
Little Stony brook, Henderson bay July 4
Cemetery creek, Watertown July 5
Chaumont river | July 10
Big Sandy creek, Belleville July 12
Wart creek | July 24
Spring brook, Pulaski - July 24
Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27
Great Sodus bay AUS. O
Four Mile creek, Nine Mile point, Webster Fe S Me fs
Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20
Marsh creek, Point Breeze Aug. 21
Writing of the fishes of Cayuga lake basin, Dr Meek makes
the statement that the fantail darter is found with the
tessellated darter at each end of Cayuga lake; that these two
4
520 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
are the only species of darters in the lake, and neither of them
occurs in the streams on the uplands.
Though usually considered as being limited to western New
York, Eugene Smith says it is not altogether rare in the
Hackensack valley streams, perhaps the easternmost locality
in which it occurs. |
It grows to a length of 23 inches and abounds in clear rocky
streams. It is very active and tenacious of life and is am
excellent species for.the aquarium.
Genus Bonercuruys Girard
This genus contains small and slender species allied to those
of the section Oligocephalus under Etheostoma.
The lateral line is incomplete and has a slight upward curve
anteriorly instead of being straight, as in all the species of
Etheostoma. Top of head not scaly. Lowland streams
and swamps. The species few, variable and hard to determine.
257 Boleichthys fusiformis (Girard)
Boleosoma fusiformis GIRARD, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 41, 1854.
Hololepis fusiformis VAILLANT, Recherches sur Htheostom. 131, 1873, with
plate.
Poecilichthys fusiformis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 520,
1883.
Etheostoma fusiforme EVERMANN & KENDALL, Bull. U. S. F. C. D. 6 Wass fy Ea
1894; EUGENE SmiTH, Proce. Linn. Soe. N. Y. 1897, 37, 1898.
Boleichthys fusiformis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1101, 1896, pl. CLX XVII, fig. 469, 1900.
Body moderately elongate, strongly compressed. The depth
is contained six times in the length. Head rather long and
narrow. The length is one fourth that of the body. The
muzzle short, decurved, shorter than eye; mouth comparatively
large, terminal; maxillary reaching past front of eye; eyes.
large, four in head; opercular spine strong; lateral line begin-
ning at the eye, on about 12 to 15 scales; neck scaly; belly and
throat scaly. D. X-9; A. II, 7; lateral line 55.
Olivaceous, dotted with dusky points; second dorsal and anal
speckled.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 521
This little darter is recorded from Massachusetts to New
Jersey and will doubtless be found in New York. It grows to
the length of 2 inches.
258 Boleichthys fusiformis eos Jordan & Copeland
Boleichthys eos JORDAN & COPELAND, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 46, 1877,
Rock River, Wisconsin; Wisconsin River, .Wisconsin; Fox River,
Illinois.
Poecilichthys eos JORDAN & GILBERT, ‘Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 520, 1883.
Boleichthys fusiformis eos JORDAN and EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1102, 1896. 4
Body elongate, slender, somewhat compressed, specially
behind, rather heavy forward, with very long and slender caudal
peduncle; head long, rounded in front; mouth small, little
oblique, the upper jaw a very little the longer; dorsal fins high,
about equal; caudal truncate; cheeks, opercles, and neck closely
scaled; breast naked, or with a median series of small scales;
lateral line developed on 22 to 26 scales. Head one fourth of
total length without caudal; depth +%. D. IX-11; A. II, 7;
lateral line 58.
Color dark olive, with darker markings; 10 or 12 dark dorsal
spots or bars, and as many short dark blue bars across the
lateral line nearly opposite the dorsal bars, but not continuous
- with them; the interspaces between these bars, as well as most
of the ventral region, bright crimson in the males, nearly plain
in the females; lower parts of the sides, cheeks, etc. with various
Sharply defined but irregular black markings; second dorsal,
caudal, and pectorals strongly marked with wavy bands; first
dorsal bright blue in the males, with a broad median band of
crimson, speckled in the females; top of head dark; black streaks
downward and forward from eye.
The describers of the species recorded its distribution from
Indiana to Minnesota; abundant in clear cold streams. It grows
to the length of 24 inches, and is one of the prettiest of the
darters. Specimens were obtained for the U. S. Fish Commission
in Mud creek, Cape Vincent N. Y. June 25, the species being
abundant there, at Grenadier island, June 27, and in Guffon
creek, Chaumont N. Y. July 7.
522 | NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM i Ws
Family SHRRANIDAE
Sea Basses
Genus roccus Mitchill
Base of tongue with one or two patches of teeth; anal spines
graduated; dorsal fins entirely separate; anal rays III, 11 or 12;
supraoccipital crest scarcely widened above; lower jaw project-
ing. Vertebrae 12+13—25. Otherwise as in Morone, the
body more elongate, the scales smoother, and the fins more
slender than in Morone. Species all American, valued as
food fishes. In both Roccus and Morone, the antrorse
preopercular spines (characteristic of the European genus or
subgenus Dicentrarchus) are wanting.
259 Roccus chrysops Goce,
White Bass
Perca chrysops RAFINESQUE, Ichthyol. Ohien. 22, 1820.
Labraz albidus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 18, pl. 51, fig. 165, 1842,
Buffalo.
Labraz notatus RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer, III, 8, 1836; GUNTHER, Cat.
( Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 67, 1859.
Roccus chrysops GILL, Rept. Capt. Simpson’s Surv. Great Basin Utah, 391,
pl. 1, fig. 1-7, 1876; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 529,
1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 1382, pl. 34, fig. 71, 1893; Bull. Am. Mus.
Nat. Hist. IX, 365, 1897; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 1132, 1896, p]. CLX XX, fig. 477, 1900; HuGENE SmiTH, Proc. Linn.
Soc. N. Y. 1897, 38, 1898.
The white bass has the body oblong, elevated and compressed ;
its depth contained two and one half times in the total length
without caudal, the length of the head about three and one
third times in this length; head subconical, depressed over eye;
mouth moderate, the maxillary reaching to below middle of eye;
length of eye almost equal to length of snout; villiform teeth in
bands on jaws, palatines, vomer and tongue; the dorsal outline
is much curved, the fins well separated.
D. IX, 1,14; A. III,11 to 12. Scales 8-60-18. General color
silvery, tinged with golden on sides; eight or more blackish
longitudinal streaks on sides, those below more or less inter-
rupted.
4
NS
i FISHES OF NEW YORK 523
The following measurements were taken from a specimen
obtained by Mr James Annin jr, in Oneida lake, Sep. 4, 1896.
( Inches
EB xobr emie, Tenet beers noeneast inc tek. ihe, sche ta 124
Length to end of middle caudal rays........ 114
Hhencth. toend ef peales on j Sepcinc: «sx eaeian 10
We Ely Ob Oy cre arson ticle cae tp ayia ic ae ay aes eR 4
Least depth of caudal peduncle... ....5...... eee
Hence uiwol mead! oie ere hein fair ay, 3
Hen Phot SMU Uae ey: A Near sec sek cure a 3
Bia micier orpeye. ve ces waka oni} sad ao 4 9a =.
Length of fourth dorsal spine.............. 12
Heneths of Second dorsal Vay seas. cc eeet c= a ce 12
Hensthvob second anal Taye 2s oi acid cgi 12
Weight, 164 ounces.
_ The white bass is sometimes called striped bass, and is prob-
ably the silver bass of Canada. Its center of abundance is the
Great lakes region, but it is also widely distributed over the
Ohio and Mississippi valleys. In Pennsylvania the species is
found in Lake Erie and in the tributaries of the Ohio river. The
U.S. Fish Commission secured three specimens at Horse island,
Sacketts Harbor N. Y., June 30. The New Jersey Fish Commis-
sion has introduced. the fish into Greenwood lake.
The. white bass weighs from 1 to 8 pounds, and its flesh is
considered almost if not equally as good as that of the black
bass. It prefers the deeper parts of rivers and thrives best in
lakes and ponds. In April and May they leave the deeper
waters and go in near shore or to the mouths of rivers where
they spawn. The spawning period is in May and June.
The white bass feeds upon minnows, crawfish and other fresh-
water crustaceans, also minute mollusks or shellfish, and it is
said to devour many young whitefish upon the spawning grounds
of that species. |
It is a game fish and affords good sport to the angler.
§24 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
260 Roccus lineatus (Bloch)
Striped Bass; Rockfish
Sciaena lineata Buiocu, Ichthyol. 1X: 53, pl. 305, 1792.
Perca septentrionalis BLocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 90, pl. 70, 1801,
New York.
Roccus striatus MITcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 25, 1814.
Perca mitchilli MiTCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 413, pl. III,
fig. 4, 1815.
Perca mitchilli alternata MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 415,
1815.
Perca mitchilli interrupta MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 415,
1815.
Labrax lineatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 7, pl. 1, fig. 3, 1842:
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 64, 1859; SrorER, Hist. Fish. Mass.
6, pl. I, fig. 4, 1867. :
Roccus lineatus GILL, Ichth. Rep. Capt. Simpson’s' Expl. Great Basin Utah,
391, 1876; GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 425, pl. 170, 1884; Bran,
19th Rep.. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 267, pl. XVIII, fig. 22, 1890; Fishes
Penna. 181, color pl. 14, 1893; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 365, 18973.
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1132, 1896, pl. CLX XX,
fig. 478, 1900; EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 38, 1898;
MEARNS, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 321, 1898; H. M. Surry, Bull.
U. S. F. C. for 1897, 99, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus.
105, 1900.
The genus Roccus, to which the striped bass belongs, has.
two patches of small teeth on the base of the tongue, the anal
‘Spines increasing regularly in size backward, the lower jaw
much longer than the upper, the scales on the cheeks nearly
smooth along their margin and the dorsal fins separated by a
parrow interspace. The body is moderately elongate and rather
stout; the caudal peduncle is slender. The greatest depth of
the body is two sevenths of the total length without caudal and
equals length of head. Eye small, one half as long as the snout
and one sixth to one eighth the length of the head. The eyes.
are placed near the top of the head; the maxilla reaches to
below the middle of the eye. The anal spines are slender, the
third longest, about one fifth length of head. The fourth and
fifth dorsal spines are longest, about two fifths length of head.
Pectoral a little longer than ventral, one half length of head.
D. IX, I, 11 to 12; A. III, 10 to 11. Scales 7-65-19.
Sides greenish above, silvery below, sometimes with a brassy ©
lustre and marked by seven or eight longitudinal streaks none of
FISHES OF NEW YORK OLS
which are half as wide as the eye, one of them passing along the
lateral line; the lowermost stripe is somewhat below the middle
of the depth. ;
In the southern United States from New Jersey to Florida
the striped bass is known as the rock or rockfish. In the north-
ern states the name striped bass is more generally used than
the other, specially along the coast. In the Delaware, Susque-
hanna and Potomac rivers it is called rockfish. Greenhead and
squid hound are names applied to large individuals found in the
sea in New Eigland waters. One of the old names of the fish
is streaked bass.
Rockfish and striped bass, according to Schoepff (1787), are
among the early New York names for this highly prized species.
Dr Mitchill (1814) calls it Mitchill’s perch, striped basse and rock-
fish. De Kay describes it as the striped sea bass. Streaked bass
is another name in use in 1815, and a very interesting account of
the fish under this name is published by Dr James Mease in the
first volume of the Transactions of the Interary and Philosophical
Society of New York. Dr Mease in this article states that rock-
fish weighing from 25 pounds to 60 pounds are called green-
heads. At the time of his writing the fishing-ground for the
Philadelphia and New York markets was between Long Branch
and Cranberry inlet, an extent of about thirty miles, and the
great places of winter resort were Motetecunk, 30 miles from
Long Branch, and the rivers of Elk and Egg Harbor.
At the time of Dr Mitchill’s report the greatest run occurred
late in the fall, and great hauls were made during the cold-
est season, including some very large fish. He saw, however,
a dozen at a time weighing 50 pounds each in New York
market during very mild weather in early October.
The range of the striped bass or rockfish includes the entire
Atlantic coast from the Gulf of St Lawrence to the Gulf of
Mexico, the fish entering rivers and ascending them long dis-
tances. In the Alabama river this fish is known to be taken
every year and some large individuals have been obtained from
that stream. It has been captured also in the lower Mississippi.
526 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
It is very abundant in the great bays and sounds from North
‘Carolina to Cape Cod. In Albemarle sound many large individ-
uals are said to occur. In the St John’s river, Florida, accord-
ing to Dr Goode, the fish is rather rare. In the vicinity of Pen-
‘sacola the late Silas Stearns occasionally obtained a Specimen
-of the fish.
The striped bass has been introduced into California and has
now become fairly acclimated there. In the Delaware and
Susquehanna rivers this is one of the common fishes and it is
one of the most highly esteemed.
This is a permanent resident of Gravesend bay, but the hight
of the fishery occurs from October 10 to.November 10. Large
fish, up to 45 pounds, are caught in May, but the fall fish range
from 9 inches to 24 inches in length. In Great South bay the
writer has obtained specimens at Blue Point cove, Great river,
Nichols’s point, and off Widow’s creek. A great haul was made
‘on Lone Hill Middleground about the middle of October, 1901.
‘The fish remains in some of the tributaries of Great South bay
throughout the year. According to Dr Mearns the species is
taken in great numbers in nets set through the ice of the Hud-
son in winter, and in drift nets by shad fishermen in spring.
Large individuals of 60 pounds and upward are sometimes
caught in the winter and early spring. He once took a specimen
a little above the estuary of Poplopen’s creek, in fresh water.
At Woods Hole Mass. the fish is not common, and apparently
does not spawn; it arrives about May 1 and leaves about Novem-
ber 1; in size it ranges from 4 pound to 65 pounds.
This fish lives in the sea or in brackish or fresh water indiffer-
ently and it has been successfully kept in artificial ponds. In
cold northern waters its becomes icebound occasionally and is
said to hibernate. It prefers cold water, is carnivorous and pre-
daceous, feeding upon small fishes in the streams, consuming
specially large quantities of the alewife or river herring and
the young of the shad. In the shallow bays along the coasts
its food consists of killifish, silversides, anchovies, lant and
other small fishes, besides crabs, squid, clams, mussels and other
tap a te SS 6 lk
FISHES OF NEW YORK a2
marine invertebrates. Its movements while feeding . depend
greatly on the tides. It is to be found frequently at the mouths.
of small creeks and in tideways, where it lies in wait for the-
large schools of small fishes, which constitute its food.
The largest striped bass recorded was said to weigh 112°
pounds. At Avoca, North Carolina, Dr Capehart took a striped
bass weighing 95 pounds. It reaches a length of four and one.
half or five feet.
Spawning takes place from April to June, either in the rivers.
or in the brackish waters of bays and sounds. Eggs have been.
hatched artificially in May on Albemarle sound. Dr Capehart
took a 58 pound spawning fish April 22, 1891. The eggs are-
smaller than those of the shad and after fertilization they
increase greatly in size and become light green in color. This-
58 pound fish probably contained more than one half million:
eggs. Dr Abbott has found the young an inch long in the Dela-.
ware the second week in June and by the middle of October:
some of these had grown to a length of 44 inches. The striped
bass has been kept in a small pool of fresh water and fed upon
crabs and oysters increasing in about eleven months from 6-
inches in length to 20 inches. In the aquarium the species is:
hardy and grows rapidly; it can be kept in good condition.
almost indefinitely. In a Rhode Island pond it is stated that
bass weighing $ pound to 1 pound in June had reached a weight.
of six pounds in the following October.
In fresh water, salted eel tail is a favorite bait for taking:
striped bass, and the spoon or spinner is also a good lure, but
live minnows are preferred to all other baits. For surf fishing
shedder crab well fastened to the hook is a very killing bait.
Genus moronE Mitchill
Body rather short and deep, compressed; maxillary broad,.
naked, without supplemental bone; teeth subequal; lower jaw
scarcely projecting; no canines; no movable teeth; base of
tongue without teeth; edge of tongue with linear patches of
teeth. Lower margin of preopercle finely serrate or entire, the-
serrae not greatly increased in size toward the angle, and none-
4
528 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
of them developed as antrorse hooks. Spines strong, 10 in the
dorsal fin; dorsal fins more or less connected by membrane;
second anal spine much enlarged, not shorter than third; anal
rays III, eight or nine. Vertebrae 12+13—25. Scales rather
large, ctenoid; top of head scaly; lateral line little arched.
Ventrals inserted well behind pectorals. Two known species,
both American.
| 261 Morone americana (Gmelin)
White Perch
Perca americana GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. I, III, 1808, 1788, New York.
Morone Rufa MitTcuILy, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 18, 1814, New York.
Aiorone Pallida MiITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 18, 1814, New York.
Bodianus rufus Mrrcw1ty, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 420, 1815.
Labraxz rufus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 9, pl. 3, fig. 7, 1842; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 65, 1859.
Labraz pallidus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 11, pl. 1, fig. 2, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 67, 1859.
Labraz nigricans DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 12, pl. 50, fig. 160, 1842.
Roccus americanus BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 268, pl. XIX, fig.
23, 1890. ;
Morone americana Gitx, Ichth. Rept. Capt. Simpson’s Surv. Great Basin
Utah, 397, 1876; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 13838, pl. 15, 18938; JorDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1134, 1896, pl. CL:XXXI, fig.
479, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 366, 1897; MEARNS,
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 321, 1898; EUGENE SmitTH, Proc. Linn.
Soc. N. Y. 1897, 39, 18988; H. M. Surry, Bull. U. S. F. C: 1897, 99, 1898;
BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 105, 1900.
The genus Morone of Gill differs from Rocecus in hay-
ing the dorsals joined, the spines strong, the anal with 10 soft
rays, its spines not graduated, the jaws subequal and base of
the tongue toothless. It includes the common white perch and
the yellow bass.
The white perch has an oblong body, with the back convex,
mouth moderate, the maxillary reaching a little beyond the ,
front of the eye; the eye is nearly as long as the snout, and is
contained five and one half times in the length of the head; the
head is about one third of total without caudal; the depth of
body is contained two and two thirds times in total without cau-
dal; the fourth anal spine is the longest, two fifths length of
head; the second is stouter and slightly shorter than the third,
its length one third that of head.
.
_
FISHES OF NEW YORK 529
D. IX, I, 12; A. III, 10. Scales 7-51-11. The dorsal fins are
separated by a very deep notch, but connected by membrane;
upper parts grayish or greenish; sides silvery; young individ-
uals have pale, longitudinal streaks.
This is the perch or river perch of Schoepff, which he records
as an inhabitant of the coasts of New York and Long Island,
in and at the mouths of fresh-water streams. Dr Mitchill (1815)
gives it the name of red perch, and states that when not in the
breeding season it is called black perch because its colors are”
browner and darker. De Kay describes it, in the Fishes of New
York, as the ruddy bass. In Great Egg Harbor bay individuals
taken from salt water are sometimes called yellow perch or
peerch.
The species is found from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, and
inhabits both salt and fresh water. Mitchill saw specimens 14
inches long and nearly 5 inches deep, from Quag, Long
_ Island. There is an important winter fishery for the white
perch at Bellport. It is taken in seines and gillnets. The
writer has occasionally found this species in various parts of
Great South bay, for example, at Smith’s point, Whale House
Hole, Swan river; also in the east end of Shinnecock bay, in the
fresh water of Head of Creek, near Southampton. The fishermen
affirm that when its feeding grounds are disturbed by seining
the fish suddenly leave the locality. The white perch is never
plentiful in Gravesend bay; it is abundant in fresh-water lakes
of Central park, New York, and Prospect park, Brooklyn. Near
Montauk, Long Island, the species is abundant and reaches a
large size. Eugene Smith has found it common in brackish
waters near New York, where it occurs all the year; he had it
also from fresh water. Mearns states that it remains in the
Hudson throughout the year and is taken in abundance in win-
ter in nets set through the ice. In Oscawana lake, Putnam
county, individuals weighing 2 or 3 pounds were reported to him.
In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. the fish is abundant in
fresh-water ponds connected with salt water.
It is said that the white perch formerly extended south to
Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, but this is discredited by com-
’ 530 - NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
petent observers.. The perch of Lake Ponchartrain is’ very
likely the species now known in many portions of the western
states as the fresh-water drum, Aplodinotus grun-
niens.
The average length of the white perch is about 9 inches and
its weight $ pound or less, but numerous specimens measuring
14 inches and weighing 2 pounds or more have been taken,
specially in New England waters.
* At the time of Dr Mitchill’s writing the species was a favorite
in New York markets, and it is now one of the best known
| species though probably not ranking among the choicest kinds.
| Thaddeus Norris was one of the most earnest supporters of
the white perch, and has published interesting observations con-
. cerning its habits. Comparatively little, however, is known
about its life. It is an associate of the striped bass, and,
according to Dr Abbott, resembles this species in its feeding
habits. It differs from the striped bass in its tendency to seek
warm waters. |
The white perch is a lover of brackish water, and may be
found in tidal creeks in vast numbers associated with mummi-
chogs, silversides and eels, feeding upon shrimp and minnows.
Spawning takes place in May and June. According to Profes-
sor John A. Ryder, the egg of the white perch is very adhesive,
| and on this account is troublesome to hatch artificially. In
the experiments made by him the eggs were taken upon cotton
yarn, which was drawn up through a funnel into which the eggs.
and milt had been squeezed from the spawning fish. The cord,
covered with the adhering eggs, was then wrapped upon a
wooden reel and sent under cover of damp cloths to the central
station, where they arrived in fine condition, almost every egg
being impregnated. This system was devised and carried out
under the superintendence of Col. M. McDonald. After reach-
ing the central station the cotton cord with the adhering eggs
was cut into lengths of 10 or 12 inches and suspended in the
glass hatching jars. The development was soon interfered with
by the growth of fungus. When the wooden reel with the ad-
a Pee en ae
_ FISHES OF NEW YORK 531
hering eggs was introduced into a wide aquarium fungus also
attacked the eggs as before but the results were somewhat
more favorable. With the water at 58° to 60° F. the eggs
hatched out in 6 days.
The white perch congregates in large schools and is one of
the freest biters among fishes. The shrimp is one of the best
baits, though worms, sturgeon eggs, minnows and strips of cut
‘fish with silvery skin are equally effective. Dr Abbott has
known as many as 20 dozen to be taken with a line in a few
hours, and Spangler mentions catches of six or seven hundred
in a day by two rods, the fish ranging in weight from # to 14
pounds. |
Eugene Smith, on several occasions, found a long, green,
brackish-water alga (Enteromorpha) in stomachs of
white perch, indicating that they sometimes eat vegetable mat-
ter, though perhaps only for the minute organisms found
upon it.
In captivity the fish is very susceptible to fungus attacks, but
ithe parasite is readily killed by changing the water supply
from salt to fresh, or vice versa. |
| Genus POLYPRION Cuvier
Body robust, moderately elevated, not much compressed, cov-
ered with small, firm, ctenoid scales which extend on the bases
of the vertical fins. Laterai line complete, partly concealed
under adjacent scales, the tubes covering the whole length of
the scale. Mouth large, the lower jaw projecting; maxillary
with supplemental bone. Teeth in broad, villiform bands on
jaws, vomer, palatines, and tongue; no canine teeth. Head
scaly. Preopercle serrate; orbital region with spinous projec-
tions; opercle with a strong spine and with a strong, rough,
bony longitudinal ridge; gill membranes separate; gill rakers
long, few. Dorsal fin continuous, low, with 11 strong spines
and 11 or 12 rays, the spinous portion longest; caudal rounded;
anal short, with three spines, the third the longest; ventrals
large, inserted below, little behind pectoral; caudal rounded or
truncate; pectorals short, unsymmetrical, of 18 or 19 rays, the
532 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
upper longest. Spines of anal and ventrals somewhat serrate
on the anterior edge. Vertebrae 138+14—27. Pyloric caeca
about seventy. Branchiostegals seven. Posterior processes of
premaxillaries not reaching frontals; parietal and supraocular
crests not extending between postfrontal processes; supraoc-
cipital crest strong, but not produced forward on cranium.
Species inhabiting deep waters in the warm seas, reaching a
very great size. The one is confined to the coasts of Southern
Europe and neighboring waters; the other (Polyprion
oxvgeneios) is recorded from Juan Fernandez and about
New Zealand.
262 Polyprion americanus (Bloch & Schneider)
Wreckfish ; Stone Bass ; Cernier
?Amphiprion americanus BLocH & ScHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 205, pl. XLYVII,
1801.
Polyprion cernium CUVIER, in VALENCIENNES, Mém. du Mus. dad’ Hist. Nat.
Xx 265) pl kevin, 1824; Ouvitr & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss.
III, 21, pl. 42, 1829; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 169, 1859.
Polyprion oxygenius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.’ Mus. 532,
1883.
Polyprion americanus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 83, 1885; JORDAN & HVER-
‘MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1139, 1896, pl. CL. XXNI, fig. 480, 480a,
skull, 1900. | |
Body robust, moderately elevated, the depth being contained
from two and two thirds to three and one half times in the
length; mouth large, the maxillary reaching to posterior border
of eyes; teeth in villiform bands on jaws, vomer,.palatines, and
tongue; supraocular region, supraclavicle, post-temporal, pre-
opercle, and a ridge on opercle spinigerous; dorsal fin low with
11 strong spines; caudal rounded; anal spines short, serrate
anteriorly, the third much the longest; ventrals large; pectorals
short. The length of the head is contained three times in the
length of the body. D. XI, 12; A. III, 8. Color grayish brown,
the caudal edged with white; young clouded with light and dark.
This large fish is not uncommon off the coast of Europe in the
deep waters of 300 fathoms or more, the young only swimming
near the surface, specially southward. It is said to live most
abundantly about wrecks; hence the common name of wreck-
FISHES OF NEW YORK Doo
fish. It reaches a length of 5 or 6 feet. A single young
specimen has been taken in deep waters of the Gulf stream by
the U. S. Fish Commission, but there is no other record from
America.
Genus EPINEPHELUS Bloch
Body stout, compressed, covered with small, ctenoid scales,
which are often somewhat embedded in the skin; scales of the
lateral line triangular, cycloid; soft parts of the vertical fins
generally more or less scaly. Cranium narrow above. Parietal
crests not produced on frontals which are without transverse
ridge posteriorly; frontals with a process or knob on each side
behind interorbital area; premaxillary processes fitting into a
notch or cavity on the anterior end of the frontals. Preopercle
moderately serrate behind, its lower limb entire, without dis-
tinct antrorse spine; opercle with two strong spines. Nostrils
well separated. Mouth large; maxillary large, with a well-
developed supplemental bone, its surface usually with small
scales. Canme teeth few, large in the front of the jaws;
enlarged teeth of the inner series of each jaw depressible. Gill
rakers short and rather few. Dorsal spines usually 11, rarely
10, not filamentous, the last ones somewhat shorter than the
middle ones. Anal spines three, the second usually the larger;
the number of soft rays seven to nine. Caudal fin rounded or
lunate. Pyloric caeca few (usually 10-20). Pectorals rounded,
shortish, nearly symmetric, of 15 to 20 rays. Ventrals moder-—
ate, inserted below pectorals, 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
Serranidae, and its species are most widely distributed.
263 Epinephelus niveatus (Cuy. & Val.)
Spotted Grouper; Snowy Growper
Serranus niveatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 380, 1828;
GUnTuer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 130, 1859. ;
Serranus margaritifer GUNTHER, op. cit. 131, 1859.
Hyporthodus flavicauda GinL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 98, 1861, young,
Newport R. I.
“X
534 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Epinephelus niveatus Pory, Syn. Pise. Cubens. 286, 1868; Jornpan & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 541, 1883; JornpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 1156, 1896; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 99, 1898;
op. cit. 1901, 32, 1901. | -
Body oblong, compressed, the back elevated; the anterior
profile somewhat convex; the snout short, rather sharp, its.
length contained three and three fourths times in length of
head. Head three sevenths and depth of body about one third :
of total length without caudal. Mouth large, the maxillary
extending to below posterior margin of eye, its length one half
length of head. Canines rather strong, specially in upper jaw.
Lower jaw considerably projecting. Eye rather large. Inter-
orbital space flattish, its width contained seven and one half
times in length of head and twice in length of snout. Pre-
opercle with a salient angle armed with stronger teeth, a slight
notch above the angle. Gill rakers 15 below the angle of first
arch, the longest as long as the gill fringes. Dorsal spines
rather high, the fourth contained about two and three fifths.
times in length of head; soft dorsal of moderate hight; caudal
truncate, one half as long as the head; anal moderate, its second
Spine about as long as the third, three eighths as long as the
head, its longest soft ray three sevenths as long as the head.
Pectorals not reaching to the tips of the long ventrals, about
one half as long as the head. Ventrals about as long as pec-
torals, nearly reaching vent. D. XI (rarely X), 14 or 15; A. III, 9;
scales 18-115 to 120-50; pores of lateral line 67 to 75.
Color of young in alcohol: brown, with round whitish spots.
on the body, rather smaller than pupil, regularly arranged in
vertical and horizontal series, about five in horizontal and four |
in vertical row; these rows sometimes show irregularities; no-
distinct spots on breast; a very large black blotch on upper part
of caudal peduncle extending to below lateral line; a dark mus-
tache above edge of maxillary; fins nearly plain, probably yel-
lowish in life, the dorsal with a median row of dusky spots on
the membranes. Some specimens lack the saddlelike blotch on:
the tail, but the pearly spots on the side are persistent in all.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 535
The spotted grouper occurs in the West Indies and south to
Brazil frequently straying northward in the Gulf Stream as far
as Cape Cod. A young specimen was taken many years ago at
Newport R. I. and others have been secured in Rhode Island
waters. At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr H. M. Smith, it
is not rare. First reported in 1895, when as many as 10 or 12
specimens were obtained in the Woods Hole region. In 1897
several others were taken in summer and fall; one was caught
August 7 in a dredge in Vineyard Sound in 6 fathoms of water
and in November several were taken in a fyke net in Great
“Harbor. All have been of small size (8 inches or less), and most
of them have been brought up in lobster pots. Dr Smith also
recorded 35 specimens, taken in Katama bay on nine occasions
between August 15 and October 26, 1900.
The example described by Dr Giinther, from South America,
under the name Serranus margaritifer was 11% inches ©
long. The colors of his specimen were as follows:
The ground color is reddish olive, lighter on the belly; on
each side of the body are four series of pearl-colored spéts, each
occupying the place of five or six scales. The uppermost series
reaches from the occiput along the base of the dorsal fin to the
black blotch of the tail, and is composed of eight spots; the
- second, following the lateral line, of six; the third, from the
angle of operculum, of four; and the fourth, from the base of
the pectorals, of five. There is a blackish streak behind the
maxillary bone. The black blotch on the tail occupies nearly
the whole space between the dorsal and caudal fins and between
the two lateral lines. The fins are nearly unicolored; a single
pearl-colored spot is to be seen on the seventh spine and on the
ventral fins; the anal has a whitish edge; ventrals blackish, with
whitish lateral margin; pectorals uniform yellowish.
Genus CENTROPRISTES Cuyier
Body robust, somewhat compressed, covered with rather large
etenoid scales. Mouth large, formed as in Serranus and
Paralabrax, the canines small. - Tongue smooth. — Pre-
opercle serrate, the lower teeth somewhat antrorse. Gill rakers
rather long and slender. Supraoccipital and parietals with strong
crests extending forward to between postfrontal processes;
?
frontals posteriorly with an angular transverse ridge in front of
536 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
supraoccipital connecting the parietal crests; posterior processes
of premaxillaries not reaching frontals. The characteristic
smooth area on top of cranium very short and small. Dorsal
Short, its rays X, 11; anal rays III, 7; caudal usually
three lobed or double concave; the canines very weak and the
top of the head naked. The ventrals asin Prionodes, close
together and inserted in advance of axil of pectoral; pectoral
with 19 rays, its upper half truncate behind. The three species
of Centropristes are closely related.
264 Centropristes striatus (Linnaeus)
Sea Bass; Blackfish
Labrus striatus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 285, 1758, America.
Perca atraria LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 485, 1766, Carolina.
Perca varia MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 11, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc.
N. Y. I, 415, pl. 3, fig. 6, 1815, New York.
Centropristes nigricans CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 37,
pl. 44, 1829, New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 24, pl. 2, fig. 6,
1842; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 266, pl. XVII, fig. 21, 1890.
Centropristes atrarius GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 86, 1859; Goopr &
BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 19, 1879.
Serranus atrarius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. 8. Nat. Mus. 5383, 1883.
Serranus nigrescens JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 917, 1883.
Centropristes striatus JORDAN & HIGENMANN, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. VIII, 391,
pl. 64, 1890; JornpAn & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat. Mus. 1199, 1896,
pl. CXC, fig. 500, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 366, 1897;
H. M. Smit, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep.
N. Y. State Mus. 105, 1900; SHERWOOD & EpWARDs, Bull. U. 8S. F. ©.
1901, 28, 1901.
Body ovate, robust, the back somewhat elevated; axis of
body below the middle of the depth. The length of the body is
three times its depth and two and three fourths times the length
of the head. Head large, thick, little compressed, somewhat
pointed; top of head naked; cheeks and opercles scaly; scales ou
cheeks in about 11 rows. Mouth oblique, low, rather large, the
premaxillary below the level of the eye; lower jaw prominent;
maxillary broad, its upper edge anteriorly slipping under the
edge of the preorbital, which is nearly as wide as the
eye. Eye large, wider than interorbital space, less tham
snout, 44 in head. Gill rakers long, about 18 below the angle.
Canines very small, scarcely differentiated. Teeth all fixed, the
_
FISHES OF NEW YORK eye
bands rather broader than usual. Dorsal spines rather strong,
not filamentous, the middle ones rather higher than the pos-
terior, which are considerably lower than the soft rays, the
highest spine as long as from snout to middle of eye. Anal short
and high, its spines graduated. Pectoral very long, 14 in head,
reaching vent. Ventrals long, nearly reaching vent, inserted
below front of the base of pectorals. Caudal slightly double con-
cave; fins little scaly except at base; a rudimentary groove at
base of spinous dorsal, over which scales do not pass. Length 12
inches. D. X, 11; A. III, 7; Lat. 1. 50 to 55 pores; caeca 4-7.
Dusky brown or black, adults often bluish; more or less
mottled, with traces of pale longitudinal streaks along the rows
of scales; young greenish, often with a dark lateral band, some-
times broken up forming crossbars; dorsal fin with several series
of elongate, whitish spots, forming interrupted lines; other fins
dusky, mottled.
The sea bass isthe Perca varia of Mitchill, Fish. N.Y. p.
415. Common names given by this author are sea basse, black-
harry, hanna hills and bluefish. Schoepff (1787) gives the New
York name as blackfish; De Kay has it as the black sea bass,
also black bass and blackfish. Dr Storer records the Massachu-
setts name of black perch. Other common names on the coast
are black will (Middle States) and rock bass (New Bedford).
The sea bass is found from Vineyard sound southward, its
southern limit not being accurately determined, but probably not
extending below Cape Hatteras. The southern form, which was
described by Linnaeus from South Carolina, may be distinct from
the northern, and if so it should be designated by the Lin-
naean name atraria.
The northern form has been found occasionally north of Cape
Cod, at Nahant, Salem, and Beverly bar. Dr Smith reported it
as very common at Woods Hole in 1898, where it arrives in May
and departs from the inshore waters about October 1, being most
abundant from July to September. It spawns there in June. The
young are first seen about August 1. The maximum weight is
6 pounds. In 1900 the sea bass was said to be remarkably scarce
538 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
at Woods Hole. According to the observers of the Fish Commis-:
sion this fish is decreasing rapidly in numbers. Handlining, even
on the spawning grounds off Hyannis was remarkably poor and
young fish were less numerous than usual. As a rule the first
adults appear in their seasonal migration during the first or
second week in May, when the water has reached a temperature
of 48° to 50° F. However, in spite of the cold of 1900, they
appeared at Cuttyhunk and Menemsha Bight on April 28—with
one exception the earliest arrival recorded in 25 years. Formerly
the young were abundant everywhere, but at present they are
restricted to a few localities—Katama bay, Quisset harbor, and
Wareham river. The first fry were seined July 31 and measured
2 of an inch in Jength. On October 20 young fish 2 to 3 inches
long were very plentiful in Katama bay.
In 1884 the writer obtained young examples, only, and these
in moderate numbers, at Fire Island near the end of September.
In 1890 a few individuals were observed in a net at Islip. In
1898, adults were taken in abundance offshore at Southampton
in August and halfgrown specimens were secured from a pound
at Islip. Young sea bass were rather common at Pointof Woods,
Great South bay, Clam Pond Cove, Fire Island inlet, Oak Island
beach, and Nichols’s Point. In the summer of 1901, early July to
the middle of October, only a few young individuals were taken,
and these were secured in eel pots off Widows’ Creek, Great
South bay.
The sea bass makes its appearance in Gravesend bay in
May. It is not abundant. The young in October are found in
the eel grass, measuring from 14 to 2 inches in length. The
species is well adapted to life in aquarium tanks during all but
the coldest months.
The sea bass is distinguished for its voracity and its persistent
biting. The young are found in the channels of shallow bays and
about wharves and landings. Large fish frequent the offshore
banks where the bottom is rocky. A famous locality is Five
Fathom bank, off the coast of New Jersey. In the shallow
waters of Great Egg Harbor bay hundreds of small-sized sea
!
FISHES OF NEW YORK 539
‘bass may be taken in a day, and it is difficult to find a locality
which is free from them. Their food consists of shrimp, crabs,
sea worms, squid, small fishes and all other anima’‘s of suitable
size. The species is sluggish in its habits and resembles the tau-
tog in its tendency to hide in rock crevices. The sea bass breeds
in the summer months and the young grow rapidly. The eggs
have been hatched artificially, and when it becomes desirable the
fry can be produced in vast quantities. The eggs are vs inch in
diameter and hatch in 5 days in water at the temperature of
59° or 60° F. At Woods Hole Mass. they are deposited in June.
This is a valuable food fish, reaching a length of 18 inches
and the weight of 6 pounds.
Genus puLEes Cuvier
This genus is close to Prionodes, from which it differs
in the possession of but six branchiostegals, and in the truncate
form of the caudal fin. In one species the third dorsal spine
is prolonged in a whiplike-spine. Three American species.
265 Dules auriga (Cuv. & Val.)
Coachman
Dules auriga CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 112, pl. 51,
1829, Brazil; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 34, pl. 19, fig. 54, 1842, New
York harbor, perhaps erroneously so ascribed, but given on the author-
ity of Mr Hamilton; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 266, 1859; Tor-
DAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 542, 1883; JoRDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1220, 1896.
Serranus brasiliensis JORDAN, Proc. U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 533, 1886.
Serranus flaviventris JORDAN & HIGENMANN, Bull. U.S. F. C. VIII, 406, 1890.
Body rather deep and compressed, its depth contained two
and four fifths times in total length without caudal, and equal
to the length of the head; anterior profile steep and nearly
straight; mouth rather small, the lower jaw projecting; pre-
orbital rather narrow, as broad as pupil; eve two sevenths as
long as the head; snout one fourth length of head; top of head
naked; the frontal area large and well defined, broader than
long; occipital crest low and short, shorter than the frontal
area; teeth small, with no marked canines; length of maxillary
five twelfths length of head; gill rakers short and slender, nine
540 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
developed below the angle and from three to five rudiments;.
scales large, those above in series parallel with the lateral line;
scales on breast small. Third dorsal spine extremely long,.
reaching beyond middle of soft dorsal; other spines all short
and even; soft dorsal moderate, a little scaly at base; dorsal
not notched; caudal truncate; second anal spine about one third
as long as the head, equal to third, and a little stouter; pectoral’
about one half as long as the head.
D. X, 13; A. III, 7; scales 6-48-15, pores 45 to 50; B. 6.
Coloration in spirits brownish; a dark area from front of anal
up to soft dorsal; before this a whitish area; upper parts with:
faint, interrupted dark streaks along the rows of scales; a dark.
band upward from middle of base of ventrals; fins clouded.
Length 10 inches. (After Jordan & Hvermann) |
De Kay described a specimen 43 inches long as of a yellowish-.
gray color, with three or more dusky vertical bands, and with
ventral fins tinged with blackish toward their tips. He. re-
garded it as an accidental visitor from the tropics. The sub-
ject of his notes was an example seen several years prior to the ;
publication of his work in the collection of Mr Hamilton, who:
informed him that it had been taken in the harbor of New York.
There appears to be no later record of the occurrence of the:
species on our coast. De Kay refers to a specimen from
Jamaica, but the range is generally restricted to the coasts of _
Brazil and Uruguay.
Genus rypricus Cuvier _
Body oblong, compressed, covered with very small, smooth,.
embedded scales. Lateral line normal; head scaly. Mouth
rather large, oblique, the lower jaw the longer; maxillary with
a supplemental bone, as in Epinepbhelus, with which
genus this form agrees in general osteology; smooth area on
top of cranium very large, transversely convex, much longer’
than the supraoccipital crest; interorbital area very narrow;
parietal and supraoccipital bones short, with feeble crests:
which do not extend on the frontals; premaxillaries reaching:
frontals, which have a fossa in front; teeth all villiform, im
~
FISHES OF NEW YORK HAL
bands on jaws, vomer, and palatines; preopercle crescent-
shaped, without angle or serratures, but provided with two or
three spinous hooks on the posterior margin; opercle with two
or three spines; gill rakers short. Branchiostegals 7. Dorsal
fins separate, the first of two or three (rarely four) small spines,
the second of many (about 25) soft rays; anal long, rounded, of
soft rays only; caudal rounded; pectorals rounded, nearly
symmetrical, of 17 rays; ventrals small, I, 5, inserted slightiv
before pectorals, the spine short. and strong. Vertebrae
10+14—24. Skeleton generally similar to that of Epineph-
elus.
Subgenus rromicrorpTerus Gill
266 Rypticus bistrispinus (Mitchill)
Soapfish
Bodianus bisirispinus MircHiLt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 247, February, 1818,,.
Bahamas.
Rhypticus maculatus HOLBROOK, Ichth. 8. C. ed. 1, 39, pl. 6, fig. 2, 1856: ed. 2,
42, 1860, Cape Romain S. C.; GunruerR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 173,.
1858; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 543, 1883.
Rhypticus decoratus JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 543, 1883.
}
Rypticus bistrispinus JORDAN & EIGENMANN, Bull. U.S. F. C. VIII, 338, 18903.
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1233, 1896, pl. CX CIV,
fig. 509, 1900.
This species has a moderately deep body, its depth greater
than the length of the head, specially in the adult in which the
back is considerably elevated; profile of head much depressed
before eye, the sharp snout abruptly projecting. The length of
the head is one third of the standard body length; the depth of
body is contained from two and one third to two and two thirds.
times in its length; the eye in adult nearly as long as snout, its
length contained five and one half times in length of head;
maxillary three sevenths as long as the head, reaching to below
posterior margin of eye; preopercle with only two developed
spines, the uppermost usually wholly wanting; the median spine
often divided, the lower one largest and directed partly down-
ward; opercular spine ‘small; first dorsal spine a little lower
than second, which is nearly or quite free from the soft rays;
gill rakers short and thick, close set, eight to 10 in number.
DD 1l, 255A. 14. or 15.
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42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Ot
Color. Dusky olive brown, somewhat clouded; sides with a
few irregular whitish spots; young spotted with brownish.
South Atlantic coast, U. S., straying northward to coast of
Rhode Island. The species is frequently taken in moderately
deep water off Charleston, Pensacola and Key West. Mitchill
described it from the Straits of Bahama. The common name
is given in allusion to the soapy feeling of the skin. The fish is
small and has no value for food. Nothing is recorded of its
habits.
Family LOBOTIDAE
Triple-tails
Genus LoBoTEs Cuvier
Body oblong, compressed, and elevated, covered with moder-
ate-sized, weakly ctenoid scales; profile of head concave, the
snout prominent; mouth moderate, oblique, with thick lips;
upper jaw very protractile; lower jaw the longer; maxillary
without supplemental bone; jaws with narrow bands of villi-
form teeth, in front of which is a row of larger conical teeth
directed backward; no teeth on vomer or palatines; preorbital
narrower than eye; preopercle strongly serrate. Branchi-
ostegals six. Dorsal fin continuous, with 12 spines which may
be depressed in a shallow groove; soft rays of dorsal and anal
fins elevated; anal spines graduated; bases of soft dorsal and
anal thickened and scaly; caudal rounded. Air bladder present.
Pyloric caeca three. é
267 Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch)
Flasher ; Triple-tail
Holocentrus surinamensis Buocu, Ichthyol. pl. 248, 1790, Surinam.
Bodianus triurus MircuHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 418, pl. III,
fig. 10, 1815, Powles Hook, N. J.
Lobotes wuctorum GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 338, 1859.
Lobotes surinamensis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 319, 1830;
Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 88, pl. 18, fig. 49, 1842, New York;
HoLgBRook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1,159, pl.23, fig. 2, 1856; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 555, 1883; JorpAN & HvERMANN, Bull. 47,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 1235, 1896, pl. CXCIV, fig. 510, 1900; H. M. Smrru,
Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; Su—ERwoop & HpWARDs, Bull. Soe:
C. 1901, 28, 1901, Narragansett Bay.
The body is oblong, deep, its depth four ninths of its length
without the caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle three tenths
FISHES OF NEW YORK 543
of body depth; profile of head very oblique; nuchal region con-
vex; head short, its length less than one third of total without
caudal; lower jaw prominent; maxillary very heavy, extending
beyond middle of orbit, its width one half diameter of eye;
snout about equal to eye which is one sixth as long as the head;
scales around eye very small, those on opefcle large; first dorsal
Spine shortest, two thirds as long as the second, two fifths as
long as the third, one fourth as long as the fifth and longest,
which is three eighths as long as the head; the longest ray of
soft dorsal is one half as long as the head, and about equal to
the longest ray of the anal; anal spines graduated, the first
being two thirds as long as the eye and the third one fourth as
long as the head; the pectoral reaches to below the seventh
spine of the dorsal, its length one half the length of head; the
ventral origin is under the lower axil of the pectoral; the ven-
tral fin equals the postorbital part of the head in length, and
reaches to below the tenth spine of the dorsal. Base of soft
dorsal, anal, and caudal with fine scales. D. XI, I, 16; A. IIT,
11; V. 1,5; P. I, 15; scales 59 (pores about 58).
Blackish above, silvery gray on the sides, often blotched and
tinged with yellow; fins dusky gray, sometimes mingled. with
yellow. wi
The flasher is a large species, found in all warm seas, ranging. -
on our coast from Cape Cod to Panama; it reaches the length
of 3 feet and is used for food. At Woods Hole, according to
Dr Smith, it is very rarely taken. Specimens were secured,
however, in August 1873, December 1875, Sep. 20, 1886, and in
August 1890. The individual obtained in 1886 was caught in a
trap at Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard. The Rhode Island Fish
Commission has a specimen weighing 6 pounds and measuring 22
inches, which was taken Sep. 10, 1900, in a trap off Prudence
island, Narragansett bay. The example described and figured
by Mitchill was taken at Powles Hook N. J. According to
Mitchill specimens weighing four or five pounds were occas-
ionally secured, and the fish was sometimes called black grunt.
De Kay knew the fish only from the accounts ofxit given by
-Mitchill and Holbrook.
544 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Family PRIACANTHIDAE
Catalufas
Genus PRIACANTHUS Cuvier
Scales very small, 80 to 100 in the lateral line; body oblong,
more than twice as long as deep; preopercle with a spine at
angle; interorbital area externally transversely convex, the
eranium itself transversely concave, the elevation being formed
of flesh; a conspicuous foramen in the interorbital area; lateral
line extending upward and backward from upper angle of gill
opening toward second dorsal spine, below which it changes its
course, following outline of back to end of dorsal fin, thence
direct to middle of caudal; anal fin rather long, its rays about
III, 14; dorsal rays about X, 13. Species rather numerous, in
the tropical seas.
268 Priacanthus arenatus Cuv. & Val.
| Catalufa; Bigeye
Priacanthus arenatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. ITI, 101,
1829, Brazil; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 971, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1287, 1896, pl. CXCY,
fig. 511, 1900; H. M. Suirn, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100. 1898, Woods
Hole, Mass. Re
Priacanthus macrophthalmus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III,
97, 1829, based upon Anthias macrophthalmus Biocn, an Asiatic species;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 215, 1859; Jornpan & GineErRt, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 544, 1883.
Body oblong, compressed, moderately long, its greatest depth
about one third of the total length without caudal; the caudal
peduncle slender, its least depth equal to length of snout. The
head is rather short, about two sevenths of total without caudal;
the snout is short, one fourth as long as the head, and two
thirds as long as the eye; the interorbital space is narrow and
convex; the posterior nostrils are in a common oblong opening
within which is a septum considerably below the surface; gill
rakers 20 to 23; the maxillary is broad posteriorly and reaches
to below the front of the pupil; the lower jaw projects consider-
ably; preopercle with an oblique point at its angle; opercle with
‘a flat pointed spine, not projecting. Dorsal spines all slender,
the first only one half as long as the last and two ninths as
: apes
Ahir
:
(
o
FISHES OF NEW YORK DA!
long as the head; the anterior portion of the spinous dorsal is
regularly eraduated; no notch between the spines and soft rays
-and the soft rays are not longer than the spines; dorsal spines
more or less eranulate on the edges. Caudal slightly concave,
its lobes subequal, the middle rays nearly one half as long as
the head. Ventral origin slightly in advance of origin of spinous
dorsal; the fin reaches to a point nearly under the eighth spine
of the dorsal, but not to the anal origin. Pectorals about one
half as long as the head. First anal spine two thirds as long
as the third, and one-fourth as long as the head; the longest
anal ray is less than one half as long as the head. D. X, 14; A.
Til, 15; V. 1, 5; P. 1, 16; scales 9-98 to 115-42; pores wanting on
some of the scales.
Color, silvery red; anal, soft dorsal, and caudal with a black
edge; no spots on dorsal; posterior half of ventral black; about
eight small dark blotches along lateral line, the largest less than
one half as long as the pupil.
The catalufa is a native of the tropical parts of the Atlantic;
it has been recorded from Brazil, the West Indies, and Madeira,
and sometimes migrates northward in the Gulf Stream to
Narragansett Bay, Vineyard sound, and neighboring waters ita
‘summer. | 3
At Woods Hole it is rare; seven specimens were obtained in
September and October 1876, and afterward for several years
_ three or four were caught annually. On Oct. 2, 1888, a specimen
33 inches long was taken in a seine at Quisset Harbor.
Genus PSEUDOPRIACANTHUS Bleeker
Scales large, very rough, 35 to 50 in the lateral line; body
ovate, not twice as long as deep; preopercle with two small
spines at angle; interorbital space broad and flat, there being
little flesh between skin and skull; no foramen in _ inter-
orbital area; lateral line changing its course below the fourth
dorsal spine; anal short, its rays III, 9 to 11; dorsal X, 11.
Otherwise essentially as in Priacanthus, the species
diving in deeper water.
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546 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
269 Pseudopriacanthus altus (Gill)
Short Bigeye |
Priacanthus altus GILL, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 132, 1862, Narragansett.
Bay; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 545, 1883.
Pseudopriacanthus altus GooDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 20, 1879;.
JORDAN & HIGENMANN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 269, 1887; JoRDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1289, 1896, pl. CXOV, fig. 512,
1900; H. M. Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; op. cit. 1901, 33,
1901, Woods Hole, Mass.
Body ovate, compressed, its greatest depth one half of the
total length without caudal; the caudal peduncle short and
stout, its least depth two thirds of its length and equal to post-
orbital part of head. Profile little oblique; mouth large, sub-
vertical; snout short, one half as long as the eye, which is nearly
one half as long as the head; maxillary very broad posteriorly,.
its width nearly one half its length, extending to beyond the
middle of the pupil. Head large, nearly two fifths of total
length without caudal; teeth in upper jaw in a narrow villiform
band, the outer series enlarged; similar teeth in the lower jaw,,.
but the inner teeth larger than in the upper jaw; preorbital
strongly serrate, narrow, one half diameter of pupil; preopercle
serrate, the serrae of the lower margin largest; no preopercular
spine; opercle and subopercle serrate on their lower margins.
Dorsal spines from the first to the fifth graduated, the first two:
fifths as long as the fifth, which is as long as the snout and eye
combined; the last spine is one half as long as the head; the
first soft ray is two thirds as long as the head, and the longest
soft ray equals the length of the head without the snout, the
last dorsal ray is about as long as the first dorsal spine. The
caudal is slightly convex, its middle rays equal to snout and eye
combined. Anal spines graduated, the first one third as long as:
the head, the third nearly one half as long as the head; the
anterior soft rays are produced as in the dorsal, the longest as
long as snout and eye combined. The short and broad pectorals
are nearly one half as long as the head. Ventrals large, extend-
ing to the third spine of anal fin. Scales all extremely rough,
very strongly ctenoid, smallest on the head, but larger on the
FISHES OF NEW YORK DAT
maxilla than elsewhere on the head; lateral line ascending ovcr
the pectoral, then nearly following the outline of the back to
the caudal peduncle, where it becomes median.
D. X, 11; A. IIT, 9; scales 10-45-23.
Color in life bright red or crimson; the fins, except the pec- .
torals, with black tips; the eye glowing like molten gold
The species is found in rather deep water in the West Indies
and from the Caribbean to Charleston, the young often follow-
ing the Gulf Stream northward in summer to Capé Cod. The
largest individual recorded is 11 inches long. Most of the speci-
mens taken near Cape Cod are small. The northern limit of the
fish appears to be Marblehead Mass., where an example was
taken Sep. 3, 1859.
The type of the species was collected in Narragansett bay.
Individuals were obtained at Woods Hole Mass.,.Sep. 29, 1875,
Sep. 26, 1877 and Nov. 28, 1885. On Nov. 1, 1890, a specimen
was found in the Acushnet river, at New Bedford. In 1899 over
100 specimens were taken at Woods Hole, and in 1900 only nine
were observed between August 15 and September8. The writer
obtained the species in moderate numbers in the Gulf of
Mexico in 1886. The colors of large individuals appear to be
less brilliant than in the young, but the fish is always strikingly
handsome.
Family LuTIiANIDAE
Snappers
Genus NEOMAENIS Girard
Body oblong, compressed, the back somewhat elevated; head
long, naked above, except for a broad oblique band of scales at
the nape; nostrils normally close together, neither with a tube;
mouth large, the jaws with bands of villiform teeth, besides
which there is usually an outer series of larger teeth in each
jaw, and two to four stronger teeth or canines in front of upper
jaw; vomer with villiform teeth; villiform teeth on the pala-
tines; usually one or more patches of teeth on the tongue in
the adult; no molar teeth; no teeth on pterygoids; preopercle
without notch or with a shallow emargination; posterior limb
548 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
of preopercle finely serrate; gill rakers rather few, shortish; soft
rays of dorsal and anal scaly at base; dorsal spines 10 (rarely
11), continuous with the soft rays; caudal lunate or forked; anal
rays seven to nine. Interorbital area not flat nor separated:
from the occipital region, the median and lateral crests procur-
rent on, it, and the frontal narrowed forward; fronto-occipital
crest ceasing anteriorly far from front of frontal, usually be-
hind eye; prefrontal with posterior areas impressed, long and
cribriform; parietal crest not confluent with orbital rim, but
nearly or quite joined anteriorly to fronto-occipital crest (in
Species examined); prefrontals with the articular facets arising
from diverging V-shaped ridges; basisphenoid with an anterior
lobiform extension. Vertebrae 10+14—24.
270 Neomaenis griseus (Linnaeus)
Gray Snapper; Mangrove Snapper
Labrus griseus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 283, 1758.
Mesoprion griseus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 469, 1828,
San Domingo.
Lobotes emarginatus BAIRD & GIRARD, 9th Smithson. Rep. 332, 1855, Bees-
ley’s Point, N. J.
Mesoprion caballerote Pory, Repertorio, II, 157, 1868.
Lutjanus caballerote Pory, Syn. Pisce. Cubens. 293, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 921, 1888; GoopE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat.
Mus. VI, 42, 1884.
Lutjanus stearnsii GooDE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 179, 1878, Pensa-
. cola Fla.; Goopr, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 396, pl. 142, 1884.
Lutjanus griseus JORDAN & SwAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 489, 1884; JoRDAN
& FESLER, Rept. U.S. F. C. 1889 to 1891, 441, 1893.
Neomaenis griseus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1255, 1898;
H. M. Suiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; op. cit. 1901, 33, 1901.
Body elongate, its depth about one third of total length with-
out caudal; back not much compressed; profile from snout to
nape almost straight; outline of back slightly convex. Head
rather large, four elevenths of total length without caudal; the
snout pointed, one third as long as the head; eye small, two
thirds as long as the snout, rather more than one fifth as long
as the head; preorbital broad, about as broad as the interorbital
space which is gently convex and one sixth of length of head; _
occipital keel low. Mouth large, the jaws nearly equal in front;
FISHES OF NEW YORK 549
the maxillary reaches to below front of pupil, its length con-
tained two and three fifths times in length of head; eight
developed gill rakers on the first arch, one above and seven
below the angle, the longest one half as long as the eye;
there are seven rows of scales on the cheeks; the single patch
of lingual teeth twice as long as broad; vomerines in a tri-
angular patch on the head, with a long, narrow backward
extension; palatines in a broad band; scales extend upon the
membranes of the dorsal, anal and caudal fins for about one
half their hight, or rather more on the caudal; two very strong
canines in the upper jaw, and two much smaller ones between
these and the symphysis; mandible without enlarged canines;
preopercle finely serrate above, coarsely serrate at angle, the
posterior margin nearly vertical, with a broad and deep notch;
scales comparatively large, in horizontal rows below the lateral
line, those above lateral line running parallel with it till below
the soft dorsal, where they become slightly irregular and
oblique; seven rows of scales on cheek; an embedded row on
interopercle; a row on subopercle, and seven rows on opercle;
temporal region with about three rows of large scales; top of
head, snout, and jaws naked.
The first dorsal spine is one eighth as long as the head, one
half as long as the second and the last; the fourth and longest
Spine is one third as long as the head; the longest ray of the
soft dorsal is equal to the longest spine; the last ray is one half
as long as the upper jaw. The caudal is slightly emarginate,
the upper lobe slightly the longer, the middle rays five ninths
as long as the head. The first anal spine is three sevenths as
long as the third which is nearly as long, but not so strong,
as the second and nearly one fourth as long as the head; the
second anal ray is longest, nearly four ninths as long as the
head, and more than one seventh of total length without caudal.
Ventrals one fifth of total length without caudal; pectorals one
fourth of the same length, and scarcely reaching vent. B. VII;
D. X, 14; A. III, 8; V. I, 5; P. I, 16; scales 7-47 to 50-12 to 14;
A7 pores in lateral line.
en A AN NE Sh fh es a I TR tN ee alien es mM A
a oe ta
RO ES SE
_ LT A IE
550 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
. The edge of the spinous dorsal membrane is black. The
caudal has a narrow black margin. The included portion of the
maxilla is brown. The scales of the. body below the lateral line
have median golden stripes, as in some species of Mugil.
Color in life, very dark green above, the middle part of each
scale brassy black, its edge broadly pearly whitish; below
lateral line the duskiness of the middle of the scale passes into
brassy, and below into bright coppery, the belly and lower parts
of head being more or less distinctly bright coppery red; the
lower jaw grayish; no blue stripe below eye except in the very
young; top of head blackish olive; dorsal blackish, its margin
darker and tinged with maroon red; soft dorsal dusky, anteriorly
slightly edged with whitish; caudal violaceous or maroon black;
anal wine color, edged with whitish; pectorals pale flesh color;
ventrals whitish, faintly marked with reddish. Young with a
blackish band from snout through eye to nape; a blue streak
below eye; spinous dorsal with a maroon colored band along
edge.
The gray snapper inhabits the West Indies, the Caribbean
sea and southward to Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, and our Atlan-
tic coast northward regularly to New Jersey, and, frequently,
to Cape Cod. The fish is valuable as food; it probably reaches
a length of nearly 3 feet and the weight of 20 pounds. Only
young examples have been identified with certainty from the
Cape Cod region. On Sep. 21, 1897, a specimen, 24 inches long,
was taken in Eel pond, at Woods Hole Mass., and on Sep. 26,
1897, an individual 2 inches long was caught in Great Harbor,
Woods Hole. This is the first record of its occurrence in the
locality. On Aug. 29, 1900, five specimens, the largest 13 inches
long, were taken in Katama bay, near Woods Hole, according to
Dr Smith. In these “the general color is pale, with 6 to 8 nar-
row, dark, longitudinal stripes; spinous dorsal fin dark, with a
sharply defined blackish bar involving the distal part of the fin,
the extreme edge being white.”
271 Neomaenis blackfordi (Goode & Bean)
Red Snapper
Lutjanus blackfordii GoopE & BEAN, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. I, 176, 1878 (full
description of adult); IJ, 187, 188, 1879, characters and measurements
of young; GoopE, Game Fishes N. A., 16, 1878, with colored plate.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 551
Lutjanus blackfordi JORDAN & GILBERT. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 549, 1883;
BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 263, pl. XVI, fig. 20, 1890.
Lutjanus campeachianus JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 971 (not Mesoprion
campeachanus Porky, Mém. Cub. II, 149, 1860); JorpAN, Proc. U. 8. Nat.
Mus. VII, 35, 1884.
Neomaenis aya JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1264, 1898,
pl. CXCVII, fig. 516,1900 (not Bodianus aya Buiocn, Ichthyol. 227, 17890);
H. M. Smirg, Bull. U. 8. EF. C. 1897, 100, 1898.
Neomaenis blackfordi H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1801, 33, 1901.
Body much compressed; its upper profile ascending from the
snout, with a slight concavity in front of eye, to the origin of
the spinous dorsal, thence descending in a long curve to the
base of the caudal; under profile much less arched. Jaws equal.
Greatest hight of body equals length of head, which is three
eighths of total length without caudal. Least depth of caudal
peduncle equals one third of the distance from the snout to the
pectoral. Preoperculum finely and evenly serrated, except at
the angle, where the denticulations are coarser; a shght emar-
gination above the angle, in which is received an elevation upon
the interopercle, and two shallower emarginations above.
Maxillary not reaching to below front of orbit; mandible not
below middle of orbit. Lingual teeth in two patches. Vomer-
ine patch a quadrilateral figure, with concave sides, and with
the longest sides posteriorly. Palatine patches somewhat
spatulate, broadest posteriorly. Eye circular, its diameter con-
tained seven and one third times in length of head. Snout
nearly equal to maxillary. Mandible equal to one half hight
.of body at ventrals. Distance of spinous dorsal from snout about
three times length of snout; length of its base about equal to pec-
toral. Longest dorsal spine three times as long as the first, and
twice as long as the second anal spine; it is nearly as long as
the snout. The longest dorsal ray (sixth) is contained three
and one fourth times in the length of the head. The anal base
is a little longer than, the mandible; the first anal spine is one
half as long as the second, which is one third as long as the
ventral fin; the third spine is slenderer and slightly longer than
the second; the longest ray of the anal is twice as long as the
snout. Caudal much emarginate, crescent-shaped; the middle
552 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
rays two thirds as long as the outer. Pectoral midway between
snout and origin of anal, its length twice that of the maxillary.
Ventral as long as snout and eye combined, slightly more than
one half as long as head; it extends to below the eighth spine
of. the dorsal: ..B: VIE; Dux, 14:°A. TT, 94°V 21 ee
scales 8 to 9-50-15 to 16; gill rakers on lower arch, 8.
The scales extend half the length of the anal rays on the mem-
brane; on the external caudal rays they extend nearly to the
tip, and with slight traces upon the spinous dorsal in front of
the spines; and in the soft dorsal somewhat more extended.
Color uniform scarlet. Center of scales lighter, also the
belly, which is silvery; inside of axil of pectoral darker maroon.
On Oct. 26, 1887, Mr E. G. Blackford, Fish Commissioner of
the State of New York, forwarded to the National Museum a
young red snapper, four and one half inches long, which was
caught in Great South bay, at Bay Shore, Long Island. This is
the smallest red snapper that we have obtained, and it is the
first record of the occurrence of the species so far north. The
specimen has been catalogued as 39213 of the Museum Fish
Register.
As in other young fishes the size of the eye, the length of the
head and the colors are different from these characters in the
adult.
_A description of the colors of the fresh fish follows:
A dark band nearly as wide as the diameter of the eye is
placed immediately in front of the spinous dorsal; it fades out.
about the median line of the body. Three similar bands, and
of like size, under the dorsal, separated by narrow interspaces
and fading out below. The fourth band contains a blotch as
large as the eye, which passes slightly beneath the lateral line.
A fifth band is under the last third of the soft dorsal and con-
tinues backward to the caudal, not descending below the lateral
line. The second and third bands are traversed vertically by a
narrow median stripe of the rosy body color. Membrane of
dorsals and caudal with a narrow black edge. Spine and ex-
ternal ray of ventral milk white. Anal rosy, except membrane
of first two spines and last three rays, which is milk white.
FISHES OF NEW YORK DDD
On July 12, 1890, Mr Vinal N. Edwards obtained a specimen
of the red snapper, which weighed 12 pounds, from a bass trap
set in 10 feet of water, at Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard. Mr
Edwards believed this to be the first one taken on the Massa-
chusetts coast, but thought one was caught some years ago near
Block Island.
On October 10, 1890, a specimen weighing 84 pounds was
taken at the same place. On September 7 and 11, and October
20, 1900, nine specimens were taken in the vicinity of Woods
Hole Mass. and recorded in the article of Dr Smith. The largest
of these was under 2 inches long. Dr Smith described the colors
as follows: “General color, red like the adult fish; body marked
by about seven double dark cross-bands; in the cross-band
nearest the junction of the two parts of the dorsal fin is a large
jet black blotch extending from the fin to below the lateral line;
- spinous dorsal dusky; soft dorsal with a dusky median zone
and a dark edge; caudal pale, with a dark narrow border.”
The red snapper has become one of the most famous fishes
of our northern markets, and is always attractive on account
of its large size, brilliant color, and the excellence of its flesh.
We know that the species is to be found on our east coast from
Cape Cod to the Carribbean sea. It is rare, however, north of
Cape Hatteras and the principal fisheries are located off the
coasts of Georgia and Florida, and in the Gulf of Mexico.
When the red snapper was named in honor of Mr Eugene
G. Blackford, in recognition of his invaluable contributions to
the science of ichthyology, the describers of the species had
carefully considered the question of nomenclature and satisfied
themselves that none of the names known to them could with
certainty be associated with this fish. Various earlier names
have been suggested from time to time by several authors as
possibly available for the species. In 1883 Dr D-S. Jordan con-
sidered it to be the L. campechianus, described by Poey
in 1860. This, however, is a species with much smaller scales
if the description be accurate. The type has not been exam-
ined by any one in the United States so far as I am informed.
554 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
A little later Dr Jordan suggested that the name Lutjan us
vivanus of Guy. & Val. should be accepted for the red
snapper; but my examination of the types of this species in the
Museum at Paris showed it to be a small Lutjanus, and
very distinct in every way from L. blackfordi. In recent
lists Dr Jordan has adopted the specific name aya of Bloch,
published in 1787 in the Ausldindische Fische. This name was
used for a species of Lutjanus more than twenty years ago
by Dr Theodore Gill. |
I will now state what may be learned from the literature con-
cerning the aya. The Bodianus aya _ of Bloch is dis-
tinctly based upon the Acara aya _ of Maurice, prince of
Nassau, as set forth in his mss, tome 2, page 351. The plate
published by Bloch is copied from a drawing by Prince Maurice,
and his description is drawn from the same source. The fish
which formed the subject of the,description and illustration by
the prince of Nassau was the aya or Garanha of Brazil, .
a red species, said to attain to a length of 3 feet. The aya is
distinctly described as having 9 spines and 18 articulated rays
in the dorsal. It is represented as having 40 scales in the
lateral line, and the scales are said to be ornamented with sil-
very, submarginal stripes. Bloch was informed that the fish
was known to the French, Germans and English as the aya
- and to the Brazilians as the garanha. Elsewhere in the
description the general color is said to be red, the back dark
red, and the belly silvery. This is all the information to be
derived from Bloch’s account of the species, and if the data men-
tioned are to be relied upon, the fish is certainly not our red
snapper. We have no other knowledge concerning the aya
of Brazil. It has not been shown that our species ranges so far
south and several red forms resembling L. blackfordi are
associated with it. Various interpretations of the aya have
appeared in ichthyological works. Dr Giinther, in his Catalogue
of Fishes in the British Museum, vol. I, page 198, adopts the name
for a small-scaled Lutjanus, which has 65 scales in the
lateral line and 32 in a transverse series. Of this he has a fine
FISHES OF NEW YORK 5b
specimen from South America. A very curious translation of
the earlier descriptions of the aya is to be found in Lacépéde’s
account of the species, which is given below. The diagnostic
' characters. are stated as follows:
Nine spines and 18 articulated rays in the dorsal; one spine
and eight divided rays in the anal; the caudal crescent-shaped;
each opercle terminating in a long and flat spine; the general
color red; the back blood color; the belly silvery.
The author, in another part of his Natural History of Fishes,
writes:
A figure of the aya has been published by Marcgrave, Piso,
Willughby, Jonston, Ruysch, the prince of Nassau [Maurice]
and Bloch, who has copied the drawing of Prince Maurice. It
is found in lakes of Brazil. It frequently reaches a length of
one meter, and it is so plentiful that large numbers of this
species are salted or sun-dried for export. It may be very
desirable and, perhaps, sufficiently easy to acclimatize this large
and beautiful bodianus, the flesh of which is very agreeable to
the taste, in the fresh waters of Europe, and particularly in
lakes and ponds of France.
Family HAEMULIDAE
Grunters
Genus ORTHOPRISTIS Girard
Body moderately elongate, compressed, the back arched; head
compressed, the snout usually long; mouth rather small, placed
low; teeth in jaws in villiform bands, the outer teeth above
somewhat enlarged; eye moderate; preopercle with its verti-
cal limb straight, finely serrate or entire; gill rakers rather —
long and slender; dorsal spines rather slender, 12 or 13 in num-
ber, the fin usually not much notched; soft dorsal long and low,
usually with 15 or 16 rays, the membranes usually naked; anal
Spines small; caudal lunate. Scales rather small, those above
lateral line arranged in series not parallel with it; usually no
smaller accessory scales at base of the larger ones. This genus
contains a considerable number of species differing from
Pomadasis in the long anal fin, the smaller scales, and in
the less development of the dorsal spines. Nearly all the
species are American.
— _— Pa me be iar oman - ~
ee bear cee on = aed a mat 5 EY 2
<A ae mean er a rane ma ne Sane e
TR nny preter en Regn
556 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
272 Orthopristis chrysopterus (Linnaeus)
Pigfish; Hogfish :
Perca chrysopterad LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 485, 1766, Charleston, S. C.
Labrus fulvomaculatus MitTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 406, 1815,
New York.
Pristipoma fasciatum CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 285,
1830, New York, young; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 301, 1859,
New Orleans.
Haenwulon fulvomaculatum DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 84, pl. 7, fig. 21,
1842, New York; HoLBRoOoK, Ichth,S. C. 156, pl. 22, fig. 2, 1856.
Pristipoma fulvomaculatum GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 301, 1859,
' copied from HOLBROOK.
Orthopristis duplex GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bd. Surv. Zool. Fish, 15, pl. 9, figs.
1 to 4, 1859, Texas.
Pomadasys fulvomaculatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 551,
1883. .
Orthopristis chrysopterus BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. CG. VII, 142, pl. If, fig? 1,
1888; JORDAN & FESLER, Rept. U. S. F.C. 499, 1893; BEAN, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 366, 1897; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 1838, 1898, pl. CCX, fig. 541, 1900.
Body oblong, compressed, not much elevated. The depth of
the body is one third of the length, which is three and one third
times the length of the head; head long; snout conic; mouth
low and small, the maxillary barely reaching to the nostrils;
outer teeth slender and rather short; eye placed high, 44 in
head, nearly midway in its length, its diameter two thirds depth
of the broad preorbital; dorsal and anal entirely naked, with a
sheath of scales at base; anterior spines of dorsal higher than
the posterior, which are lower than the soft rays; anal spines
short, graduated; pectoral moderate, reaching past tips of ven-
trals; caudal forked, the upper lobe the longer. Length 1 foot
to 15 inches.
D. XII, 16; A. III, 12; Lat. 1, 75; pylorie caeca six.
Light brown, silvery below; sides with numerous orange
colored and yellow spots; those above the lateral line in oblique
series, those below in horizontal; vertical fins with similar spots;
head bluish with yellow spots; angle of mouth and gill mem-
branes with orange.
The pigfish ranges along the Atlantic coast from New York
southward; adult individuals are rarely seen even as far north
as New Jersey, but the young are common.
~
FISHES OF NEW YORK Dat
At Beesley’s Point N. J. Aug. 10, 1887, many young individuals
were taken in the seine. D. XII, 16; A. III, 18; scales, 75.
A dark stripe beginning on nape and dividing sends one branch
along the back on each side not far from dorsal outline; a dark
stripe from eye to root of caudal; cheeks and opercles with
several narrow orange stripes; a narrow orange stripe between
the two dark body stripes and another below the lower dark
stripe; below the second orange stripe with numerous orange
spots, not continuous. These specimens are from less than 1
inch to more than 2 inches long. ;
Young examples were seined at Somers Point, August 15, and
abundantly at Ocean City, August 16. The croaking sound
made by these little fishes is quite noticeable.
September 5, Mr W.S. Keates brought in two examples which
had been caught on a hook with clam bait; these are 54 inches
long, and much larger than the average size. Specimens from
4i to 5 inches long were caught at Beesley’s Point, August 23;
in these there is only a trace of the black lateral stripe along
the median line, and the sides have several broad, dark bands.
September 9 an individual 54 inches long was taken at Bees-
ley’s Point. This species is unknown to the fishermen. One
angler described its croaking as resembling the quacking of a
~ duck.
Several exaniples were taken in Gravesend bay, Oct. 24, 1894.
De Kay mentions it as a rare fish, but occasionally appearing,
he was informed, in New York harbor in considerable numbers.
He states that it is a very savory food.
Family sPARIDAE
Porgies
Genus sTENOTOMUS Gill
This genus is closeto Calamus, having the same quill like
interhaemal bones, the flattened incisors and antrorse dorsal
Spine mainly distinguishing it; temporal crest obsolete; frontal
bones not gibbous nor porous; antrorse spine attached to the
fourth interneural by a downward projecting spine about thrice
as long as the spine; laferal crest nowhere coalescing with the
558 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
supraoccipital crest; interorbital area flattish, with two low
ridges, a small foramen in each of these above front of pupil;
interorbital area much contracted anteriorly; a strongly pro-
jecting prefrontal process, which makes an acute angle with the
supraorbital. American shore fishes. -
273 Stenotomus chrysops (Linnaeus)
Scup; Porgy; Sand Porgee
Sparus chrysops LANNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 471, 1766, Charleston S. C.
Sparus argyrops LINNAEvS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 471, 1766, Charleston S. C.
young.
ace pe MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. ¥. I, 404, pl. 10,
, 1815, New York.
Selves arenosus DE Way, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 91, pl. 22, fig. 67, 1842, Long
Island, young.
Pagrus argyrops DE KAY, op. cit. 95, pl. TX, fig. 25, 1842; adult; Conn
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 472, 1859:
Sargus ambassis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 449, 1859, New York.
Diplodus argyrops JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 557, 1883.
Stenotomus argyrops GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 17, 1879, Cape
Ann Mass.
Stenotomus chrysops BEAN, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. VII, 142, 1888; 19th Rep.
Comm. Fish. N. Y. 261, pl. XIV, fig. 18, 1890; JornpAN & ESLER, Rept.
U. S| F. C. 1889 to 1891, 507, 1898; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.
IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smitru, Bull. U.S. F. C. 1897, 100, 1898; JoRDAN & -
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1346, 189188, pl. CCXI, fig. 544, 1900;
BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1900; SHERWOOD &
EDWARDS, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 28, 1901.
Body ovate-elliptic, compressed, its greatest depth nearly one
half of total length without caudal; anterior profile steep, nape
convex,a strong depression above and in front of eye; least depth
of caudal peduncle one fourth of greatest depth, and equal to
postorbital part of head. Head short and deep, its length con-
tained three and one fourth to three and one half times in total
without caudal; snout one third as long ag head; eye one fourth
to one fifth as long as head, much narrower than the preorbital;
mouth small, terminal, the maxillary reaching to below the pos-
terior nostrils; incisor teeth very narrow, almost conical; molars
in two rows above; cheeks short and deep, with four rows of
scales; top of head, snout, orbitals, and chin naked; gill rakers
small, about 6+10 on first arch; temporal crest obsolete; supra-
occipital crest continuous with the frontal bones; a procumbent
FISHES OF NEW YORK D09
spine in front of the dorsal; first dorsal spine as long as the eye;
third, and longest, dorsal spine as long as the head without the
snout; last dorsal spine nearly one third as long as head; soft
dorsal highest in the middle, its longest ray (sixth) equal to
snout. Caudal deeply forked, its middle rays two fifths as long
as the external, and equal to snout. First anal spine three
fourths as long as the eye; second and third about equal, two
sevenths as long as the head; soft rays rather short, the first and
second about as long as the snout. Pectoral long, reaching to
above the second ray of the anal. Ventral four. fifths as long
as the head, reaching nearly to vent. D. XII, 12; A. III, 11; V.
1,5; P. 1, 15. Scales 8-50-16.
Color silvery, with bright reflections, dusky above, upper part
of head deep brown; dorsal horn color, the last rays with a yel-
lowish tinge; axil of pectoral dusky; young with five or six dusky
bars; iris golden, mottled with silvery and brownish. Length,
about 1 foot.
The scup is one of our best known fishes. In many places it
is better known under the name porgee. Mitchill and De Kay
described it as the big porgee. Another spelling for the same
name is pogy. Scup is an abbreviation of scuppaug, which in
turn is a shorter form for the Narragansett name, mishcuppauog.
The name fairmaid, which is said to be given to the scup on the
Virginia coast, does not rightfully belong’ to this species, but
rather to the sailor’s choice (Lagodon). The name fairmaid
is regularly applied to the latter species at Cape Charlies Va.
according to B. A. Bean. In Norfolk Va. Mr Bean heard the
name maiden for the young of the common scup.
The scup seldom migrates north of Cape Cod, though it has
been taken occasionally off Cape Ann. Attempts to introduce
it into Massachusetts bay have been unsuccessful.
The scup comes into our northern waters in great schools, the
large spawning fish coming first, making their appearance in
New York waters in May. The species feeds upon small crus-
taceans, mollusks and annelids, and is one of the readiest biters
along the coast. The fishery fluctuates greatly; in certain years
3
t_spec
560 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the fish is comparatively scarce, and in others it is extremely
abundant. It is caught in pounds and traps, and remains in
Great South bay till cold weather sets in. It has been taken
on Cape Cod as late as December 10. Sometimes a sudden cold
spell kills the fish in large numbers.
In 1890 we found only a few specimens at Fire Island and at
East Island, late in September, and on October 1 a few examples
were taken in a trap at Islip. In 1898, adults were taken in
moderate numbers off Southampton, August 3. Half grown
specimens were obtained at Islip, August 18. A single young
individual was seined at Nichols’s Point, September 1, and a
moderate number of young, about 2 inches long, were secured
at the east side of Fire Island-inlet, September 16. In 1901 small
Scup, about 6 inches long, were obtained in a gill net, August 138,
and in Watts’s pound, July 31, in Clam Pond cove.
The scup arrives in Gravesend bay in May, and is taken as late
as November. In captivity it lives till December, and in prop-
erly heated water it can. be kept indefinitely. It is thrifty, and
is seldom in bad condition.
At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, the fish appears
about May 1 and leaves about October 15 or 20, being most
abundant in June and July. Spawning occurs during first part
of June, and young 4 inch to # inch long are observed by the
middle of July. The eggs are s« inch in diameter and hatch in
four days at a mean temperature of 62°F. In 1900, the scup
arrived off Newport April 21, at Cutty Hunk April 26, and at
Woods Hole May 1. Hundreds of young are killed there an-
nually by a sudden fall of temperature. The growth of the
young is recorded by Sherwood and Edwards as follows: July
3, length $ to 14 inches; August 2, 14 to 2 inches; September 6,
2 to 3 inches; September 29, 3 to 4 inches; November 1, 4 inches.
The largest individual observed weighed 3 pounds.
The young are devoured in large numbers by cod, weakfish,
bluefish and other predaceous species.
FISHES OF NEW YORK - 561
Genus taGcopon Holbrook ~ »
The essential character of this genus is in the form of the
skull. Supraoccipital and temporal crests nowhere coalescent,
the interorbital area not swollen; frontal bone in the interorbital
area thin, concave in transverse section; temporal crest low, sepa-
rated from supraoccipital crest by a flattish area which extends
forward on each side of supraoccipital crest and to groove of
premaxillary spines. Otherwise essentially asin Archosar-
gus, the antrorse dorsal spine present, the second interhaemal
not modified. One species, the incisors deeply notched.
274 Lagodon rhomboides (Linnaeus)
Sailor’s Chowce
Sparus rhonboides LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 470, 1766, Charleston S. C.
Sargus rhomboides CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, ‘Hist. Nat. Poiss. VI, 68, pl.
143, 1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 93, pl. 71, fig. 228, 1842, copied
from CUVIER & VALENCIENNES; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 447,
1859. :
Diplodus rhomboides JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 558, 1883.
Lagodon rhomboides HoLBrook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 56, pl. 8, fig 1, 1856;
ed. 2, 59-860;- BEAN, Bull. U.. S. F.C. VII, 142,: 1888; 19th Rep.
Comm. Fish. N. Y. 268, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 366, 1897;
H. M. Situ, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JonDAN & HVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. 8. Nat. Mus. 1858, 1898, pl. CCXV, fig. 552, 1900.
Body ovate, elliptic, compressed, and somewhat elevated, the
axis of the body near the middle of its depth; snout about in the
axis. The depth of the body is contained two and one third times
in its length. Head rather sharp, the length contained three
and one half times in that of the body. Mouth small, the upper
jaw more freely protractile than usual. Molars in two series;
anterior incisors each deeply notched. Cheeks with 5 or 6 rows
of scales; scales on the breast little reduced in size. A procum-
bent spine before the dorsal fin; dorsal spines high, much higher
than soft rays, the fourth highest; second anal spine little larger
or longer than the third. Pectoralg as long as the head; ventrals
two thirds as long, not reaching to vent. D. XII, 11; A. III, 11.
Scales 8-66-18.
Brownish, white below; sides of head and body with horizon-
tal stripes of light blue and golden; six or seven very faint
562 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM .
darker vertical bands, disappearing with age; vertical fins yel-
lowish, with bluish stripes; a dark axillary spot. |
This is called the salt water bream by Schoepff and the rhom-
boidal porgee by DeKay. In Chesapeake bay it is the fairmaid.
It is also called pinfish, squirrel fish, porgee, yellowtail and
shiner. In Great South bay the name of the fish was unknown
to the fishermen, and this is true in Great Egg Harbor bay,
where the young are not uncommon in summer. }
In Gravesend bay it is not a common fish, but is found occa-
sionally in summer.
A. single individual was obtained at Fire Island, October 1.
The sailor’s choice occurs as far north as Cape Cod, but it is not -
present in sufficient numbers to be considered among the impor-
tant food fishes; south of Cape Hatteras, where it is abundant,
it is valuable for food, and in many places is considered supe-
rior to sheepshead; this is specially so-in the St John’s river.
The sailor’s choice feeds upon small invertebrates and min-
nows. It is caught with the hook and in cast nets and seines.
The eggs are described as pale blue in color and as large as
mustard seed. Spawning takes place in the Gulf of Mexico in
winter or early spring. The colors of the fish are very beauti-
ful, the sides being ornamented with golden stripes on a pearly
white ground and having numerous dark vertical bands.
Genus ARCHOSARGUS Gill
Body robust, short and deep, compressed, covered with large
scales. Head deep, mouth moderate, the jaws with broad in-
cisors in front and coarse molars on the sides; incisors entire or
with a shallow notch; posterior nostril slitlike; opercles entire.
Dorsal and anal spines strong, the soft parts of the fin short
and rounded; a procumbent spine before the dorsal; caudal
forked. Gill rakers small. Supraoccipital and temporal crests
coalescent anteriorly, both disappearing in the gibbous inter-
orbital 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 the
lateral crest, which merges into the supraoccipital above eye.
4
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-
a
‘
tae
pal
FISHES OF NEW YORK 563
This genus, like Lagodon,Stenotomusand Otrynter,
which show the same character of the procumbent dorsal spine,
is confined to American waters. There are two color types in
the genus, one group being made up of the species with broad
black crossbands, the other of species with golden streaks
and inconspicuous crossbands, resembling the species of
Lagodon. 3
Subgenus ARCHOSARGUS
275 Archosargus probatocephalus (Walbaum)
Sheepshead
Sparus probatocephalus WALBAuM, Art. Gen. Pisc. 295, 1792, New York.
Sparus ovis MircHitu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. 1, 392, pl. 2,. fig. 5,
1815, New York.
Sargus ovis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VI, 53, 1830;
De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 89, pl. 8, fig. 23, 1842; HotBrook, Ichth.
Sn ct. ool pl) 8, ie, 2, 1856; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I,
447, 1859.
Diplodus probatocephalus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 558,
1883.
Archosargus probatocephalus GiL_t, Cat. Fish. East Coast N. ‘A. 27, 1873;
Bean, Bulle Bo So eC: VIF, 142; pl. TIT, fie, 10, 1888, Somers Point
N.'J., young; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 262, pl. XV, fig. 19, 1890;
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 1X, 366, 1897; Hi. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C.
1897, 101, 1898; JoRDAN & EiVERMANN, Bull.,47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1361,
1898, pl. CCX YI, fig. 554, 1900.
Body robust, becoming deep with age, the back compressed
and elevated, the greatest depth from two fifths to one half of
total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal peduncle
equal to eighth dorsal spine, and three eighths length of head.
Head one third or nearly one third of total length without
caudal; eye placed high, one fifth to one fourth length of head;
interorbital space one third greater than diameter of eye;
mouth low, horizontal; maxillary reaching nearly to below front
of pupil, slightly more than one third as long as the head;
incisors entire or slightly notched, serrate in the young, their
breadth about one half their length; molars in three series
above, in two below; those of the inner series larger; those
behind the incisors very small. Gill rakers about 3+6.
Cheeks with six rows of scales; scales on breast very
small, crowded. Occipital crest broad. Dorsal spines very
564 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Strong, the last considerably shortened so that the outline of
the fin is emarginate, the fifth spine longest, four sevenths as
long.as the head, the first spine shorter than the eye; the third
and fourth soft rays longest, two fifths as long as the head.
The second anal spine more than twice as long as the first, very
strong, two fifths as long as the head, and as long as the longest
soft ray. Pectoral very long, longer than the head, and reach-
ing nearly to or, sometimes, beyond the anal origin. Ventral
large, one fifth of total length without caudal, pet to be-
low 19th spine of the dorsal.
D. KAY; 10 to 123A) TN, 10°¢to 113°. 1) 5s Pa ea
7 to 8-45 to 48-15 to 16.
Grayish, with about eight vertical black bands, which ces
about as broad as the interspaces; dorsal dusky; ventral and
anal black; base of pectoral dusky; the dark bands are most
distinct in the young.
The sheepshead ranges along the coast from Cape Cod to,
Texas; it is very rare as far north as Woods Hole Mass., but in
southern waters it is still abundant. The species reaches a
length of 30 inches and the weight of 20 pounds; it is-one of
the most valuable of our food fishes and is highly prized for
its game qualities.
In August 1887, the sheepshead was known to have bred in
Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., where about 20 young individuais
measuring from 1 inch to 14 inches were seined between August
10 and September 9. Adults at that time were present in the
bay, but they were scarce. The bottom was covered with algae
and convenient hiding places were found under the sod banks. —
The fish is very unusual in Gravesend bay, Long Island. A
large individual, weighing 13 pounds, was caught September 16,
1897, at Coney Island. That example proved hardy in captivity
and the sheepshead generally can be easily kept if the water
temperature be properly maintained, .
The sheepshead was at one time common in Great South bay.
For this statement we have the authority of Mr Erastus Gordon,
of Patchogue, and the following account from Dr Mitchill’s
4
FISHES OF NEW YORK 565
Fishes of New York will substantiate the fact: “ The sheepshead
swims in shoals and is sometimes surrounded in great numbers
by the seine. Several hundreds have often been taken at a sin-
gle haul with the long sweeping-nets in use at Raynortown,
Babylon and Fire Island. They even tell of a thousand brought
to land at a draught. . . This fish is sometimes speared by torch-
light in the wide and shallow bays of Queens county and Suffolk.
His term of continuance is only during the warmest season;
that is, from the beginning of June to the middle of September. *
_... 1 have, however, known him to stay later; for one of the
most numerous collections of sheepshead I ever saw in the New
York market was on October 4, 1814; I have seen them as late
as the 17th.”
Scott, in 1875, referred to Fire Island as a good locality for
| sheepshead fishing, and also mentions superior feeding places
in the South bay and about the wreck of the Black Warrior,
near the Narrows. 3
We did not obtain the sheepshead in Great South bay, and
believe it occurs there very rarely at the present time, though
fishermen still seek them in a few localities and, I am informed,
occasionally catch one. Dr Smith says not one has been seen
or heard of in Vineyard sound or Buzzards bay since 1894; but
formerly it was quite common and was often caught while line-
fishing for tautog and seup.
Family GERRIDAE
-Mojarras
Genus Evcinostromus Baird & Girard
Interhaemal bone of the second anal Spine greatly modified,
expanded into a hollow cylinder, into which the posterior end
of the air bladder enters. Preopercle and preorbital entire;
body comparatively elongate, subelliptic in form; anal spines
three; the second anal spine and fourth dorsal spine not greatly
enlarged. Species numerous in warm seas, remarkable for the
structure of the second interhaemal, which is formed somewhat
as in Calamu S, but much more modified than in the latter
genus.
SS As ST Pha SNS PRR pe le ht a SED
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ON a a a NT CLEMO Beet ene Soro
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566 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
276 Eucinostomus gula (Cuy. & Val.)
Mojarra de Ley; Silver Jenny,
Gerres gula CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VI, 464, 1830,
Martinique; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 346, 1859.
Eucinostomus argenteus BAIRD & GIRARD, 9th Smithson. Rep. 345, 1855,
Beesley’s Point, N. J.
Gerres argenteus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 584, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 188, 1888, Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J.
Eucinostomus gula JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1370,
1898; H. M. SmirH, Bull. U. S: F. ©. 1897, 101, 1898; BEAN, 52d Amne
f Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1900. .
Body elliptic, compressed, back moderately elevated, the
greatest depth contained two and two fifths times in total length
without caudal. Head short, pointed, its length three tenths
of total without caudal; mouth small, the maxillary reaching
slightly past the vertical from the front of orbit; exposed por-
tion of maxillary nearly oblong, its length twice its width, and
equal to one fourth or one fifth the length of the head; pre-
orbital and preopercle entire; snout two sevenths and interor-
bital width one third length of head; eye one third length of
head. Gill rakers small and weak, seven below the angle of
first arch; premaxillary groove scaly in front, posterior part
naked forming a sort of pit. Longest dorsal spine two
thirds as long as head. Second anal spine shorter and stronger
than third, about three tenths as long as the head. Ventrals
reach nearly to vent, five sevenths as long as head. Pectorals
reach front of anal, and equal one third of total length without
caudal. Second interhaemal hollow and enlarged.
D. IX, 10; A. III, 8; scales 5-42 to 45-9; vertebrae 9+15.
Color silvery, greenish, darker above; no distinct longitudinal
lines except in very young; upper margin of spinous dorsal more
or less black; dorsal and anal fins dusky; other fins pale.
The silver jenny occurs from Cape Cod to Brazil and the West
Indies; only the young come far north in Summer. The species
reaches a Jength of 5 inches and is used for bait.
At Woods Hole Mass., writes Dr Smith, the species is usually
very uncommon. In 1897 five specimens were taken at one
seine haul in Quisset harbor on August 14; two in the same
FISHES OF NEW YORK 56T
locality September 7, and one in Eel Pond on September 23;
all of these were 1 to 2 inches long. On October 5 the fish was
abundant in Quisset harbor.
Young fish of this species were obtained in siinerane at Bees-
ley’s Point, Somers Point, and Ocean City N. J. in August 1887.
No adults were seen.
The only individual observed in Great South bay was. a very
small one, seined in Clam Pond cove, Aug. 22, 1898. Diligent
search was made for the species in 1901, but no specimens were
taken.
Family KyPHOSIDAE
Rudder fishes
Genus KypuHosus Lacépéde
Body elongate-ovate, regularly elliptic, moderately com-
pressed; head short, with blunt snout; eye large; mouth small,
horizontal; maxillary barely reaching front of eye; each jaw
with a single series of rather narrow obtusely lanceolate
incisors, implanted with compressed conspicuous roots poste-
riorly; behind these a narrow band of villiform teeth; fine teeth
on vomer, palatines, and tongue. Branchiostegals seven; gill
rakers long. Preopercle obtusely serrate; preorbital narrow,
covering but little of the maxillary. Squamation very com-
plete, the space between and about the eyes being the only naked
part; scales smallish, thick, ctenoid, 60 to 70 in the lateral line,
which is continuous; similar scales entirely covering the soft
parts of the vertical fins, and extending upon the paired fins.
Dorsal fin low, with about 11 spines, which are depressible in
a groove of scales, the fin continuous, but the last spines low,
so that a depression occurs between the two parts of the fin,
the bases of the spinous and soft parts about equal; soft dorsal
rather low in front, not falcate, pointed behind; anal similar
to soft dorsal, with three spines; caudal fin moderately forked;
pectoral fins small, ventrals well behind them. Intestinal canal
long; pyloric caeca very numerous. Vertebrae 9 or 10415 or
BO. = 2
FES OR IS TON Ee en ee
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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
277 Kyphosus sectatrix (Linnaeus)
Bermuda Chub
Perca sectatrix LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 486, 1766.
Pimelepterus bosciti CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VII, 258,
pl. 187, 1831; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 100, pl. XX, fig. 56, 1842,
copied from Cuv. & VAL.; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus, 561, 1883. |
Kyphosus sectatrix JORDAN & FESLER, Rept. U. S. F. C. 1889 to 1891, 525,
1893; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smiru,
Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jonpan & HvERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. |
Nat. Mus. 1887, 1898, pl. CCXIX, fig. 559, 1900.
Body ovate-elliptic, somewhat compressed, its greatest hight »
two fifths of the total length without caudal; the least depth of
caudal peduncle nearly-one half length of head. Head short,
one fourth of total length without caudal; snout short; mouth
small, the maxillary reaching to below front of orbit; teeth
35 to 40 on each side, their horizontal process not much longer
than the vertical; width of interorbital space two fifths length
of head; eye equal to snout, and more than one fourth length
of head; top and sides of head finely scaled; interorbital region
gibbous; preopercle serrulate; gill rakers long. Longest dor-
sal spine equals snout and is nearly one fifth depth of body;
longest ray of soft dorsal two sevenths as long as the head.
The second anal spine is about two thirds as long as the eye;
the longest anal ray is one third as long as the head. Caudal
deeply forked, the middle rays about one half as long as the
outer, which are nearly as long as the head. Pectoral two
thirds as long as the head, and equal to ventral, which reaches
to below the ninth spine of the dorsal. Soft dorsal and anal
closely scaled; most of caudal scaly.
D. XII, 12; A. III, 11; V. I, 5; P. i, 16; scales 10-66-16; ver:
tebrae 9416. |
Color in life dusky or steel gray, very slightly bluish, not much
paler below; the edges of each row of scales on back and sides
slightly brassy so that very faint yellowish stripes alternate
with bluish ones of about equal width; the stripes thus formed
vary from 25 to 34 in number. A diffuse pale stripe below the
eye; a yellowish one above and below this; fins all dull grayish;
ventrals and anal blackish; edge of opercle slightly darker.
5 let
FISHES OF NEW YORK 569
_ The Bermuda chub grows to the length of 18 inches. It ranges
from Cape Cod to the West Indies, the Gulf of Mexico, across
the ocean to the Canary Islands, and is accidental in the Med-
iterranean. Its name of rudder fish refers to its habit of fol-
lowing vessels, presumably to secure the waste food thrown
from them. The fish is said to have game qualities.
At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, the species is
not rare in summer and fall and has occasionally been found
in April; it is sometimes taken among gulf weed at the surface.
Only young specimens, up to 6 inches long, have been secured
Bierce
The Bermuda chub is a rare fish in Gravesend bay, but was
found there in October 1896, and in September 1897. It has great
endurance in captivity and will survive the winter in artificially
heated water.
Family SscClAENIDAE
Croakers
Genus cynoscron Gill
Body elongate, little compressed, the back not elevated. Head
conical, rather pointed; mouth very large, terminal, not very
oblique, the lower jaw projecting, the symphysis produced, the
angle at base of maxillary not prominent. Maxillary very
broad. Teeth sharp, not closely set, in rather narrow bands;
tip of the lower jaw without canines; upper jaw with two long
canines, ohe of which is sometimes obsolete; canines tapering
from base to tip; lateral teeth of lower jaw larger than anterior.
Preopercle with its membranaceous edge serrulate, the bone
entire. Lower pharyngeal bones separate, their teeth all
pointed. Gill rakers strong, rather long. Vertebrae about
14410 (instead of 10+14 as in sciaenoids generally). Pseudo-
branchiae well developed; dorsal spines slender, the fins closely
contiguous; anal spines one or two, very feeble, the soft rays
seven to 13; second dorsal long and low, more than twice length
of anal; ventrals inserted below pectorals, the pubic bene long
and strong; caudal fin subtruncate or lunate. Large fishes
chiefly of the waters of America, closely related to the Old
World genus Otolithus, from which they are distinguished
ee es
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70 . NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
by the absence of canines in the lower jaw. All of them rank
high as food fishes; the flesh is rich, but in some species tender
and easily torn, hence the popular name weakfishes. |
Subgenus CyYNOSCcION
278 Cynoscion regalis (Bloch & Schneider) é
Weakfish ; Squeteague mn
Johnius regalis BLocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 75, 1801, New York.
Roccus Comes MircHiny, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 26, 1814, New York.
Labrus squeteague Mrrcwiti, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 396, pl. 2,
fig. 6, 1815, New York.
Otolithus regalis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 67, 1830; ~
DE Kay, N. Y¥. Fauna, Fishes, 71, pl. 8, fig. 24, 1842: GunruErR, Cat.
Vish. Brit. Mus. II, 307, 1860.
Cynoscion regale GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 18, 1862; JorpAN & GIL-
BERT, Bull. 16, U. S.: Nat. Mus. 581, 1883; Brean, Bull. U. S| EC.
VII, 140, pl. II, fig. 6, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 257, pl. XIII,
fig. 15, 1890. : |
Cynoscion regalis GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 17, 1879, Cape
Ann; Brean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 367, 1897; Jorpan & EvEr-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1407, 1898, pl. CCXX, fig. 562, 1900;
H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F..C., 1897, 101, 1898; Buan, 52d Ammen:
N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1900; SHeRwoop & Epwarps, Bull. U. 8. F. C.
190M, 297 LO0d: | - |
Body elongate, little compressed, its greatest depth contained
four aud one fourth times in the total length without caudal;
the least depth of caudal peduncle one third length of head,
which is three tenths of total length without caudal. Eye
moderate, three fourths length of snout, and one fifth to one
seventh length of head. Maxillary reaching to below hind mar-
gin of eye, its length nearly two fifths length of head. Teeth
sharp, in narrow bands; canines large. Gill rakers long and
sharp, 5 above and 11 below the angle of the first arch. The
second and longest dorsal spine is two fifths as long as the head;
the first spine is one third as long as the head; the last two
spines are very short; the longest soft ray of the dorsal is one
third as long as the head. Caudal lunate behind, the longest
rays equal to the head without the snout. The anal base is as
long as the snout and eye combined; the longest ray slightly
exceeds the base of the fin. Pectoral about equal to postorbital
part of head and about one sixth of total length without caudal.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 5T1L
Ventral about one half as long as the head, reaching to below
the seventh spine of the dorsal.
D. X, I, 26 to 29; A. 1, 11 to 13; scales 8—78-17,-about 66 pores
in jJateral line.
_ Silvery, darker above and marked with many small, irregular
dark blotches, some of which form undulating lines running
downward and forward; back and head with bright reflections;
dorsal and caudal fins dusky; ventrals, anal, and lower edge of
caudal yellowish, sometimes speckled. The young show traces
of a few dusky bands on the sides, one under the spinous dorsal
being most plainly marked, and extending to below the median
line.
The weakfish, so called in Dr Mitchill’s Fishes of New York,
appears also in his report as the squeteague and checouts, the
former being a Narragansett Indian name and the latter derived
from the Mohegans. The Narragansett name is sometimes
spelled scuteeg. Chickwick is the Connecticut name for the
Species; on Cape Cod, because of the sound produced by the
fish, it is called the drummer; large weakfish in Buzzards bay
are termed yellow fins. In Great Egg Harbor bay the name blue-
fish is applied to it, notwithstanding the presence of the real
bluefish (Pomatomus). On our southern coast we hear the
names trout, with its variations gray trout, sea trout, shad
trout, sun trout and salt-water trout. The latter name is used
to distinguish it from the fresh-water trout of the southern
states, which is the black bass. Dr Mitchill thus accounts for
the name weakfish: “He is called weakfish, as some say, be-
cause he does not pull very hard after he is hooked; or, as others
allege, because laboring men who are fed upon him are weak by
reason of the deficient nourishment in that kind of food.” De
Kay explains the name from the feeble resistance the fish makes
on the hook and the facility with which it breaks away from it
by reason of its delicate structure. At the time of De Kay’s
writing in 1842, and for some years previously, the weakfish
was present on our coast in diminished numbers. The blue-
fish was then present in abundance and the disappearance of the
572 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ~*
weakfish was supposed to be connected with the reappearance
of the bluefish. A similar observation was made by Dr Storer —
on the Massachusetts coast. Again, at Woods Hole Mass. in
1900, the weakfish was remarkably abundant, the traps at Men-
emsha having taken 10,000 in a single day; the bluefish, on the —
other hand, was unusually scarce during the entire season, not
over 50 having been recorded from the adjacent bay and sound.
The weakfish ranges from the Bay of Fundy to the east coast
of Florida. It fluctuates in abundance from year to year. The
late Capt. N. E. Atwood is authority for the statement that in
1845 the weekly supply in the New York markets was not above
1000 pounds.
The species feeds in the channels upon shrimp, crabs and ,
| ‘small fish. In Great South bay we found them eating large
: Hi quantities of anchovies, and the same observation was made in ;
al} one of the inlets of Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. The fish enters |
the mouths of rivers and migrates freely with the tide.
The species swims in large schools near the surface and is.
very voracious, destroying the young even of its own kind. A
specimen of about 4 pounds, taken at Islip October 1, 1890, had
in its stomach a weakfish weighing about 6 ounces. Fish of
4 pounds and a little larger were moderately abundant ay this |
date. |
Weakfish spawn in New York waters in May, ana at Cape
Cod about the first of June. The egg is +inch in diameter and
hatches in two days at an average temperature of 60° F. Itis
——— — - ~ -
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buoyant and, under-natural conditions, is subject to the influ-—
ence of wind and current. The spawning season is evidently |
prolonged in some localities; in Great Egg Harbor bay, for
Se
example, young weakfish only 14 inches long were taken in Au-
gust, that is, several months after spawning began.
The earliest arrival in New York was on May 12, 1889, at
| Great Hills, Gifford, Staten Island. During the latter part of
. i _ August 1889, the west channel of Great South, bay furnished
yi great numbers of weakfish. The young were found in Blue |
Point cove late in September; also some half grown individuals.
FISHES OF NEW YORK p 573
The fish are in their finest condition during the fall migration
in September and October. On September 21, 1887, two men
caught 200, including some very large ones, on a single tide near
the inlet of Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. The most favorable
tide for catching this species is generally considered the latter
half of the flood and first half of the ebb. At night the weak-
fish runs up the creeks to feed in the salt meadows and will take
the hook freely.
Some of the best baits for the weakfish are the common
shrimp, soft or shedder crabs, pieces of clam and common mus-
sel, the white skin of the throat of weakfish, and sometimes
the eye of this species; other good baits are silversides and
anchovies. In Great South bay the fish are taken extensively
in pound nets and gill nets. The gill nets are set in the shape
of a horseshoe, and the attending sloop sails back and forth
across the open end of the horseshoe, one of the crew mean-
while beating the deck with his heels to frighten the fish into
the nets. This method, called drumming, is in great disfavor
among those who follow other modes of fishing.
In 1901, young weakfish were seldom taken in Great South
bay and only two localities—Duncan’s creek and Smith’s Point
—furnished them in very small numbers. Adult fish, however,
were remarkably abundant and were caught in many parts of
the bay.
The weakfish endures captivity very well and can be kept
during winter in water of the proper temperature. The species
is said to reach the weight of 30 pounds.
279 Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuy. & Val.)
Spotted Weakfish; Sea Trout
Labrus squeteague var. maculatus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y..
I, 396, 1815, New York; not Labrus maculatus Biocu.
Otolithus nebulosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V; 79, 1830:
Otolithus carolinensis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 1X, 475,
1833, South Carolina; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 72, 1842, extra- ©
limital; HotBrook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 183, pl. 19, fig. 2, 1856; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 306, 1860, New York. ;
Cynoscion maculatum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 581,
1883.
514 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Cynoscion nebulosus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1409,
1898, pl. CCXXI, fig. 568, 1900. !
Body elongate, compressed, its greatest depth two ninths of
the total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal pedun-
cle one half postorbital length of head. Head long, two sevenths
of total length without caudal; snout long and acute, about two
seyenths as long as the head; eye small, about one seventh as
long as head; maxillary reaching to below hind margin of orbit,
as long as snout and eye combined; canines strong; lower
pharyngeals narrow, each with seven or eight series of short
teeth, the inner enlarged; gill rakers short and thick, about
4+7 on first arch; maxillary, preorbital, and lower jaw naked.
Spinous dorsal base as long as postorbital part of head;
first dorsal spine one half as long as second, which is one third
length of head; third and longest spine nearly one half as long
as head: spines decreasing rapidly in length from the fifth to
the last, which is minute; soft dorsal base one third of total
length without caudal; the longest soft ray one third length of
base. Caudal shallow concave, the middle rays one half as long
as the head. Anal base short, one third as long as the head;
longest anal ray one half depth of body. Pectoral short, reach-
ing to below sixth spine of dorsal. Ventral longer than pec-
toral, one sixth of total without caudal, reaching to below end
of spinous dorsal. Ventral appendage nearly as long as the
eye. D. X, 1,,24 to 28; A. I, 10 to 12; V. I,.5; P. J, 15; pores im
lateral line about 90.
Body silvery with bright reflections; numerous black spots on
back, beginning under the spinous dorsal; soft dorsal and caudal]
similarly spotted, the largest spots smaller than pupil; anal fin
dusky. :
The spotted weakfish is a better food fish than the common
northern species; it ranges from New York to Texas, but is rare
north of Virginia.
Genus LARimus Cuvier & Valenciennes |
Body rather elongate, compressed; skull firm, not greatly
cavernous; interorbital space rather narrow; preorbital flattish,
not turgid; upper jaw with the usual slits and pores little de-
ei Seas
eC Lae Moe ae eee Ee ene ee ee Oe
Pew ne ee ee oe
Pn ee ee ye Le Oy, Oe ey ee es eee Cg ee ee Te
Soe ne ew
FISHES OF NEW YORK 515
veloped; no barbels; no canines; snout very short; mouth large,
terminal, very oblique or even vertical, the lower jaw project-
ing; teeth minute, equal, uniserial or partly biserial above;
preopercle entire or nearly so, without bony teeth. Scales
moderate, subequal. Pseudobranchiae well developed. Fins
essentially as in Bairdiella, the second dorsal long, the
anal short, its spines moderate or small; fins not thickened by
accessory scales. Gill rakers long and slender. Vertebrae
10+14 = 24, Silvery fishes, all American.
Subgenus LARIMUS
280 Larimus fasciatus Holbrook
Banded Larimus
Larimus faciatus HOLBROOK, Ichth. 8S. C. 153, pl. 22, fig. 1, 1856, Charleston;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 269, 1860; Jorpan & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 578, 1883; Jorpan & EIGENMANN, Rep. U. S.
EF. C. for 1886, 376, 1889; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367,
1897; H. M. SmitruH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JorpaAn & EVER-
MANN. Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1424, 1898.
Body oblong, compressed, ventral. outline nearly straight,
dorsal outline considerably arched; the depth of the body is
contained about. three times in the length. Snout very short,
much less than diameter of the large eye; mouth large, very -
oblique, maxillary reaching to posterior margin of orbit; the
length of the head is contained three and one half times in that |
of the body. Tip of mandible on level of lower part of pupil;
second anal spine small; pectoral fin short; caudal subtrunecate.
D. X—I, 24; A. IT, 6; Lat. 1. about 62.
Silvery gray, clouded above; sides marked with about seven
nearly vertical dusky bars, running from back to below the
lateral line. South Atlantic coast and southward; rare. An
individual was captured in Gravesend bay July 25, 1895, and
another one August 2. of the same year. These fed freely, and
were kept in a healthy condition till January 16, 1896, when the
low temperature of the water killed them. The fish is not com-
mon anywhere, and had not before been recorded north of
Chesapeake bay, except a single example which was taken at
Woods Hole Mass. on August 13, 1889; the specimen was caught
in a trap at the breakwater, Buzzards bay.
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aan > Se
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ah
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3S SEES
576 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Genus BAIRDIELLA Gill
This genus is characterized by the oblique mouth, little
cavernous skull, few rows of small teeth, slender gill rakers, and
the preopercle armed with a plectroid spine. It is certainly a
very natural group, and worthy of recognition as a distinct —
genus, though its relationships with Ophioscion and
specially with Stellifer are very close. The numerous
Species are all American, all small in size and silvery in colora-
tion, and some of them are remarkable for the great size of the
second anal spine. In others this spine is quite small. These
variations among species unquestionably closely allied show
how slight is the systematic Hae, to be attached to the size a
this spine. eta Re
Subgenus BAIRDIELLA
281 Bairdiella chrysura (Lacépéde) ‘ ‘
Yellowtail; Silver Perch
Dipterodon chrysurus LLACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 64, 1802, South
Carolina.
Bodianus argyroleucus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 417, pl. 6,
fig. 9, 1815, New York.
Corvina argyroleuca CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 105,
1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 74, pl. 18, fig. 51, 1842, New York;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 299, 1860.
Homoprion xanthurus HOLBROOK, Ichth. 8S. C. ed. 1, wy pl. 24, 1856 (not
Leiostomus xanthurus LACEPEDE).
Sciaena punctata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 570, 1888.
Sciaena chrysura JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 933, 1883. _
Bairdiella chrysura GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 375, pl. 126, 1884;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 141, pl. I, fig. 9, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm,
Fish. N, Y. 259, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 367, 1897; JorDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1433, 1888, pl. CCX XII, fig.
566, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1990.
Body oblong, compressed, rather robust, its greatest depth
one third of total length without caudal; least depth of caudal
peduncle one eighth of total without caudal. Head compressed,
conical, not depressed nor broadened, its length three tenths-of
total without caudal; eye equal to snout and about one fourth
length of head; interorbital region depressed, transversely con-
vex, narrower than the eye; mouth rather large, somewhat
oblique, jaws about equal in front, maxillary long, reaching
FISHES OF NEW YORK 517
nearly to below hind margin of orbit, its width posteriorly
nearly one third of its length; both jaws with stout recurved
teeth, behind which, in the upper jaw, are a few series of smaller
teeth; mandibulary teeth mostly in one series outside of which
‘are a few smaller teeth; preopercle strongly serrate or spinous
at its angle; gill rakers slender, moderately long, 8+16
on first arch; lower pharyngeals small, with sharp teeth. Spin-
ous dorsal high in front, triangular, the first spine very short,
the fourth longest, equal to postorbital part of head; base of
soft dorsal one third of total length without caudal, longest ray
equal to snout and eye combined, last ray two thirds as long
--as the eye. Caudal concavo-convex, the middle rays equal to
longest dorsal spine. Anal base three eighths as long as the
head; longest anal ray equal to snout and eye combined; first
anal spine very short, second two fifths as long as the head.
Soft dorsal and anal fins considerably scaly. Pectoral and
ventral of equal length, one fifth of total without caudal, the
pectoral scarcely reaching to below end of spinous dorsal. D.
XI, I, 22; A. II, 9 or 10; scales 8-50 to 54-11.
Greenish above, silvery below, each scale with series of dark
punctulations through the center, usually very conspicuous,
sometimes obscure, these forming narrow somewhat irregular
streaks along the sides; fins plain, the caudal yellowish.
Dr Mitchill describes this fish as the silver perch, and De Kay
explains the origin of this name from the resemblance which the
yellowtail bears in its appearance and habits to the common
white perch. At Pensacola Fla. the name mademoiselle is
applied to the species. In Great South bay we heard the name
lafayette given it, but this belongs more properly to the spot
Liostomus xanthurus.
The yellowtail occurs on our coast from Gage Cod to Florida.
It was a common fish in Great South bay in September 1890,
and during the early part of October, occurring at Blue Point
eove, at the Blue Point Lifesaving station, Great River beach
and Fire Island. It is frequently taken in the pounds. In 1898,
the young were found in abundance at Nichols’s Point, Great
TS
578 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
South bay, September 1. In 1901, the species was not observed
at all during a season extending from the middle of July to the
middle of October.
The breeding season must continue into early summer as
many young fish, from 1 inch to 24 inches long, were obtained in
Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. early in August.
The young of the silver perch are found every summer in
Gravesend bay, and adults are to be seen occasionally. On Sep-
tember 8, 1896, Mr De Nyse took an example 14 inches long with
a Shrimp net in eelgrass back of the flats at extreme low tide.
Pools containing 2 féet of water are common here, and many
species of fish become imprisoned in them. In August Mr W. I.
De Nyse has captured a half dozen adult Hippocampus
in such localities. On October 5, 1896, and again in the fall of
1897, the silver perch was obtained in the bay.
The species seldom exceeds 10 inches in length, but is regarded
as an excellent panfish, and is secured in enormous numbers,
Genus sScrAENOPS Gill
This genus is close to Ophioscion, from which it differs
in the loss of its preopercular armature with age, the serrate
edge of the bone becoming entire. The caudal fin is truncate
or concave, the soft dorsal scaleless; the slits and pores of the
upper jaw are well developed and the single species reaches a
very large size. The group is not well separated from O phios-
c¢ion on the one hand, or from Sciaena on the other, but
its retention seems to be convenient. i
282 Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus)
Red Drum; Channel Bass
Perca ocellata LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 483, 1766, South Carolina.
Sciaena imberbis MircuHILyL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 411, 1815,
New York.
Corvina ocellata CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 134, pl. 108,
1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 75, pl. 21, fig. 61, 1842, New York;
HOLBROOK, Ichth. S. C. ed. t, 149, pl. 21, fig. 2, 1856.
Johnius ocellatus GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bd. Surv. 14, pl. 8, figs. 1-4, 1859.
Sciaena ocellata GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 289, 1860, America;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 571, 1883.
anal
FISHES OF NEW YORK 579
Sciaenops ocellatus BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1897, New
i Jersey; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. -F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JorpAaAn &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1453, 1898, pl. CCX XII, fig. 567,
1900.
Body elongate; robust, its greatest depth one fourth of total
length without caudal, least depth of caudal peduncle about one
third of greatest depth; back somewhat arched; profile of head
convex. Head rather long, three tenths of total length without
caudal; eye small, about one seventh as long as the head; snout
obtuse, two ninths as long as the head. Mouth large, nearly
horizontal, the lower jaw rather shorter than the upper; the
maxillary reaching to below the hind border of the orbit, its
length more than two fifths length of head; bands of villiform
teeth in both jaws, the outer teeth of the upper jaw much en-
larged; lower jaw with subequal teeth. Preopercle strongly
serrate on its bony margin in the young, entire in large indivi-
duals and with the edge of the bone covered by skin. Gill rakers
5+7 on first arch, shorter than the diameter of the pupil. Spin-
ous dorsal triangular, the first spine minute, the fourth, and
longest, four ninths as long as the head, the last two thirds as
long as the eye; base of soft dorsal twice as long as that of
spinous dorsal, the longest ray one third as long as the head.
Anal base short, one third as long as the head, two thirds as
long as longest anal ray; the end of the anal base is under the
17th ray of soft dorsal, second anal spine about three eighths
as long as the head; caudal nearly truncate, the middle rays one
half as long as the head. Pectoral equals postorbital part of
head, the fin extending to below the end of spinous dorsal.
Ventral equal to pectoral, and not reaching nearly to vent.
Scales of the breast embedded, cycloid; no scales on soft dorsal
except in a very narrow strip at its base. D. X, I, 24 to 25; A.
II, 8; scales 4-45 to 55-10 to 12. Color grayish silvery, irides-
cent; often washed with coppery red; each scale with a center of
dark points forming obscure undulating stripes along the rows
of scales; a jet black ocellated spot about as large as the eve
at base of caudal above; sometimes two or more such spots are
present; the body occasionally covered with ocelli.
The red drum is one of the largest of the food fishes of the
southern waters, reaching the length of 5 feet and the weight
580 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 2
of 75 pounds. It inhabits the Atlantic coast from New York
to Texas, and has once been taken near Cape Cod.
A red drum, or spotted bass, weighing 14 pounds, was ob-
tained by Mr E. G. Blackford from New Jersey, and was pur-
chased alive for the New York aquarium. At the time of writ-
ing (December 11, 1897) it is in the central pool, and is, appar-
ently, in perfect health. It swims sometimes immediately under
the sand shark. Its food consists of large pieces of herring,
which it takes readily.
The only specimen known to have been taken at Cape Cod was
caught in a trap in Buzzards bay at the breakwater in 1894.
The example is 34 inches long and weighs about 14 pounds. On
account of the ocellated markings at the base of the caudal! fin
it has sometimes been called the branded drum.
Genus LEeIostomus Lacépéde
Body oblong, ovate, the back compressed; head obtuse; mouth
small, horizontal, the upper jaw with a band of feeble teeth,
the lower nearly or quite toothless; slits and pores of upper
jaw weil developed; lower pharyngeals separate, the teeth
paved; preopercle with a membranaceous border; dorsal spines
10, slender, rather high, the last connected with the soft rays;
soft dorsal and anal long; anal Spines two, the second not large;
caudal fin emarginate; gill membranes slightly connected; gill
rakers slender. This genus is distinguished from Sciaena
chiefly by the obsolescence of the teeth in the lower jaw, and
by the more paved teeth of the pharyngeals. The soft rays of
the dorsal fin and specially of the anal are more numerous than
in related groups. One species.
283 Leiostomus xanthurus Lacépéde
. Spot; Lafayette
Leiostomus xanthurus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 439, pl. 10, fig. 1,
1802, Carolina; CuvirER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 142,
1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 70, 1842, extralimital; JoRDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 574, 1888; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C.
VII, 141, 1888; 9th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 260, 1890; Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1897; Eugene Situ, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y.
1897, 39, 1898; Mrarns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 321, 1898; H. M.
SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jonpan & HVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1458, 1898, pl. COXXIITI, fig. 569, 1900.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 581
Mugil obliquus MiTcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 16, 1814, New York; Trans.
Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 405, 1815, New York.
Leiostomus obliquus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 69, pl. 60, fig. 195, 1842.
Sciaena obliqua GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 288, 1860.
Sciaena xanthurus GUNTHER, op. cit. 288, 1860.
Body short, deep, compressed, its greatest depth one third,
or more than one third, of the total length without the caudal;
least depth of caudal peduncle three sevenths length of head;
‘back in front of dorsal compressed to a sharp edge; profile steep,
convex, depressed over the eyes; dorsal outline convex, highest
at dorsal origin. Head short, its length contained three and
one third to three and two thirds times in the total without
caudal; snout short and very blunt, about two sevenths as long
as the head and slightly longer than the eye. Mouth small,
inferior, horizontal; maxillary rather more than one third length
of head, extending to below middle of pupil; lower jaw tooth-
less in the adult, upper jaw with a series of narrow minute
teeth; gill rakers short, slender, 8+22 on the first arch;
lower pharyngeals small, with three series of molars poster-
iorly and many villiform teeth anteriorly; preopercle entire;
preorbital about equal to eye in width. Spinous dorsal trian-
gular, put rounded at tip, the first spine very slender and very
closely attached to the second, the third and fourth longest,
three fifths as long as the head, the last two spines very short,
‘only about as long as the pupil. Soft dorsal long and low, the
base twice as long as that of spinous dorsal, the longest ray
three eighths as long as the head. Caudal forked, the middle
rays one half as long as the head. Anal elevated in front, low
behind, the longest ray more than one half as long as the head,
the last shorter than the eye; the second anal spine as long
‘as the eye; the first spine very small. Pectoral large, extend-
ing to below the sixth ray of second dorsal, nearly as long as
the head. Ventral as long as the head without snout, not
reaching nearly to vent. Scales small, ctenoid, extending on
caudal and base of pectorals, but not on other fins; soft dorsal,
‘however, has a sheath at base formed by a single series of
‘scales; scales below lateral line in oblique series. Lateral line
little curved anteriorly.
ue
582 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
D. X, I, 30 to 32; A. II, 12; P. I, 17; scales 9-60 to 70-12 to 14.
Color bluish above, silvery below; about 18 to 15 narrow dark
lines extending from the dorsal fins downward and forward to
below the lateral line; a roundish black humeral spot about two
thirds as long as the eye; fins plain olivaceous. .
This little fish was formerly known on the New York coast as
lafayette. Mitchill calls it the little porgee. According to. De
Kay its appearance on the New York coast in the summer ofi
1824 happened to coincide with the arrival of General Lafayette
and his name was bestowed upon the species. The name spot
is derived from the presence of a dark blotch about as big as the
eye near the root of the pectoral fin. Other names for the
species are goody, oldwife, roach and chub. ;
The spot is found from Cape Cod to Florida and is sometimes
abundant as far north as New York. In Great South bay
several specimens were taken early in October in Great river.
A single example was seen among some fishes taken in a pound-
net in Islip, Oct. 1, 1890. In 1898 the species was not obtained
by the writer, and in 1901 only a few specimens, mostly adylts,
were secured at Quantic bay, Duncan’s creek, and Widow’s
ereek. | ber tie R
Rather common in Gravesend bay from July to as late as:
December, and is well adapted to captive life. It is most abund-
ant usually in September.
Dr Mearns states that the fish, locally known as the sand —
porgee, is of frequent occurrence in summer in the Hudson river
and its estuaries. H.M. Smith records it as common in the fall
in the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. leaving in October or
November, when the water temperature reaches 45° F. All the
specimens observed there were about 6 inches long.
It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 10 inches in: length, but
is one of the favorites among the panfishes. The spot feeds:
on the bottom on small invertebrates, and can be taken readily
with hook and line. In Great South bay it is caught in seines:
and pound nets. It ascends creeks into brackish water and is
a common associate of the white perch. In Great Egg Harbor
FISHES OF NEW YORK 583
bay it is extremely common in summer and is sometimes known
as porgee.
Genus micropocon Cuvier & Valenciennes
Body moderately elongate, compressed, somewhat elevated;
preopercle strongly serrate; teeth in villiform bands, the outer
row in the upper jaw enlarged; lower jaw with a row of minute
barbels on each side; gill rakers short, thickish; spinous dorsal
rather short of 10 or 11 stoutish spines; second anal spine
moderate; caudal fin double truncate; lower pharyngeals nar-
row, distinct, with sharp, conical teeth; air bladder with long
horns. A well marked genus, the species all American, allied to
Ophioscion and Sciaenops, but distinguished by the
presence of barbels; species all closely related, similar in form,
Size, and color.
284 Micropogon undulatus (Linnaeus)
Croaker
Perca undulata LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 483, 1766, South Carolina.
Bodianus costatus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 417, 1815,
New York.
Micropogon lineatus CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 215,
pl. 119, 1880, New York.
Juicropogon costatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 83, pl. 72, fig. 230, 1842.
Micropogon undulatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 219,
1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 84, 1842, extralimital; HoLBROoOoK,
Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 145, pl. 21, fig. 1, 1856; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. II, 271, 1860, in part; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 575, 1883; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 368, 1897; H. M.
SmMitTH, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jonpan & EVERMANN, Bull. -
47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1461, 1898, pl. CCXXIV, fig. 570, 1900.
Body rather elongate, little compressed, its greatest hight
equal to length of head, and two sevenths of total length with-
out caudal; caudal peduncle short, its least depth eaual to
snout, and about one third length of head. Head long, two
sevenths of total length without caudal, the snout prominent,
obtuse, nearly twice as long as the eye, which is one fifth as long
as the head. Mouth rather large, nearly horizontal, the maxil-
lary reaching to below front of eye. Preopercle strongly ser-
rate, the spines near angle diverging. Dorsal fins nearly sepa-
rate, the spinous dorsal triangular, the first and last spines
584 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
shorter than eye, the third and fourth longest, equal to snout
and eye combined, the base of the fin as long as the ventral.
‘Soft dorsal long and low, one fourth longer than head, the
longest ray one third as long as head. Caudal slightly produced
in the middle, the middle rays one half as long as head. Anak
base three eighths as long as head; the first spine minute, sec-
ond spine one fourth as long as head, first ray about one half
length of head, last ray two ninths as long as head. Pectoral
long, reaching beyond origin of soft dorsal. Ventral one sixth
of total length without caudal, not reaching nearly to vent.
Interorbital width somewhat exceeds diameter of eye. bikie
D. X, I, 27 to 30; A. II, 8; V. I, 5; P. I, 16; scales 9-60-12;
pyloric caeca eight; gill rakers 7+16.
Color grayish silvery, with bright reflections; sides and back
with narrow, irregular, undulating lines of dots; dorsal fins with
three lines of dots along base.
The croaker inhabits the east coast of the United States,
ranging from Cape Cod to Texas; it is not very common north
of the Chesapeake. It grows to the length of 15 inches and.
is an important food fish. The fish was described by Mitchil}
but was unknown to De Kay from personal observation.
Though known in Gravesend bay, the species is a very uncommon
one there. The only specimen recorded at Woods Hole Mass. is.
15 inches long; it was taken in a trap at the breakwater im
Buzzards bay on Sep. 9, 1893. ;
Genus MENTICIRRHUS Gill
Body comparatively elongate, little compressed; head long,
subconic, the bluntish snout considerably projecting beyond the
mouth; mouth small, horizontal, both jaws with bands of villi-
form teeth, the outer teeth in the upper jaw more or less en-
larged; chin with a single stoutish barbel; preopercle with its
membranaceous edge serrulate; gill rakers short and tubercular
or obsolete; dorsal spines high, slender, 10 or 11 in number (13
in Cirrimens); second dorsal long and low; caudal fim
with the lower angle rounded, the upper sharp; anal fin with a
single weak spine; no air bladder. Lower pharyngeals separate,
FISHES OF NEW YORK D8D
the teeth varying from sharp to very obtuse. This genus is
one of the most strongly marked in the family. It has been
confounded by all European writers with Umbrina, with
which it has not very much in common except the presence of
the barbel at the chin. All the species are American, and all
bottom fishes. The low, elongate body, the large pectorals, and
the obsolete air bladder are all characters related to this pecul-
larity of habit.
Subgenus MENTICIRRHUsS Gill
285 Menticirrhus saxatilis (Bloch & Schneider)
Kingfish; Whiting; Sea Mink
Johnius saxatilis BLocu & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 75, 1801, New York.
Sciena nebulosa MiITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 408, pl. 3, fig. 5,
1815.
Umbrina alburnus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 78, pl. 7, fig. 20, 1842.
Umbrina nebulosa GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 275, 1860; SroreEr,
Hist. Fish. Mass. 46, pl. IX, fig. 4, 1867.
Menticirrhus nebulosus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. IX, 17, 1879;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 577, 1883.
Menticirrhus saxatilis BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 141, pls. HU, III, figs.
7 and 8, 1888; JoRDAN & EIGENMANN, Rep. U. S. F. C. for 1886, 4381,
1889; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 259, pl. XII, fig. 16, 1890;
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 368, 1897; H. M. Smitru, Bull. U. S.
EF. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1475, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus, 106, 1900.
Body robust, elongate, its greatest depth about two ninths of
total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal peduncle
one third length of head. Head one fourth to two sevenths of
total length without caudal; snout one fourth as long as the
head; eye small, two thirds as long as snout. Mouth large, the
maxillary reaching to below middle of eye. Outer teeth of upper
jaw not much enlarged. Spinous dorsal elevated, the third spine —
longest, two thirds as long as the head, reaching slightly past
origin of soft dorsal; first spine minute, last two spines very
short. Base of soft dorsal one third of total length without
caudal; the longest ray less than one third length of head.
Caudal concave above, convex below, the middle rays about one
half as long as the head. Anal base under the middle portion of
the soft dorsal, its length about equal to least depth of caudal
peduncle, the spine one third as long as the pectoral, the longest
586 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
ray equal to snout and eye combined. Pectoral large, nearly as
long as the head, reaching past origin of soft dorsal. Ventral
one half as long as the head. Seales all ctenoid. D. X, I, 26 or
27; A. I, 8; scales 7-53-14. |
Co'or dusky gray above, sometimes blackish, the back and
sides with distinct dark oblique cross bands running downward
and forward, the anterior one at the nape extending downward,
meeting the second and thus forming a V-shaped blotch on each
side; a dark lateral streak bounding the pale color of the belly,
most distinct posteriorly, and extending on lower lobe of caudal;
inside of gill cavity scarcely dusky; pectorals dark.
The kingfish, according to De Kay; was so named by the early
English colonists because of its excellent flavor. The name hake
is given to it in New Jersey and Delaware; in the Chesapeake it
is sometimes called black mullet; in North Carolina, the sea
mink; in the south it is the whiting or Bermuda whiting; on the
Connecticut coast it is known as the tomcod.
The kingfish occurs northward to Cape Ann and south to the
Gulf of Mexico. Large individuals are not common as far north
as Cape Cod, but the young may be seen in moderate numbers in
the summer months. They occur in abundance throughout Great
South bay and near the inlet their number is increased. We have
collected them at the mouth of Swan creek, in Blue Point cove,
at the Blue Point Lifesaving station, Oak Island and Fire Island.
An individual was obtained October 7, in the bay, and others
were found during September. Adult kingfish used to be com-
mon in Great South bay, but in 1884 they were rare, according
to Mr Erastus Gordon, of Patchogue. In 1898 only one adult
was taken by the writer and that was found in Clam Pond cove,
August 26. Young were seined at Fire Island inlet, Nichols’s
Point, Howell’s Point, Blue Point cove, and in Peconic bay. In
1901, large kingfish were not uncommon in Great South bay, but !
the young were unusually rare, only two specimens measuring
from 32 to 4 inches having been obtained; these were seined at ~
Duncan’s creek, September 14.
The kingfish was formerly abundant in Gravesend bay, but it
seldom occurs there now.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 587
‘The species evidently breeds at Woods Hole Mass. Dr Smith
‘says that adults full of spawn are common there in June and un-
common after July 15. The young about an inch long appear in
-the middle of July,and the young are numerous on sandy beaches
during the summer and till early October, when they leave,
‘haying attained a length of 4 or 5 inches. Some of the young
-are almost entirely black, while others of the same size taken at
the same time show the color markings of the adults. The maxi-
mum weight there is about 2 pounds. .
The species is a favorite in New York waters and well merits
ts reputation as a choice food fish. It takes the baited hook
very readily. Hard clam, cut small, shedder crab, black mussels
-aad various kinds of fish are good baits. It goes in schools and
-associates with the weakfish.
The name kingfish is said to have been given it in honor of
‘the king by colonial New Yorkers, who esteemed the fish highly.
Genus Pocontas Lacépéede
Body short and deep, the dorsal outline much elevated, the
ventral nearly straight. Mouth moderate, the upper jaw long-
est; teeth small, in villiform bands, the outer not enlarged; lower
pharyngeal bones large, fully united, armed with strong paved
teeth; lower jaw with numerous barbels, each about one half as
ong as the eye; preoperculum entire, with a membranaceous
edge. Dorsal fins slightly connected, the spines high and strong;
-caudal fin subtruncate; first anal spine short, the second exceed-
ingly large, nearly as long as the soft rays; pectorals and ventrals
long; gill rakers short and bluntish. Pseudobranchiae large.
Marine species, reaching a very large size, among the largest of
the Sciaenidae, two species known.
286 Pogonias cromis (Linnaeus)
Drum
.Labrus crémis LinNAEwvs, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 479, 1766, Carolina.
.Pogonias fasciatus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 137, 1802; Cuvier &
VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 210, pl. 118, 1830; Dr Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 81, pl. 14, fig. 40, 1842; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.
II, 270, 1860. .
_ ‘Mugil grunniens MiITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 16, 1814, New York.
.Mugil gigas MITcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 16, 1814, New York.
588 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Labrus grunniens MircnHiLy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 405, 1815.
Sciena fusca MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y¥. I, 409, 1815, New
York.
Sciena gigas MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 418, 1815, New
York.
Pogonias chromis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 206, 1830;
Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 80, 1842; HoLsBrook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1,
112, pl. 16, fig. 2, 1856; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Ij 270, 1860;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 568, 1888; BEAN, 19th
Rep. Comm. Fish. N, Y. 261, pl. XIII, fig. 17, 1890.
Pogonias cromis BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. LX, 368, 1897, Gravesend
Bay; H. M. Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JornpAn & HVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1482, 1898, pl. CCXX\V, fig. 578, 1900.
Body oblong, compressed, heavy forwards, its greatest depth.
two fifths to one third of total length without caudal; least
hight of caudal peduncle one third length of head. Head large,
its length about two sevenths of total without caudal; snout
short, strongly declivous, a very shallow depression over the
eyes, nape much arched. Lower jaw slightly shorter in front
than upper; maxillary reaching to below middle of eye. Teeth
in broad bands, the outer series in maxillary scarcely enlarged;
lower pharyngeals large, completely united, covered with many
blunt molars and a small patch of conical teeth at the outer
posterior corner. Gill rakers 4+12 on first arch, very short
and slender. Spinous dorsal triangular, the fourth and fifth
longest, two fifths as long as the head, the spines rapidly
diminishing in size to the front and rear, the first one being
minute; the base of spinous dorsal as long as the head without
the snout. Soft dorsal lower than spinous, the longest rays one
third as long as the head. Anal base short, under second half of
soft dorsal, the first spine minute, the second about one third as.
long as the head, the longest ray twice as long as the last ray
and one half as long ag the head. Caudal truncate, the middle
rays about one half as long as the head. Pectoral long, reaching
to below the fourth ray of soft dorsal, as long as the head. Ven-
tral equal to postorbital part of head, reaching to below the
origin of soft dorsal. Scales on breast small, others large. D.
X; 1, 2h40.22;.A.11,.5 to 6; Pi, 17; V.1,,5: Scales 7-47 to baa
Color grayish silvery, with five broad dark bars three of which
extend upon the dorsal fins, these bars disappearing with age;
FISHES OF NEW YORK : 589
usually no oblique dark streaks along rows of scales above; fins.
dusky.
Dr Mitchill describes the drum under the names, black drum:
and red drum. The black drum which he described weighed 34.
pounds. He hada specimen of 80 pounds, and states that he was
credibly informed of one that weighed 101 pounds. The species,
according to Dr Mitchill, was taken abundantly during the sum-
mer with line and net. The name drum, he says, is derived from
the drumming noise made by the fish immediately after being”
taken out of water. ‘“ He swims in numerous shoals in the shal--
low bays on the south side of Long Island, where fishermen dur-
ing the warm season can find them almost like a flock of sheep;
is a dull sort of fish.” The red drum he considered merely a
variety of the black drum. Dr De Kay says of the species, which
he calls the big drum: “They are gregarious, and frequently
taken in great numbers by the seine during the summer along the
bays and inlets of Long Island.” De Kay adopted a different
specific name for the young of this species, and called it the
banded drum. Other names for this stage given by De Kay are:
grunter, grunts, young drum and young sheepshead. He saw
the young in September, and states that it is found in New York
waters also in October and November. The adults, according to:
De Kay, are a coarse food, but the young are considered a great
delicacy.
The drum is occasionally taken on our coast as far north as.
Cape Cod; southward it extends to the Gulf of Mexico.
The drum is an occasional summer visitor in Gravesend bay.
In the fall of 1896, 14 young individuals, 8 inches long, were
brought from there alive to the aquarium, and lived till February
10, 1897, when the low temperature of the water (38°) killed them.
In the fall of 1897 none were seen in the bay.
In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. the drum is very rare..
Dr Smith records the first one as having been taken May 7,
1874, and it has been observed only three or four times since.
The recent specimens have been caught in traps at Quisset
Harbor, in the latter part of September or early in October;
590 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
these specimens weighing each 44 or 5 pounds. The largest
drum recorded was taken at St Augustine Fla. and weighed 146
pounds. The large fish are not much valued for food, but small
ones are said to be excellent.
Genus AaPLopiInotTus Rafinesque
Body oblong, the snout blunt, the back elevated and com-
pressed; mouth rather small, low, horizontal, the lower jaw
included; teeth in villiform bands, the outer above scarcely
enlarged; no barbels; pseudobranchiae rather small; gill rakers
short and blunt; lower pharyngeals very large, fully united, with
coarse, blunt, paved teeth, as in Pogonias; preopercle
slightly serrate; dorsal spines strong and high, with a close
fitting scaly sheath at base, the two dorsals somewhat con-
nected; second anal spine very strong; caudal double truncate;
air bladder very large, simple, with no appendages; pyloric
‘caeca seven; vertebrae 10+14— 24. Fresh waters of the United
States; large, coarse fishes, feeding chiefly on crustacea and
mollusks. The genus is apparently allied to Pogonias,
and both may be descended from allies of R oncador , which
is intermediate between them and Sciaena.
287 Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque
Fresh-water Drum; White Perch
Aplodinotus grunniens RAFINESQUE, Jour. de Phys. Paris, 88, 1819, Ohio
River; Brean, Fishes Penna. 135, pl.-35, fig. 73, 1898; JorDAN & HVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1484, 1898, pl. CCX XVI, fig. 574, 1900.
Sciaena oscula LE SuEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 252, pl 18, 1822, Lake
Ontario.
Amblodon neglectus GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bd. Surv. Fish. 12, pl. 5, figs. 6-10,
1859.
Amblodon grunniens GIRARD, U. 8S. Pac. R. R. Surv. Fish. 96, pl. 23, 1858.
Haploidonotus grunniens GiLu, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 104, 1861; JorRDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 567, 1883.
Corvina oscula DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 73, pl. 21, fig. 68, 1842, Lakes
Erie & Ontario; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 297, 1860.
The shape of the fresh-water drum is similar to that of the
salt-water species, the body being moderately elongate, its
greatest hight one third of its length without the caudal; the
sides are moderately compressed and the back very much so.
FISHES OF NEW YORK DOL
The least depth of the tail is less than one third of the depth of
the body. The head is rather short, its length contained three
and two thirds times in the total without caudal. The eye is
about four fifths as long as the snout and one sixth length of
head. Snout obtuse. The maxilla reaches to below the middle
of the eye; the lower jaw is shorter than the upper. The pec-
toral is nearly as long as the head and reaches to below the
beginning of the soft dorsal. The ventral is about two thirds.
length of head. The third dorsal spine is the longest, nearly
one half as long as the head. The second anal spine is much
the longer and stouter, its length two fifths that of head. The
rays of the soft dorsal are longest near the end of the fin. The
scales are very irregularly placed, about 55 in the lateral line.’
DX, 1, 30-315 A. II, 7.
The color is grayish, darker on the back; lower parts silvery.
Young specimens have dark spots along the rows of scales, form-
‘ing oblique lines.
The fresh-water drum has received a great number of common
names. In the Ohio valley and South it is known as the white
perch; in the Great Lake region it is called sheepshead or fresh-
water drum on account of its resemblance to the salt-water
drum. At Buffalo and Barcelona, New York, it is known as.
sheepshead. The name crocus, used on lakes of northern In-
diana is a corruption of croaker, a name of a marine fish of the
same family. In the southern states the name drum is gen-
erally applied to the species, and in addition the terms thunder
pumper, gaspergou and jewel head are used. Gaspergou is a
term used in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. The names drum,
croaker and thunder pumper have reference to certain sounds.
produced by the fish either by means of its air bladder or by
grinding together the large molarlike teeth in the pharynx.
The name jewel head probably refers to the otoliths or ear-
bones, frequently called lucky stones, which are found in the
skull of this species. In Texas, adjacent to Mexican territory,
occurs the name gaspagie, a variation of the name gaspergou.
The fresh-water-drum is widely distributed; it occurs in Lake
592 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
‘Champlain and the entire Great lakes region, the Ohio and
Mississippi valleys southward to Texas. The U.S. Fish Commis-
sion obtained a specimen at Point Breeze N. Y. on Lake Ontario.
De Kay reported it as very common in Lake Erie and called
‘sheepshead at Buffalo. At the time of his writing the fish was
scarcely ever eaten. It is found principally in large streams
and lakes and rarely enters creeks and small rivers. In
western Texas the species is rare. In the wilds of Texas, New
Mexico and northern Mexico Mr Turpe has found this fish in
clear limestone streams emptying into the Rio Grande.
This species is usually found on the bottom, where it feeds
chiefly on crustaceans and mollusks and sometimes small fishes.
It is specially fond of crawfish and small shells such as
Cyclas and Paludina. Mr Turpe mentions water plants
as forming part of its food and states that it will take a hook
baited with worms or small minnows.
The fresh-water drum grows to a length of 4 feet and a weight
of 60 pounds, but the average market specimens rarely exceed
2 feet in length and in many parts of the West much smaller
ones are preferred. Nothing is recorded about the breeding
habits of this species, and as to its edible qualities there is the
greatest difference of opinion. Some writers claim that its flesh
is tough and coarse with a disagreeable odor, specially in the
Great lakes. Individuals from the Ohio river and from more
southern streams are fairly good food. fish, while in Texas Mr
Turpe considers it one of the most excellent of the fresh-water
fishes, comparing favorably with black bass. Mr Robert Ridg-
‘way of the National Museum at Washington, pronounces the
species from the Wabash river in Indiana, a fine table fish
though, he says, other people there consider it inferior. Rich-
ardson described what is supposed to be a deformed specimen of
this drum under the name of malashegany, which he had from
Lake Huron. He described it as a firm, white, well-tasting fish,
Dut never fat and requiring much boiling.
BS FISHES OF NEW YORK ee 593
Suborder PHARYNGOGNATHI sales
Labroid Fishes
Family LABRIDAE
Wrasse Fishes
Genus TAUTOGOLABRUs Ginther
Body oblong, not elevated, comparatively slender and com-
pressed; head moderate, more or less pointed, but the jaws not
notably produced; teeth in the jaws in several series, the outer-
most very strong; the teeth unequal, conical and pointed; no
posterior canines. Cheeks with small scales; opercles with large
ones; interopercles naked; preopercle with the vertical limb
finely serrated. Branchiostegals five. Gill membranes consid-
erably united, free fromthe isthmus; gill rakers short. Scales
moderate, 35 to 50 in the lateral line; lateral line continuous,
abruptly bent opposite posterior part of second dorsal; dorsal
long and low, the spinous portion much longer than the soft,
of 18 or 19 low, subequal, rather strong spines; soft dorsal
slightly elevated; anal fin similar to soft dorsal, with three
strong graduated spines; caudal truncate; pectorals short, the
ventrals inserted behind their axils. Species two, both Amer-
ican. This genus is very close to the European genus Cteno-
labrus, differing in the less perfect squamation of the head
and in the greater number of dorsal spines and vertebrae.
288 Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum)
Bergall; Cunner; Chogset; Nipper
Labrus adspersus WALBAUM, Art. Gen. Pisce. 254, 1792.
Tautoga Caerulea MiITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 24, 1814, New York.
Labrus chogset MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 402, pl. 8, fig. 2,
‘1815, New York.
Labrus chogset fulva MITcHILL, 1. c. 408, 1815, New York.
COtenolabrus uninotatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIII,
239, 1889, New York, young; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 174,
pl. 29, fig. 90, 1842; GunrHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 90, 1862.
Ctenolabrus burgall GUNTHER, |. c. 90, 1862, Canada.
Ctenolabrus chogset CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIII, 287,
1839.
Ctenolabrus ceruleus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 172, pl. 29, fig. 93, 1842.
Ctenolabrus adspersus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 599,
1883; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N, Y. 251, pl. IV, fig. 6, 1890.
594 | NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Tautogolabrus adspersus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14, 1879;
BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 87, 1880; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX,
368, 1897; H. M. SmitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 102, 1898; Jorpan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1577, 1898, pl. CCXXXVI, fig..
595, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 107, 1800; SHERWOOD
& EDWARDS, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 30, 1901.
Body fusiform, stout, its greatest depth nearly one third of
total length without caudal, the profile much less convex than
in the tautog; least depth of caudal peduncle one half of great-
est depth of body. Head one third of total length without
caudal, the snout pointed, and forming one third of the length
of head; eye placed high, its diameter one fifth length of head;
preorbital bone not equal in width to the eye; jaws equal, with
thick lips; mouth moderate, the maxillary nearly reaching to
vertical from front of eye; five canines in front of upper jaw,
about four in lower, the teeth on sides of jaw largest in front;
bands of small concave teeth behind canines; gill rakers very
short, about 6+11 on first arch; scales rather small; top
of head, preorbital, maxillary, mandible, interopercle, and pos-
. terior edge of preopercle and opercle naked; preopercle with
about five rows of small scales; opercle with four or five rows
of larger ones; fins naked. Base of spinous dorsal two and
one half times as long as that of soft dorsal; the spines gradu-
ally increasing in length up to the seventh, from which they are
about equal, the seventh about three eighths as long as the
head, the first only one sixth as long as the head. Soft dorsal
a little higher than spinous, the longest ray one half as long
as the head. Caudal rounded, its middle rays about one half as
long. as the head. . Anal under the second half of the dorsal, its
base as long as the head without the snout; the spines stout
and sharp, the first equal to the eye in length, the second and
third nearly equal and a little more than one third length of
head; the fourth and fifth soft rays equal, longest, one half as:
long as the head. Pectoral broad, short, one half as long as
the head. Ventral slightly longer than pectoral, not reaching
to vent. :
D. XVIII, 9 or 10; A. III, 9; scales 6-47-13; vertebrae 17+19-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 595
Color bluish or brownish, usually with a brassy luster on
sides; head and back sometimes spotted with brassy; young with
darker blotches and markings, and: often with a black blotch
near the middle of the dorsal fin. Some individuals are yellow-
ish and the young are often green.
The cunner is known also as chogset and bergall (this changed
to bengal in Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J.). Mitchill gives the
name of bluefish as in use in New York in 1815; perch, sea
perch and blue perch are New England names given for this fish.
Names used with reference to its bait-stealing propensities are:
nipper and bait-stealer.
The cunner is common from Labrador to at least as far south
as New Jersey. |
The bergall is found in Gravesend bay throughout the year.
In 1898, the writer found it in Peconic bay and the adjacent
Scallop pond; south side of Great South bay opposite Patch-
ogue; Fire Island inlet; Blue Point cove; and Duncan’s creek.
In 1899, young examples were taken at Water Island ocean
beach, June 6. In 1901, young of a yellow color and only 13
inches long were seined in a creek near Fire Island inlet, August
15. Half grown and adults were caught at a wreck on Tobey’s
Flat, August 14, and at Smith’s Point, August 23.
At Woods Hole Mass. the cunner is very abundant and remains
during the entire year. Thousands perish from cold every win-
ter. The fish spawns in June. The egg is about syinch in
_diameter, buoyant, and has been hatched in the tidal cod-jar in
five days in water of a mean temperature of 56° F. By August
1 the young an inch long are observed. Outside of Gayhead
and Cuttyhunk the fish reaches a weight of 24 pounds, but the
usual weight is from + to 4 pound. In February 1901, thousands
of cunners were killed by extreme cold at Woods Hole.
The cunner endures captivity very well, individuals having
been kept three years or longer. The species is usually asso-
ciated with the tautog or blackfish; in many places it proves a
great annoyance to fishermen. In some parts of New England
the fish is highly esteemed, but farther south it is not in high
AEN RTT LO NT
Res. a ee s.
SPF TAR EG OTOP ae CE OF nay ORO LAE
7 a os - ae Saeatiiny hp aad ae
ace ae aaa
vor as Se
eS LY ST
596 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM
repute, the hard scales and stiff, sharp spines making it incon-
venient to prepare for cooking.
Dr Mitchill describes a yellow variety of the cunner, and De
Kay has considered the young, which has a black spot on the
anterior portion of the dorsal fin, as a distinct species, named by
him the spotted bergall. ~
The young vary greatly in color. We have seen some dull
brown, others that were yellowish, and still others of a bright
green. Dusky bands are characteristic, also, of the young
stages. Examples were taken at Blue Point cove and at Fire
Island. The cunner igs a, permanent resident, and does not
retreat into deep water except in very cold weather. Its spawn-
ing takes place in June and July. The species is fished for with
the hook, and is taken in nets, which are baited and set among
the rocks. The catch of the Irish cunner boats of Boston has
been estimated at about 300,000 pounds annually.
Genus rautroea Mitchill
Body long, not elevated nor greatly compressed. Head large,
nearly as deep as long, with a convex profile. Mouth rather
small. Teeth very strong, conical, in two series; the outer
somewhat incisorlike; the two anterior teeth in each jaw
strong; the posterior teeth small, without canines. Eye small,
high up. Cheeks with small scales; interopercle naked; opercles
naked, except above; scales on body rather small, in about 60
transverse series, those on ventral region reduced in size; lat-
eral line continuous, abruptly decurved opposite the end of the
soft dorsal. Dorsal fin long, low, continuous, the spinous part
much the longer, with about 16 low, strong, subequal spines,
each with a small cutaneous appendage at tip; soft dorsal higher
than spinous; anal similar to soft dorsal, with three stout,
graduated spines; pectorals broad and rather short; caudal
short, truncate, with rounded angles; the soft parts of the ver-
tical fins with the membranes somewhat scaly; ventrals con-
spicuously behind pectorals. Branchiostegals five. Gill rakers
very short and feeble; gill membranes somewhat connected, free
from the isthmus. Vertebrae 16+18=—34. This genus contains
a single species, a large Labroid, abundant on the Atlantic coast
of the United States. |
FISHES OF NEW YORK 597
289 Tautoga onitis (Linnaeus)
Blackfish ; Tautog
Labrus onitis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 286, 1758; ed. XII, 478, 1766.
' Tautoga niger MitcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 23, 1814, New York.
Labrus tautoga MiITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 399, 1815, Long
Island.
Tautoga americana DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 175, pl. 14, fig. 39, 1842;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 110, pl. XX, fig. 2, 1867.
Tautoga onitis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 88, 1862; GoopE & BEAN,
Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14, 1879; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 600, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 187, pl. ITI, fig. 3, 1888;
19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 252, pl. V, fig. 7, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus.
Nat. Hist. [X, 368, 1897; H. M>SmirTu, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 102, 1898;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1578, 1898, pl.
CCXXXVII, fig. 596, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 107,
1900; SHERWOOD & HpwArps, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 30, 1901.
Body deep, moderately compressed, the outline of head and
jack convex, the greatest depth three eighths to one third of
total length without caudal, the least depth of caudal peduncle
equal to postorbital part of head. Head short, blunt, its length
contained three and one fourth to three and one half times in
total without caudal; profile of snout very steep; preorbital very
wide, wider than the eye; mouth small, with very thick lips, the
maxillary reaching the vertical from anterior or posterior nos-
tril; eye one fifth as long as the head; snout one third as long
as the head; jaws nearly equal in front, with two or three large
canines and smaller ones on the side, gradually diminishing in
size backwards. <A patch of small scales behind eye extending
downward to middle of cheek where there are five or six series;
a small patch of scales at upper edge of opercle; head elsewhere
naked. About 3+6 very short and blunt gill rakers on first
arch. Spinous dorsal composed of stout, sharp spines, the
connecting membrane between them projecting beyond them;
the first spine as long as the eye; the spines gradually
- increasing in length to the 11th which is one third as long
as the head and twice as long as the first; the remaining spines
are about equal to the 11th; the base of soft dorsal is one
half as long as the head; the longest ray is nearly twice as long
_as the last ray and more than one half as long as the head.
Caudal convex, the middle rays about one half as long as the
598 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM:
head. Anal base coterminous with the dorsal base, two thirds
as long as the head, the spines rather long, stout, and gradu-
ated, the first a little longer than the eye, the third twice as long
as the eye; the third and fourth rays longest, as long as post-
orbital part of head. Pectoral large, as long as the head with-
out the snout, reaching to below the 10th spine of the dorsal.
Ventral one half as long as the head, reaching to below the
12th spine of the dorsal... D. XVI to. XVII,10; Aisa
I, 5; P. 1, 15. Scales 14-60 to 65-29.
Color blackish, greenish, frequently pale bluish or bluish
black with metallic reflections. Often with irregular bands of
a deeper hue. Lips, lower jaws and abdomen lighter, sometimes
pale, sprinkled with black points, and sometimes of the same
color as the rest of the body. Eye greenish.
This is better known in New York as the blackfish; farther
south it is styled chub or salt-water chub, Moll, Will George:
and oyster fish. _Mitchill gives the name tautog as of Mohegan
origin. He publishes for the species the names toad, blackfis |
and runner. The Mohegan name tautog, according to De Kay,
is said to mean black. The fish is found from Nova Scotia to:
Virginia. It occurs in all parts of Great South bay visited by
us: Some of the localities at which it was taken are the fol-
lowing: Blue Point cove and Lifesaving station, Great River
beach and Fire Island. The name used at Patchogue is black-
fish. We saw a few tautog among the fishes caught in a trap
at Islip, October 1, 1890. In 1898 specimens were obtained in
Peconic-bay, at Blue Point cove, Islip, Nichols’s Point and Fire
Island inlet; young individuals were taken July 29, August 25,
September 1 and 16. Following is a list of localities in which
the tautog was sparingly taken in Great South bay in 1901:
Clair “Pomd-cove. 0). kw Seid 3 tet Ga eh ae July 19
ire Wsiendanlet: . j.7 008 ee divi eee, oe. Ani
WPT yee Ones, 6c ES ETON a CP A a meee es tone August 17
Sriigmee ome or ges i, Se ee a, August 23
Moen aamwiver... 25.0.0. ee September 5
Off Widow’s creek (young)...... eg ONE SA Pa ie September 28:
Ot Swan river romney. oe Me. hae oe tame October 7 and 11.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 599
Dr Mitchill gives a most entertaining account of the habits
and mode of capture of this well known species. At the time of
his writing, in 1814, the price varied from eight to 12 cents a
pound. }
It has been known to reach a length of 3 feet and a weight of
214 pounds. Individuals of 12 to 14 pounds have occasionally
been taken off Cape Ann. The fishing season begins in April
cand may last till winter. Examples are sometimes speared in
the winter months in New England rivers. The tautog is not
migratory, but hibernates in cold weather, going into the mud
in November or December. It is sometimes destroyed by freez-
ing; such accidents have occurred in ponds on Martha’s Vine-
yard and elsewhere.
The spawning season begins late in April. The eggs are
deposited in depths of 6 to 8 feet or more among the rocks. In
‘the fish cultural operations at Woods Hole Mass. it was found
that the egg is buoyant and only., inch in diameter; in the
automatic tidal box they hatched in about five days with the
water temperature at 69° F., and in two or three days with the
temperature at 71°.
There is great diversity in the colors of the young, just as in
the case of the young cunners. Some are bright green, others
‘brown or red and some are mottled with brown, red and green,
intermingled with pale areas. The food of the tautog consists
of mollusks and crustaceans; crabs, and specially fiddlers, bar-
mnacles, clams and lobsters are among the favorite articles of
food. The annelids, known as sandworms, are also very attrac-
tive to it. !
The tautog is an excellent food fish and one of the commonest
of our market species. It is a permanent resident in the bays
and is hardy in captivity. Individuals have been kept longer .
than three years and some of them have grown remarkably.
Their food includes chopped hard clam, live killifish, shrimps,
and fiddler crabs, of which latter they are extremely fond.
Spawning takes place regularly in the tanks in spring, but, as
the eggs are very small and buoyant, they must invariably be
lost at the overflow. As the newly hatched embryos are only
+s inch long they too would flow out unseen if any were left
for development.
600 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM. ear. ag
Group ZEOIDEA
Fanily ze1DAEe
John Dories
Genus zENopsis Gill
Body ovate, much compressed, without scales, and without
warts or humps in the adult. Head deeper than long, its ante-
rior profile steep. Mouth rather large, upper jaw protractile;.
teeth small on jaws and vomer, none on the palatines. Various.
bones of the head and shoulder girdle armed with spines.
Series of bony plates along the sides of the belly and the bases.
of both dorsal and anal, each plate armed with a strong spine.
Kye large, placed high. Gill rakers short. Dorsal spines very
strong, usually 10 in number, some of them filamentous; anak
spines three; ventral fins long, the rays I, six or I, seven.
Caudal peduncle slender,’ the fin not forked. Three species.
known, differing from the European genus Zeus mainly in
the presence of three anal spines instead of four, and in the
greater development of the spinous armature. Pelagic.
290 Zenopsis ocellatus (Storer)
John Dory
|
Zeus ocellatus STORER, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. VI, 385, 1858, Provinee--
town Mass.; PUTNAM in STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 279, 1867.
Zenopsis ocellatus GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. VI, 126, 1862; JorDAN &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 456, 1883; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic
Ichth. 224, with plate, 1896; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 1660, 1898, pl. CCXLYVI, fig. 618, 1900.
Body short, deep, compressed, its greatest depth one half of
total length including caudal; the caudal peduncle short and
very slender, its least depth scarcely more than one half diame-
ter of eye. Head subquadrangular, large, the mouth large and
very oblique, the maxillary one sixth of total length without
caudal, its width posteriorly nearly one half its length. <A slight
concavity over the eyes. Eye two ninths as long as the head
and placed high. Snout two fifths as long as head. Top of head
with roughish ridges, but without spines; a spine at the base
of each dentary bone; a'supplemental maxillary bone; teeth
nearly obsolete. Gill rakers short. Skin naked except for the —
ee
\
i
a a
~
i PO ede ne ee a a
FISHES OF NEW YORK 601
bony bucklers which are armed each with a central spine hooked
backward and marked with radiating ridges; seven bucklers
along the base of the dorsal, the fifth and sixth largest, these
located under the fifth to the 19th dorsal ray; two on the median
line in front of the ventrals, the second larger, as long as the
eye; about eight plates between ventrals and anal origin, and
five along base of anal. Dorsal spines stout and long, the first
four or five filamentous, the second longest, equal to total length
without the head and the caudal fin; the base of the fin five
sixths as long as the head. Soft dorsal base a little longer, as
long as the head; the rays short, the longest, near the end of
the fin, equal to diameter of eye. Caudal fin short, rounded, the
middle rays as long as the postorbital part of head. Pectoral
short, about as long as snout. Ventrals long, nearly as long as
the head, and almost reaching to the anal origin. Anal long,
one half of total length without caudal, the spinous and soft
portions scarcely connected; the first spine longest, one and
one half times as long as the third, and one fifth as long as the
head; the longest anal ray nearly one third as long as the head.
ree ee AL IT, 24° VT, 5s P12.
. Color silvery, nearly plain; a black lateral ocellated spot in
life, disappearing in spirits.
Of this pelagic species only one specimen is known; this was
taken off Provincetown Mass. and presented to the museum of
the Boston Society of Natural History by Capt. N. E. Atwood.
Suborder SQUAMIPINNES
Scaly Fums
Family SPHIPPIDAE
Spadefishes
Genus CHAETODIPTERUS Lacépéde
Body much elevated and compressed, its outline nearly orbic-
ular, the anterior profile nearly vertical. Seales small, 55 to
70 in the course of the lateral line. Jaws about equal; no teeth
on vomer or palatines; teeth on jaws slender, somewhat mov-
able; preopercle finely serrulate. Branchiostegals six. Dorsal
fins two, somewhat connected, the first of usually nine spines,
=
602 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
the third of which is elongate; anal spines three, small, the sec-
ond the longest; ventral with a large accessory scale. Pyloric
caeca four to six. American; distinguished from the Asiatic
genus Ephippus by the very much smaller scales.
291 Chaetodipterus faber (Broussonet)
Spadefish; Triple-tail; Angelfish ; Moonfish
Chaetodon faber BROUSSONET, Ichth. Decas. 1, V, pl. 4, 1782, Jamaica; Caro-
lina.
Chaetodon oviformis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 247, pl. V, -
fig. 4, 1815, New York; Am. Month. Mag. II, 247, February, 1818.
Ephippus gigas CuvirR, Régne Anim, ed. 2, vol. 2, 191, 1829, America;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 99, pl. 23, fig. 71, 1842, New York;
Horprook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 105, pl. 15, fig. 2, 1856; GunTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 61, 1860.
Ephippus faber DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 97, pl. 28, fig. 68; HOLBROOK,
Ichth. 8. C. ed. 1, 108, pl. 15, fig. 1, 1856; GunrHeEr, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.
II, 61, 1860. ;
Chaetodipterus faber JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 618, 1883;
BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 253, pl. VI, fig. 8, 1890; H. M.
Sm1TH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 102, 1898; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull, 47,
U.S. Nat. Mus. 1668, pl. CCXLVII, fig. 619, 1900.
Body oblong-ovate, its greatest depth equal to the distance
from the eye to the end of the dorsal base or anal base; least
depth of caudal peduncle one half length of head. Head short,
two sevenths of total length without caudal; snout two fifths
as long as the head; preorbital deep, equal to diameter of eye,
which is three tenths as long as the head; mouth moderate,
nearly horizontal, the maxilla reaching to below front of eye;
chin with a row of pores; dorsal and ventral outlines similar, |
greatly convex. First dorsal spine minute; second very short,
one half as long as the eye; third spine longest, as long as the
head without the snout; fourth spine one third as long as the
head; the remaining spines rapidly diminishing in size to the
last which is one third as long as the eye. The soft dorsal is
separated from the spinous by a deep notch; the anterior part
of the fin is greatly elevated, the longest ray being three sev-
enths of total length without caudal; the fin is faleate, the last —
rays being short. Caudal crescentic with the outer rays pro-
duced, and about as long as the head. Anal similar in shape
Se, RO RE Fe OR ee Te See, ee Cee See ee ee ees ee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 603
to the soft dorsal; the first spine one half as long as the eye, the
second as long as the eye, and the third three fourths as long
as the second; the longest rays equal one half of greatest depth
of body. Pectoral short, rounded, one half as long as the head.
Ventral much longer, as long as the head, reaching beyond the
vent.
D. VIII, I, 20 to 22; A. Ill, 18; V. 1, 5; P. I, 16; lateral line
60 to 65; pyloric caeca 4 to 6; vertebrae 9 or 10-14.
Grayish; a dusky band across the eye to the throat; a second
similar band, broader, beginning in front of the dorsal and ex-
tending across the base of the pectoral to the belly; a third
band, narrower, extending to the middle of the sides from the
base of the fourth and fifth dorsal spines; a fourth broader band
from the last dorsal spines to anal spines, the remaining bands
alternately short and long; all of these bands growing obscure
and disappearing with age; ventrals black.
The moonfish is the sheepshead chaetodon of Mitchill, and the
banded ephippus of De Kay. Dr Mitchill records it as taken at
the east end of Long Island, July 27, 1815. De Kay, in his New
York Fauna, has the following concerning the species: “About
twenty years since, they were caught here in seines in great
numbers and exposed in the markets for sale. Some of them '
were 18 inches long. Those described by Mitchill were captured
in 1815 and 1817. The popular names of three-tailed sheepshead
and three-tailed porgee were given them by the fishermen in
allusion to their prolonged dorsal and anal fins. . . Schoepff
_ states that it is called angelfish in South Carolina.”
The species is called spadefish in the states bordering the
Gulf of Mexico.
The moonfish has occasionally been taken as far north as
Cape Cod. Dr Smith records it as a very rare straggler in Vine-
yard Sound, Mass. A specimen was obtained in 1889, and three
have been observed since. All were taken in traps at Menemsha
in August and September. The fish were uniform in size and
about 16 to 18 inches long. The species reaches a length of
2 to 3 feet. Southward it is recorded from as far as Guatemala.
<td it
f
a eee
5 Fs a
iceman se pdimasaaan
ai, spe a Ka eo vl
Augty
es
= Se Ee ee ee Ce ge ee ee
ee — = — et
604 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM m
It occurs in the West Indies. In Chesapeake bay it is moder-
ately common. rage
As a food fish this species is highly prized by those who are
familiar with its qualities.
Family cHAETODONTIDAE
Butterfly Fishes
Genus cHAaEToDON (Artedi) Linnaeus :
Body short, deep, very strongly compressed, specially above
and behind; head small, compressed, almost everywhere scaly;
mouth very small, terminal, the jaws provided with long, slen-
der, flexible, bristlelike teeth; vomer sometimes with teeth; pre-
operculum entire or nearly so, without spine. Dorsal fin sin-
gle, continuous, not notched, the spinous part longer than the
soft part, of about 13 spines, the spines not graduated, some of
the middle ones being longer than the last; last rays of soft
dorsal usually rapidly shortened, some of them occasionally fil- —
amentous (in East Indian species); caudal peduncle short, the
caudal fin fan-shaped; anal similar to soft dorsal, preceded by
three or four strong spines. Body covered with rather large
ctenoid scales, somewhat irregular in their arrangement; the
lateral line curved, high, parallel with the back. Guill openings —
rather narrow, the membranes narrowly joined to the isthmus;
branchiostegals six. A very large genus of singular and beauti-
ful fishes abounding in the tropical seas, specially about vol-
canic rocks and coral reefs; most of them have the body crossed
by transverse black bars. They are all very active, feeding on
small animals.
Subgenus CHAETODONTOPS
292, Chaetodon ocellatus Bloch
Parche x
Chaetodon ocellatus Buocu, Ichth. III, 105, pl. 211, fig. 2, 1787; EIGENMANN
& Hornine, Ann, N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 7, 1887; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.
Hist. IX, 368, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 102, 1898;
JORDAN & EXVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1674, 1898, pl. CCX LIX,
fig. 621, 1900; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 33, 1901.
Chaetodon bimaculatus Buocu, Ichth. pl. 219, fig. 1, 1790; CuvirR &
VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VII, 67, 1831; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish.
Brit. Mus. II, 9, 1860; Jonpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 940,
1883.
g
—" » See Oe ea «]
- *
FISHES OF NEW YORK 605
Sarothrodus maculocinctus GiLL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 99, 1861, New-
port R. 1.; young. ,
Chaetodon maculocinctus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 616,
1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 188, pl. I, fig. 4, 1888.
Body subovate, strongly compressed; greatest depth three
fifths to two thirds of total length without caudal; least depth
of caudal peduncle about one third length of head. Head two
fifths of total without caudal; the upper profile concave except
for a slight protuberance over eyes; snout equals five sixths
diameter of eye, which is one third as long as the head; the
maxilla reaches to below the anterior nostril, its length equal to
length of snout; lower jaw somewhat produced; suborbital bone -
one half as wide as the eye. First dorsal spine one fourth as
long as the head; second spine about one half as long as head;
third and fourth spines longest, as long as the head without the
snout; last spine two fifths as long as head; longest soft ray
one half as long as the head. Anal fin under the posterior half
of the dorsal; the first spine as long as the snout; the second
longest, nearly one half as long as the head; the third nearly.
as long as the second; the longest ray as long as the second
spine; the base of the fin equals one third of total length with-
out caudal. Caudal rounded, the middle rays one half as long
as the head. Pectoral reaching to below the 10th spine of the
dorsal, as long as the head without the snout. Ventral reach-
ing to the second anal spine, four fifths as long as the head.
D. XII or XIII, 18 to 20; A. III, 16 to 18; V. 1,5. Scales 8-45
to 50-20.
Color golden gray, sometimes yellow or orange; a large,
oblong, dark blotch on base of soft dorsal extended downward
by a black band crossing the body and continuing faintly upon
the base of the anal; a dark band from the origin of the dorsal
through the eye and extending downward across the cheek.
The bands are nowhere more than one half as wide as the eye.
The parche belongs to the West Indian fauna; it is common
at Havana, and the young follow the Gulf Stream northward in
Summer to New Jersey, Long Island, Rhode Island, and Cape
Cod. In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith,
SS ee
ee ea
FL LEI EET IES ELS IT BT LT
a ng
FEE BLES LETRAS ALG NER RTE ED OTT SEI
a a A IE A
606 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
it must now be regarded as a common species, for, in 1900, the
number of specimens taken at Katama bay was 123; these were
observed on 13 different occasions between August 15 and
October 26; on September 8 the number taken was 26 and 21
were seined on October 3. Up to 1897 only a few specimens
had been secured annually in October and November—not more
than five in any one season.
A single individual, 14 inches long, was taken in the seine at
Beesley’s Point N. J. September 2.
The general color of the sides was yellow, more persistent in
alcohol on the ventral surface and caudal peduncle than else-
where.
D. XIII, 20; A. III, 18; lateral line, 45; third and fourth dorsal
Spines equal, and as long as the head without the snout.
The parche is very rare in Gravesend bay. Two small indi-
viduals were taken by Mr De Nyse in October 1898. Mr De
Nyse informs me that the roundish black spot in the soft dorsal
remains fixed under all conditions, while the band extending ©
from it to the anal fin sometimes disappears. The whole body
of the fish at times appears to have an orange tinge, but at
other times it is gray.
An individual about 2 inches long was obtained from a fish —
pound near Clam Pond cove, Oct. 17, 1898. This species is con-
spicuously beautiful on account of the orange color of its fins
contrasting sharply with the dark bands on the head and body.
Family re UTHIDIDAE
Surgeons
/
Genus TeutTnis Linnaeus
This genus includes ‘those Teuthididae which have the
tail armed with a sharp, antrorse, lancetlike, movable spine;
strong, fixed, incisor teeth; ventral rays I, five, and usually nine
spines in the dorsal fin. The numerous species are found in all
tropical seas, herbivorous fishes living about coral reefs. The
adult is protected by the murderous caudal spine, which grows > |
larger with age.
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eer FISHES OF NEW YORK 607
293 Teuthis hepatus Linnaeus
Surgeons ; Doctor Fish; Tang
Teuthis hepatus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 507, 1766, Carolina; MEEK &
HoFFMAN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 229, 1884; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus.
Nat. Hist. [X, 368, 1897; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 1691, 1898.
Acanthurus phlebotomus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X, 176,
1835, New York, etc.; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 139, pl. 73, fig.
234, 1842. :
Acanthurus chirurgus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X, 168,
' 1835; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. 329, 1861; Jorpan & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 617, 1883.
Acanthurus nigricans JORDAN & GILBERT, 1. c. 941, 1883.
Body ovate, its greatest depth one half of total length with-
out caudal; anterior profile moderately convex, forming an
angle of 45° with axis of body. Caudal lunate, its inner rays
about two thirds length of outer rays; caudal lobes subequal,
the upper never filamentous. Head rather short, two sevenths
of total length without caudal. D. IX, 26; A. III, 24.
Color dark olive brown, more or less distinctly greenish;
middle of sides paler; sides with about 12 distinct blackish
vertical bars, rather narrower than the interspaces, most dis-
tinct over front of anal; a brownish stripe along base of dorsal;
spinous dorsal with alternate stripes running upward and back-
ward, of dark blue and bronze olive, the two colors of about
equal width; soft dorsal with a bluish streak on the anterior
side of each ray, and a bronze stripe behind it; fins very dark,
often almost black. }
The surgeon is common in the West Indies and from Florida
to Bahia and northward in summer to Cape Cod.
A young individual, about 3 inches long, was caught in Mr
John B. De Nyse’s pound, Gravesend bay, Oct. 22, 1897. The
species had not been certainly known before to occur north of
Charleston 8. C. De Kay described and figured it as a New
York species solely on the authority of Cuvier and Valenciennes.
Dr Smith records the capture of a few specimens in the vicinity
of Woods Hole Mass. during the summer of 1900. It was last
observed on October 3 when one example was taken.
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608 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Group PLECTOGNATHI
Suborder S<CLERODERMI
Family BALISTIDAE
Trigger fishes
Genus uaxnistes (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body compressed, covered with thick, rough scales or plates
of moderate size, 50 to 75 in a lengthwise series; a naked groove
before eye below nostrils; lateral line more or less developed,
very slender, undulate, conspicuous only when the scales are
dry, extending on the cheeks. Pelvic flap large, movable, sup-
ported by a series of slender, pungent spines. Caudal peduncle
compressed, its scales unarmed, without spines or differentiated
tubercles similar to those on rest of body. Gill opening with
enlarged bony scutes behind it; cheeks entirely scaly, without
naked patches or grooves. Both jaws with irregular, incisor-
like teeth, usually four on each side in each jaw. First dorsal
of three spines, the anterior of which is much the largest, the
second acting as a trigger, locking the first when erected; the
third nearly as large as second and remote from it; second
dorsal and anal long, similar to each other, in the adult always”
faleate or filamentous in front; caudal fin rounded, with the
outer rays much produced in the adult; branchiostegals six;
vertebrae 7+10. Species rather few, chiefly American; some of
them straying to the Old World.
Subgenus capriscus Rafinesque
294 Balistes carolinensis Gmelin
Leather Jacket; Turbot; Triggerfish
Balistes carolinensis GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1468, 1788, Carolina; BEAN,
"Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 368, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S.
F. C. 1897, 104, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1701, 1898, pl. CCLVIII, fig. 682, 1900.
Balistes capriscus GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1471, 1788, Indian & American
Oceans; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 217, 1870; Goopz &
BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 3, 1879; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 855, 1883.
Balistes fuliginosus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 339, pl. 57, fig. 188,
1842, New York.
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FISHES OF NEW YORK 609
Body oblong, compressed, its greatest depth one half of total
length to end of middle caudal rays; least depth of caudal pe-
duncle one third length of head. Head nearly one third of total
length without caudal; eye small, placed high, one fourth as long
as the snout, and one fifth as long as the head; mouth small,
terminal, the maxillary as long as the eye. Dorsal origin
slightly behind vertical of hind margin of orbit; base of spinous
dorsal one fourth of total length without caudal; first spine
longest, one half as long as the head; second spine slender, one
third as long as the head; third spine stouter than second, one
fifth as long as the head. An interspace between spinous and
soft dorsal. Soft dorsal base slightly longer than the head; the
third and fourth rays longest, as long as the snout; the last ray
shorter than the eye. Middle caudal rays one half as long as
the head; external rays five sixths as long as the head. Anal
opposite and similar to soft dorsal, its base as long as the
head, its longest ray one fifth of total length without caudal.
Pectoral short, one half as long as the head, reaching to below
third spine of dorsal. Ventral flap large, supported by several
slender pungent spines. D. III, 27; A. 25; scales 55 to 63 (58 in
specimen examined), about 38 in a transverse series from vent
upward and forward. Lateral line very inconspicuous, extend-
ing from the eye backward to below the third dorsal spine,
where it descends to a point nearly over the sixth or seventh
ray of the anal; here it turns to form a V-shaped figure ascend-
ing to the median line and along the middle of the caudal
_ peduncle to the base of the caudal fin; a branch from behind
eye extends obliquely downward and forward to the breast
below pectorals; the lateral lines of the two sides are connected
by a cross branch at the nape.
Color in life olive gray; a more or less distinct darker cross-
bar under front of second dorsal and one under last ray; some
small violet spots on upper part of back; usually a ring of blue
spots, alternating with olive green streaks, about eye; violace-
ous marks on sides of snout; first dorsal spotted and clouded
with bluish; second dorsal pale yellowish with clear sky-blue
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610 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
spots separated by olive green reticulations, the spots arranged
in rows; blue markings all fading in alcohol, leaving the oliva- |
ceous streaks; base of dorsal with three or four dark diffuse
shades in the young; base of pectoral bluish, with olive spots;
anal colored like soft dorsal; pectoral greenish.
The triggerfish inhabits the tropical parts of the Atlantie
occasionally following the Gulf Stream northward as far as
Cape Cod. In the Colonial Museum at Halifax is a specimen
said to have been taken on the coast of Nova Scotia. At Woods
Hole Mass. it is very rare and does not occur every year; the -
young have not been observed there.
The species is uncommon in Gravesend bay, Long Island, but is
seen occasionally in summer in the bays opening into the Atlan-
tic. De Kay described a’ specimen measuring 124 inches. In
the year 1820, a specimen was obtained for him from New York
harbor. :
Subgenus BALISTES
295 Balistes vetula Linnaeus
Blue-striped T riggerfish ; Bessy Corka
Balistes vetula LinNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 329, 1758, Ascension Island;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 215, 1870; Jonpan & GILBERT?,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 855, 1883; H. M. SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C.
1897, 103, 1898; JonpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1703,
1898.
Body shaped as in B. carolinensis, its greatest depth
five ninths of total length without caudal. Head one third of
total length without caudal. Lateral line placed ayin B.caro-
linensis, but the median part, from base of first dorsal to —
front of caudal peduncle wanting in the adult, branch on cheek
ceasing opposite gill opening; cross branch present; ventral flap
well developed, with slender, sharp spines. Scales on head
much smaller and more crowded than thuse on body. Third dor-
sal spine rather shorter and weaker than second, remote from
it. Caudal fin widely forked, the lobes filamentous and about
equal. Dorsal in adult filamentous at tip. Anal little elevated
anteriorly. D. III, 29; A. 27; lateral line 63.
Two curved, bluish, dark-edged bands on the side of the head,
the lower from the angle of the mouth towards the throat, the
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FISHES OF NEW YORK 611
upper from above the snout to the root of the pectoral; a black
light-edged line, similarly curved below the eye; several other
similar lines radiating from the eye; caudal fin margined above
and below with bluish, and with an intramarginal bluish band;
dorsal and anal fins with transverse bluish bands; young with
some irregular oblique black lines following the rows of scales.
The blue-striped triggerfish is common in the West Indies
and occurs occasionally northward on our coast as far as Cape
Cod. According to Dr Smith it is found in Vineyard Sound
every season, mostly in September, adult specimens being taken
in some numbers in the traps at Menemsha. During summer
and fall the young, 14 or 2 inches long, are found at the surface
in Vineyard sound in gulf weed and also around the shores.
Family MONACANTHIDAE
Filefishes
Genus MONACANTHUS Cuvier
Body short and deep, very strongly compressed, covered with
minute, rough scales: Mouth very small; upper jaw with a
double series of incisorlike teeth, usually 6 in the outer and
4 in the inner series; lower jaw with about 6 incisors in a single
Series; teeth connivent, unequal; gill opening a small slit, shorter
than the eye, nearly vertical, below the posterior part of the
eye, and just in front of upper edge of pectoral. Dorsal spine
large, armed with two series of retrorse barbs, and no conspicu-
ous filaments; second dorsal and anal fins similar to each cther,
of about 25 to 35 rays each; caudal fin moderate, rounded: pelvic
bone with a blunt, movable spine, the bone connected by a moy-
able flap of varying size; side of tail often with a patch of spines,
specially in the ‘males. Vertebrae 7411 to 14=-18 to 21.
Species very numerous, in warm seas, most of them reaching a
small size. All are lean fishes with leathery skin and bitter
flesh, unsuited for food.
Subgenus STEPHANOLEPIS Gill
296 Monacanthus hispidus (Linnaeus)
Fulefish
Balistes hispidus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 405, 1766, Carolina.
Balistes broccus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit, & Phil, Soc. N. Y. I, 467, 1815,
New York,
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612 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Monacanthus massachusettensis D&E Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 336, pl. 57,
fig. 187, 1842, Massachusetts Bay; StorErR, Hist. Fish. Mass. 231,
pl. XXIV, fig. 4, 1867. :
Monacanthus setifer DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 337, pl. 59, fig. 194,
1842, New York Harbor; GooprE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 4,
1879.
Monacanthus broccus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 335, pl. 56, fig. 183,
1842; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat Mus. 856, 1883.
Monacanthus hispidus BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 138, 1888; 19th Rep.
Comm. Fish. N. Y. 241, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 1X, 369, 1897;
H. M. SmitTH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 104, 1898; Jonpan & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1715, 1898, pl. CCLIX, fig. 635, 1900; Bran,
02d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 107, 1900, Great South Bay.
Body rather deep, the length being one and three fourths times
the depth and three and two fifths times the length of the head;
jaws subequal; eyes large, more than one third length of snout;
gill opening about as long as eye, separated from the eye by an’
interspace nearly equal to its length; anterior profile slightly
concave; dorsal spine somewhat shorter than snout, inserted
above posterior part of eye, stout, rough, armed behind with two
rows of retrorse.barbs; first ray of soft dorsal sometimes fila-
mentous, one half of total length without caudal; pectorals small,
one half length of snout; pelvic bone long, ending in a short,
blunt, movable spine, beyond which the abdominal flap does not
extend; length of free edge of flap when expanded not greater
than diameter of eye; scales minute, each with a crest of about
three prickles, those on the caudal peduncle villous, those on the
ventral flap larger, elongate; no naked areas; recurved spines on
tail. Length 10 inches. D. I-82 to 33; A. 32 to 38; P. 15.
Dull greenish mottled with darker; fins olivaceous, somewhat
blotched. Massachusetts bay to tropical seas; abundant on our
South Atlantic coast. Also found through the West Indies to
Brazil, in the Canaries and Madeira.
Mitchill and De Kay both recorded the filefish from New York,
where it was not uncommon in summer. ;
This fish is taken in Gravesend bay in moderate numbers
occasionally in the fall. Individuals were sent from there in
September and November 1897. Some were living in a tropical
tank and feeding freely on December 11. A single specimen was
taken at Point of Woods, Great South bay, Aug. 16, 1898,
FISHES OF NEW YORK 613
In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, it
occurs every year; some years rather scarce, some years abun-
dant. In 1897 it was extremely numerous in July and August,
and several hundred were often taken in one day in the seine.
It may often be obtained under gulf weed, but is usually most
plentiful in eelgrass and rockweed. No large fish are observed,
the size ranging from i inch to nearly 4 inches. The smallest
are rather uniformly dull brownish‘or greenish yellow in color,
but those 3 or 4 inches long are mottled with white and several
Shades of dark green. In aquaria, smal] filefish often annoy
and injure other fish, biting their fins, eyes, and other parts.
At Beesley’s Point N. J. the writer seined an individual, Aug.
23, 1887, which had several parasites attached to the fins.
Genus ALUTERA Cuvier
Body oblong or rather elongate, strongly compressed, covered
with minute, rough scales; mouth and teeth essentially as in
Monacanthus, but the lower jaw more projecting, so that
the lower teeth are directed obliquely upward and backward;
gill opening an oblique slit, longer than eye, situated below and
in advance of eye, its posterior end behind base of pectorals;
pelvic bone long, faleate, movable under the skin, without spine
at its extremity; dorsal spine small, inserted over the eye, rough,
but without barbs; soft dorsal and anal long, each of 36 to 50
rays; caudal fin convex; pectorals small.
Subgenus ceRaTacantTuus Gill
297 Alutera schoepfii (Walbaum)
Orange Filefish
Balistes schoepfii WALBAuM, Art. Gen. Pisce. 461, 1792, Long Island.
Balistes aurantiacus MitTcuHiLy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 468, pl. VI,
fig. 1, 1815, New York; adult.
Balistes cuspicauda Mitcui~tt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 326, March, 1818,
New York; young.
Aluteres cuspicauda DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 338, pl. 59, fig. 192,
1842, New York; young.
Monacanthus aurantiacus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 254, 1870.
Alutera schoepffii JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 858, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 184, 1888,
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614 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Alutera schoepfii GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 3, 1879; BEAN,
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 1X; 869, 1897; H. M. Sire, bull Use
I’. ©. 1897, 104, 1898; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1718, 1898, pl. COLX, fig. 686, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y.
State Mus. 107, 1900.
Body oblong, rather elongate, narrowed posteriorly; the great-
est depth four ninths or nearly one half of total length without
caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle nearly one third length of
head. Profile of head very oblique; space between dorsals al-
most horizontal; ventral outline convex. Head short, its length
contained three and one fourth times in total without caudal;
the gill opening oblique, two and one half times as long as the
eye; eye small, one fifth as long as the head; twice its own diam-
eter from top of head, and placed far back over the posterior part
of the gill opening; snout one fourth of total length without cau-
dal; mouth very small, the lower jaw prominent. Dorsal spine
slender, varying greatly in length, placed over the eye. Inter-
space between the dorsals as long as the head. Base of second -
dorsal one third of total length without caudal; the longest dor-
sal ray equals one third length of dorsal base; the outline of the
fin greatly convex. Caudal moderately long in adult, rounded
behind, much produced in young; the middle rays in adult as
long as the snout. Anal similar to soft dorsal, but extending
farther back, its base somewhat longer than dorsal base, its
longest rays equal to longest of dorsal. Pectoral ghort, one
third as long as the head. Scales minute, jain © uniform
over the body. D. I, 36; A. 38.
Coloration nearly uniform dirty olive gray, varying to orange
yellow, often, specially when young, mottled above with darker
bluish or dull orange; caudal sometimes dusky, edged with white,
usually dull yellowish in the adult. Length 24 inches.
The orange filefish is found from Cape Cod to the Gulf of
Mexico, the young usually abundant every summer on the south
shore of Long Island and in the bays. - .
The young are rather common in Gravesend bay in August,
September, October, and sometimes as late as November. Adults
are rarely seen. The species will not survive the winter except
FISHES OF ‘NEW YORK 615
in warmed water. It feeds freely when the temperature is agree-
able. , |
Young individuals were obtained in 1898 at the ocean beach,
Southampton, Long Island, August 3, Islip, August 18, and Fire
Island inlet, September 16. No adults were seen; the largest
example was about 9 inches long. In 1901, an adult was ob-
tained from Watts’s pound, in Clam Pond cove, August 13, and
another was speared in Fire Island inlet, August 1; no young
were observed.
At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, it is rather com-
mon every year in August and September. The largest are 18
inches long, the smallest 3 inches. The position constantly as-
sumed in the aquarium is with the head down. Succulent algae
are often eaten by the fish in captivity, the long branches of some
species being bitten off and swallowed in a surprisingly short
time. The color of the young is a dirty white, with large reddish-
brown mottlings or blotches; the larger are orange-colored with
the same mottlings as when young.
The species is seldom found north of Cape Cod. An individual
taken at Forest River lead works, Salem, Mass. Aug. 9, 1845,
was preserved in the museum of the Essex institute. At Somers
Point N. J., a few young were found in August and September,
but the adults were absent. This is called sunfish at Somers
Point.
Suborder OSTRACODERMI
Trunkfishes
Family oSTRACIIDAE
Genus Lacrorpurys Swainson
Trunkfishes with the carapace three-angled, the ventral sur-
face flat or concave, never carinate; carapace closed behind the
anal fin; carapace with or without frontal and abdominal spines;
dorsal rays nine or 10; caudal rays always 10. This genus con-
tains five species, four of them American, and differs from the
Old World genus Ostracion only in the form of the cara-
pace. The median dorsal ridge of the carapace is much more
developed than the others, so that the body is three-sided and
616 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
three-angled, instead of four-sided and four-angled, as in
Ostracion. Though this character is a striking one it
is not one of high structural importance. Hollard and Bleeker
have discarded it as being of no real systematic value. All
writers agree that the species of the group are most closely
related, and that the relations of the species are closer than
they appear. We think, with Dr Goode, that the shape of the
carapace affords “the most reliable guide in the arrangement
of the species of the genus,” and we think it not improper to
accord generic distinction to. the three-angled species, as dis-
tinct from the more specialized four-angled forms. Jordan and
Evermann.
298 Lactophrys trigonus (Linnaeus)
Subgenus LAcTroPpuRys
Trunkfish; Cuckold
Ostracium trigonus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 330, 1758.
Ostracium trigonum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 853,
1883.
Ostracion trigonus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 256, 1870.
Gstracion yalei STORER, Bost. Jour, Nat. Hist. I, 353, pl. 8, 1887, Holmes”
Hole, Marthas Vineyard.
Lactophrys yalei DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 342, 1842, after STORER;
STORER, Mem. Am. Ac. VIII, 429, pl. 35, fig. 8, 1861. v
Lactophrys trigonus Pory, Memorias, II, 362, 1861; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus.
Nat. Hist. IX, 369, 1897; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus.. 1728, 1898, pl. CCLXIII, fig. 641, 641a, 1900; H. M. Smiru, Bull.
U. S. F. C. 1897, 104, 1898.
Body three-angled and with greatly compressed, thin edges;
the greatest height one half of total length without the caudal.
The caudal peduncle long and slender, its least depth three
fourths diameter of eye. Each ventral ridge with a large, flat
Spine; no spine in front of eyes. Dorsal ridge high, greatly
compressed, descending rapidly forward to opposite posterior
margin of orbit and backward to caudal peduncle; carapace
open behind the dorsal fin. Eye one third as long as the head;
a pronounced supraoccipital ridge, the interorbital Space exceed-
ing diameter of eye. Dorgal base five sixths as long as the
eye; longest dorsal ray one half as long as head. Anal farther
back than dorsal and somewhat er Length of gill open-
ing not equal to eye.
D, 10; AS As PAZ.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 617
Four teeth in each side of lower jaw. -
Color olive gray or brownish; a faint blue spot in the center
of each of most of the scales; nostril in a yellow spot; boun-
daries of upper scutes blackish, of lower bluish; outlines of
-yarious scutes behind gill opening black, forming a dusky area,
Specially distinct in the young; a similar smaller dusky area
on side on level of eye; iris yellow; fins all pale olive; vent yel-
low; belly light olive, outlines of the scutes bluish; base of
pectorals yellowish.
The trunkfish reaches the length of about 1 foot; it is com-
mon in the West Indies, the Bermudas, and the eastern part of
the Gulf of Mexico, occasionally migrating northward in sum-
mer under gulf weed as far as Cape Cod. Dr Storer had it from
Holmes Hole, on Marthas Vineyard. Dr H. M. Smith records
no adults from the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. but young indi-
viduals are not uncommon and are taken every year. They are
found from July to October. On quiet days they are seen, singly
or in scattered bodies, in the eelgrass about the wharves. The
largest specimens secured by Dr Smith are 1 inch Jong, and the
smallest + inch. They are taken under the gulf weed, in sur-
face tow nets and in shore seines. Several dozen have been
obtained at one seine haul.
De Kay knew the fish only from the description by Dr Storer.
The only individual taken in Gravesend bay was found in
August 1897; it was 2 inch long. The fish lived a very short
time in a balanced jar, though it appeared to feed freely upon
minced hard clam.
Suborder GYMNODONTES
Family TE TRAODONTIDAE
Puffers
Genus LAGOCEPHALUS Swainson
Body comparatively elongate; skin smooth or variously
prickly, the prickles most developed on the abdomen; abdomen
capable of very great inflation. Dorsal and anal rather long,
falcate. of 12 to 15 rays each; caudal lunate. Nostril without
distinct papilla, each one with two distinct openings; mucous
618 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
tubes on upper part of head and on sides of body very conspic-
uous. Lower side of tail with a fold. Species reaching a rather
large size, chiefly tropical, one of them, L. lagocephalus
L., reaching the coasts of southern Europe. Vertebrae in
increased number (about 8+13=21). The increased number of
vertebrae and of rays in the vertical fins mark a transition
toward the allied family, Chonerhinidae, in which there
are about 29 vertebrae, the dorsal rays about 35, the anal 30.
299 Lagocephalus laevigatus (Linnaeus)
Smooth Puffer; Rabbitfish
Tetrodon laevigatus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 411, 1766, Charleston,
S. C.; MiITcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 28, 1814; GuntueErR, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. VIII, 274, 1870. ;
Tetraodon luevigatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 329, pl. 56, fig. 182,
1842.
Tetrodon curvus MitTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 474, 1815;
New York; young.
Tetrodon mathematicus MiTrcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 474,
Die Wie hes Gels?
Lagocephalus laevigatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 860,
1883; BEAN, Bulls U. S. F. C. VII, 133, 1888; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.
Hist. IX, 369, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 104, 1898;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1728, 1898, pl.
CCLXIII, fig. 642, 1900; SHERWoop & Epwarps, Bull. U. S. F. C.
1901, 30, 1901.
Body elongate, stout, its depth about one fourth or two ninths
of total length without the caudal. Caudal peduncle rather
slender, tapering, its.least depth about equal to diameter of eye.
Head short, very obtuse in front, its length two sevenths of
total without the caudal. Mouth very small, terminal. Nostrils
midway between eye and tip of snout. Snout twice as long as
the eye, which is one fourth as long as the head, and two thirds
of width of interorbital Space. Dorsal and anal fins opposite,
about midway between eye and origin of middle caudal rays;
each fin on a fleshy base. Base of dorsal two sevenths as long
as the head; longest dorsal ray about one half as long as the
head. Anal equal in size to dorsal. Caudal fin lunate, the
middle rays as long as the snout; fold of skin on side of tail
very distinct. Back and sides smooth; belly prickly, the spinous
region extending backward from the throat nearly to the vent
FISHES OF NEW YORK 619
and on the sides as high as the base of the pectoral; spines
rather large, three-rooted, well separated, and with no smaller
ones intermixed. Pectoral short and deep, its longest rays
nearly one half as long as the head. i
Dyd4. Al AZ: Poke:
Upper parts greenish, sides and lower parts silvery white; no
distinct markings. |
The smooth puffer is a common resident of tropical seas, on
our coast ranging from Cape Cod to Brazil. It reaches a length
of 2 feet. According to Parra its flesh is poisonous. No recent
observations have been recorded, however, on this subject.
In the waters of Cape Cod the species is not common though
a few specimens are taken annually in traps in Buzzards bay
and Vineyard sound, chiefly in September and October. The
young are not found at all, the individuals observed being 11
or 12 inches long. During 1900 several: specimens were taken
in the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. The Rhode Island Fish Com-
mission secured three specimens in Narragansett bay, the larg-
est weighing 10 pounds. _ }
Occasionally taken in the fall in Gravesend bay. Five young
were obtained in October 1897, but all of them died in November, |
notwithstanding that they had been taking food readily. The
temperature could not be endured. |
Though this fish was unknown to the fishermen met in Great
Egg Harbor bay in 1887, it was moderately common there, 138
examples having been taken from August 27 to September 18.
It has the same habit as the swellfish of inflating its abdomen.
Genus SPHEROIDES Lacépéde
Body oblong, not elongate; skin variously prickly or smooth,
sometimes with cirri. A single, short, simple nasal tube on
‘each side, with two rather large openings near its tip. Dorsal
and anal fins short, little falcate, of six to eight rays each;
caudal truncate or rounded, rarely slightly concave. Vertebrae
8+10—18. Frontal bones expanded sidewise and forming the
lateral roof of the orbit, the postfrontals limited to the pos-
terior portions. Species numerous, in warm seas; largely
American. Our species represent two well marked subgenera,
the extremes of which appear very different from each other so
far as the skulls are concerned. Some of the typical species of
Spheroides approach Canthigaster in the narrow-
ness of the frontal area.
620 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Subgenus sPHEROIDES
300 Spheroides maculatus (Bloch & Schneider)
Swellfish; Puffer a
Tetrodon hispidus var. maculatus BLocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 504,
1801, Long Island.
Tetrodon turgidus MircuHitu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 473, pl. VI,
fig. 5, 1815, New York; GunruerR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 285, /
1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 861, 1883; BEAN,
Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 183, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 242,
1890.
Tetraodon turgidus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 327, pl. 55, fig. 178,
1842.
Spheroides maculatus JORDAN & HEDWARpDSs, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 2382,
1886; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 369, 1897; H..M. Smiru,
Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 104, 1898; JorpAN & HEVERMANN, Bull. 47,
U. S. Nat. Mus. ‘1733, pl. COLXIV, fig. 645, 1900; Bran, 52d Ann.
Rep. N. Y: State Mus. 108, 1900.
Body fusiform, thick, its width and depth about equal and
one third of total length without the caudal. Head moderately
large, three eighths of the length without caudal. Eye smali,
about two fifths of interorbital width and one ninth as long
as the head. Snout long, four sevenths as long as the head.
Interorbital space slightly concave; profile not steep, depressed
in front of the eyes. Dorsal origin twice as far from middle of
eye as from base of middle caudal rays; base of dorsal fin as
long as the eye; longest ray one third as long as the head. Anal
origin under the end of dorsal base, the fin about equal to
dorsal. Caudal convex, the middle rays two fifths as lonz as
the head. Pectoral deep, but short, its upper rays three eiyhths.
as long as the head. Distance of nostrils from front of eye one
lialf their distance from tip of snout. Sides of head and body
always prickly; back prickly from upper lip to base of dorsal;
belly prickly from lower lip to vent; prickles all similar, small,
mostly three-rooted, stiff and close set, rather largest pos-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 621
teriorly on back and belly, never obsolete; sides without cirri.
OE A. 65: CMG Bete:
Color darkish olive green on the upper part of the head, body
and tail, with a yellowish tinge along the sides. Sides and
under surface white. Along the sides from beneath the eye to
the caudal fin is an indefinite series of six to eight oblong black
blotches, which occasionally take the appearance of transverse
bars. De Kay observed some individuals which were nearly a
uniform black above. Caudal fin nearly uniform: pale, the tip
darker.
The swellfish inhabits the Atlantic coast from Cape Ann to
Florida; it grows to a length of 10 inches. In most localities
the fish is not eaten, but at Somers Point N. J. certain persons
professed to find in it excellent food qualities. De Kay states
that the species is scarcely ever eaten in New York.
This species is known also by the additional names, puffer,
blower, eggfish, swelltoad, sucking toad, toadfish (at Somers _
Point N. J.) It is the puffer and toadfish of Mitchill’s Fishes
of New York.
The swellfish is extremely abundant about the eastern end
of Long Island, and is caught by hundreds at a time in pound
nets during the summer. The writer has taken it at the follow-
ing localities in Great South bay: Fire Island inlet, Oak Island
beach, Clam Pond cove, Islip, Cherry Grove, Nichols’s Point,
Blue Point. In Gravesend bay the species is found at all times
except during the cold months ; it is hardy in captivity, but
can not be kept with other fish because of its predatory habits.
In the vicinity of Woods Hole, according to Dr Smith, it ap-
pears about June first, and is abundant during the run of scup.
It is common throughout the summer at the head of Buzzards
bay. The spawning season is June 1 to 10. From about July 1
to October 15, the young, from 4 inch to 1 inch long, are ex-
tremely abundant at Woods Hole, frequenting chiefly sandy
beaches, where as many as 100 are often taken in one seine
haul. The fish leaves as soon as cold weather sets in.
622 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The name swellfish is derived from its habit of inflating
itself by means of air or water. It can be made to inflate itself
by scratching its belly. During the process of inflation the fish
makes a sucking sound, from which doubtless comes the Chesa-
peake bay name of “ sucking toad.” Mitchill gives the follow-
ing account of the inflation:
The air is inhaled with a sucking or swilling noise. When
received into the cavity it is confined there by a valve in the
throat. This valve is so strong and so tight that not a particle
of air can escape. The hardness equals that of a football, and
the fish will bear to be kicked about without discharging it. I
have seen them stamped upon and still retain their charge of
air. I have known them to bounce from the surface of a rock,
against which they have been thrown, as turgid as ever. And
it is a piece of sport, common enough among fishermen, to burst
them between two stones, when the air is let loose with a noise
almost equal to the report of a pistol.
The habit of inflation is a protective one. By means of it the
fish can readily escape from the closed hand unless particular
effort is made to retain it. When the abdomen is inflated the
swellfish often remains on the surface of the water, and is
driven by wind and tide till it desires to sink, when the air is
suddenly discharged and the abdomen returns to its normal
state. .
It often takes a baited hook, notwithstanding the small size
of its mouth and its clumsy teeth.
Subgenus cnuemicutuys Miller
301 Spheroides testudineus (Linnaeus)
Globefish ; Blowfish
q'etrodon testudineus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 332, 1758; GUNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII; 282, 1870; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S.
Nat. Mus. 861, 1888.
Spheroides testudineus JoRDAN & Epwarps, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 239,
1886.
Spheroides testudineus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1734, 1898, pl. CCLXYV, fig. 646, 646a, 1900.
Body fusiform, subterete, moderately elongate, its greatest
width and depth equal, and two sevenths of total length with-
out caudal. Caudal peduncle comparatively stout, its least
depth one third length of head, the width not decreasing rapidly
{
t
FISHES OF NEW YORK 623
toward the base of the caudal. Head one third of total length
without caudal; eye small, its length nearly one fourth length
of snout and nearly one seventh that of head; interorbital
width two fifths length of head; nostrils one diameter of the
eye in advance of eye. Gill opening one fourth length of head.
Origin of dorsal fin twice as far from front of eye as from root
of middle caudal rays. Dorsal base one fifth as long as the
head, two fifths as long as longest dorsal ray. Anal origin
slightly behind dorsal origin, the anal fin a little smaller than
the dorsal, and mostly opposite to it. Caudal slightly concavo-
convex, the lower lobe a little the longer, the middle rays two
thirds as long as the head. Pectoral very deep but short, its
longest ray two fifths as long as the head. Lateral line begin-
ning behind the nostril, extending under the nostril to the mid-
dle of the snout, thence curving back on the cheek, ascending
below and behind eye in a broad curve, its highest point on the
level of the eye, to the middle of the caudal peduncle and thence
nearly straight to the base of the caudal. Small, sparsely set
prickles on back from nape to about middle of total length;
larger, closely set prickles on belly from throat to vent, extend-
ing up to lower edge of pectoral fin; these prickles rarely
obscure or absent; sides sometimes with cirri.
Back dark brownish or grayish and with whitish narrow
curved lines and streaks, one of these usually a rhomb in the
middle of the back surrounded by a long ellipse which often
contains also a short crescentic streak. Two half ellipses on
posterior part of back between dorsal and caudal fins. Two
pale streaks across the interorbital space. Entire body and
head, except back and belly, profusely covered with roundish
black spots, the largest smaller than the pupil. A dark bar at
base of pectoral. Caudal dusky at base, then pale, the posterior
half blackish. DD. 837A. (s. ©2110 PB. 15; \
The globefish abounds in the West Indies, occasionally
ascending rivers, and sometimes ranging northward in the Gulf
Stream as far as Newport R. I. No specimens have yet been
recorded from New York waters, but its occurrence is to be
624 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
expected in bays of the south side of Long Island. The species
reaches the length of 7 or 8 inches; it is known in Cuba as the
Tambor. ;
302 Spheroides trichocephalus (Cope)
Haury Blowfish
Tetrodon trichocephalus Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 120, 1870, Gulf
Stream off Newport, R. I.; JornpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 862, 1883.
Sphaeroides trichocephalus JORDAN & EDWARDS, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 236,
1886.
Spheroides trichocephalus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1737, 1898.
Head two sevenths of total length; eye two sevenths as long
as the head; interorbital width four fifths diameter of eye.
Profile suddenly descending from prefrontal region to premaxil-
lary, arched from the former point backward; belly spinous to
near vent; dorsal region spinous from a little behind the nares
to above the ends of the pectoral fins; spines on the head long,
close set, like seal bristles; caudal fin truncate, with prominent
angles.
De Se ete
Brownish above, faintly vermiculated with lighter; sides yel-
lowish, becoming white below; fins uniform light yellow; a
brown spot at. base of pectoral. (After Cope)
The hairy blowfish is known only from the small specimen
4 inches long described by Professor Cope; the specimen was
taken in the Gulf Stream off Newport. Jordan and Evermann
suggest that it may be the young of Spheroides pachy-
easter (Miiller & Troschel), from Barbados. Possibly it may
be nearer to S. nephelus (Goode & Bean), Proc. U.S. Nat.
Mus., 412. 1882, a southern species known from Georgia to
Texas.
No specimens have been recorded from waters of New York.
Family DIODONTIDAE
Porcupine Fishes
Genus TRicHopIopon Bleeker ;
Body oblong, little depressed; nasal tentacle present; dermal
ossifications very small, each with a pair of lateral roots, and
q
4
4
=
&
:
2 ee Lage ter te ne. age ga
FISHES OF NEW YORK 625
each terminating in a fine, flexible, bristlelike spine; fins as in
Diodon, of which the species are possibly the very young.
303 Trichodiodon pilosus (Mitchill)
Hairy Porcupine Fish
Diodon pilosus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 471, pl. VI, fig.
4, 1815; supposed to be from New York Harbor; specimen 1% inches
2 hres pilosus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 316, 1870;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.. Mus. 862, 1883, name but
probably not description which is from DE Kay; JORDAN & EVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1748, 1898.
Mitchill’s description as given by Jordan and Evermann is as
follows: “ Hairy diodon (Diodon pilosus), with a cov-
ering of bristly hair. Length about 14 inches; breadth less than
4 inch; depth nearly a quarter, making a blunt lump of a fish;
covered all over—back, sides, head and belly—with bristly
hair. The bristles strong and flexible, without the power to
scratch or to prick; hair about 4 inch in length. Complexion
dun or ‘brown, with spots on the back, sides, and toward the
belly; has, at first glimpse, the appearance of a young mouse.
Mouth small, midway, and horizontal. Eyes vertical, lateral,
and large. No ventral fins. Pectorals broad. Dorsal and anal
very far back, and no hair between them and the tail. This is
but a small projection from the thick and clumsy body, and is
terminated by a fin of seven rays. Dorsal, anal, and pectoral
fins contain each about 18 rays.”
Ginther (Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., VIII, 316, 1870) describes a
young example, § inch long, and by some authors supposed to
be of the same species as Mitchill’s hairy diodon, as follows:
‘“TrRicHoorcLuS. Jaws without median suture. Body covered
with long, hairlike bristles. No nasal tentacle. (Dorsal and
anal fins absent ?). 1. Trichocyclus erinaceus.
Owing to the indifferent preservation of the specimen, I can
give but an incomplete description of it. It is ? inch long, and
the longest hairs (which are those on the sides) about 3 inch.
The entire body, except the snout, is covered with such hairs.
The jaws are prominent, depressed; and the upper terminates
626 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
in a slight hook, overlapping the lower jaw. The caudal fin
is distinct, and the pectoral a narrow fringe behind the gill
opening; but I am unable to find a trace of the dorsal and anal
fins.” Habitat unknown.
Under the name Diodon pilosus De Kay describes and
figures a specimen 2 inches long which he considered identical
with the Diodon pilosus of Mitchill, but which may be
the young of Diodon hystrix, a species not yet recorded
in New York waters.
Genus CHILOMYCTERUS Bibron
Body broad, depressed, moderately inflatable. Dermal Spines
short, stout, immovable, triangular, each with three roots;
nasal tube simple, with two lateral openings; the tube some-
times rounded, sometimes flattened, and with the partition
feeble and easily torn so that the tentacle appears divided;
caudal peduncle short; fins small, formed as in Diodon; jaws
without'median suture. Species numerous, of smaller size than
those of Diodon, the spines broader and lower, their bases
forming a coat of mail. i
Subgenus cyciicuruys Kaup
304 Chilomycterus schoepfi (Walbaum)
Spiny Boxfish ; Burfish ; Cucumberfish
Diodon schoepfi WaLBAUM, Art. Gen. Pisce. 601, 1792, Long Island.
Diodon maculostriatus Mitcuitt, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 470,
pl. VI, fig. 3, 1815, New York; De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 323°
pl. 56, fig. 185, 1842. .
Diodon. rivulatus CUVIER, Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. IV, 129, vl 6, 1818, New
York.
Diodon nigrolineatus AYRES, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 68, 1842, Brook-
haven, Long Island.
Chilomycterus geometricus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. VIII, 310, 1870;
JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U..S. Nat. Mus. 863, 1883; BEAN, Bull.
U.S. F.C. VH, 132, 1888.
Chilomycterus schoepfii BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 369, 1897.
Chilomycterus schoepfi JORDAN and EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1748, 1898, pl. CCLXVI, fig. 649, 1900; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C.
1897, 105, 1898.
Body elliptic, a little broader than deep at gill openings, the
depth four ninths of total length without caudal. Caudal
FISHES OF NEW YORK 627
peduncle very short, one third as long as the head, its least depth
one half of its greatest depth, and less than diameter of eye.
Eye placed high, one fourth as long as the head, about equal to
width of gill opening; interorbital space broad, concave. Snout
nearly equal to eye. A cirrus, longer than pupil, above each
eye. Origin of dorsal four times as far from tip of snout as
from base of middle caudal rays. Dorsal base one third as long
as the head; longest dorsal ray one half as long as the head.
Anal immediately under the dorsal and about equal to it in size.
Caudal rounded, the middle rays as long as the postorbital part
of the head. Pectoral one half as long as the head, its depth
when expanded six sevenths of length of head. <A small cirrus
on chin. About nine spines between eye and tail, their hight
about two thirds diameter of eye; spines on belly much smaller,
partly embedded in skin; some of the posterior with cirri; spines
on caudal peduncle; anterior root of each spine little if any larger
than others. D.12; A. 10; C. 9; P. 20.
Color of a living specimen as given by De Kay: ‘“ Bright sea
green above, with longitudinal olive-brown irregular stripes on
the back and upper part of the sides; on the cheeks, below the
eyes, these stripes are oblique; transverse across the snout, and
sloping downward over the fleshy portion of the tail. The large
olive-brown spots are irregularly rounded, occasionally ap-
proaching a quadrate form, and eight in number; one on each
side, above the base of the pectorals, of an oblong oval form;
one on each flank, behind and partially covered by the pectoral,
irregularly subquadrate; one on each side of the base of the
dorsal, ascending upon that fin; this is considered by Cuvier as
a single spot; finally a small oblong spot on each side, about
midway between the dorsal fin and the vent. Abdomen light-
colored, with a light tinge of pink. Spines on this portion of
the body inclining to orange. Pupils dark greenish; irides
yellow.” Other writers speak of the spots and stripes as of a
black color, and state that the belly is often black in the young.
The spiny boxfish grows to the length of ten inches. It is
found on our coast from Cape Cod to Florida. The body is
628 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
capable of considerable inflation, but less than in the common
swellfish. ;
A young example, 5 inches long, seined at Longport N. J.
Aug. 29, 1887, is much less elongate than the adult, and has the
orbital tentacles greatly developed. The black spot which is
present near the anal origin in the adult is absent in the young.
The species is known as “ Cucumberfish ” at Somers Point N. J.
It takes the hook. The fish is found occasionally in small num-
bers from May to October in Gravesend bay, but no very small
ones are seen. It lives in the aquarium in winter only in water
heated to a temperature of 68° to 70° F.
305 Chilomycterus fuliginosus (De Kay)
Burfish; Unspotted Balloonfish
Diodon fuliginosus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 324, pl. 55, fig. 181, 1842,
New York Harbor; BArrRD, Ninth Ann. Rep. Smith Inst. 351, 1855,
Great Egg Harbor River, N. J..
Chilomycterus geometricus subsp. (?) fuliginosus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 864, 1883.
Chilomycterus fuliginosus BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 183, 1888; 19th Rep.
Comm. Fish. N. Y. 248, 1890.
The following is the original description of the species:
Body subcubical, rather more slender toward the tail.
Irregular series of triangular spines on the upper surface, the
extremities of which, in the living animal, are furnished with
long strips of membrane. Similar spines, but more numerous,
smaller and recurved, on the abdomen. Three spines over each
orbit, and another equidistant between each orbit. Lips fleshy
and susceptible of being drawn over the teeth. ,Three or four
minute barbels under the chin. Pectorals short and broad, with
a Slightly sinuous margin; the upper rays longest. Dorsal
placed far back, and obtusely pointed. The anal fin long, placed
on an elongated fleshy base. Tail slender, supporting a lanceo-
late caudal fin. All the fins exceedingly feeble and delicate.
Color. Above dark olive-green, tinged with brown, with '
meandering dusky tines... chin vellowish white. Abdomen
black; but the bases of the spines are bright orange, which so
far predominates as to give this color to the whole underside.
Length, 2 inches. Depth and transverse diameter, 1 inch.
Fin rays, a4. P. 225A. 8: Cs 9. ;
This species, which might be mistaken for the young of the
preceding, [the spot-striped balloonfish] is readily distinguished
FISHES OF NEW YORK 629
by its lanceolate tail... The specimen which furnished me
with the above description was found in a net in the harbor of
New York in the latter part of October.
By some ichthyologists this has been considered the young of
the common ©. geometricus, but by Drs Goode and Bean,
who base their opinion on a specimen taken at Block Island and
the example found in Great South bay in 1884, near the Blue
Point Lifesaving station, it is accepted as a valid species. Pro-
fessor Baird recognized it also in Great Egg Harbor river, N. J.
in 1854.
The following is a recent description:
Entire body covered with large three-rooted spines, which are
numerous and close set, specially on the belly; spines of the
belly as large or even larger than those on the back; not
embedded. D. 12; A. 10. .
Dark brownish olive above, with wavy dusky lines; belly black,
the base of the spines bright orange. Atlantic coast, from Cape
Cod southward; not common.
Family MOLIDAE
Headfishes
Genus mona Cuvier
Body ovate, strongly compressed, covered with a thick, rough,
leathery, e!astic skin, which is without bony plates. Profile
forming a projecting fleshy nose above the mouth. Dorsal fin
beginning not far behind pectorals, short and high, falcate, con-
fluent with the anal around the tail; no large spines on the body.
Clumsy fishes, found in most warm seas, reaching a great size;
the young (Molacanthus) with the body deeper, much
compressed, without trace of caudal fin, its place taken by a row
of marginal spines.
306 Mola mola (Linnaeus)
Sunfish; Mola; Headfish
Tetrodon mola LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 334, 412, 1758, Mediterranean.
Oephalus brevis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 471, 1815.
Diodon carinatus MiTcHILyL, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. II, 264, pl. 5, fig. 1,
1815, New York; young.
Acanthosoma carinatum DE Kay, N, Y, Fauna, Fishes, 330, pl. 55, fig, 179,
1842.
Sean ese eee
See
Sa HS
oe ee
630 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Orthagoriscus mola STORER, Rep. Ichth.’ Mass. 170, pl. 8, fig. 1, 1889;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 331, pl. 59, fig. 193, 1842, New York
Bay; SroreEr, Hist. Fish. Mass. 226, pl. XXXIV, fig. 2, 1867; GUNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 317, 1870.
Orthagoriscus analis AyRES, Proc. Cal. Ac. Sci. II, 31, fig. 54, 1854, San
Irancisco.
Mola rotunda CuviER, Tableau Elem. Nat. Hist. 323, 1798, fide JonDAN &
EVERMANN; GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 3, 1879; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 865, 1888.
Mola mola JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. tae 17538, 1898,
pl. CCLXVIT, -fig. 651, 1900; H. M: Syarn, Bull U.-S) HC? 1e9i-eta,
1898, Vineyard Sound.
The length of the head is one third of the length of the body
which is one and three fifths times the depth of the body; dorsal
and anal fins high in front, rapidly decreased backwards; caudal
fin low, and with a wavy outline; depth always more than half
length, and in the young the vertical diameter exceeding the
longitudinal; form varying with age, the body becoming more
e'ongate, the fins comparatively shortened, the eye much smaller,
and a hump being developed above the mouth, topped by an
osseous tubercle. D.17; A. 16.
Dark gray; sides grayish brown, with silvery reflections, belly
dusky; a broad blackish bar running along the bases of the dor-
sal, caudal, and anal fins. Pelagic, inhabiting most temperate
and tropical seas, swimming slowly near the surface, with the
high dorsal fin exposed. —
It ranges northward to San Francisco, Cape Ann, and Eng-
land, occurring rarely in the West Indies. The Essex Institute
hag a specimen which was taken in Salem harbor in the summer
of 1863. An individual, 4 feet long, was caught off Gloucester
Mass. July 31, 1860. Dr Smith reports it rarer now than formerly
in the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass. It was not unusual to
observe eight or 10 specimens annually in Vineyard Sound, but
of late not more than one in a season is seen. In 1896 a 400
pound fish was seen off Tarpaulin Cove. A 200 pound specimen,
caught off Great Harbor, was kept alive at the station for about
a week in 1887. The sunfish are usually found there in August.
Mr VY. N. Edwards has opened a number of stomachs and found
in them only ctenophores and medusae. The largest individual
FISHES OF NEW YORK 631
recorded was captured at Redondo Beach, California, in June
1893; this was 8 feet 2 inches long and weighed 1800 pounds.
The specimen mentioned by Mitchill and De Kay from lower New
York bay, within Sandy Hook, was 54 inches long and weighed
200 pounds. :
_ The sunfish is not edible. De Kay states that various para-
Sites are frequently found adhering to its body; this is rendered
easy on account of the sluggish movements of the fish.
The young sunfish is very different in appearance from the
adult and has been described under various generic names and
even referred to a distinct family.
Suborder LORICATI
Mail-cheeked Fishes
Family scoRPAENIDAE
Rock/ishes
Group SEBASTINAE
Genus SEBASTES Cuvier
Body oblong, compressed. Head large, scaly above and on
sides; cranial ridges well developed. Mouth terminal, very
broad, oblique, the broad, short maxillary extending to below the
eye; lower jaw projecting, with a bony knob at the symphysis,
fitting into a rostral notch; villiform teeth on jaws, vomer and
palatines. Eye very large, close to upper profile, preopercle with
five diverging spines, opercle with two; suprascapular spines
strong; gill rakers long, slender. Scales small, ctenoid, irregu-
larly arranged; no dermal flaps. Dorsal fin continuous, very
_long, the spinous part much longer than the soft part, of 15
strong spines; anal spines three, strong; caudal emarginate;
pectorals long, narrow. Branchiostegals seven. Vertebrae 12+
19=31. Coloration mostly red. Ovoviviparous. One species
known, in the North Atlantic.
307 Sebastes marinus (Linnaeus)
Rosefish; Norway Haddock
Perca marina LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 290, 1758, Norway.
Sebastes norwegicus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 327,
pl. 87, 1829; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 95, 1860.
= EELS
632 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Sebastes norvegicus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 60, pl. 4, fig. 11, 1842, off
New York in deep water; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 38, pl. VII, fig. 1,
eee iene GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14, 1879: JORDAN &
TILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 651, 1883; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic
Ichth. 260, pl. LXIX, fig. 248, 1896; H. M. Smrrn, Bull. U. 8S. Fs ©
1897, 105, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull? 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1760,
1898, pl. CCLXVITII, fig. 653, 1900.
The depth of the body is contained two and four fifths times
in the length of the body which is three times the length of the
head. Body ovate; back elevated, the ventral outline straight-
ish; top of head evenly scaled; interorbital space with two low
ridges, between which it is concave; nasal spines present;
cranial ridges moderate, rather low and sharp; preocular, supra-
ocular, postocular, tympanic, and occipital ridges present, the
latter with tips abruptly divergent; suprascapular spines very
sharp and prominent; opercular spines long and sharp; sub-
opercular spine prominent; preopercular spines slender and
sharp, the second longest; suborbital stay not reaching pre-
opercle; preorbital narrow, with two spines. Eye exceedingly
large, three in head, more than twice as wide as interorbital
space. Mouth very large, oblique; maxillary very broad, reach-
ing middle -of eye, its length two and one third in head; pre-
maxillaries on level of middle of pupil; tip of lower jaw much
projecting, with a conspicuous, pointed symphyseal knob; mand-
ible and maxillary scaly; pseudobranchiae very large; gill rakers
long, stiff and strong. Dorsal spines sharp, the longest about as
long as eye; the fin deeply emarginate; soft rays not very high,
higher than the spines; caudal narrow, moderately forked; anal
spines moderate, graduated; the second a little shorter than eye;
pectoral rather long, reaching vent, its base narrow; ventral
reaching vent. Scales small, irregular, not strongly ctenoid.
Peritoneum brownish. D. XV-18; A. III, 7; Lat. 1. 40 (tubes);
scales about 85.
Orange-red, nearly uniform, sometimes a dusky opercular
blotch, and about five vague dusky bars on back. Peritoneum
brownish.
The rosefish is abundant at the hundred fathoms line off the
south coast of New England, and has been found in depths of
FISHES OF NEW YORK 633
180 fathoms. It breeds abundantly in late summer at these
depths, and there is no reason to believe that the young rise to
the surface. The fry were caught by the bushel in the trawl
net of the U.S. Fish Commission steamer Fish Hawk.
The species was originally described from -Norway by
Linnaeus. Cuvier had specimens from Miquelon Newfound-
land. Day mentions a number of localities of its capture about
the British Isles, but it is rare south of Faroe Islands. It occurs
on the southwest coast of Spitzbergen, and on the Norwegian
coast it is found everywhere from Christiania around to the
Varanger-Fiord. It also occurs in Greenland, and from
Labrador, as a shore form, as far south as Cape Cod, and in
deeper water as far south as New Jersey.
In the Woods Hole region it was taken on the shore on Dee. 20,
1895 in Great Harbor. Seven or eight specimens, 3 inches long,
were found in a hole on a flat where they had been left by the
tide; four or five of these had been stranded and were dead; the
others were alive when captured. Fishermen claim that they
sometimes catch these fish in traps very late in fall at Province-
town. (After Smith)
De Kay has the following remarks upon the fish:
This is a very rare fish in our waters. It is called by our fisher-
men red sea perch, and they say it is only found in deep water.
By the fishermen of Massachusetts it is known under the various
names of rosefish, hemdurgon and snapper. Fabricius states
that it is rather agreeable food, but meager. It feeds on floun-
ders and other fish, and takes the hook readily.
The species reaches the length of 2 feet; it is frequently to be
found in the Boston markets and is seen occasionally in the
markets of New York with the skin removed on account of the
hard seales.
GenuS HELICOLENUS Goode & Bean
Body oblong, somewhat compressed; head large, ctenoid
scales on its top, and on cheeks and opercles; several series of
spinous ridges on head, but no occipital pit; mouth large, with
bands of villiform teeth on jaws, vomer and palatines. Dorsal
fin continuous, not deeply notched, with 10 stout spines and 10
to 12 rays; anal with three spines and six rays; pectoral broad,
634 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
fan-shaped, with rays arranged in three groups, the first of two
simple rays, the second of eight or nine branched rays, the third
of eight simple rays, sometimes prolonged, with their tips
tendrillike and free from membrane for one half their length
or less; soft dorsal with tips free from membrane; suborbital
keel smooth, or with a single anterior spine under eye; preorbital
with spines small and hidden beneath the skin. Vertebrae
10+14—24; no air bladder. Atlantic.
308 Helicolenus dactylopterus (De la Roche)
Redfish; Seran Imperial
Scorpaena dactyloptera DE LA RocuE, Ann. Mus. Paris, XII, 316, 337, pl.
XXII, fig. 9, 1809, Ivica, Barcelona; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S.
Nat. Mus. 679, 1883. .
Sebastes dactylopterus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 99, 1860.
Sebastoplus dactylopterus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. X, no. 5,
214, 1883.
Helicolenus dactylopterus GooDE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 249, pl. LX VIII,
fig. 244, 1896; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1837,
1898.
De la Roche states that at Ivica this form is found only at
considerable depths, outside of the regions commonly frequented
by the fishermen; indeed, that it is very rare, or scarcely at all
known, in the markets of the towns where the fishermen are not
in the habit of going far out to sea. He saw many individuals
taken off Ivica at a depth of 260 to 290 meters, and in the vicinity
of Barcelona saw the same species from a depth of 540 meters.
At Iviga the species is known as the Seran imperial, and at
Barcelona as the Fanegal.
Risso saw specimens at Nice in which locality of the Mediter-
ranean it is very common and is known as the Cardonniera. He
says it grows to a length of 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) and a
weight of 2 kilograms (42 pounds). It is obtained on rocky bot-
toms at considerable depths throughout the year, and he has
observed females full of eggs in summer. The species is recorded
also from Naples, Genoa, Messina and Catania.
Capello states that the fish is found off Lisbon, but it is very
rare and occurs only in summer. Off the coast of France, it has
FISHES OF NEW YORK 635
been identified from Marseilles, St Jean de Luz, Biarritz,
Valence, and Arcachon.
In the western Atlantic the redfish occurs in numerous locali-
ties in deep water from Narragansett bay to Chesapeake bay.
Family corripAaEe
Sculpims
Group COTTINAE
Genus cortus (Artedi) Linnaeus
Fresh-water sculpins. Body fusiform. Head feebly armed;
skin smooth or more or less velvety, its prickles, if present, not
bony or scalelike; villiform teeth on jaws and yomer, and some-
times on palatines. Gill openings separated by a wide isthmus,
over which the membranes do not form a fold; no slit behind
fourth gill. Branchiostegals six. Dorsals nearly or quite sepa-
rate, the first of six to nine slender spines, ventrals moderate,
each with a short, concealed spine and four soft rays. Lateral
line present, usually more or less chainlike, sometimes incom-
plete. Preopercle with a simple spine at its angle which is
usually curved upward, its base more or less covered by skin,
very rarely obsolete; usually two or three spines turned down-
ward below this; subopercle usually with a concave spine turned
downward. Vertebrae 10423=33. Pyloric caeca about four. —
Fishes of small size, inhabiting clear waters in the northern
parts of Europe, Asia and America. The species are extremely
numerous and are very difficult to distinguish, all being very
similar in form, coloration and habits.
The species are most destructive to the eggs of salmon and
trout.
Subgenus PEGEDICTIS
309 Cottus ictalops (Rafinesque)
Miller’s Thumb; Blob
Pegedictis ictalops RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 85, 1820, spring near Lexing-
ton, Kentucky.
Cottus Richardsoni AGAsSsiz, Lake Superior, 300, 1850, Montreal River;
GIRARD, Monograph Fresh-Water Cottoids N. A. 39, pl. 1, figs. 1, 2,
pl. 3, figs. 18-21, 1850; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 158, 1860.
Cottus Bairdit GIRARD, Monograph Fresh-Water Cottoids N. A. 44, pl. 1,
figs. 5, 6, 1850..
636 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Uranidea richardsoni JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 696, 1883; —
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 186, pl. 35, fig. 74, 1893.
Cottus ictalops bairdi’ MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 315, 1888..
Cottus ictalops MEEK, op. cit. IV, 314, 1888; Jorpan & HvERMANN, Bull. 47,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 1950, 1898.
Body rather robust, gradually tapering to the tail, the depth
varying from one fourth to one sixth of the length; the length
of the head is contained about three and one third times in the
standard length of the body; long diameter of eye almost equal
to length of snout; preopercular spine short and sharp, turned
upward and backward, with two smaller spines below it; skin
usually smooth, sometimes with niinute prickles behind axil of
pectoral; spinous dorsal begins slightly behind end of head,
separated from second dorsal by a deep notch; second dorsal
about two and one third times longer than first, and one third
longer than anal base which slightly exceeds greatest length of
head; pectoral, ventral, and caudal fins well developed.
D. VI-VIII, 16; A. 12-13; V. I, 4. Lateral line conspicuous,
sometimes wanting.on caudal peduncle.
Color olivaceous, much speckled; sides usually with several
distinct and rather broad cross bands; fins barred and mottled.
Bullhead, blob and muffle-jaws are names applied to the
miller’s thumb, which has been associated with Richardson’s
name.
The typical Richardson’s miller’s thumb is found in the upper
Great lakes. In general it inhabits the “ middle and northern
states, abounding in all clear, rocky brooks and lakes east of
the Dakotas and Kansas to New York and Virginia, extending
southward along the Alleghanies to North Carolina and northern
Alabama, especially abundant in limestone springs and entering
caves.”
The U. S. Fish Commission had specimens from Grenadier
island and Stony island, in the Lake Ontario region, collected
June 28 and July 3; also from the St Lawrence river, 3 miles
below Ogdensburg N. Y., July 17, taken by Dr Evermann and
Mr Bean in 1894. Meek records the species from the southern
- FISHES OF NEW YORK 637
end of Cayuga lake. It is extremely variable in size, color and
length of fins and number of rays. |
This species grows to a length of 7 inches under favorable
circumstances and is one of the most destructive enemies of the
eggs and young of brook trout and other members of the salmon
| family.
Genus URANIDEA De Kay
This genus is very close to Cottus, from which it differs in
the reduction of its ventrals to a concealed spine and three soft
rays, a step further in the degeneration characteristic of fresh-
water types. The skin is smooth, or very nearly so, the pre-
opercular spines small, and there is usually no trace of teeth on
the palatines. Cold streams and springs of the United States
from New England and the Great lakes to the Pacific coast.
310 Uranidea gracilis (Heckel).
Miller’s Thumb
Cottus gracilis HECKEL, Ann. Wien Mus. II, 148, 1837, New York; GIRARD,
Monograph Fresh-Water Cottoids N. A. 49, pl. 1, figs. 11, 12, 1851;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 157, 1860; Mrrx, Ann. N. Y. Ac.
. Sci. LV, 315, 1888; HUGENE SmitTH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 40, 1898.
Uranidea. quiescens DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 61, pl. 5, fig. 14, 1842,
stream and lake in Hamilton county, N. Y.
Uranidea gracilis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 699, 1883;
BEAN, Fishes Penna. 137, 1893; JonpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 1968, 1898.
The body is moderately slender, spindle-shaped; mouth large,
the upper jaw reaching nearly to the middle of the eye. The
é |
preopercular spine is moderately large, covered by skin. The
pectorals reach to the origin of the anal, and the ventrals to the
vent. The depth of the body is one fifth, and the length of the
head two sevenths of the total without caudal. Teeth in villi-
form bands on the jaws and vomer, none on the palatine bones.
PS VTE, 16s Avet?.
The sides are olivaceous, mottled with darker; a red margin
on spinous dorsal.
The miller’s thumb or little stargazer is an inhabitant of New
England and New York. In Pennsylvania it occurs in the head-
See rg ee
638 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
waters of the Susquehanna and Allegheny rivers. In New York
it was first taken in a stream emptying into Round lake, Hamil-
ton county, and in Lake Pleasant, of the same county. Dr
Meek examined specimens from the southern end of Cayuga lake,
Beaver creek, McLean N. Y., Worcester N. Y., and Bangor N. Y.,
but it was not so abundant as the preceding species. Eugene
Smith says that it is very plentiful in the head streams of the
Hackensack and Saddle rivers in New York and New Jersey, in
company with black-nosed dace and darters. This species
grows to a length of 4 inches and is represented by several
varieties, one of which has the body robust instead of slender
and another has the slender body as in gracilis, but with
longer fins. : i
This fish is found under stones in clear, rocky and gravelly
brooks. It has no importance either as food or bait and is very
destructive to the eggs of other fishes.
311 Uranidea formosa (Girard)
Lake Blob i
Cottus formosus GIRARD, Monograph Fresh-Water Cottoids N. A. 58, 1850,
Lake Ontario off Oswego, in stomach of Lota maculosa.
Uranidea formosa JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 955, 1883;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Buil. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1969, 1898.
Body slender and graceful; head small, depressed above; the
length of the head is contained four and one fourth times in the
length of the body; eyes moderate; preopercular spine short,
stout, acute, curved upwards; a small spine below it; sub-
opercular spine well developed. Dorsals well separated; anal
beginning under third ray of soft dorsal; pectorals not reaching
to posterior margin of spinous dorsal; ventrals not nearly to
vent. |
D. VIII-16; A. II; V. 1, 3. Length 34 inches. Deep water
in Lake Ontario.
A single mutilated specimen has been recorded, this having
been found by Prof. S. F. Baird in the stomach of a Burbot
(Lota maculosa) off Oswego N. Y., in Lake Ontario.
-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 639
Genus MYOxocEPHALUs (Steller) Tilesius
Body slender or robust, subfusiform, covered with thick skin,
in which are sometimes embedded prickly plates; deciduous,
granular, or stellate tubercles also sometimes present, but no
true scales. Head large. Mouth terminal, large, the lower jaw
always included, the uppermost the longer; villiform teeth on
the jaws and vomer, none on the palatines; suborbital stay
strong; preopercle with two strong straight spines above
directed backward, and one below directed downward and for-
ward; operele, nasal bones, orbital rim, and shoulder girdle more
or less armed; gill membranes forming a fold across the rather
narrow isthmus; slit behind last gill reduced to a mere pore, or
wanting; vertebrae about 28. Branchiostegals mostly six.
Dorsal fins two, separate, the first short, its spines rather slen-
der; ventral rays 1, 3; caudal fin moderate, fan-shaped; pectoral
fin broad, its lower rays procurrent. Lateral line well devel-
oped, its tubes sometimes provided with bony or cartilaginous
plates, never chainlike nor reduced to separated pores. Species
numerous, in the seas of northern regions; coarse fishes, little
valued as food. Ate!
Subgenus acanrHocortus Girard
312 Myoxocephalus aeneus (Mitchill)
Grubby; Brassy Sculpin; Pigmy Sculpin
Cottus @neus MiITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 380, 1815, New
York; CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. FV, 189, 1829;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 52, 1842 (not figure); GoopE & BEAN,
Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 18, 1879; JonDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 702, 1888; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm: Fish. N. Y. 251, 1890.
Cottus scorpio MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I,. 380, 1815, New
York.
Cottus mitchilli CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 188, 1829,
New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Wishes, 58, pl. 17, fig. 47, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 164, 1860.
Cottus (Acanthocottus) anceps SAUVAGE, Nouy. Archiv. Mus. Paris (2), I, 145,
pl. 1, fig. 18, 1878, New York.
Acanthocottus @neus BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 369, 1897; H. M.
Sm1tTH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 105, 1898.
Myoxocephalus eneus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. EE,
1972, 1898, pl. CCXCV, fig. 716, 716a, 1900. | , .
640 NWW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Depth of body one fourth of total length without caudal.
Head four elevenths of the same length, rather broad, covered
with smooth thin skin; no cirri; a few very small warts between
occipital ridges. Caudal peduncle short and slender, its least
depth about one sixth length of head and less than diameter of
eye. Maxillary three sevenths as long as head, reaching to
below hind margin of pupil. Supraocular and occipital ridges
prominent, each with a low, bluntish spine; the region between
the supraocular spines rather convex, the space before and
behind it concave; nasal spines moderate; upper preopercular
Spine shorter than eye, nearly twice length of next spine, about
reaching middle of opercle. Eye two thirds as long as snout,
one fifth as long as head. Lateral line complete, each pore with
a concealed cartilaginous plate; scattered, concealed asperities
on skin of sides. No trace of slit behind last gill. Dorsal base
two thirds as long as head; fourth spine longest, one third as
long as head. Base of soft dorsal nearly as long as head; first
soft ray as long as the eye; fifth, sixth and seventh rays longest,
one third as long as head. Caudal rounded, its middle rays two
fifths as long as head. Anal origin under third ray of soft
dorsal; anal base three fifths as long as head; longest anal ray
nearly one third as long as head. Pectoral reaches to below
origin of soft dorsal; ventral to below eighth spine of dorsal.
DUAR A 10 Be Rae:
Grayish olive, much variegated with darker; no distinct paler
spots; back and sides with broad, dark irregular bars; all the
fins barred; mandible mottled; belly pale.
This little sculpin was known to Mitchill as the brazen bull-
head and also to De Kay, who said it is frequently taken with
the hook in Long Island Sound, and the harbor of New York.
De Kay describes it again under the name of the smooth browed
bullhead and states that it is commonly taken with the hook in
company with the flat fishes. ,
The grubby seldom exceeds 5 inches in length. It ranges from
the Bay of Fundy to New Jersey and is very common in sea-
weeds near shore. The fish has been found moderately abundant
FISHES OF NEW YORK 641
at Fire Island in September. In Gravesend bay it is practically
a permanent resident, spawning in winter; the eggs have a beau-
tiful green color. In the vicinity of Woods Hole, Mass., accord-
ing to Dr Smith, it is very common, remains during the entire
year, and is the only sculpin found in summer. In winter from
10 to 50 are caught daily in fyke nets set in the harbor. The
fish is then in a spawning condition, and the eggs adhere to the
twine. |
313 Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus (Mitchill)
18-spined Sculpin ; Hacklehead
Cottus octodecimspinosus MiITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 380,
1815, New York; CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 181,
1829; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 163, 1860; Goopr & BEAN,
Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 13, 1879; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.
Mus. 701, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 137, 1888.
Cottus virginianus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 51, pl. 5, fig. 13, 1842.
Acanthocottus virginianus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 28, pl. 1V, fig. 2, 1867.
Acanthocottus octodecimspinosus BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 370,
1897; H. M. SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 105, 1898.
Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. II, 1976, 1898, pl. CCXCVI, fig. 718, 1900.
Body moderately robust anteriorly, tapering posteriorly, its
depth contained four and one half times in the standard length
while the least depth of the caudal peduncle is less than one
sixth length of head, the length of the latter being contained
two and two thirds times in the standard length; maxilla twice
long diameter of eye and contained two and one half times in the
length of head; the spines of the head are long, the upper oper-
cular spine being longer than in any other species of the genus;
the first dorsal originates over the base of the pectoral, its third
and fourth spines being longest, about four fifths as long as
the base or equal to the distance from the posterior margin of
the eye to the tip of the snout; the length of the second dorsal
base equals the length of the head, and the longest rays of the
second dorsal equal the length of the spines; anal base shorter
than second dorsal base; longest rays of anal equal to length of
sixth dorsal spine; caudal slightly truncate, its length equal to
the depth of body; pectorals long, broad, their bases equal to
half the length; the length of the ventrals is equal to the dis-
642 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
tance from the posterior margin of the eye to the origin of first
dorsal: -D, TX).16; A. 14:
General color dark olivaceous above, paler below, under side
of head and belly white; fins barred and mottled.
This large sculpin reaches the length of about 1 foot. It
occurs on the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Labrador and is
very common about Cape Cod and in Massachusetts bay. In the
southern part of its habitat it is found only in late fall and
winter; in Great Egg bay, for example, an individual 12 inches
long was caught at Somers Point in November. In Gravesend
bay the fish is taken only in winter and early spring and it can
not endure the temperature of the water in summer. It is known
to the fishermen of that vicinity as the hacklehead.
De Kay does not mention any particular locality for the
species, but says it ranges from Virginia to Newfoundland, and
perhaps farther north. He makes the following additional
remarks: “ This species, which, on account of its uncouth form,
is regarded with aversion by fishermen, is nevertheless not a bad
article of food. In fact, when freshly taken from the water, and
irritated, they do present rather a formidable appearance. The
head is swollen to twice its usual size by the distension of the
branchial membrane; the spines stand out prominently, and the
rays of all the fins become erect. It is known under the various |
popular names of sculpin, quere scorpion? sea robin, bullhead,
sea toad, and pigfish; the latter from its croaking noise when
drawn from the water.” |
Dr Smith states that it first appears in the vicinity of Woods
Hole, Mass., about October 1, becomes very abundant by October
15, and remains till December or January. The spawning time
is November and December; the eggs often come ashore by —
bucketfuls on Nobska beach.
314 Myoxocephalus groenlandicus (Cuv. & Val.)
Daddy Sculpin
Cottus grenlandicus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 156,
1829; RICHARDSON, J'auna Bor.-Amer,. III, 46, 297, pl. 95, fig. 2, 1836;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Iishes, 54, pl. 4, fig. 10, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat,
Fish, Brit. Mus. II, 161, 1860.
FISHES OF NEW YORK _ 643
Cottus scorpius grenlandicus GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 13, 1879;
BEAN, Bull. 15, U. S. Nat. Mus. 118, 1879; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 703, 1883.
Acanthocottus variabilis STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 26, pl. IV, fig. 1, 1867.
Acanthocottus grenlandicus H. M. SmityH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 105. 1898.
Myozxocephalus grenlandicus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
II, 1974, 1898.
The length of the body is four and one half times the depth.
Head large, the length being contained two and one half times in
the length of the body. Mouth large, the lower jaw included;
maxillary reaching posterior edge of orbit, its length three
sevenths length of head; the supraorbital and occipital spines
blunt, tuberclelike, without cirrus; a small tubercular spine on
front of occipital ridge; upper preopercular spine short, only
reaching the middle of opercular spine, its length equaling eye,
not twice that of the spine below it; opercular spine sharp; nasal
spines sharp; suprascapular spine rather strong and short. Sides
of body above lateral line with a series of embedded prickly
plates, below which are numerous scattered spines and prickles.
Dorsal and anal fins high, their hight more than one seventh
total length without caudal. Ventrals long. Pectorals reaching
to vent. Eye large, equal to width of interorbital space. D. X,
#2 As 14; V1,35-Pe 18.
Dark brown above, with broad darker bars; below yellowish,
the belly in the male with large pale spots; back and top of head
with grayish blotches; fins brown and yellow, all of them spotted
and barred. Sexual differences great, the males more brightly
colored; the round white spots strongly marked; females with
rough crests on the head.
The daddy sculpin is the largest of its kind on our east coast
as it grows to the length of 25 inches. It ranges from New York ~
to Greenland, but is common in New York and Massachusetts
waters only in fall and winter. De Kay had met with a single
specimen which was taken near Hell Gate. Storer records it as
abundant on the coast of Massachusetts feeding on small fish,
crabs, sea urchins and other invertebrates ; but not valued as
food. Dr Smith remarks that it arrives at Woods Hole in Octo-
_ber, remains till December or January, spawning in November
mietercemess ewe Sane: URS Sar
SS te oe 1 anem
'
644 eens NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and December when there is a great loss of eggs through storms.
Fabricius records its spawning in Greenland in December and
January and describes its eggs as red colored. The eggs, he
states, are deposited on seaweed. The Greenlanders eat the fish
for their daily food and they eat its eggs raw.
Genus Trictopsis Girard
Body and head slender; skin naked; lateral line chainlike :
teeth on vomer, none on the palatines; eye large, the interorbital
area concave; bones of lower part of head extensively cavernous;
a small but distinct slit behind last gill; gill membranes almost
free from the isthmus, forming a broad fold across it; preoper-
cular spines straight, simple, 4 in number, the lower turned
downward; fins large. Fresh-water fishes, closely related to
Oncocottus, from which they have doubtless become
degraded through fresh-water life. There is no tangible differ-
ence in structure in any part of the body.
315 Triglopsis thompsoni Girard
Lake Sculpin |
Triglopsis thompsoni GIRARD, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. IV, 19, 1851, off
Oswego, Lake Ontario; Monograph Fresh-Water Cottoids, N. A. 65,
pl. 2, figs. 9, 10, pl. 3, figs. 22-25, 36-38, 1852; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. |
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 709, 1883; JornpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat.
Mus. II, 2005, 1898.
Triglopsis stimpsoni Hoy, Trans. Wisconsin Ac. Sci. 98, 1872, Lake Michi-
gan.
Ptyonotus thompsonii GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IL 175, 1860. :
Body elongate, very slender, the depth being one sixth of the
length. Head long, depressed above, the length being one third
of the length of the body. Snout long and pointed; eye quite
large, nearly as long as snout, much wider than interorbital
space, one fourth as long as the head; jaws subequal; mouth
large, the maxillary extending rather beyond middle of eye; pre-
opercle with four sharp spines, the upper much shorter than
pupil; cavernous structure of skull highly developed; upper sur-
face of head smooth; gill membranes not broadly united; nearly
free from isthmus. Dorsal fins well separated; spinous dorsal —
short and low, its hight little more than length of snout; second
FISHES OF NEW YORK 645
dorsal very large, three times hight of first, its. longest rays
about as long as head; anal high, half as high as second dorsal;
pectoral long, reaching past front of anal; ventrals well
developed; lateral line chainlike, conspicuous; skin perfectly
“smooth. Length 3 inches. D. VII-18; A. 15; V. 1, 3; pyloric
caeca seven.
Pale olivaceous, with darker blotches; upper fins faintly
banded. 3
Deep waters of the Great lakes; specimens have been taken
sparingly in Lakes Ontario and Michigan. The U.S. Fish Com-
mission obtained two examples at Nine Mile Point N. Y. and on
June 10, 1893, a single individual was collected at the same
place. The type of the species was taken by Spencer F. Baird
off Oswego, Lake Ontario. Dr William Stimpson obtained a
specimen in deep water of Lake Michigan which formed the
type of Dr Hoy’s Triglopsis stimpsoni.
The close relationship of Triglopsis and Oncocottusg
has been pointed out. Both young and adults of Oncocottus
have been found occasionally in fresh water and the descent of
the lake sculpin froma species of Oncocottus is highly
probable.
Genus HEMITRIPTERUS Cuvier
Body moderately elongate, scaleless, but the skin covered with
| prickles and bony protuberances of various sizes and forms.
Head large, with numerous bony humps and ridges and fleshy
slips above; orbital rim much elevated, the interorbital space
deeply concave; a depressed area at the occiput, behind which
are 2 blunt Spines on each side. Mouth very wide; jaws, vomer,
and palatines with broad bands of teeth; no slit behind last gill;
gill membranes broadly united, free from isthmus; preopercle
with stout, blunt spines; suborbital stay very strong, forming
_a sharp ridge. Spinous dorsal much longer than the soft part,
of 16 to 18 spines, of which the first two are the highest, and
the fourth and fifth shorter than the succeeding ones, the fin
thus deeply emarginate; pectoral fing very broad, much procur-
rent; ventrals I,3. Large fishes of singular appearance, inhabit-
ing the North Atlantic and Pacific.
646 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
316 Hemitripterus americanus (Gmelin)
Sea Raven
Scorpena americana GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. 1220, 1788.
Cottus hispidus BLocu & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 63, 1801, New York.
Scorpena flava MitcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 382, pl. II, fig. 8,
1815.
Scorpena purpurea and rufa MircuiLtit, Am. Month. Mag. II, 245, yep
1818.
Hemitripterus acadianus STorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 35, pl. VII, fig. 4, 1867.
Hemitripterus americanus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV,
268, pl. 84, 1829; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 56, pl. 6, fig. 16, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 148, 1860; JornpAN & GILBERT, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 685, 1883; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 251,
1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 870, 1897; H. M. Smrirn, Bull.
U. S. F. C. 1897, 105, 1898; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. II, 2023, 1898, pl. CCCV, fig. 738, 1900.
The length of the body is three and three Pourthe times the
depth and two and two thirds times the length of the head.
Body villous, the prickles enlarged and tuberclelike along the
back and lateral line; nasal spines strong; supraocular ridge
much elevated, with dermal flaps and two blunt spines; three
pairs of fleshy slips on nasal bones, and two on supravcular
ridges; smaller cirri on maxillary, on preorbital, and several on
lower jaw; interocular space very deeply concave; two blunt
occipital spines on each side, outside of which are two or three
others; opercle small, with a bony ridge; preopercle with two —
blunt spines, below which are one or two others; lower jaw
slightly projecting; maxillary reaching beyond eye, and about
half as long as the head; pectorals nearly reaching anal; highest
dorsal spine three fifths length of head, as long as caudal; vent-
ralgs reaching half way to anal.
DV, MATT 2; An 13) at. 1.405 vertebrae db 23:
Reddish brown, marbled with darker brown, and much varie-
gated; yellowish below; fins variegated with lght and dark.
Atlantic coast of America; chiefly northward from Cape Cod.
This fish is the Acadian bullhead of Pennant and the yellow
scorpaena of Mitchill. According to De Kay the name sea
sculpin is sometimes applied to this species. Other names given
to it are rock toadfish and deep water sculpin. It is found along
the east coast from Nova Scotia to Chesapeake bay.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 647
De Kay saw it very rarely. In Gravesend bay, specimens have
been taken by John De Nyse in April, May, October, November
and December.
We are indebted to Captain Lewis B. Thurber, of Patchogue,
for specimens, which were taken in the fall of 1884. These were
all the more remarkable for having attached to the head and
back a peculiar hydroid.
In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. the fish is common in Octo-
ber and November, the individuals usually measuring about 16
inches; the young are rare. It grows to a length of 2 feet and
is one of the most brightly colored of the marine fishes. Its
colors are subject to great variation. The head is furnished with
numerous fringes and the dorsal spines are often produced into
filaments. The mouth is large, the skin rough and the belly very
distensible at the will of the fish, making this species one of the
curiosities of the sea. It feeds upon mollusks and all other inver-
tebrates of suitable size. ;
The sea raven is not eaten, though its flesh is of excellent
flavor. It is useful as a scavenger and as bait for the eel and
lobster.
The sea raven spawns in November. Eggs observed Nov. 29,
1897, were in masses adhering tightly together. The egg at that
date was sz inch in diameter, and showed the form of the fish
distinctly. Its color when first deposited is yellow but soon
changes to salmon and then to amber before hatching.
Family AGONIDAE
Group AGONINAE
Genus ASPIDOPHOROIDES Lacépéde
Body and head more or less slender; head 4 to 6, width 5 to 8
in length of body; eight longitudinal rows of plates, the lateral
line in the upper lateral row; about 40 plates in the dorsal
series. Terminal rostral plate present, unarmed; mouth ter-
minal; teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Supraocular and
occipital spines absent; plates of body more or less keeled, with-
out spines. First dorsal absent; second dorsal and anal small,
opposite each other, each with four to seven rays. Gill mem-
648 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
branes united, narrowly joined to isthmus anteriorly, free
behind. |
Subgenus utcoiva Cramer
317 Aspidophoroides monopterygius (Bloch)
Sea Poacher
Cotius monopterygius BuLocn, Ichth. II, 156, pl. 178, figs. 1, 2, 1786.
Aspidophorus monopterygius CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV,
224, 1829; VI, 554, pl. 169, 1880; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 62, pl.
2, fig. 5, 1842.
Aspidophoroides monopterygius STORER, Rep. Ichth. Mass. 22, pl. 1, fig. 1,
1839; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 216, 1860; SrorER, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 82, pl. VIII, fig. 1, 1867; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst.
XI, 12, 1879; JorpAN and GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 724,
1888; GooDE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 283, pl. LX XII, fig. 260, 1896;
JORDAN & EHEVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. II, 2091, 1898, pl.
CCCXII, figs. 756, 756a, 1900.
Body very slender, tapering, elongate, its greatest depth
nearly one twelfth of total length without caudal, its greatest
width about one tenth of the same length. Head triangular,
much narrowed anteriorly, its length one sixth of total without
caudal; nasal spines very large, diverging, inserted near tip
of snout; no other spines anywhere; eyes very large, longer than
snout, one fourth as long as the head; supraocular ridges very
high; a ridge extending backward from eye along temporal
region; lower jaw slightly included. Caudal peduncle very long
and slender, forming about two fifths of the length. Breast
with flat plates. Dorsal ridges high anteriorly, the median line
of back from snout to dorsal fin concave. Dorsal origin mid-
way between hind margin of orbit and base of middle caudal
rays; base of dorsal one half as long as the head and equal to
length of second,and longest ray. Anal immediately under dorsal
and nearly equal to it in length of rays. Caudal convex behind,
the middle rays two thirds as long as the head. Ventral two
fifths as long as head. Pectoral reaching to eighth plate of the
dorsal ridge, nearly as long as the head. Plates on breast
radially striate, the two median ones larger than the rest; a
few small plates on hinder median part of gill membranes, and
on narrow underside of mandible; two large plates with raised
centers in front of and four to eight small spineless plates in one
FISHES OF NEW YORK 649
or two series on base of pectoral. D.5 or 6; A. 5 or 6; P. 9; V.
1, 2; C. 10 or 11; pyloric caeca four or five; lateral line about 50.
Color brownish, pale below, with indefinite cross bands of
darker, two in front of, and one under dorsal, and two or three
on caudal peduncle; rays of dorsal and upper rays of pectoral
brownish, interrupted by lighter, giving an indefinite appear-
ance of cross bands; caudal dark; ventrals and anal in both
sexes pale.
This fish reaches a length of 6 inches; it is found in moderate
depths from Greenland to Rhode Island and doubtless occurs
off Long Island in suitable depths though specimens have not
been recorded in New York waters. The species is very fre-
quently obtained from the stomachs of haddock and cod, and
the trawl has taken it in depths as shallow as 44 fathoms. In
1874 the head of a sea poacher was dredged up on the “ Pecten
Ground,” off Watch Hill R. I. The fish exists in great abundance
in Massachusetts bay and farther north.
Family cyCLOPTERIDAE
LTump Suckers !
Group CYCLOPTERINAE
Genus cycLtorrerus (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body more or less compressed toward the back, eee
triangular in a transverse section at the first dorsal, covered
with conical, rough, bony tubercles; head short, thick, subquad-
rangular in a cross section; snout blunt, rounded; mouth
anterior, opening slightly upward; teeth simple, small, arranged
in a band; eye moderate, lateral; dorsals two; caudal distinct;
disk moderately large, anterior, below the head; no barbels
about the mouth; first dorsal fin in the adult completely hidden
by the skin, the larger tubercles of the flanks, though in regular
Series, having a scattered appearance. One species, reaching a
considerable size, in the north Atlantic. |
318 Cyclopterus lumpus Linnaeus
Lumpfish ; Lumpsucker
Cyclopterus coeruleus MiITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 480, pl. II,
fig. 7, 1815, New York Harbor.
Lumpus anglorum DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 305, pl. 54, fig. 175, 1842;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 208, pl: XXXII, fig. 2, 1867.
650 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Cyclopterus lumpus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 260, 1758; GunTHER,
Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. III, 155, 1861; Goopr & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst.
XI, 11, 1879; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 747, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 370, 1897; H. M. Smrrs, Bull.
U. 8S. F. C. 1897, 105, 1898; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. II, 2096, 1898, pl. CCCXIII, fig. 757, 1900.
Body massive, compressed, subtriangular in transverse sec-
tion through the middle, belly flattened, the portion behind the
abdominal chamber much compressed, and less than one half the
length of the body proper; greatest depth of body one half or
-more than one half of total length including caudal. Caudal
peduncle short, its least depth one third length of head. Head
short, subquadrangular in transverse section, forehead broad,
flattened; length of head one fourth of total length with caudal.
Nape high. Snout short, broad, blunt, one fourth as long as the
head. Mouth wide, terminal, oblique, the maxillary reaching to
below the front margin of the orbit. Eye lateral, placed high, as
long as the snout, and one third as wide as interorbital space.
Nostrils small, the hinder smaller, near the eyes on interorbital
Space, the anterior farther forward, halfway to the mouth,
with a short tube. Gill opening moderately wide, about three
fifths length of head, its lower third in front of base of pectoral.
Fins with rounded margins, rough, with small tubercles. First
dorsal distinct in very young individuals, variable in shape,
thick and fleshy, with weak rays in older stages; second dorsal
always distinct, broad, rounded, its origin two and one half
times as far from tip of snout as from base of middle caudal
rays, its longest:ray one half as long as head. Caudal broad,
subtruncate or rounded behind, its middle rays one half as long
as the head. Anal exactly opposite the dorsal and about equal
in size. Pectoral broad, rounded, fringed, not indented at the
sides of the disk, its length one sixth of the total without caudal.
Disk little longer than wide, about as wide, or nearly three
fourths as long, as the head. Skin thickly covered with small,
irregular subconical tubercles, the sides of which are roughened
with small, conical protuberances. On older individuals, larger,
longitudinally compressed tubercles form a vertical series from
the nape over the first dorsal; a series of three tubercles at
\
Po :
FISHES OF NEW YORK 651
each side of the space between the dorsals; a row of larger ones
extends from the supraorbital region along the flank to the
upper part of the tail; a series, starting a little above the pec-
toral, passes to the lower portion of the tail; and a third lateral
series reaches along each line of the lower surface from the side
of the disk to the anal. The fleshy ridge enveloping the first -
dorsal is subject to considerable variation; it usually continues
forward on the nape and becomes indefinite at the occiput. D.
Vito VIII, 11; A. 9 or 10; V. 6; P. 20; C. 12 to 14; B. 6; vertebrae
114+18—29.
Colors in alcohol, brownish or olive to grayish, the tubercles
darker. In life the tints vary from yellowish or greenish in the
young to more or less brilliant red in males, or bluish to dark
brown in females; spots, blotches, cloudings, or other markings
are not infrequent. The young often take the color of their sur-
roundings. De Kay had a-specimen with the following colors:
above deep blue, becoming paler on the sides, which are tinged
with yellowish beneath, approaching to red. Ventrals bright
yellow, and in the spawning season, bright red. Irides yellow-
ish. Kumlien had one with iris umber.
The lumpfish is called cock-paddle and hen-paddle in Scotland,
lumpsucker, lumpfish, and sea owl in England, Licorne de Mer
in France. Its habitat is in the North Atlantic, on rocky shores
of both coasts, south to New York and France. It is said to
attain to a weight of 17 pounds and a length of 20 inches, but
is usually much smaller. The species is rarely used for food
in our country, but in Scotland it is said to be considered a great
delicacy. 3
By means of its ventral disk it can adhere firmly to any solid
Substance. Pennant relates that upon throwing one of these
fishes into a pail of water it adhered so strongly that upon tak-
ing hold of the fish by the tail he lifted the whole vessel contain-
ing several gallons of water.
The lumpfish is found in Gravesend bay in May. It will not
live longer than a few weeks in captivity. Adults are common
in the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. in April and a few are seen
652 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
in May. The young are very common throughout the summer
in Vineyard Sound among driftweed. Spawning occurs in April,
sometimes in March, near the shore. -After spawning the female
retires to deep water and the male guards the eggs which hatch
among seaweed.
Family LipARIDIDAE
Sea Snails
Group LIPARIDINAE
Genus NEOLIPARIS Steindachner
This genus differs from Liparis in having a deep notch in
the dorsal fin anteriorly, separating the spines from the soft
rays. The species approach more nearly to the cottoid type, from
which the liparids are descended. In general the vertebrae are
fewer, the fin rays fewer, the ventral disk larger, and the vertical
fins better separated than in the more degenerate members of
the family. The retention of the notch between the dorsals fully
justifies the recognition of Neoli p aris as a distinct genus.
319 Neoliparis atlanticus Jordan & Evermann
Sea Snail; Luwmpsucker
Liparis montagui CuvizR, ‘Régne Anim. ed. 1, vol. 2, 227, 1817; JoRDAN &
GILBERT, 743, 1883, in part; GARMAN, Discoboli, 47, 1892, with plate.
Liparis Montagui PutNAM, Proc. Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci. 335, 1874; GOooDE
& BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 12, 1879.
Neoliparis montagui H. M. SmiruH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 105, 1898.
Neoliparis atlanticus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. II,
2107, 1898.
Body widest at gill opening, compressed posteriorly, deepest
below third dorsal spine, its depth two ninths to’one fourth of
the total length without caudal. Head broader than deep,
depressed above the eyes, its length contained four and two
thirds times in total without caudal; snout one third and eye
one fifth as long as the head. Mouth narrow, its cleft transverse
and extending to anterior nostril; lower jaw included; teeth
tricuspid, the middle cusps highest; gill openings very narrow,
the lower border opposite first ray of pectoral; anterior nostril
tubular, the tube three fifths as long as the eye; posterior nostril
with a low flap; skin loose, lying in folds. Origin of dorsal not
far behind pectoral, its distance from tip of snout’one third its
FISHES OF NEW YORK 653
distance to base of caudal. Dorsal with a very shallow notch,
the spines nearly continuous with the soft rays; in the males
much elevated, the tips thickened and membranes deeply incised;
the first or longest spine as long as head; the sixth or last not
quite one half as long as head; middle rays of soft dorsal one
half as long as head; dorsal and anal joined to base of caudal;
caudal nearly as long as head; pectoral almost reaching anal,
slightly longer than head; lower rays exserted, forming a slight
lobe. Ventral disk one half to four sevenths as long as the head.
D. VI, 25; A. 23; P. 30.
Color reddish brown, with small scattered light or bluish dots
over the body; fins darker, clouded with pale, the dorsal broadly
edged with darker. Described from a specimen about 5 inches
long, from Godbout, Quebec, and from other specimens collected
at Salem Mass., and Woods Hole Mass. (After Jordan and
Evermann)
The sea snail is generally common along rocky shores from
Newfoundland to Connecticut. At Woods Hole it is not common
in the shallow waters near the shores. In Massachusetts bay it
is a resident of rocky bottoms among the roots of the Kelp
(Laminaria saccharina), but is less frequently taken
than the striped lumpsucker. Putnam recorded specimens from
Salem and Nahant. The,species reaches a length of about 5
inches.
Genus Ltiparis (Artedi) Scopoli
Body rather elongate, covered with smooth skin, which is
usually freely movable; head short, flattened above; mouth hori-
zontal, the jaws equal or the lower jaw included; teeth in several
series, close set, always more or less tricuspid, the adult with
the outer cusps often worn or obliterated; maxillary covered by
skin of preorbital region; anterior nostrils tubular or not; vent-
ral disk well developed on the breast, its front below or behind
the middle of the head, its surface with 18 lobes; an anterior
median lobe, and. one corresponding to each of the six rays
in the fin; each lobe with a horny papilla covering, which
is sometimes lost; vent well behind the head, about’: midway
654 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
between the sucking disk and anal fin; dorsal fin continuous,
undivided, its spines not differentiated; caudal well developed;
dorsal fin free from caudal or joined; pectoral broad, procurrent
at base, emarginate and free at tips, some of the lower rays pro-
duced; vertical fins enveloped in the lax skin; vertebrae 35 to 55.
Northern seas, near the shores; the species less arctic in distribu-
tion and, in general, inhabiting shallower water than is the case
with Careproctus and Paraliparis, a fact’ asso-
ciated with the reduced number of vertebrae in Liparis. The
Species are numerous, but in general well defined, their char-
acters varying with age. In most of the species color varieties
occur, several having the body often marked everywhere with
concentric curved stripes or rings.
Subgenus tiparis (Artedi) Scopoli
320 Liparis liparis (Linnaeus)
Sea Snail; Striped Sea Snail
Cyclopterus liparis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 414, 1766, Northern
Ocean. *
Liparis vulgaris FLEMING, Brit. Anim. 190, 1828; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. III, 159, 1861; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 12, 1879;
BEAN, Bull. 15, U. S. Nat. Mus. 115, 1879.
Liparis lineata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 742, 1883.
Liparis liparis CuviER, Régne Anim. ed. 1, vol. 2, 227, 1817; Garman, Dis-
coboli, 57, 1892; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. II,
2116, 1898; H. M. Smirn, Bull. U. S. B. C, 1897, 105, 1898.
Body thick and subcylindric anteriorly, compressed pos-
teriorly, enveloped in an unctuous, thin, loose skin; its greatest
depth about one fifth of the total length. Head obtuse, one
fourth of total length; nape slightly swollen. Snout broad, not
depressed, moderately long. Cleft of mouth horizontal, not
reaching vertical from front of eye; lips rather thick; upper jaw
longer than lower. Both jaws with a band of villiform teeth,
becoming cardlike in very large individuals. Eye lateral, but
interfering with the upper profile of head, one seventh as long
as head, one half as long as snout and one half of width of inter-
‘orbital space. Nostril close before eye. Gill opening reduced to
a vertical slit extending downward on upper part of base of
pectoral, the remainder of the gill membranes being united with
FISHES OF NEW YORK 655
the base of the pectorals and with the isthmus. Gills 34; pseuo-
dcbranchiae not evident. Pectoral very broad, extending down-
ward and forward under the throat; the twelve upper rays reach
to the vertical from the origin of the anal, the remainder grad-
ually becoming shorter as far as the last but six, which are con-
siderably produced. The six rays which constitute the base of
the ventral disk may be easily distinguished; the disk is sur-
rounded by about 13 soft and flat papillae. Dorsal fin com-
mencing above middle of pectoral and slightly connected with
caudal; its middle rays highest. Caudal moderately long and
rounded, its rays simple, articulated. Anal origin below seventh }
ray of dorsal, the fin continuous with the caudal. Vent midway
between ventral disk and anal fin.
B. 6; 33 to 36; A. 27 to 29; P. 34 to 37; C. 10 to 14; pyloric :
caeca 10 to 16; vertebrae 38 to 42. ;
Color very variable. Some specimens are pale yellowish |
brown, mottled and spotted with dark brown. Others are red-
dish gray, with broad, irregular black spots; fins reddish, with
|
black dots arranged in transverse bands. Others, again, are
brownish, with irregular darker longitudinal streaks on the head
and body. (After Gtinther)
The species grows to the length of 5 inches. It inhabits the
North Atlantic, on both coasts, extending southward to Long
Island Sound and France. |
At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it is common in |
winter on rocky bottoms, and is found full of spawn in December 1|
and January. In Massachusetts bay it is a resident of rocky |
bottoms among the roots of the kelp. Mr J. H. Sears discovered
it in the vicinity of Salem, near Baker’s island, in 6 feet of water.
Kuimlien found it fastened to kelp in Cumberland gulf in depths |
of 5 to 7 fathoms. It is to be noted that Kumlien’s specimens |
had an increased number of rays in the dorsal and anal fins.
Richardson mentions this sea snail from the west side of |
Davis strait, in lat. 70° n. and from Regent’s inlet.
Professor Collett found the alimentary canal of one specimen
filled with small amphipods, one of them being Caprella
656 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
septentrionalis, together with many individuals of
Protomedeia fasciata. Dr Giinther found the stom-
ach of a large specimen filled with shrimp.
Group GOBIOIDEI
(Gobies)
Family GOBIDAE
Subfamily GOBIINAE :
Genus conrosoma Girard
Body entirely naked; mouth moderate, horizontal; snout-blunt;
teeth in several series, the outer row enlarged; no canines;
dorsal spines normally seven, rarely five or six; second dorsal
and anal short; no barbels about head; shoulder girdle without
flaps. Species chiefly American.
321 Gobiosoma bosci (Lacépade)
Naked Goby; Mud Creeper; Oysterfish
Gobius bosci LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 555, pl. 16, fig. 1, 1798, Charles-
ton, S. C. pee
Gobius alepidotus BLOcH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 547, 1801; DE Kay,
N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 160, pl. 23, fig. 70, 1842, New York Harbor.
Gobius viridipallidus MOH Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. ¥. Ly 379, pie
fig. 8, 1815.
Gobiosoma alepidotum GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. LI, 85, 1861; JORDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 688, 18838.
Gobiosoma bosci JORDAN & GILBERT, Proce. U. S. Nat. Mus. 6138, 1882; BEAN,
Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 136, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 249,
1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 370, 1897; Jorpan & HvER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2259, 1898; H. M. Smrrs, Bull.
U. S. F. C. 1897, 105, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus.
109, 1900.
Body moderately elongate, its depth one fifth or one sixth
of total length without caudal; head very broad, three tenths of
total length without caudal, flattish above, with tumid cheeks.
Eye small, longer than snout, one fifth as long as the head.
‘Mouth large, little oblique, the jaws subequal, the maxillary, at
least in males, extending to below posterior part of orbit, three
sevenths as long as head. Teeth in few series, the outer con-
siderably enlarged; two teeth on each side of inner series of
lower jaw specially large canines. Dorsal spines slender, not
filamentous, Caudal rounded. D. VII, 14; A. 10.
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FISHES OF NEW YORK 657
Olivaceous or grayish, with darker cross shades of rounded
spots; seven or eight paler transverse bars over the body and
tail; fins dark brown, with a bluish shade. De Kay says the
body is greenish brown, with seven vertical dusky bands, and
the caudal fin with two or three curved bars. °
The naked goby, or mud creeper, is found on the Atlantic ,
coast from Cape Cod to Florida. iene
This is the variegated goby of Drs Mitchill and De Kay. Dr
Mitchill described it as Gobius viridi-pallidus. He
had specimens 24 inches long from the bay of New York, and
illustrates one of them in fig. 8, pl. I, of his Fishes of New York.
The ventral fins of this little fish form a sucking disk of com-
paratively great power, as may be appreciated from the follow-
ing sentence of Dr Mitchill: “One of, the individuals now lying
before me adhered so firmly to a stone that he was lifted out of
the water by an oysterman.” The variegated goby does not
exceed 24 inches in length, and is now known from Buzzard’s
bay southward, its southern limit being undetermined. In the
Gulf of Mexico occurs a form which was set apart as a distinct
Species by Girard, but this may be merely a color variety. The
fish has no economic value. Its name in Great South bay is
mudcreeper. Numerous examples were found at the mouth of
Swan creek and in Blue Point cove. Several were. obtained
also at Fire Island. All of these were secured late in September.
In 1901, the young, measuring from 4 inch to 14 inches, were
taken in Swan river, August 8, and on September 14 some large
individuals were secured in empty oyster shells off Duncan’s
creek. Numerous specimens were caught in eel pots off Swan
river and off Widow’s creek, and the species was obtained once
in fresh water in Swan river.
Taken in moderate numbers in oyster dredges at Eaton’s Neck.
Long Island, in the fall’ of 1896. Several individuals lived all
winter in a balanced tank, and took food greedily, but on the
approach of summer all died.
On August 13, August 30, and September 16, 1887 , the writer
‘seined a few examples at Somers Point and Ocean City N. J.
658 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
At the latter place they were associated with Fundulus,
Cyprinodon, Lucania, Mugil,. Bairdrveliae
Anguilla, and swarms of shrimp.
This little goby seizes its food with a snap, and immediately
darts off to conceal itself in a rock crevice or behind plants.
Group TRACHINOIDEI
Trachinoid Jishes
Family uRANOSCOPIDAE
Stargazers
Subfamily URANOSCOPINAE
Genus asrroscopus Brevoort
Body robust. Head above not entirely covered with bone, the
occipital plate ceasing much behind the orbits; from the middle
line anteriorly a Y-shaped bony process extends forward, the
tips of the fork between the eyes; a trapezoidal space on either
side of the Y, covered by naked skin, bounded by the Y, the
eyes, the suborbitals, and the occipital plate. A covered furrow
behind and on the inner side of each eye terminating near front
of orbits, its edges fringed. Head without spines; humeral spine
obsolete; lips and nostrils fringed; no retractile tentacle in
mouth. Young individuals with top of head largely covered by
bone. Head scaleless; back and sides covered with close set
scales; belly mostly naked. No spine before the ventrals. First
dorsal small, of four or five low, stout, pungent spines, connected —
by membrane to the second dorsal which is rather high and long;
pectorals and ventrals large. Species American, distinguished
from the Old World genus, Uranoscopus, chiefly by the
unarmed head.
322 Astroscopus guttatus Abbott
Spotted Stargazer
Astroscopus guttatus ABBoTT, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 365, 1860, Cape
May, N. J.; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 370, 1897; JoRnDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. IIT, 2310, 1898.
Upsilonphorus guttatus BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 60, 1879; KiRsoH,
Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 264, 1889.
Astroscopus anoplus BEAN, Bull. U. 8. F. C. VII, 136, pl. I, figs. 1, 2, 1888,
Somers Point, N. J., not Uranoscopus anoplos C. & V.
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- —_—~—S
FISHES OF NEW YORK 659
Depth of body contained four times in its length in the young,
three and one fourth times in the adult. Eye small, its diameter
contained five and one half times in interorbital space. Naked
Space between forks of Y on top of head short and broad, but
longer than the vertical limb of the Y, which is very short. T'wo
distinct spinules directed forward before eye; white spots on
body very small and irregular, without dark rings;-base of dor-
Sals equaling in length the distance from front of first dorsal to
tip of snout; base of first dorsal twice length of its longest spine;
first spine equaling second in length, and three times length of
last. Middle caudal rays a little shorter than ventral fin.
- Pectoral slightly longer than ventral, two sevenths of total
length to caudal base, and extending to fifth anal ray.
Py or, V, 15 or 1435-A. 135 V1, 5. =
Color of upper parts of body and lower jaw bright chocolate;
belly and throat white; darker portions covered with numerous
circular spots much lighter than ground color; membrane of
first dorsal black; second dorsal white with three irregular bands
of dull black obliquely across ‘it; the caudal with three
parallel bands of blackish brown, the middle of which appears to
be the continuation of a variable longitudinal band on the center
of each side; the anal having a variable band of dull brown,
darker upon the posterior termination.
If the young stargazer identified as Astroscopus ano-
plus by the writer in his paper on the Fishes of the Great Egg
Harbor Bay, be identical with the A. guttatus of Abbott,
the following notes will be of interest in connection with the
species under discussion: —
A single young individual, 1 inch long, was seined at Ocean
City, August 1. The species has not previously been recorded
from this bay.
Another example, 24 inches long, was caught at Longport,
August 26, not far from the inlet. The colors of the specimen,
August 28, are as follows: Top of head, cheeks, sides, and a nar-
row strip along dorsal bases, plum color; back, olive; lower part
of head, belly, ventrals, anal, and soft dorsal, whitish; caudal,
660 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
pale, with a faint yellow blotch at base and a dusky streak on
middle portions; spinous dorsal, black; chin with a yellow
T-shaped marking, the stem of the T bounded on each side by
a wing-shaped blotch of purple, which has a dark inner edge;
pectoral, plum color, its lower margin whitish. D. IV, 14; A. 13. °
A prominent anal papilla. A low fold of skin extends from the
ventrals along the median line of the belly to the anal papilla.
Two slight furrows between the eyes, with two rows of papillae
along their inner margins. Behind these furrows are naked
spaces, little developed, hut quite distinct. Nostrils surrounded —
by a row of papillae.
The same stargazer was ee in Gensel bay Oct. 24, 1894.
It lived about a month in captivity and then was killed by the _ |
low temperature | of the water.
This stargazer inhabits the Atlantic coast of the United States
from Long Island to Virginia, but is nowhere plentiful. It has
been recorded from Gravesend bay, N. Y., Tompkinsville N. Y.,
Somers Point N. J., Cape May N. J. and Norfolk Va. The
species attains to the length of 12 inches. The changes through
which the fish passes from youth to adult age are rather
remarkable. te
Family BATRACHOIDIDAE
Toadfishes |
Genus opsanus Rafinesque |
Body comparatively short and robust, scaleless; head large,
depressed; jaws, vomer, and palatines each with a single series
of strong blunt teeth; mandible with an additional external
series at symphysis; teeth of upper jaw small; dentary bones — 2
forming an acute angle at symphysis; lips fleshy; upper angle
of opercle with two diverging spines, more or less concealed in
the skin; no poison glands; spinous dorsal of three stout, short
spines, the second the longest; axil of pectoral with a large
foramen; lateral line obscure, its pores not conspicuous; young
with a series of small, tufted cirri on back and sides; branchi- —
estegals six; vertebrae 12+22. Shore fishes, mostly of tem-
perate regions; voracious creatures, living on the bottoms, feed-
ing on mollusks and crustacea, and having great strength of
jaw.
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FISHES OF NEW YORK 661
323 Opsanus tau (Linnaeus)
Toadfish; Oysterfish
Gadus tau LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 440, 1766, Carolina.
Lophius bufo MitcuHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 463, 1815, New
York.
Batrachus celatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 170, pl. 50, fig. 161, 1842,
New York. | .
Batrachus tau CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XII, 478, 1837;
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 168, pl. 28, fig. 86, 1842; GuNTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 167, 1861; Srorrer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 105,
pl. XIX, figs. 1, 2, 1867; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI. 11,
1879; BEAN, Bull..U. S. F. C. VII, 135, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish.
N. Y. 249, 1890.
Body robust, naked, its depth about one fourth of the stand-
- ard length; depth of caudal peduncle one fourth length of head;
head broad, its length about one third that of the body with
head; mouth large; jaws strong, armed with blunt teeth; well
developed teeth on vomer; long diameter of eye one third length
of mandible; a broad flap above orbit; tip of maxillary, lower
side of mandible, and margin of preopercle fringed with cirri;
subopercle ending in a sharp spine; first dorsal small, placed
over base of pectorals; second dorsal long, its base about one
half of total length without caudal; pectorals broad, the width
of their base equaling one half length of head.
D. III, 26-28; A. 24. i
Color dark olive; under parts lighter; black markings on sides
forming irregular bars; many pale or yellowish spots on body;
soft dorsal, anal, pectoral, and caudal fins with light cross bands
formed of light colored spots. |
In some parts of the south this species is known as the
oysterfish, from its habit of living in dead oyster shells. The
toadfish ranges on our east coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf of
Mexico. The fish is said to grow to the length of 15 inches. It
is a voracious species, feeding upon other fishes, and upon shell-
fish, crabs and other crustacea, annelids, ete.
On rocky bottoms it occurs under stones, and on sandy and
muddy areas ‘it frequents localities abounding in eelgrass. The
toadfish lies in concealment for its prey, and darts out quickly
to effect a capture, Its breeding season is during the summer
EE i AE
662 NEW YORK §gTArE MUSEUM
months. The habits are fully described by Storer in the Fishes
of Massachusetts. The eggs adhere to stones in shallow water.
By the end of August the young have reached a length of about —
- one inch. The nest and young are guarded by the parent fish. q
The species is not an attractive one, and though the fiesh is
sweet and palatable it is rarely eaten. To the fishermen this is _ j
one of the worst nuisances in our waters, since it is always ready i
to take the hook and swallow the bait intended for more useful
fish. In Great South bay the toadfish was taken at the mouth
of Swan creek and in Blue Point cove late in September. Young
individuals were collected September 10 at the Blue Point Life:
Saving station. |
In 1898 the toadfish was again eign abundantly in Great —
South bay in August and September. They are distributed in —
all portions of the bay, except where the water is nearly fresh.
In 1901 the eggs were found upon the point of hatching in the @
middle of July and in the month of August. On July 16, a lot q
of embryos measuring from + to t¢ of an inch were ob-
tained. The eggs adhere firmly to the bark of stakes, or the —
undersurface of sunken wood, stones, or any other heavy sub- —
sq stance which will answer the purpose of concealment. ;
| f The toadfish is not present in Gravesend bay in the hot sum- 4
| ‘it mer months. Most of the individuals taken were caught in 7
ft it}, August, September and October. It is possible to keep it in
ah i i 7 captivity during the summer months by careful management. a
| Mii Group BLENNIOIDEI
vHI Blennylike Fishes
| Hn i Family BLENNIIDAE
. Blennies
Genus BLENNIvus (Artedi) Linnaeus a
. i Body oblong, compressed, naked; head short, the pron qa
Nt usually bluntly rounded; mouth small, horizontal, with a single —
| Series of long, slender, curved, close set teeth in each jaw,
besides which, in the lower jaw at least, is a rather short and ~
stout fanglike canine tooth on each side; premaxillarieg not |
protractile; gill openings wide, extending forward below, the ; |
FISHES OF NEW YORK. 663
membranes free from the isthmus, or at least forming a broad
fold across it. Dorsal fin entire, or more or less emarginate,
the spines slender; pectorals moderate; ventrals well developed,
I, 3; no pyloric caeca; lateral line developed anteriorly. Species
numerous, lurking under rocks and algae in most warm seas;
§ some species in the lakes of northern Italy. The European
Species in general are larger in size than ours, with higher fins.
{ : 324 Blennius fucorum (Cuy. & Val.)
Seaweed Blenny
: ‘
q Blennius fucorum CuvVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 263,
x . pl. 324, 1836, 240 miles south of Azores; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes,
149, pl. 22, fig. 66, 1842, in seaweed, not far from New York coast;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 217, 1861; Jorpan & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 759,-1883; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47,
4 U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2379, 1898. |
3 . Blennius oceanicus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 265, 1836, open At-
: lantic, 29° N., 50° W.
The length of the body is five times the length of the head;
orbital cirri nearly as long as head, bifid above, and with fringes
at the base; dorsal fin slightly emarginate, free from the caudal,
the spines rather stiff. Head very short and deep, its profile
nearly vertical; 24 teeth in each jaw; both jaws with very strong
canines. Gill membranes free from isthmus posteriorly. Eyes
very large, one third as long as head. D. XI, 17; A. 18.
Color olive green, becoming darker above, with numerous
| brown spots on cheeks and sides of body; below faintly reddish;
dorsal with a large black spot in front, behind which are some
smaller spots; spinous dorsal edged with paler.
The seaweed blenny was obtained by De Kay in a voyage from
. Constantinople to New York in 1831. He met the species
swimming about seaweed not far from the coast of New York
. and made notes of it at the time, considering it as either a young
individual of some larger species or undescribed. This specimen
was not more than 14 inches long. The type of the species was
taken south of the Azores. The coloration as stated by De Kay
is as follows: “Soiled greenish, changing to brownish above,
with numerous brown spots on the cheeks and side of the body;
7; = he Cf 1c.7-- =~
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664 NEW. YORK STATE MUSEUM
throat and belly faintly rosaceous; iris bluish with reddish . |
points radiating about the pupils.”
The largest specimen recorded is 253 inches long.
Genus cuasmopes Cuv. & Val.
Body oblong, compressed, naked; head triangular in profile,
the snout somewhat pointed; mouth large, with lateral cleft,
the maxillary usually, but not always, extending to beyond eye;
premaxillaries not protractile; teeth in a single series, long and
slender, comblike, confined to the front of each jaw; no canines;
cirri very small or wanting; gill openings very small, their lower
edge above the middle of the base of the pectorals; lateral line
incomplete. Fins as in Blennius. American. The species.
with smaller mouth approach Hypsoblennius, which
genus is not far separated from Chasmodes.
325 Chasmodes bosquianus (Lacépéde)
Banded Blenny
Blennius bosquianus LAcEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 498, pl. 13, fig. 1, 1800,
South Carolina.
Blennius pholis Mircuitu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 374, 1815.
Chasmodes boscianus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 229, 1861.
Chasmodes bosquianus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 295,
pl. 327, 1836; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 151, pl. 24, fig. 73, 1842,
New York Harbor; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 756,
1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2394, 1898.
The depth of the body is contained three and one half times
in its length which is three and one half times the length of the
head. Orbital tentacle very minute or wanting; maxillary ex-
tending to rather beyond eye; interocular space very narrow,
not concave. Dorsal fin not emarginate, the spines slender.
Dorsal joined to base of caudal; anal free. D. XI, 19; A. 20.
Color (in 2) olive green, with about nine horizontal narrow
blue lines, these somewhat irregular and interrupted, converg-
ing backwards; opercular membrane and a broad ‘stripe through
middle of spinal dorsal deep orange yellow ; anal fin dark, the
rays with white membranaceous tips; ¢ dark olive green,
reticulated with narrow pale green lines, and-with several broad ~
dark bars, which are more distinct posteriorly; vertical fins
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FISHES OF NEW YORK 665
similarly marked; head finely dotted with black; a dusky: spot |
at base of caudal in both sexes. New York to Florida. i
Mitchill found a specimen of this little blenny in an oyster,
and described it under the name Blennius pholis. |
Another specimen was sent to Cuvier from New York, and a .
specimen in the Lyceum in New York, described by De Kay, was |
obtained from New York harbor. This blenny is common south-
ward in shallow water. It seldom exceeds the length of 34 Hii
inches. i
Family x1pHIDIIDAE
Rock Eels i!
Genus PHoLIs. (Gronow) Scopoli i
Body long and low, considerably compressed, somewhat band- il
shaped, the tail slowly tapering; head small, compressed, naked;
mouth rather small, oblique; jaws with rather small teeth in
narrow bands or single series; vomer and palatines usually i
toothless; gill membranes broadly united, free from the isthmus; . i i
scales very small, smooth; no lateral line. Dorsal fin long and 5 i i
low, beginning near the head, composed entirely of stiff, sharp, iui
~ subequal spines; anal similar in form, of two spines and many
soft rays; caudal fin short and small, more or less joined to he |
dorsal and anal; pectorals short, rather shorter than head; ven-
trals very small, of one spine and a rudimentary ray; intestinal
canal short, without caeca. Shore fishes of the Northern seas.
326 Pholis gunnellus (Linnaeus) :
Butterfish; Rock Eel —
Blennius gunnellus LinNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 257, 1758,- Atlantic Aa
Ocean. | :
Centronotus gunnellus BuLocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 167, 1801; :
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 285, 1861. Hat
Ophidium mucronatum MircuHiIty, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 249,
pl. 2, fig. 1, 1815. esti
Gunnellus mucronatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 153, pl. 12, fig. 36, "
1842, New York Harbor; STorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 94, pl. XVII, ih \
fig. 2, 1867. : ; |. |)
Muraenoides gunnellus GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 11, 1879. is
Pholis gunnellus BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 370, 1897; H. M. iy }
SmiTH, Bull. U. 8. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; JornpAN & EVERMANN, Bull.
4%, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2419, pl. CCCXLII, fig. 832, 1900.
/
,
666 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Body much compressed, elongate, its greatest depth equal to
length of head and one eighth to one seventh of the total length
without the caudal. Eye small, twice width of interorbital
space, and one fifth length of head. Maxillary one third as long
as head, reaching to below front of orbit. Teeth blunt, in a
Single row, not close set. Origin of dorsal immediately over the
gill opening; the longest spine as long as the snout; the fin separ-
ated from the caudal by a slight notch. Pectoral about one half
as long as head, reaching to below sixth spine of dorsal. Ven-
tral minute. D. LXXVI to LXXXV; A. II, 38 to 44; V. I, 1;
P. 12. |
Color grayish or brownish, with a series of oval vertical
dusky rings on the sides; abdomen grayish white, tinged with .
yellow; dorsal fin gray, with about 14 black vertical distant
- stripes; pectorals and caudal yellow; anal fin greenish gray, with
alternate darker stripes; iris white. :
This fish reaches the length of 12 inches. It is found in the
North Atlantic from Labrador south to Cape Cod and from Nor-
way south to France. |
Dr Smith states that this rock eel or butterfish is abundant
around the shores in the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. in March
and April, but is rare at other times. It may be taken in Vine-
yard Sound with a dredge at almost any season at a depth of 4
or 5 fathoms. It occurs only on gravelly bottoms.
The ‘only individuals collected by myself were taken-on the —
oyster beds at Eaton’s Neck in the fall of 1896. ‘The species does 7
not live long in captivity.
On June 6, 1899, Captain H. E. Swezey obtained a few
specimens of this species on the ocean beach at Water Island.
Mitchill described the rock eel or butterfish (Ophidium
mucronatu m) in Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N..Y., 1, 249, ph aie
fig. 1. De Kay says this fish “is frequently found among rocks
along the seashore and in the mud. It swims with great rapid-
ity although its usual habit is that.of creeping slowly among
rocks, in which it is probably assisted by its spiny ventrals. It
abounds in Robyn’s reef, in the harbor of New York.”
FISHES OF NEW YORK 667
Subfamily sTICHAEINAE
Genus uLtvarra Jordan & Evermann -
This genus is very close to Eumesogrammus, from,
which it differs in the absence of the lowermost or third lateral
line, the median line being bifurcate.
327 Ulvaria subbifurcata (Storer)
Radiated Shanny
Pholis subbifurcatus STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 68, 1839, Nahant, Mass.;
Hist. Fish., Mass. 92, 1867; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 150, 1842.
Eumesogrammus subbifurcatus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 10,
1879; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 775, 1883.
Ulwaria subbifurcata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. & M. A.
475, 1896; Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2440, 1898, pl. CCCXLY,
fig. 842.
Body moderately compressed, fusiform, its greatest depth
about one fifth of the length withott caudal. Head moderately
large, nearly one fourth of total length without caudal; mouth
large, the maxillary extending to below the middle of the eye,
the jaws equal in front; eye large, a little longer than the snout,
one fourth as long as the head. Dorsal origin at a distance
from tip of snout equal to length of head; longest spines about
in the middle of the fin two fifths as long as the head; first
spine two thirds as long as the eye. Caudal rounded, its middle
rays one half as long as the head. Anal origin under the 14th
spine of the dorsal, the fin not extending to the caudal, its
longest ray one third as long as the head. Pectoral ex-
tending slightly past the vertical from the ninth spine of the
‘dorsal, its length one sixth of total without caudal. Ventral
in advance of dorsal origin, three eighths as long as head. Back
somewhat arched; ventral outline nearly straight. Median
lateral line forked over the pectoral, the upper branch extend-
ing about as far back as the extended pectoral. Scales very
small. | :
Debs A 2S tonZ0 eV e382 Pak
“Color, above reddish brown. Opercle and preopercle yel-
lowish. Light colored circular patches along the base of the
dorsal fin; beneath the lateral line lighter. Abdomen yellowish
SS
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668 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
white. From beneath the eye, a broad black band, which is ~
widest at its origin, crosses the opercle obliquely; two other
bands of the same color extend from behind the eye backward,
~ in nearly a straight line, to a distance of from one to two lines.
Numerous black spots on the dorsal fin [one of these extending
from the fifth to the tenth spine]. Pectorals light, with darker
shades. Anal fin with a dark colored margin. Caudal with |
small dusky spots,” sometimes forming about four narrow con-
centric bars. . |
The_fish reaches the length of about 6 inches.
_ This species is very rare in the North Atlantie, south to Cape
Cod. Storer records the capture at Nahant Mass. in 1838. It
has been taken by the U. S. Fish Commission at Grand Manan
and Halifax, and by Prof. Verrill off Anticosti. De Kay had not ©
met with the species in New York waters and his description
is copied from that of Storer in his report upon Fishes of Massa-
chusetts, page 63, 1839. De Kay called it the radiated shanny.
Its occurrence in New York waters remains to be noted.
Genus sticHAaEvus Reinhardt
Body moderately elongate, covered with small scales; teeth —
on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Lateral line present, single,
running along side of back; pectorals and ventrals well devel-
oped. Dorsal moderately high, of spines only; gill openings con-
tinued forward below, the membranes scarcely united to the
isthmus; pyloric caeca present. Arctic seas.
328 Stichaeus punctatus (Fabricius)
Spotted Blenny
Blennius punctatus FABRICIUS, Fauna Gronl. 153, 1780, Greenland.
Clinus punctatus RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 88, 1836.
Gunnellus punctatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 428,
1836.
Stichaeus punctatus GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus: ITI, 283, 1861; Jorpan
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 775, 1883; Jorpan & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2489, 1898, pl. CCCXLYV, fig. 841, 1900.
Body compressed, tapering at both ends, moderately elongate,
its greatest depth one sixth to one seventh of total length with-
out caudal. Head two ninths of total length without caudal;
ee ee . ee ee ee ee
,. FISHES OF NEW YORK . 669
-mouth moderate, the maxillary extending to below front of
pupil, one third as long as head, the lower jaw slightly shorter
than upper; eye small, one fifth as long as head; snout slightly
longer than eye. Dorsal origin over top of gill opening ; dorsal
fin subcontinuous with the caudal,its longest spine two sevenths
as long as the head. Caudal fin rounded in adult (emarginate
in young), the middle rays two thirds as long as the head. Anal
origin under 17th spine of dorsal, the fin well separated from
the caudal, its longest ray one third as long as the head.
Pectoral extending to below the 14th spine of the dorsal, its
length one sixth of the total without caudal. Ventral nearly
under dorsal origin, one third as long as the head. Back little
arched; ventral outline also arched. Lateral line single, in the
upper fourth of the hight of body, and ending about the middie
of the total length including caudal. Scales small, but larger
than in Ulvaria subbifurcata. D. XLVIII to AB
pz t0.90;°V. 1, 33, Pl 15.
Color bright scarlet, the cheeks with five or six small dark
- blotches; smaller dark blotches on opercle and interopercle; a
dark streak from snout through eye and extending behind the
eye; five roundish dark spots, about as long as the eye, each
with a white band near its upper margin, on the dorsal fin at
almost regular distances apart; the anal fin with eight to ten
narrow oblique crossbars; caudal with about six narrow, con-
centric, dark rings. |
This blenny inhabits the Arctic seas from Greenland to North
Siberia, south to Bristol Bay and Cape Cod. Young individuals
were found in considerable numbers in Plover bay, Siberia, and
at Cape Lisburne, Alaska. The species grows to the length of
about 7 inches. The young are so different in appearance from
the adult that they have been described as the type of a distinct
genus. The occurrence of the species in New York waters is
very doubtful. 2
Genus LuMPENUs Reinhardt
Body greatly elongate, moderately compressed, covered with
-small scales; lateral line indistinct or obsolete; head long; snout
%
lard
670 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
| short; no cirri; eyes large, placed high; mouth moderate, with
| a Single row of rather small conic teeth on each jaw, palatine ~
| ; teeth present or absent; ‘gill openings prolonged forward below,
very narrowly united anteriorly to the isthmus, not forming a
free fold across it; dorsal composed of numerous sharp, flex-
pectorals large, more than one half length of head, the middle
rays longest; ventrals well developed, jugular, I, 3 or I, 4; intes-
7 ible, rather high spines; caudal fin long; anal many-rayed;
tinal canal long; pyloric caeca present; no air bladder. Chiefly
herbivorous. Northern geas.
Subgenus LEPTOBLENNIUS Gill
329 Lumpenus lampetraeformis (Walbaum)
Eel Blenny ; Snakefish
Blennius lampetraeformis WALBAUM, Artedi Gen. Pisce. III, 184, 1792;
| Iceland.
Blennius serpentinus STORER, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. III, 30, 1848;
Massachusetts Bay; Hist. Fish. Mass. 91, pl. XVII, fig. 1, 1867.
Leptoblennius serpentinus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 10, 1879;
: Massachusetts Bay; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
of 778, 1883. .
| Stichaeus islandicus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, III, 281, 1861. ;
Lumpenus lampetraeformis CoLLEeETT, Norske Nord-Havs Exp. 71, 1880;
, JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 778, 1888; JoRDAN &
Wa) EXVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2488, ‘pl. CCCXLIYV, fig.
ve 840, 1898. :
| 4 The depth of the body is one fifteenth of the length, which is
HH nine times the length of the head. Head not large, its sides
a if sparsely covered with small scales; eye as long as snout; maxil-
ii | a lary reaching front of pupil; gill openings extending forward
Hi below for a distance less than length of snout; pectorals
! | long, seven eighths length of head; ventrals moderate, two and
| two thirds in head. D. LXXV; A. 50; V. I, 3.
| Olive above with lighter cloudings;-.pale below; dorsal fin
brownish, with broad, oblique, white bands; pectorals pale.
| The snakefish inhabits the North Atlantic and Arctic on both
| | 4 shores, ranging south to Sweden and Norway, east to Spitz-
| re || bergen; on our coast extending south to Cape Cod and perhaps ~
Long Island. It is a common resident of the deep waters of
Massachusetts bay, where it is a favorite food of the cod and
FISHES OF NEW YORK . O71
halibut. ‘The species grows to the length of 12 to 15 inches.
Other names for it are eel blenny and snake blenny. No record
of its occurrence in New York waters has yet appeared, but it
may be found in moderate depths off Long Island.
Family cryPTACANTHODIDAE
Wrymouths
GenuS CRYPTACANTHODEs Storer
_ Body long and slender, compressed, naked, without lateral
line; head cuboid, with vertical cheeks and conspicuous mucifer-
ous cavities; eyes small, placed high; mouth large, very oblique,
the very heavy lower jaw prominent in front; jaws, vomer, and
_palatines with stoutish conic teeth, in few series; gill openings
F prolonged forward below, narrowly attached to the isthmus;
4 _ dorsal fin of stoutish spines, hidden in the skin; dorsal and anal - |
joined to caudal; pectorals short; ventrals wanting. Fics
}
a EO cae nS as Sa ee 2
330 Cryptacanthodes maculatus Storer
_ Ghostfish; Wrymouth ; i
Cryptacanthodes maculatus STORER, Rev. Fish. Mass. 28, 1839; Hist. Fish. Hh
Mass. 34, pl. VIII, fig. 6, 1867; Dez Kay, N. Y.. Fauna, Fishes, 683,
pl. 18, fig. 50, 1842, from Massachusetts specimen; LINSLEY, Am.
Jour. Sci. Arts, XLVII, 60, 1844, Long Island Sound; GunrHeER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 291, 1861; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst.
XI, 10, 1879; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 780, 1888;
H. M. SmitrH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; JorpDAN & HVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2448, 1898, IV, pl. CCCXLYV, fig. 843,
1900.
The depth of the body is one thirteenth of the length, which is
six and one half times the length of the head. Eyes small,
placed high, not so wide as interorbital space, which has two | ;
ridges and three pits; orbital rim raised; two deep pits behind A
eye at the temples, a deeper pit on top of head between them; q
a raised ridge continued backward on each side of head behind
j orbital rim; maxillary extending to beyond eye; pseudobranchiae
small; pectorals short, three in head, their tips reaching beyond
: front of dorsal; vent a little in front of the middle of the body. r
D. LXXIIT; A. 50. | Bit
Light brownish, with several series of smallish dark spots, i
arranged in more or less regular rows, from the head to the
672 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
base of the caudal; vertical fin closely spotted with darker; .
head above thickly speckled; body sometimes. (“ inornatus ”’)
entirely immaculate. The wrymouth or ghostfish has been taken
from Labrador to Long Island sound. It is recorded by Linsley
in his catalogue of the Fishes of Connecticut. The species grows
to a length of 24 inches or more. According to Dr Smith, it
is very rare at Woods Hole Mass. A specimen from Woods Hole, —
' now in the National Museum, was taken about 1875. Sep. 18,
1896, an individual 18 inches long was caught there in a fyke
net set in Great harbor. In Massachusetts bay the fish is also
rather rare. Storer, in his History of the Fishes of M assachusetts,
1867, mentioned seven specimens: one from Nahant, one from
Dorchester, one from Provincetown, three from Massachusetts
_bay; the seventh was from a beach in Nova Scotia. The U. S.
Fish Commission collected seven specimens on the coast of Mass-
achusetts previous to 1879. There is an albino form of this fish,
of which four individuals were known prior to 1879. One of
these was obtained at Marblehead and another at Swampscott.
Family ANARHICHADIDAE
Wolf Fishes
Genus anaruicuas (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body moderately elongate, covered with rudimentary scales;
head scaleless, without cirri, compressed, narrowed above, the ©
profile strongly decurved; mouth wide, oblique; premaxillary
not protractile; jaws with very.strong conic canines anteriorly;
lateral teeth of lower jaw either molars or with pointed tuber-
cles; upper jaw without lateral teeth; vomer extremely thick
and solid, with 2 series of coarse molar teeth; palatines with
one or two similar series; gill membranes broadly joined to the
isthmus; no lateral line; dorsal fin rather high, composed en-
tirely of flexible spines which are enveloped in the skin; anal
fin lower; caudal fin developed, free from dorsal and anal; no
ventral fins; pectoral fins broad, placed low; air bladder present;
no pyloric caeca. Northern seas.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 673
Z 331 Anarhichas lupus Linnaeus
Wolf Fish j
|
j Anarhichas lupus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 247, 1758; H. M. Sirs,
‘Bull. U. S.,F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. 4
U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2446, 1898; IV, pl. CCCXLVIHI, fig. 846, 1900. i
Anarrhicas lupus MitcuiLtt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 242, February, 1818: 1
STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 69, 1839; DE KAy, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 158,
pl. 16, fig. 48, 1842.
Anarrhichas lupus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XJ, 11, 1879.
Anarrhichas vomerinus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 99, pl. X VIII, fig. 1, 1867. é
i
The depth of the body is contained five and oné half times in it
its length, which is six times the length of the head. Maxillary ni
reaches beyond orbit; band of vomerine teeth extending much i
farther back than the short palatine band; pectorals large, i
rounded, two thirds length of head; dorsal high, beginning over
the gill openings, its longest rays about half length of head.
} Wo wUXIT: A. 42. ;
| Brownish; sides with numerous (9-12) very dark transverse
_ bars, which are continued on the dorsal fin, besides numerous
a dark spots and reticulations; fins dark; caudal tipped with
reddish. ei
This is the sea wolf of Mitchill, mentioned by him in the :
American Monthly Magazine, v. 2, p. 242. De Kay writes of the
species as follows: a a
The voracious and savage character of this fish is manifest i
in the formidable array of teeth with which he is provided, and i i
t
CAT
by his vicious and pugnacious propensities when first drawn
from the water. .. He is known under the various popular
names of cat, wolf fish, and sea cat. His ill-favored aspect
causes him to be regarded with aversion by fishermen, but his
flesh is by no means unsavory; when smoked it is said to have : ie i
somewhat the flavor of salmon. He prefers rocky coasts and is a: (i
- said to spawn in May. Not unfrequently taken off Rockaway | |
beach, as I am informed, in company with the common cod. This
I suppose to be the most extreme southerly limit yet observed.
In high northern latitudes it is said to attain to the length of .
6 and 8 feet. } |
In the deep waters of Massachusetts bay it occurs frequently,
approaching the shore, particularly in winter. In Vineyard
sound it is quite rare and has been taken late in fall in traps pn
\
O74 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
&
and also on lines fished for cod. The range of the species is, in
the north Atlantic, south to Cape Cod and France. It is rather
common both in America and Europe. In Norway the skin of
the fish is tanned and makes a very-good leather.
Group OPHIDIOIDEI
Eelpouts
Family zOARCIDAE
Genus zoarces Gill
Body elongate, compressed, tapering posteriorly; head oblong,
heavy, narrowed above, the profile decurved; mouth large; teeth
strong, conic, bluntish, in two series in the front of each jaw
and one series on the sides; teeth in outer series larger; no teeth
on vomer or palatines; dorsal fin very long, low, some of its
posterior rays much lower than the others, developed as sharp
spines; pectoral fins broad; ventrals jugular, of three or four
soft rays; scales small, not imbricated, embedded in the skin;
lateral line slender, lateral in position; size large; species Vivi- _
parous. The American and Asiatic species (subgenus Macro-
zoarces) differ from the European type of Zoarces
(Cuvier) in the increased number of fin rays and vertebrae. In
Zoarces viviparus (Linnaeus), the European eelpout, the
dorsal rays are about 100, the anal about 85, and the number
of vertebrae is proportionally diminished.
332 Zoarces anguillaris (Peck)
Muttonfish; Ling; Eelpout
Blennius anguillaris Peck, Mem. Am. Ac. Sci. IJ, 46, figure, 1804, New
Hampshire.
Blennius ciliatus MrircuiLL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 374, pl. I, fig. 6,
1815.
Blennius labrosus MITCHILL, op. cit. 375, pl. I, fig. 7, 1815.
Zoarces anguillaris STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. ue 1839; DE KAY, Nee
Fauna, Fishes, 155, pl. 16, fig. 45, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.
III, 296, 1861; SrorEerR, Hist. Fish. Mass. 97, pl. XVII, fig. 4, 1867;
Goopre & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 9, 1879; Jorpan & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 784, 1883; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C:
1897, 106, 1898; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. ITI,
2457, 1898; IV, pl. CCCXLVIII, fig. 850, 1900.
The depth of the body is one seventh of the length, which is
six times the length of the head. Maxillary reaching beyond
a ae ee oe eee
os
a
»
eG
FISHES OF NEW YORK 675
orbit; pectoral long, about two thirds length of head; ventrals
one fifth head; highest ray of dorsal about equal to snout; the
posterior spines about one third length of eye; first ray of
dorsal above preopercle. D. 95, X VIII, 17; A. 105.
Reddish brown, mottled with olive, the scales paler than the
skin about them;-dorsal fin marked with darker; a dark streak
from eye across cheek and opercles; lower jaw included.
This fish grows to the length of about 3 feet. De Kay noticed
it most abundantly in the New York market in February and
March. He states that it is caught on the coast in company
with the common cod. It feeds on various marine shells and
affords a very savory food. At the time of his writing it was
called by the fishermen ling and conger eel. De Kay employed
for it the English name eelpout. Fishermen who go out for cod
off Sandy Hook at the present time catch this fish in large
humbers and know it under the name of muttonfish. The range
of the fish is from Labrador to Delaware. It is rather common
north of Cape Cod. Dr Smith says it is abundant in the fall
off Gayhead and Cuttyhunk; it is caught while line fishing for
cod on rock bottom and occasionally late in fall in Vineyard
sound, off Great harbor, on lines baited for tautog. In Massa-
chusetts bay it is a common resident of deep water, frequently
approaching the shore. :
Family opHipmDpAEe
Genus rissota Jordan & Evermann
This genus contains species agreeing with Ophidion in
general characters, but with the air bladder short, broad, sphe-
rical or kidney-shaped, with a posterior foramen. Species
chiefly of the Mediterranean.
333 Rissola marginata (De Kay)
Slippery Dick |
Ophidium marginatum DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 315, pl. 52, fig. 169,
1842, New York Harbor; BarrpD, Ninth Ann. Rep. Smith. Inst. 351,
1855; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 792, 1883; BEAN,
Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 135, 1888.
Rissola marginata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. & M. A. 483,
1896; Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2489, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLIII, fig.
868, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 370, 1897.
676 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Ophidium barbatum MircniLyi, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. 1, (862, plow
fig. 2, 1815,
De Kay writes of the species as follows:
This very rare and curious species was taken in a seine in the
harbor of New York in company with a school of the striped
-
bass. It is doubtless the O. barbatum of my venerable |
friend, Dr Mitchill, which is too succinctly noted in the work
cited above. . . It has so much the habit of some of the Gadidae,
and more especially of the genus Brotula, that our fisher- —
men ¢call it the little cusk.
The fish inhabits the coast of the United States from New
York south to Pensacola and Texas. It is not very common.
It grows to the length of about 10 inches. A specimen was
taken in Great Egg Harbor bay during the winter of 1853-54,
but collectors who have visited the region since have not found
it again. In Gravesend bay, where the species is rare, an exam-
ple was obtained Oct. 24, 1894. The fish is known there as
Slippery Dick. ,
Suborder CRANIOMI
Family TRIGLIDAE
-Gurnards
Genus prionotus Lacépéde
Body subfusiform; profile of head descending to the broad,
depressed snout, which is much longer than the small eye; eyes
close together, high up; surface of head entirely bony, the bones
rough with ridges and granulations; scales on head few or none;
preopercle with one or two sharp spines at its angle; opercle
with a sharp spine; nape with two strong spines, a spine on
shoulder girdle; mouth rather broad; bands of small, almost ©
granular, teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines; gill membranes
nearly separate, free from isthmus; gill rakers rather long; :
body covered with small, rough scales, which are not keeled;
lateral line continuous; scales on breast very small; dorsal fins
distinct, the first of 8 to 10 rather stout spines, the third usually
highest, but mostly shorter than head; anal fin similar to soft
dorsal; pectoral fin with the three lower anterior rays thickened,
entirely free from each: other and from the fin; ventrals I, 5,
ai
=
x
—— a ee
lord
FISHES OF NEW YORK 677
‘wide apart, with a flat space between them, the inner rays
longest; pyloric caeca in moderate number; air bladder generally
with lateral muscles and divided into two lateral parts; ver-
tebrae 10 or 11+15. Species numerous, all but one being Amer-
ican. Representing in America the old world genus Trigla.
Some of them in deep water. They are well defined and easily
recognized, but vary considerably with age, and are not easily
thrown into subordinate groups. .. Young examples in most
cases differ from the adults in the following respects, in addi-
tion to those characters which usually distinguish young fishes.
The spines on the head are sharper, more conspicuous, and more
compressed in the young, and some spines, specially those on the
side of the head, disappear entirely with age. The interorbital
Space is more concave jn the young. ‘The pectoral fins are also
much shorter. The gill rakers are longer in.the young, and pro-
_portionately more slender, and some of the color markings—
specially the darker cross shades—are more conspicuous, while
the spots on body and fins are less so.
334 Prionotus carolinus (Linnaeus)
Sea Robin; Gurnard
Trigla carolina LINNAEUS, Mantissa, 528.
Trigla palmipes MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 481, pl. LV, fig. 5,
1815, New York Harbor.
Prionotus palmipes STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 18, pl.. V, fig. 1, 1867; JoRDAN
& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 7384, 1883; GoopE, Fish & Fish.
‘Ind. U. 8. I, 255, pl. 71, 1884. |
Prionotus carolinus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VI, 90, 1829;
Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 46, pl. 5, fig. 15, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. IJ, 192, 1860; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. TX,
371, 1897; H. M. SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; JorDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. II, 2156, 1898; IV, pl. CCCX VIII,
fig. 768, 1900. .
The depth of the body is one fifth of the length, which is three
times the length of the head. Head comparatively smooth; pre-
I
opercular spine strong; band of palatine teeth short and broad,
shorter than eye; pectorals short, not reaching middle of second
dorsal, two and one third in length; pectoral appendages strong,
more or less dilated at their tips; ventrals long, reaching anal;
Se
¢
Speci ere i ene ale epee ph
Shek ER
Sie aha anne teem:
si
inonrne
ES ET RRS RTOS
<a
———— eee
Se a a a RA A OE NE as
and one third in head. D. X-18; A. 12; Tat) User
_ the species deserves a place among the food fishes. It feeds on
678 } NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
gill rakers rather short, about 10 below angle; maxillary three
Brownish above, clouded with darker; throat and braneln *:
stegals dark; a distinct dark blotch above on membrane be- a
tween fourth and fifth dorsal spines, this ocellated below; hes
longitudinal light streaks below dorsal blotch; <a
with oblique whitish streaks. | | 4
_ The sea robin, known also as the red- -winged sea robin, com-
mon gurnard, flying fish, butterfly fish, wingfish, grunter, and a
cuckoo fish, is very common on our east coast, its range extend. a
ing from the coast of Maine to South Carolina, chiefly north- ©
ward. The name flying fish is applied to the species in Great ;
Egg bay, N.J. This sea robin appears in Gravesend bay .
in May, and is caught in the shad fyke nets. It is the earliest
of the sea robins to arrive. At Woods Hole Mass., accord- A
ing to Dr Smith, it appears in May or June and remains till
October or later, and it is more abundant than the cee Sea
robin. ‘ 7 ‘ ~
This fish grows to the length of about 1 foot. Itis nota mar-
ketable fish, and causes fishermen a great deal of annoyance by
its wonderful voracity, and yet its flesh is firm and white, and
crabs, shrimp and similar crustaceans, and occurs on clean bot-
toms. This sea robin-begins to spawn at Woods Hole early in :
June. Its eggs are bright orange. The young are very common 4
in Waquoit bay in summer, but are rather rare’ ‘elsewhere. chee K:
young were found in Great South bay, at Point of Woods, and
both sides of Fire Island inlet in August and September.
Adults are also found in large numbers at Fire Island and at
other parts of Great South bay. This fish is taken in enormous
numbers in pound nets in spring and summer. Curiously 1
enough, De Kay refers to this as a very rare species. He says”
that in the course of eight years he has not met with more ae |
six or eight individuals. One specimen which he examined, had —
its stomach filled with the remains of crabs. ;
/
FISHES OF NEW YORK 5 OFF
335 Prionotus strigatus Cuv. & Val.
Red-winged Sea Robin
‘Trigla lineata MitcuIL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 430, pl. IV, fig. 4,
815; not Trigla lineata BLocu.
Trigla strigata CUVIER, Régne Anim. ed. U, 2, 161, 1829, New York.
Prionotus lineatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 45, pl. 4, fig. 12, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 192, 1860.
Prionotus evolans var. lineatus, JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
736, 1883.
Prionotus evolans GOopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 255, pl. 71, 1884; not
Trigla evolans LINNAEUS.
Prionotus strigatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 86, 1829;
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 974, 1883; BEAN,
19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 250, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.
IX, 371, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U.S. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; JoRDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. II, 2167, 1898.
The length of the head is contained two and two thirds times
in the length of the body, which is four and one half times the.
depth of the body. The length of the eye is contained two and
one half times in the length of the snout. Gill rakers rather
long and slender, 15 below angle; band of palatine teeth wide,
shorter than eye; spines on head moderate in size, compressed,
the one at upper posterior angle of orbit little developed; mem-
branous edge of opercle scaly; ventral reaching to front of
anal; pectoral reaching past middle of soft dorsal and anal, from
one and seven eighths to two and one fourth in length.
D. X-12; A. 11; Lat. 1. about 60. ? |
Olive brown above, mottled and spotted with blackish; whit-
ish below; a narrow streak along the lateral line, with a broader
one below it, which terminates behind in a series of spots and
blotches; lower jaw and branchiostegal membranes sometimes
bright orange yellow; pectorals blackish edged with olivaceous
and orange, with numerous transverse dark lines ; membrane
of spinous dorsal with a black blotch between third and sixth
Spines; soft dorsal plain or with two black blotches at base;
ventrals and anal orange; pectoral appendages slender, dusky.
Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras; common northward. Perhaps a
distinct species but seeming to vary into P. evolans.
i!
H
tal
‘ )
[|
‘Mitchill in the Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc: N. Y. I, 430, pl. 4, fig. 44
680 - NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The red-winged sea robin is distinguished from the stri
sea robin by the following characters: pectoral with its ray
each crossed by fine black bars, these specially distinct toward ©
the base of the fin; free rays spotted; scales comparatively —
small, 10+1+23 in a vertical line from last dorsal spine to vent;
interorbital area broad and almost flat, its width a little mor 3
than length of eye; first dorsal spine eranulated; second spine |
four elevenths length of head; pectorals about one half as jonas
as body. ;
In the striped sea robin the pectoral rays are all plain black 4
ish; free rays plain dusky; scales 8+1+21 in a vertical line fro
last dorsal spine to vent; interorbital space more deeply Cor
cave, its width in adult not quite length of eve. first dorsa
Spine nearly smooth; second spine one third length of head
pectorals a little more than one half as long as body. Dee
This fish is found on our Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to 4
Virginia. It is very common in shallow water and is extremely @
close to Prionotus evolans, of which it may be a geo.
graphic variety. Drs Jordan and peeenain: have not however _
seen examples intermediate between the striped sea robin and —
the red-winged species. This fish is the Prionotus li ne =
atus of De Kay De Kay distinguishes this fish, which he
calls the banded gurnard, by the broad, reddish brown line along
the sides below the lateral line, as well as by other characters.
He says it is not uncommon and is known under the various :
popular names, grunter, gurnard, sea robin and flying fish. He
states that the banded gurnard is seldom eaten as food. This i |
is also the gurnard or sea robin, Trigla, lineatay of |
1815. | on i
The red-winged sea robin comes into Gravesend bay in May,
but later than the common species. It was found more abun-
dantly in Great South bay than the unstriped species. Indi- a
viduals were taken in Blue Point cove, and at Fire Island, late 3
in September. This fish grows larger than the other species: |
$.
—— ree —-
1New York Fauna, Fishes. 1842. p. 45, pl. 4, fig. 12.
.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 681
and is much handsomer; the young are specially interesting on
account of the great development of their pectoral fins.
336 Priorotus tribulus (Cuvier).
Big-headed Sea Robin
Trigla tribulus Cuvier, Régne Anim. ed. 2, II, 161, 1829, America.
Prionotus tribulus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 98, pl. 74,
1829, New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes 48, pl. 70, fig. 226, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 195, 1860; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull.
16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 735, 1883; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. II, 2171, 1898. :
7
Péctorals rather short, not reaching end of dorsal, twice in
length to base of caudal; pectoral appendages thick, tapering.
Body robust. The depth is one fourth of the length of the body,
which is two and one half times the length of the head. Head
shorter and broader, snout shorter, and bones more strongly
‘striate than in P. evolans; interorbital space deeply con-
cave; occipital and superorbital spines very strong and much
compressed; band of palatine teeth as long as eye; gill rakers
shortish, nine below angle; membranous edge of opercle scaly.
D. X-12; A. 11; Lat. 1. about 50.
Dark brown above, with darker blotches and numerous small,
pale spots; belly pale; a black blotch at base of mandible; mem-
brane of spinous dorsal, between the third and sixth spines, with
a black blotch above; second dorsal with brownish spots, form-
ing oblique bars, and with two dark blotches at base, the pos-
terior blotch continued obliquely downward and forward to
below the lateral line; pectoral olive brown, with dark cross-
bars, which are more distinct toward the tip of the fin, its upper
edge white, pectoral appendages with dark spots; basal half of
caudal paler.
’ ) This gurnard is very common on the south Atlantic coast
4
_
s
and occasionally ranges northward to Long Island. It is well
separated from the other sea robins of the Atlantic by the
greater development of the spines of the head. ‘The young
have these spines much larger and more compressed than the
adult, and in the very young three or four strong knifelike
Pa ili
val
| eral
ii
i Hi
a
_ along its base;one from the fifth to the ‘seventh, the othe
682 | NEW YORK STATE MUSPUM
Spines are developed on each side of the snout. dan very ry yo AGY
individuals the spine at the base of the preopercular spine i 2
much larger than the latter.” De Kay obtains his description —
of this fish from Cuvier and Valenciennes, but he saw very smi
individuals which he at first confounded with the young of t
red-winged sea robin. Cuvier states that he received numerou
specimens of the species from New York. De Kay mentio:
among the characteristics of the fish the tone pec whie
which are flattened like sword blades. As for colors ne siyeet
the following: “The first dorsal fin has a black spot between 4
the fourth and sixth ray. The second with two black spots {
between the fourth and sixth rays; pectorals blackish, more spe-
cially on the interior where the upper border is whitish. Hodra
brownish above, lightish beneath.” Specimens 8 inches long are” 4
recorded. e
Genus TRIGLA (Artedi) Linnaeus |
This genus differs from Chelidonichthys, with ee
it agrees in the absence of palatine teeth, in having the sides o
the body armed with transverse bony plates, crossing the latera.
line. Species numerous; ery abundant in the Mediterranean
Genus CHELIDONICHTHYS Kaup ©
This genus differs from Prionotus chiefly in the absence
of palatine teeth. The scales are much smaller, and the pec
toral fins less developed; a series of bony, spinous plates” a
tends along the base of the dorsal fin, a pair of them to each ray, i
the fin thus running in a shallow groove; there are no plates
along the lateral line; caudal fin usually emarginate; lateral
line usually forked at base of caudal, the branches running to.
tip of fin. The numerous species abound on the coasts of Eu. 4
rope, Africa and India, ranging north to Japan... *
337 Trigla cuculus Linnaeus
Red Gurnard
Trigla cuculus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I; 301, 1758; Cuvier & VALEN-
CIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 26, 1829; Dm Kay, N, Y. Fauna, Fishes,
43, pl. 70, fig. 225, 1842; Jorpan & Evmrmany, Bull. 47, U. S. ‘Nat ‘
Mus, II, 2177, 1898. uy
FISHES OF NEW YORK 683
The depth of the body is one fifth of the length, which is three
and one half times the length of the head. Rose-red; profile of
snout rather steep, slightly concave; preorbital with short denti-
culations; maxillary nearly pedehene front of orbit; lateral line
- with a series of unarmed plates, which are deeper than long;
first dorsal spine tuberculated; second longest, two thirds length
of head; pectoral reaching past front of anal. D. IX—18; A.17;
Lat. 1. 75° |
The red gurnard is a native of southern Europe. It is said
by Cuvier to have been once brought from New York by Milbert,
but this is a very doubtful record, as no collector has recently
found any species of Trigla in American waters. De Kay
did not see this fish on the coast of New York, and he copied
his description from Cuvier and Valenciennes. De Kay states
that Cuvier and Valenciennes mention having received “a spe-
cimen from New York, which so much resembles the T. cucu-
lus, not only in all its generalities but even in its most minute
details, that it is very difficult for us not to consider it the same
‘species; but, as our specimen was not recent, it may possibly
present some distinct characters.”
Family CeEPHALACANTHIDAE
Flying Gurnards
Genus CEPHALACANTHUS Lacépéde
Body elongate, subquadrangular, tapering behind; head very
X
blunt, quadrangular, its surface almost entirely bony; nasals,
preorbitals, suborbitals, and bones of top of head united into
a shield; nuchal part of shield on each side produced backward :
in a bony ridge, ending in a strong spine, which reaches past
front of dorsal; interocular space deeply concave; preorbitals
ere eee ee ee eee ee ee ee ee ee
* ~ 4 uu < . - “4 ~~ ove
forming a projecting roof above the jaws; preopercle produced
in a very long rough spine; cheeks and opercles with small
scales; opercle smaller than eye; gill openings narrow, vertical,
separated by a very broad, scaly isthmus; pseudobranchiae
large; gill rakers minute; mouth small, lower jaw included; jaws
with granular teeth; no teeth on vomer or palatines; scales
;
7
2
‘ ‘|
; i
aa
‘a }
j | |
a4)
Lam
ry |
ia
it
_ short, of slender rays; caudal ane lunate; pectoral fins divid
(CC. spinarella) East Indian.
immovable spine between the dorsals; anal and second do :
as the head, ‘On about six rays, nels connected; the ee ae
and larger ae a more than twice ete of head, Se
the long fins aéineed: their bases close foes the inner ‘ra a
shortest; air bladder with two lateral parts, each with a. lar
muscle; pyloric caeca numerous; vertebrae 9413-99, . “War
ee eS ee eS Oe ee a ee eee Tee ee one
seas; the adult able to move in the air like the true flying fi
but for shorter distances. Two species known, one. of the
338 Cephalacanthus volitans (Linnaeus).
. Flying Gurnard; Flying Robin -
Trigla volitans LINNAEUS,. Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 302, 1758.
Polynemus sexradiatus MITcHILy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N- Y. I; pl. Iv
fig. 10, 1815; Am. Month. Mag. II, 323, March, 1818. |
Dactylopterus volitans CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 1, at,
1829; Dr Kay, N- Y. Vaumna, Mishes, 49, ue 173 fig. 46; GUNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. I], 221, 1860. -
Cephalacanthus volitans BEAN, Bull. UU Sorc, VII, 136, 1888: Bull. Am. — _
Mus. Nat. Hist. UX, 371, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. UW. Sine. Eo
106, 1898; JoRDAN & HEVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. II, 2183,
1898; IV, pl. CCCXXIII, fig. 778, 1900.
Body elongate, subquadrangular, tapering to caudal, its see
about one sixth of total length; profile blunt, the head being
quadrangular in shape; mouth rather small, the lower jaw in
cluded; granular teeth in jaws; no teeth on vomer and pala-
tines; eye large, its diameter being contained about three and
one half times in length of head; bones of top of head, pre
orbitals, and suborbitals, forming a shield, the nuchal part on
each side being produced backward ina bony ridge and endi .
in a strong spine which reaches to the fourth or fifth dorsa
spine; another spine extends, backward from the preopert
past ventrals; pectorals in adults reaching almost to cauds i
‘FISHES OF NEW YORK 685
shorter in the young; the first dorsal originates over the ven-
. trals, its longest spine is equal in length to the distance from
tip of snout to posterior margin of orbit; the second dorsal
rays are slightly longer; anal base shorter than either dorsal
base, equal to base of first six rays of second dorsal; caudal
emarginate; ventrals as long as head. D. II-V, 8; A. 6.
Color of varying shades of greenish, olive, and reddish brown
on upper parts of body, paler underneath; irregular markings
of dusky and vermilion, varying to salmon yellow; pectorals
with bright blue streaks near base, and blue spots and bars
toward the tip, their under sides glaucous blue edged with
darker; three brownish red bars on caudal fin.
The flying gurnard is found in the Atlantic ocean on both
coasts. It is very abundant on our south Atlantic coast and
in the Gulf of Mexico. It ranges as far north as Cape Cod.
Several specimens were obtained in Great Egg Harbor bay in
August and September 1887. Their lengths were respectively
24, 64. and 7:4 inches. In Gravesend bay, L. I., this is an uncom-
mon species. An individual was taken there Oct. 30,1897. Dr
Smith says that a few are taken every year late in the fall in
the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. They sometimes come ashore
in Buzzards bay and Vineyard sound, benumbed by cold. They
are not so abundant now as they were prior to 1887. Mitchill
described and figured the fish in 1815 under the name Polyne-
Mus sexradiatus.
De Kay calls it the sea swallow and has the following notes
on it:
Dr Mitchill, in his memoir on the Fishes of New York in 1814
(1815), gave a good figure of this species; and in his supplement
to this memoir in the American Monthly Magazine in 1818 fur-
nished a detailed description which sufficiently establishes its
identity with D. volitans... The subject of our examina-
tion was caught in a net in the harbor in the month of August.
If our species be identical with that of Europe, it has a wide
geographical distribution. On the American coast it ranges
from Brazil to Newfoundland. By means of its immense pec-
torals, it is enabled to spring from the ocean and support itself
for some time in the air. This is often done to protect itself
from its enemies. It feeds on various small crustacea.
sides with a broad stripe of darker edged with whitish, extending -
686 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Suborder DISCOCEPHALI
Family ECHENEIDIDAE
Remoras
Genus ECHENE!IsS (Artedi) Linnaeus aes
Body comparatively elongate, the vertebrae 14+16= 30; ai
long, of 20 to 28 laminae; pectoral pointed, its rays soft and
flexible; soft dorsal and anal long, of 30 to 41 rays each; caudal —
lunate in the adult, convex in the young. Species of wide di
tribution, attaching themselves mainly to sea turtles and lar
fishes, , eee ae
339 Kcheneis naucrates Linnaeus wre
Sharksucker ; Sucking Fish ae
Eicheneis ee (misprint for naucrates) LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. re
261, 1758.
Echeneis naucrates MivcH1w1, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 377, 181
DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish. 308, ' 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit
Mus. II, 384, 1860; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 416
1888; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 371, 1897; H. M. SMITH
Rull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; JorDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.
Nat. Mus. III, 2269, 1898; IV, pl. CCCX XIX, fig. 796, 1900.
Echeneis albacauda\Mitcuitit, Am. Month. Mag. II, 244, February, 1818. a
Echeneis albicauda DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish. 307, pl. 54, fig. 177, 1;
Long Island; Hudson River. a
Body elongate, subterete, slender. The length of the body is
five and one half times the length of the head. The disk is con- | &
tained three and two thirds times in the length of the body, —
which is about seven and one half times the width between the |
pectorals; disk long. Dorsal and anal fins longer than the disk :
inner rays of ventral fin narrowly adnate to the abdomen; caudal -
becoming emarginate with age. Vertebrae 14416. Vertical fins —
low; pectorals three fourths length of head, rather long and
acute; lower jaw projecting, with the tip flexible; maxillary —
barely reaching vertical from nostril. D. XXI to ere
41; A. 34 (32-38). 4
Brownish; the belly dark like the back, as usual in this famileee 5
through eye to snout; caudal black, its outer angle whitish;
pectorals and yentrals black, sometimes bordered with pale;
dorsal and anal broadly edged with white anteriorly. 3
A hee s
ve Geert
A Viol Saker gaa
FISHES OF NEW YORK ; 687
The sharksucker or sucking fish is also known as the remora.
It inhabits all warm seas, ranging north to Cape Cod and San
Francisco. De Kay describes this species under the name of
the white-tailed remora, and the Indian remora. He figures the
Species on pl. 54, fig. 177, of his New York Fauna. He says it is
not uncommon on the coast of Long Island, and has been several
times brought to him by those who took it in ordinary seines.
He states that it is called sharksucker. He saw a specimen
___which had ascended a considerable distance up the Hudson river.
; He states further that it appears most commonly in July and
August. In Mitchill’s account of the fishes of New York, an
individual measuring 31 inches in length, and weighing 4 pounds
10 ounces is mentioned. In Gravesend bay the species is found
: in summer only attached to sharks, usually the sand shark,
Carcharias littoralis. An individual obtained there
_ duly 28, 1897, lived and fed till November 13, when it ceased feed-
ing, and Noy. 23 it died because of the low temperature of the
water. In captivity the fish usually remains stationary on the
bottom, with the head and anterior part of the body slightly
raised, but will often rise to the surface to take pieces of clam or
fish from the hand.
At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, the fish is not
uncommon, An example 21 inches long was caught at West Fal-
mouth July 16, 1897, on a hook baited with fresh clam. In
August 1901 an individual of medium size was caught with a
hook on the Cinders, Fire Island, by an angler. This was the
only specimen seen during the summer.
340 Echeneis naucrateoides Zuiew.
Pilot Sucker —~
Echeneis naucrateoides Zu1Ew, Nova Acta Ac. Sci. Imp. Petropol. IV, 279,
1789; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 20, 1879; H. M. SMITH,
Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; JonpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. III, 2270, 1898,
Echeneis holbrooki GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 382, 1860. -
The form of the body is similar to that of the sharksucker;
its depth forms ;, of the total length. The length of the head
is one fifth of the total. The cephalic disk is very long, nearly
A CC AI
A EE EOI
|
'
.
.
i
A
t
i
and they are far apart. The radial formula, D. XX or XXI-32 —
: ube
688 ‘4 “NEW YORK STATE: MUSEUM
one fourth of the total, and equal to twice the widely of the 4
body between the pectorals. | The number of laminae is 20 or of ae
to 35; A. 33 to 35. : ee
The color is the same as in the sharksucker. This species 4
ranges from Cape Cod to the West Indies. It is common. on our -
south Atlantic coast. An individual was recorded by Prof. s
Baird at Woods Hole Mass. in 1871, and a number of specimens t ;
were taken during the next 10 years. According to Dr Smith, -
however, it has not recently been collected there. il
Genus REmoRA Gill eens ae
Body rather robust, the vertebrae 12+15=27; disk shortish, of
13 to 18 laminae; pectoral rounded, its rays soft and flexible; i.
soft dorsal and anal moderate, of 20 to 30 rays; caudal subtrun- a
cate. Species attaching themselves to lar ge fishes, specially to me 4
sharks. a
341 Remora remora (Linnaeus)
Remora %
Echeneis remora Linnaxus, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 260, 1758; MrrcHILn, Trans. a
Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 378, 1815; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Wishes, 309,
1842; GunTuER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 378, 1860; Jonpan & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 417, 1888.
Remora jacobaea GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 21, 1879.
emora remorad JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 490, 1896;
H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, iv6, 1898; Jorpan & VEE
Bull.. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2271, 1898.
Body and tail comparatively robust, the latter compel a
The length of the body is four times the length of the head, two
and three fourths times the length of the disk and five and one _
fourth times the width between pectorals. Pectoral finrounded,
short, and broad, the rays soft and flexible; ventral fins adnate
to the abdomen for more than half the length of their inner edge. a
Tip of lower jaw not produced into a flap. Vertebrae 12+15.
Head broad and depressed; disk longer than the dorsal or anal eS 3
fin; maxillary scarcely reaching front of orbit; caudal lunate; .
vertical fins rather high; pectoral three Le length of head. D. s .
XVIII-28; A. 25. s
Uniform dark brown. Warm seas, north to New York and
San Francisco; usually found attached to large sharks.
: FISHES OF NEW YORK 689
In 1815, Mitchill described this species under the name of small
oceanic sucker. De Kay did not see the fish but obtained his
information from the writings of Mitchill and Schoeff. He
‘states that Schoeff saw this remora taken from the bottoms of
vessels in the harbor of New York. At Woods Hole Mass.,
| according to Dr Smith, the remora is rare. It was reported by
. Prof. Baird in 1871, and the specimen in the eollection at that
place was taken in July. It is usually found attached to large
sharks. In 1879 Messrs Goode and Bean found in the museum
of the Essex Institute, at Salem Mass. a specimen which was
reported to have come from Salem harbor. If it really was
obtained in that locality, it must have been attached to the
bottom of some vessel from a southern port.
342 Remora brachyptera (Lowe)
Swordfish Sucker
Echeneis brachyptera Lows, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 89, 1839, Madeira;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 378, 1860; Jorpan & GILBERT,
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 417, 1883.
Bcheneis quatuordecimlaminatus STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 155, 1839;
De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish. 309, 1842 (extralimital); StorEerR, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 212, pl. XX XII, fig. 4, 1867.
Remoropsis brachypterus GiLu, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 60, 1864.
Remoropsis brachyptera GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst, XI, 21, 1879.
Remora brachyptera JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 490, 1896,
H. M. Suirn, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2272, 1898; IV, pl. CCCX XX, fig.. 797
797a, 1900.
ah ee oe, ee pe, ae ae
4
The length of the head is contained nearly four times in the
length of the body, which is six and one half times the width
between the pectorals. Body robust, the greatest depth nearly
twice the length of the short pectoral fins; disk shorter than base
of dorsal, rather broad; upper jaw angular; caudal neaul ys trun-
eate. D. XVI-80; A. 26. ? .
Light brown, darker below; fins piled
. The swordfish sucker is an inhabitant of warm seas, ranging
northward to Cape Cod, and to Japan. It is a small species and
has usually been found attached to the swordfish. Dr Storer, in
his Report on the Fishes of Massachusetts, 1839, recorded a speci-
men from Holmes Hole, Marthas Vineyard. At Woods Hole
690 | NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
gives a figure of it. De Kay refers to thiy description on page .
309 of his New York Fauna. He regards this fish as one of the a
extralimital species. Goode and Bean in 1879 recorded it as a a
parasite of the swordfish, which not infrequently accompanies —
that species into MAS PAREN bay. They had also seen speci
mens from Newfoundland... ”
Genus RHOmMBocHIRUS Gill | is
This genus agrees with Remora in every respect excepting theg
structure of the pectoral fins. These are short and broad, rhom-
bic in outline, the rays all flat, broad and stiff, being partially
ossified, though showing the usual articulations; upper rays, of
pectoral broader than the others. One species known. i.
343 Rhombochirus osteochir a Wie.
Spearfish Sucker f ek :
-EHcheneis osteochir Cuvier, Régne Anim. ed. 2, II, 348, 1829; GUNTHER, Cat.
Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 381, 1860; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. e Nate
Mus. 418, 1883.
Rhombochirus osteochir JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. a “490, 4
1896; H. M. Smrrx, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 106, 1898; Jorpan & EVER- R
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2278, 1898; IV, pl. COOXXX, fig. 4
798, 1900. .
The length of the body is four and two thirds times the length
of the head, two and one fourth times the length of the disk and
five times the width between the pectorals; mouth very small,
maxillary not reaching to the line of orbit; disk very ee
broader and rougher than in Echeneis remora, extending — :
forward beyond tip of snout; caudal fin emarginate, — with q
rounded angles. D. XVIII-21 to 23; A. 20; P. 20. a
Light brown; under side of head, na line, part of ventrals §
and a spot on pectorals pale. oo
This small species inhabits the West Indies and ranges norte
ward occasionally to Cape Cod. It is parasitic on the species — r
of spearfish, and is rather rare. It was recorded at Woods Hole
Mass. by Prof. Baird in 1871. According to Dr Smith, a speci-
men was taken Aug. 6, 1886, in a fish trap at Ca se
near Woods Hole.
ce
FISHES OF NEW YORK 691
Suborder ANACANTHINI
Jugular Fishes
Family MERLUCIIDAE
Whitings
Genus MERLUCIUS ‘Rafinesque
Body elongate, covered with small, deciduous scales; head
slender, conic, the snout long, depressed; a well-defined, oblong,
triangular excavation at the forehead, bounded by the ridges
on the separated frontal bones, these ridges converging back-
ward into the low occipital crest; eye rather large; edge of
preopercle free; preopercle with a channel behind its crest,
crossed by short radiating ridges; mouth large, oblique; maxil-
lary extending to opposite the eye; lower jaw longer; no barbels;
jaws with slender teeth, of various sizes, in about two series,
those of the inner row longer and movable; vomer with similar
teeth; palatines toothless; branchiostegals seven; gill rakers
long; gill membranes not united; dorsal fins two, well separated,
the first short, the second long, with a deep emargination; anal
emarginate, similar to second dorsal; ventral fins well developed,
with about seven rays; vertebrae peculiarly modified, the neural
spines well developed and wedged into one another; frontal bone
double and the skull otherwise peculiar in several respects.
Species several, very similar in appearance, ill-favored fishes of
soft flesh and fragile fins, inhabiting water of some depth.
| Large, voracious, little valued as food.
344 Merlucius bilinearis (Mitchill)
Whiting; Silver Hake
Stomodon Pelinearis MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 7, 1814.
Gadus merlucius MiTcHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 371, 1815.
Gadus albidus MITCHILL, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 409, 1817.
Merlucius albidus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes 280, pl. 46, fig. 148, 1842;
STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 185, pl. X XVIII, fig. 2, 1867.
Merlucius bilinearis GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 9, 1879; JorDAN &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 809, 1888; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm.
Fish. N. Y. 249, pl. IV, fig. 5, 1890; Goopr & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 386,
fig. 330, 1896; H. M. Suitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 107, 1898; JorpDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2530, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann.
Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 109, 1900.
692 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The length of the body is six and one half times the depth of
the body and three and three fourths times the length of the
head. Top of head with W-shaped ridges very conspicuous; eye
shorter than snout and less than interorbital in width; maxillary a
reaching posterior border of pupil; teeth not very large, smaller
than in M. smiridus; scales larger than in other species;
pectorals and ventrals long, the latter reaching three fourths —
distance to vent, their length being three fifths that of the head.
D. 13-41; A. 40; Lat. 1. 100-110. ;
Grayish, darker above, dull silvery below; axil and edge of
pectoral somewhat blackish; inside of opercle dusky silvery;
inside of mouth dusky bluish; peritoneum nearly black.
The whiting is known by the additional names of hake and
silver hake. Mitchill describes it as the hake, Gadus mer-
lucius. He states that it is caught with the other cod.
De Kay called it the American hake. He styles it a rare fish in
the waters of New York, and, when caught, always associated
with the common cod.’ The specimen described by De Kay was 4
taken in November off Sandy Hook. -In his New York Fauna, he
mentions Mitchill’s description of a specimen which measured
21 inches in length.
The whiting ranges from Labrador to Virginia. Young ex- @
amples: have been found even farther south in very deep water: 7
This fish occurs in Gravesend bay in spring and fall. In Great —
South bay no individuals were seen by the writer during the sum-
mer, but an individual was obtained late in the fall by Capt.
Thurber. Oct. 28, 1898, several examples were received from the
Atlantic, off Southampton.
According to Dr Smith, the species is abundant every fall at —
Woods Hole Mass. and some years it is common in summer. The q
fish swims close to the shore, and is caught in considerable num- 4
bers at Buzzard’s bay at night with spears. Large individuals ~
weighing 5 or 6 pounds are caught in traps. The young measur- 4 |
ing 24 to 3 inches long, are seined in the fall about Woods Hole.
The names in use for the fish in that locality are silver hake, q
whiting, and frostfish. In Massachusetts bay the whiting is a —
\
pe
FISHES OF NEW YORK 693
frequent visitor to the shores and is probably a resident of the
middle depths. The young are frequently trawled in deep water.
Family GADIDAE
Codfishes
Genus porttacuivs Nilsson
Body rather elongate, covered with minute scales; mouth
moderate or large, the lower Jaw projecting; barbel very small
or obsolete; villiform teeth on vomer, none on palatines; teeth in
jaws equal or the outer slightly enlarged; gill membranes more
or less united; subopercle and postclavicle not enlarged and not
ivorylike; dorsal fins three; anal two; caudal lunate; vent under
first dorsal. Large fishes of the northern seas.
345 Pollachius virens (Linnaeus)
Pollack
Gadus virens LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 253, 1758.
Gadus purpureus MiTcHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 370, 1815.
Merlangus purpureus STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 180, 1889; DE Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 286, pl. 45, fig. 147, 1842; Srorrr, Hist. Fish. Mass. 180,
Die Sex Vl, e238, 1867. ,
Merlangus carbonarius SrorER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 129, 1839; DE Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 287, pl. 45, fig. 144, 1842.
_Merlangus leptocephalus DE Kay, op. cit. 288, pl. 45, fig. 146, Long Island.
Pollachius carbonarius GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 8, 1879.
Pollachius virens JoRDAN & EvERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 493, 1896;
Bram Bull. Am. Mus;-Nat: Hist. TX, 371, 1897; HB. M. Suiry, Bull.
U. S. F. C. 1897, 107, 1898; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat.
Mus. III, 2534, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLIX, fig. 886, 1909.
The length of the body is four and one fourth times the depth
of the body and four times the length of the head. Body rather
elongate, compressed; snout sharp and conic; mouth rather
small, oblique; maxillary reaching beyond front of orbit; lower
jaw slightly the longer; teeth in upper jaw nearly equal, the
outer series not specially enlarged; barbel rudimentary or obso-
lete; gill membranes considerably united, free from isthmus;
vent under first dorsal; caudal fin lunate; pectorals short,
searcely reaching anal; ventrals short. D. 18-22-20; A. 25-20;
Lat. 1. about 150; vertebrae 54.
Greenish brown above; sides and below somewhat silvery;
lateral line pale; fins mostly pale; sometimes a black spot on the
axil.
694 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
The pollack is a native of the north Atlantic. It is common
northward on both coasts, and extends south to France and New
Jersey. Mitchill described the fish under the name of the New
York pollack. De Kay mentions it under several names: the
New York pollack, the coalfish, and the’green pollack. De Kay
says the fish is taken with the common cod, but is by no means
common on the coast of New York. He saw a specimen weigh-
ing 17 pounds, and measuring 38 inches in length. In another
description he states that the coalfish is often taken off the
harbor of New York in company with the cod, and is known as —
pollack and black pollack. The third form under which the fish
was known to De Kay was described by him from a specimen
captured by hook out of a large school in Long Island sound.
The pollack enters Gravesend bay in the fall. In captivity it is
a ravenous feeder. It requires cold water and will not endure
high temperatures.
De Kay states that the fish flipped in the same manner as the
menhaden, and was at first supposed to be of that species. The
school seemed to be very timid; for, on a very slight noise in
the boat, they all disappeared.
Dr Smith states that adult pollack appear in Vineyard sound,
Great harbor, Woods Hole Mass.in May, following the run of cod.
They depart when the temperature of the water reaches 60° or
65°. In April there is a run of pollack, measuring from 1 to 14
inches long. By June, when these fish leave, they have reached
a length of 4 inches. In fall there is a small run of pollack 7
or 8 inches long. The average weight of adults in that locality
is about 10 pounds, the largest one seined having weighed 14
pounds. In Massachusetts bay this is an extremely abundant
species, and constitutes an important food resource.
Genus microeapus Gill
Very small codfishes allied to Gadus, but with the vent
placed before the second dorsal and with a different structure
of the cranium. The following is Prof. Gill’s account of the
skull of Microgadus proximus, the italicised part indi-
cating the difference from Gadus.
RIP Tht seat ia NAS a EEC tet nes
tg
Steed
J th
3
i
P
a
a
3
’
j
‘
FISHES OF NEW YORK 695
The cranium is proportionally broader toward the front and
less flattened, while the brain case is flattened \below, decidedly
swollen on each side of a depressed sphenoidal groove, and has
an ovate cardiform shape; the paraoccipital or epiotic is not
produced into an angle behind, but is obtusely rounded, and its
posterior or outwardly descending ridge blunt; the opisthotic is
well developed, oblong, and with its reentering angle high up,
and, on a line with it, the surface is divided into two parts—a
narrow and flattened one, and a lower, expanded one, much
swollen; the alisphenoid or prootic is oblong, acutely emarginate
in front, swollen from the region of the high anterior sinus,
and above a little produced forward; the great frontal is a little
longer than broad, with supraoccipital crest continued forward
on the bone, and near the front expanded upward, and with the
expanded portion behind dividing into narrow lateral wings; the
lateral testiform ridges of the frontal are continued forward
and curved outward toward the antero-lateral angles; the ante-
rior frontals are mostly covered in front by the great frontal,
and are much developed in the direction of the antero-lateral
angles, the inferior expanded axillary portion being very nar-
row; the nasal has a rounded ridge in front, continued well
below, and its posterior crest is laminar and trenchant.
Species American; valued as food.
346 Microgadus tomcod (Walbaum)
Tomcod; Frostfish
Gadus tomcod WALBAuUM, Art. Gen. Pisce. III, 133, 1792.
Gadus tomcodus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 368, 1815;
StorER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 126,. — GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus.
1) Sol, L S62:
Gadus pruinosus MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 4, 1814.
Morrhua pruinosa DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fish. 278, pl. 44, fig. 142, 1842;
StTorRER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 179, pl. XXVII, fig. 5, 1867.
Microgadus tomcodus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 8, 1879; _ BEAN,
19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 248, pl. III, fig. 3, 1890.
Microgadus tomcod JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 806, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 371, 1897; Mrarns, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 3822, 1898; EuGENE SmitH, Proc. Linn. Soc.
N. Y. 1897, 40, 1898; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 107, 1898;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2540, 1898; IV, pl.
CCCLX, fig. 890, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 109,
1900.
696 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Body subfusiform, moderately robust, its depth slightly less
than length of head or about one fifth of the total length; depth
of caudal peduncle contained three and one half times in greatest
depth of body; snout rounded, the distance from eye to tip of
snout twice diameter of eye, the latter being contained five and
one half times in length of head; length of maxillary contained
two and three fifths times in length of head; mandible much
shorter; mandibulary barbel well developed; first dorsal ray
inserted over middle of length of pectorals, the distance of this
ray from tip of snout being about equal to its distance from
end of second dorsal base, the length of the latter being equal
to the distance from first dorsal ray to first ray of'second dorsal;
length of third dorsal base equal to that of second anal, these
fins being opposite each other; first anal opposite second dorsal,
its base slightly longer; length of pectoral equals base of third
dorsal; ventral filamentous, longer than pectoral. 1st D. 13-15;
2d D. 15-19; 3d D. 16-18; 1st A. 18-20; 2d A. 16—20.
Color olive brown with reticulations and blotches of darker ;
sides and back profusely covered with dark punctulations; under
parts lighter; dorsal, caudal and anal fins with dark blotches;
pectorals and ventrals dusky.
This fish is very generally known in New York waters under
the name of frostfish. It ranges from Nova Scotia to.Virginia,
and is excessively common in shallow bays in cold weather.
The name frostfish is derived from the fact that it appears after
frosts have set in. The species ascends fresh-water rivers far
above the limits of tide, and may be transferred suddenly from
salt water to fresh without inconvenience. It spawns in the
early part of winter, and is present at this time in such large
numbers as to make its capture with dip nets comparatively
easy. The frostfish is the commonest member of the cod family
in New York waters. Its size is small, but, from the fact that it
occurs in such abundance, it is an important market species. It
is subject to great variations in color; Dr Mitchill enumerates
among its varieties five forms: the brown, yellow, yellowish
white, mixed tomecod and the frostfish. De Kay has published
:
|
FISHES OF NEW YORK 697
the statement that he has known the frostfish to be taken out of
the water along the shores of Long Island in great numbers
with a common garden hoe. He was informed that the species
occasionally ascends the Hudson as far as Albany. In Great
South bay we found large numbers of tomcod, which were cov-
ered with a lernaean parasite. The same thing has been
observed frequently at Woods Hole Mass. and other northern
\
localities. We found the species in nearly all parts of the bay ~
late in September in moderate numbers, and more plentiful at
Fire Island October 1.
July 29, 1898, a few young tomcod were seined in Peconic bay,
near Southampton. In Gravesend bay the fish is a fall and
winter visitor. It does not live in captivity in summer. Dr
Mearns has found this fish in the Hudson river, where it is usu-
ally called frostfish by the fishermen, who catch many of them
in their fyke and ice nets during fall and winter. It bites read-
ily and is esteemed as an article of food. Dr Mearns has found
it during the entire year, and in August has found young tomcod
fully an inch or two in length. He states that this fish is very
often found in eel grass along shore, half dead, floating on the |
surface, but able to swim a little. Mr ®ugene Smith says that
the tomcod runs up stream into nearly pure fresh water in the
_ vicinity of New York-city. At Woods Hole Mass. it is abundant
in winter, coming about October 1 and remaining till May 1. It
spawns in December. In Massachusetts it is a resident species,
entering brackish waters; it is common about the wharves and
bridges in summer and is taken with nets and hooks in winter,
in company with the smelt.
The tomcod reaches the length of about 10 inches. It is an
-important food fish and its eggs have been hatched artificially
by the New York Forest, Fish and Game Commission in large
numbers.
Genus eapus (Artedi) Linnaeus
Body moderately elongate, compressed and tapering behind;
scales very small; lateral line present, pale; head narrowed an-
teriorly; mouth moderate, the maxillary reaching past front of
698 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
eye; chin with a barbel; teeth in jaws cardiform, subequal;
vomer with teeth; none on the palatines; cranium without the
expanded crests seenin Melanogrammus; no part of the
skeleton expanded and ivorylike; dorsal fins three, well sepa-
rated; anal fins two; ventral fins well developed, of about 7 rays.
Species of the northern seas; highly valued as food.
347 Gadus morrhua Linnaeus
Cod
Gadus callarias LINNAEUS, Syst..Nat. ed. X, I, 252, 1758, young; MITCHILL,
Rep. Fish: N.Y. 5, 1814: Trans. Lit. & Phil) Soces-N, ¥. 236i sia
JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 804, 1883; H. M. Situ,
Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 107, 1898; JorpAn '& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S.
Nat. Mus. III, 2541, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXI, fig. 891, 1900; Surrwoop &
EDWARDS, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 30, 1901.
Gadus arenosus and rupestris MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 368,
1815.
Morrhua americana StTorRER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 120, 1839; Dz ae Neiys
Fauna, Fishes, 274, pl. 44, fig. 140, 1842.
Morrhua americanus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 165, pl. X XVII, fig. 4, 1867.
Gadus morhua LinNAEus, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 252, 1758; MITCHILL, Rep.
Kish. N. ¥. 6, 1814.
Gadus morrhua GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 328, 1862; GoopE &
BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 8, 1879; Oceanic Ichth. 354, 1896; BEAN,.
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 372, 1897.
Body elongate, robust,’its greatest depth one fourth of length
to end of vertebral column, tapering to caudal, the depth of the —
peduncle being less than one fourth of greatest depth of body;
the length of the head slightly more than depth of body, one
fourth of total length; eye one fifth length of head; maxillary
longer than snout, reaching vertical through eye, and contained
two and one half times in length of head; teeth moderately
strong, in bands; the first dorsal originates behind vertical from |
base of pectorals, its base equal to length of eye and snout;
second dorsal base much longer than first, four fifths length of —
head; third dorsal and second anal fins similar, their bases of
equal length; first anal base almost equal to second dorsal base;
caudal emarginate; pectorals and ventrals comparatively small.
D4 2d e270) 8, |
Color olive or yellowish brown; numerous dark brown spots
on body; fins dark.
pat aE ME SP ap SE EE A
:
:
ee ie
bs
FISHES OF NEW YORK 699
7 }
The cod is an inhabitant of the north Atlantic and the north
Pacific. It is a very important food fish and grows to a large
size. Individuals weighing about 100 pounds have occasionally
been taken. Mitchill has described this fish under several
names: the torsh, or common cod, or rock cod of New York.
De Kay calls it the American cod. In November 1897 the cod
was abundant in Gravesend bay. It thrives in captivity during
the winter and spring, but can not be kept during the warm
months without cooling the water. In Vineyard sound, accord-
ing to Dr Smith, the cod appear about April 1 to about April 15,
when the dogfish drive them away. After the middle of October
the cod come again but in less numbers than in the spring,
remaining till the first wintry weather. The fish spawns during
the late falland winter. The young are first observed at Woods
Hole about the first of April, when fish about 1 inch long are
seined. Most of the young leave by June 15, having attained a
length of from 3 to 4 inches. No cod are seen between small
fish of that size and fish weighing from 14 to 2 pounds, which are
caught in traps in the spring. Off the coast of New England
cod are very abundant in the deep waters, and they come up to
the shoals and near the shores to spawn, from November about
Cape Ann till February on Georges banks.
Genus MELANOGRAMMUS Gill
This genus is distinguished from Gadus _ by its smaller
mouth, the produced first dorsal fin, black lateral line, and spe-
cially by the great enlargement of the hypocoracoid, which is
dense and ivorylike. The lateral line is always black, and the
supraoccipital and other crests on the head are largely devel-
oped. Food fishes of large size.
348 Melanogrammus aeglefinus (Linnaeus)
Haddock
Gadus aeglefinus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 251, 1758; Mrrcn1L1, Trans. |
Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 370, 1815.
Morrhua aeglejinus SToRER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 124, 1839; DE KK Ane. NGS
Fauna, Fishes, 279, pl. 48, fig. 138, 1842; SrorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 177,
pl. XXVIII, fig. 1, 1867. |
700 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Melanogrammus aeglefinus Git, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 280, 1862; GOODE
& BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 8, 1879; Jornpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16,
U. S. Nat. Mus. 808, 1883; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 354, 1896;
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 372, 1897; Jornpan & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. ITI, 2542, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXI, fig. 892, 8924,
1900. ae i :
The length of the body is four and one half times its depth :
and three and three fourths times the length of the head. Snout
Sus long and narrow, overlapping the small mouth; maxillary barely
| reaching front of orbit; teeth subequal, large, in a cardiform
band in upper jaw; in a Single series on lower jaw and on
vomer; occiput carinated; a ridge extending backward from each
orbit; eye very large, two thirds length of snout, four in head.
Anterior rays of first dorsal elevated, three fourths length of
head, the fin pointed, higher than second and third dorsals;
caudal lunate; vent below front of second dorsal. The skull in
this species much more depressed thanin Gadus callarias,
broader, and thinner in texture; occipital crest exceedingly high, |
much higher than in Gadus, the winglike projections at its
base anteriorly spreading widely, raised above the surface of the
skull?’"D, 15-24-27; Av 23-21. |
Dark gray above, whitish below; lateral line black; a large
dark blotch above the pectorals; dorsals and caudal dusky.
Mitchill described the haddock under the name Gadus
aeglefinus. De Kay also describes the fish and gives a
- figure of it in his New York Fauna. He states that it is nearly as
common in the New York markets as the cod, and during the
summer it is even more abundant than'the cod. —
The haddock inhabits the north Atlantic on both coasts, rang-
ing south to France and to North Carolina. Off Cape Hatteras
it occurs in the deeper water. It is an important food fish,
and reaches a moderately large size, attaining to a length of
nearly 3 feet.
At Woods Hole Mass. it was reported by Prof. Baird in 1871. |
Dr Smith, however, says it is not found in Vineyard sound or
Buzzards bay, but is common 6 or 7 miles off Gay head, and the
ocean side of Marthas Vineyard. In Massachusetts bay it is
a common resident species.
FISHES OF NEW YORK TOL
Genus Lora (Cuvier) Oken
Body long and low, compressed behind; head small, de-
pressed, rather broad; anterior nostrils each with a small
barbel; chin with a long barbel; snout and lower parts of head
naked; mouth moderate, the lower jaw included; each jaw with
broad bands of equal, villiform teeth; vomer with a broad, cres- .
cent-shaped band of similar teeth; no teeth on palatines; gill
openings wide, the membrane somewhat connected, free from
the isthmus; scales very small, embedded; vertical fins scaly;
dorsal fins two, the first short, the second long, similar to the
anal; caudal rounded, its outer rays procurrent; ventrals of
several rays. One or two species, living in fresh waters of
northern regions.
349 Lota maculosa (Le Sueur)
Burbot; Lawyer; Ling
Gadus maculosus LE SuErur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. J, 83, 1817, Lake
Erie.
Gadus lacustris MircHiILi, Am. Month. Mag. II, 244, February, 1818.
Lota brosmiana STORER, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, pl. 5, fig. 1, 1839.
Lota inornata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 283, pl. 45, fig. 145, 1842, Hud-
son River. ;
Gadus compressus LE SuEUR, Jour: Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 84, 1817.
Lota compressa DE KAY, op. cit. 285, pl. 78, figs. 244, 245, 1842.
Molva maculosa LE SuEuR, Mém. Mus. Paris, V, pl. 16, 1819.
Lota maculosa DE KAY, op. cit. 284, pl. 52, fig. 168, 1842; JoRDAN & GILBERT,
Bull 16;"U-S: Nat. Mus: 804, 1883; Merk, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sei. LV,
315, 1888, Cayuga Lake; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 138, pl. 35, fig. 75, 1893;
EVERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. F. C. 1894, 603, 1896; BEAN, Bull.
Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 372, 1897, Canandaigua Lake; JORDAN &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. ITI, 2550,.1898; IV, pl. CCCLXIY,
fig. 897, 1900.
The body of the burbot is elongate, eel-shaped; its greatest
hight equaling the length of head without snout, and about
one sixth of total without caudal; it is roundish, somewhat com-
pressed posteriorly. The eye is small, less than one half length
of snout and about one eighth length of head. The upper jaw
reaches slightly beyond the hind margin of the eye, its length
three sevenths length of head. The lower jaw is included
within the upper, and has a stout barbel which is nearly one
fifth as long as the head; the ventral is longer than the peetoral,
(02 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
but does not reach half way to vent; the pectoral is half as
long as the head; the distance of the first dorsal from the head
equals the hight of the body; the longest ray of the first dorsal
equals half the length of its base; the dorsal fins are separated
by a narrow interspace; the second dorsal is higher than the
first, and the length of its base is nearly one half total without
caudal; the anal begins under the ninth ray of the second dor-
sal and extends as far back as that fin; caudal rotinded; the
scales are deeply embedded in the skin, not imbricated. D. 13,
68 to 76; A. 67; V. 7; vertebrae, 22 to 234388 to 39; pyloric
caeca, 30 to 188. | ;
The color is dark olivaceous, reticulated with blackish; the
lower parts yellowish or dusky; the dorsal, anal and caudal
fins with a narrow dark edge.
The American burbot was first described by Le Sueur from
Lake Erie in 1817, and also from Northampton Conn. under a
different name. This common fish has received a great many
names, including the following: marthy, methy, losh, eelpout,
dogfish, chub eel, ling, lawyer, lake cusk, fresh-water cod, aleby
trout and mother-of-eels. :
The southern limit of this fish appears to be Kansas City Mo.;
according to Prof. Cope, it has been once taken in the Susque- i"
hanna near Muncy, Lycoming co.; it is extremely common in
the Great lakes; westward it ranges to Montana and north-
ward throughout British Columbia and Alaska to the Arctic
ocean; it is most abundant in the Great lakes and lakes of New
York, New England and New Brunswick; it abounds also in
rivers and lakes of Alaska.
The burbot was sent from Canandaigua lake by Mr James
Annin jr in November 1897. It is hard to transport and still
harder to keep alive in captivity, being specially liable to at-
tacks of fungus. |
Dr W. M. Beauchamp, writing from Baldwinsville N. Y. Ap.
9, 1879, said that the burbot is found in Seneca river and is
abundant in Oneida lake; that it is caught with a hook and is
seldom eaten, though there is a way of making it palatable.
FISHES OF NEW YORK . ; 703
According to Dr Meek it is found rarely in Cayuga lake.
‘The average length of this species in the Great lakes region
is about 2 feet; in Alaska, according to Dr Dall, it reaches a
length of 5 feet and occasionally weighs 60 pounds; the size
of the fish depends chiefly on the amount of food accessible
to it. |
It is stated that the burbot is usually found in deep water
on mud bottom, except during the spawning season, in March,
when it frequents hard or rocky bottoms. The eggs are small
and numerous, and are believed to be deposited in deep water;
Dr Dall estimates that some individuals contain several millions
of eggs; in Alaska the eggs are of a creamy yellow color, and
the fish are found full of spawn from November to January.
From the observations mentioned, it will be seen that the
spawning period extends at least from November to March;
according to Dr Dall the males are usually much smaller than
_ the females and have a smaller liver; in some males he found
two or three gall bladders opening into a common duct, but he
never observed this phenomenon in the female; the eggs are
laid separate or loose on the bottom of the river. According to
Baron Cederstr6m, a medium-sized female of the European bur-
bot, which is a near relative of the American species, contained
about 160,000 eggs; in the European burbot, some eggs are
clear, some yellowish and others almost colorless; the period
of incubation occupies from three to four weeks; the eyes
appear in 15 or 16 days; the embryos swim by quick movements
of the pectorals, usually toward the surface of the water,
whence they fall passively to the bottom.
The burbot is extremely voracious, and feeds on bottom fishes
and crustaceans. It destroys the pike and such spiny fishes as
the yellow perch and sunfish. In Alaskan rivers it feeds on
3 whitefish, lampreys and other species; large stones have some-
times been found in its stomach. Mr Graham took a stone
weighing a pound from the stomach of a burbot.
In the Great lakes region the burbot is considered worthless
for food, occasionally the livers are eaten; in Lake Winnepe-
:
(NES STO Sa nee
the maxillary reaching to below eye; lower jaw included;
Gadus punctatus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 372, pl. I, fig. 5,
. three and one half in the length of the body; caudal fin subtrun-
TO4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
saukee, when caught through the ice in winter, the fish is
highly esteemed; in the fur countries the roe is an article of
food; on the Yukon river the liver is eaten and the flesh is
liked by some persons; in Montana the burbot is in great de-
mand for food; the quality of the flesh appears to depend chiefly
on the nature of the habitat of the fish.
This is the only member of the cod family permanently resi- —
dent in the fresh waters of America.
Genus uropnycts Gill
Body rather elongate; head subconic; mouth rather large,
chin with a small barbel; jaws and vomer with broad bands of
subequal, pointed teeth; palatines toothless; dorsal fins two,
the first sometimes produced at tip; second dorsal long, similar
to the anal; ventrals wide apart, filamentous, each of three slen-
der rays closely joined, appearing like one bifid filament; gill
membranes somewhat connected, narrowly | joined to the
isthmus.
Subgenus UROPHYCIS
- 300 Urophycis regius (Walbaum)
Spotted Codling; Spotted Hake
Blennius regius WALBAUm, Art, Gen. Pisce. ITI, 186, 1792.
1815, New York; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 292, pl. 46, fig. 149,
1842.
Phycis regalis GunruHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. LV, 354, 1862.
Phycis regius GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 8, 1879; Oceanic Ichth.
357, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 372, 1897; H. M. Smirn,
Boll suas. Caso, 107, 1898;
Urophycis regius GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 240, 1863; JornpAN & EIVER- :
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat»Mus. III, 2553, 1898; IV; pl. CCCEXTY; ne:
898, 1900.
The depth of the body is contained four and one half times
in its length, which is four and one fourth times the length of
the head. Body rather stout; head broad; mouth large, the
maxillary reaching posterior margin of eye; eye less than snout — |
or interorbital width; first dorsal low, its hight about equal
to half length of head; ventral fin longer than head, about
FISHES OF NEW YORK ue 705
cate. D. 8-43; A. about 45; scales rather large, about 90 in
the lateral line.
Pale brownish, tinged with yellowish, the lateral line dark
brown, interrupted by white spots; inside of mouth white; first |
dorsal largely black, this color surrounded by white; second dor-
sal olivaceous, with irregular, round, dark spots; caudal, anal
and pectorals dusky; ventrals and lower edge of pectorals
white; two vertical series of round dark spots on the sides of
the head.
Mitchill described and figured the spotted codling under the
name of Gadus punctatus. De Kay called it the spot-
ted codling, Phycis punctatus, and he gives a good fig-
ure of it. His example was 10 inches long. He says it is an
exceedingly rare but distinct species, and that it occurs from
the coast of New York to the Gulf of St Lawrence. As a mat-
ter of fact, the species extends even farther north. The codling
ranges southward to Cape Fear. In the northern part of its
habitat it is found in shallow water, but at the southern limit
it lives in considerable depths, having been taken from 167
fathoms. The fish is said to exhibit electrical powers in life.
The spotted codling appears in Gravesend bay in small num-
‘bers in the fall. It lives in water below 60° F., and is easily
kept in captivity by refrigerating the water in summer. Its
habit of lying on the side, in imitation of the tautog and other
labroids is often observed. Prof. Alexander Agassiz discovered
electric powers in this fish.
At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it is taken in
the seine only late in the fall. It varies in length from 7 to 12
inches. The species has been observed at Halifax N. S.
Subgenus Empuycus Jordan & Evermann
This subgenus differs from Urophycis in having the first
dorsal fin elevated, with one or more of its rays filamentous.
351 Urophycis tenuis (Mitchill)
Hake; White Hake 3
Gadus tenuis MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 5, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe.
N. Y. I, 372, 1815, New York.
*
706 , NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Phas tenuis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 298, 1842; GoopE & BRAN, Bull.
Essex Inst. XI, 8, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
799, 1888; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 248, pl. III, fig. 4, 1890;
GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 359, fig. 312, 1896; Brean, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 372, 1897; H. M, Smirn, Bull. U. 8. F. C. 1897, 107,
1898; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2555, 1898;
IV, pl. CCCLXY, fig. 901, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. a N. Y. State Mus.
109, 1900.
a
The length of the body is five and one half times the depth of
' the body and four and one fourth times the length of the head.
Snout longer than eye, narrower and more pointed than in P.
chuss. Eye large, usually wider than -interorbital space;
maxillary reaching beyond pupil; filamentous dorsal ray about
two thirds length of head; ventral fins about reaching vent;
scales very small. D. 9-57; A. 48; Lat. 1. 138.
Brownish, lighter and yellowish below; fins very dark. Dis-
tinguished from U. chuss chiefly by the smaller scales.
De Kay calls the hake the American codling, adopting Mitch-
ill’s common name for the species. He says it appears to feed
chiefly on smaller crustacea; that it is very abundant at some
seasons, but. most abundant in the early part of autumn; and
varies in weight from 3 pounds to 30 pounds. He states that
it is called indiscriminately hake and codling by New York ~
fishermen. Small individuals were seined in Mecox bay Aug. 2,
1898, and a very young example was received from Southampton
Sep. 11. This was caught in the Atlantic. In Great South bay
small examples were found sparingly at Blue Point cove and
Fire Island late in September. |
The hake, according to Dr Smith, is known also as white hake
‘and squirrel hake in the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. Fish
weighing 1 to 14 pounds are abundant there in November, when
a great many of them enter Eel pond. Young fish 1 inch long
and upward associate with pollack in spring and are also found
throughout the summer in considerable numbers. They are also
obtained in summer at the surface, under gulf weed and eel
grass.
As a rule the common hake will not live in water of a tempera-
ture above 60°F, but one individual survived the summer tem-
eS ply Oa erie
ee ee ee, Se one $e
— _ -?. - - - a -
FISHES OF NEW YORK TOT
)
perature in 1897, and became plump and sleek after the arrival
of cold weather. In summer it was much emaciated, and suffered
greatly from fungus attacks.
It is abundant on our shores from Labrador to Virginia, and.
its young are among the commonest of the surface fishes in our ce
bays and sounds, during the summer months. The hake reaches a
a weight of 40 pounds, but in the markets the average weight is ete
only about 10 pounds. The species frequents muddy bottoms |
and is local in its habits. Its food consists of crabs and other
crustaceans, besides small fishes.
The chief fishery for hake takes place in the fall and winter ai
months, and they will take the hook at night as well as during
the day. Traw] lines are the usual implements of capture.
352 Urophycis chuss (Walbaum)
Squirrel Hake
Blennius chuss WALBAwUM, Art. Gen. Pisce. III, 186, 1792. Bd:
Gadus longipes MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 5, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. 1
N. Y. I, 372, pl. I, fig. 4, 1815, New York.
Phycis filamentosus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 189, pl. X XIX, fig. 4, 1867.
Phycis chuss GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 237, 1863; GooDE & BEAN, Bull.
Essex Inst. XI, 8, 1879; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
799, 1883; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 359, fig. 311, 1896; Bran,
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 1X, 372, 1897; H. M. Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C.
1897, 107, 1898.
: Urophycis chuss JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, III, 2555,
‘ 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXYV, fig. 902, 1900. |
The depth of the body is one fifth of its length, which is four ae.
and one half times the length of the head. Body rather slender; + iF
head depressed; eye large, about equal to interorbital width; |
maxillary reaching posterior margin of pupil; filamentous dor- |
sal ray about two sevenths length of body, when perfect; pector- a
als four fifths length of head; ventral.fin extending beyond the - ae
vent; scales comparatively large. D. 9-57; A. 50; Lat. 1.110. i
Brownish above, sides lighter and tinged with yellowish;
_ thickly punctulate with darker; below pale; inside of mouth
white; vertical fins somewhat dusky; anal fin margined with
pale; lateral line not dark.
According to Jordan and Evermann, this fish is sometimes
called codling. It inhabits the Atlantic coast from the Gulf of
70S NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
St Lawrence to Virginia, being very common northward. It is
sometimes found in waters as deep as 300 fathoms. The squirrel
hake occurs occasionally in Gravesend bay; it lives usually in
the deep water off shore.
At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, it is abundant in
May and June, and in October and November. . It fills the traps
and causes the fishermen much annoyance, as they can not sell
the fish. Its weight there is from 2 to 5 pounds. In Massachu-
setts bay it is less abundant than the common hake. It was
described and figured by Storer in 1867, under the name ~
Phycis filamentosus.
Genus GAIDROPSARUS Rafinesque
Body rather elongate, covered with minute scales; head not
compressed, the upper jaw the longer; snout with two conspicu-
ous barbels, the chin with one; teeth on jaws and vomer in
bands, palatines toothless; dorsals two, the anterior of a single
long ray followed by a series of short fringelike rays concealed
in a groove; second dorsal and anal long, similar to each other;
caudal rounded or lanceolate; ventral rays 5 to 7. Small fishes
of the northern seas, descending to deep water.
353 Gaidropsarus argentatus (Reinhardt)
Silvery Rockling; Mackerel Midge
Motella argentata REINHARDT, Dansk. Vidensk, Selskrift. Afh. VII, 128,
1838, Greenland.
Couchia argentata GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 365, 1862.
Ciliata argentata GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 241, 1863.
Onos reinhardti GILL, op. cit. 241, 1863; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 797, 1883; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 383, 1896.
Gaidropsarus argentatus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
III, 2559, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXYVII, fig. 906, 1900.
The length of the body is five times the length of the head.
Head depressed, but rather pointed anteriorly; snout rather
short} with two barbels; chin with one; teeth in villiform bands,
those of one series in each jaw longer than the rest; first ray
of first dorsal short, little longer than snout; vent near middle
of length; distance from snout to first dorsal three tenths of
length. D. 56; A. 45; V. 8.
‘epee
FISHES OF NEW YORK 709
Uniform reddish brown; cirri and tips of fins red. Greenland.
The silvery rockling, or mackerel midge, inhabits the coast of
Greenland, and extends southward probably as far as Long
Island, the young having been taken in Vineyard sound.
354 Gaidropsarus ensis (Reinhardt) i
Rockling 1
i
Motella ensis REINHARDT, Dansk. Vidensk. Selskrift. Afh. VII, 15, 1838, ul
Greenland. ; | |
_Onos rufus GILL, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. 259, 1883, Gulf Stream; Proc. Ac. anit
Nat. Sci. Phila. 172, 1884. ah
Onos ensis GILL, Proc. Ac, Nat. Sci. Phila. 241, 1863; JorpAN & GILBERT, i
Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 797, 1883; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 381, Wall.
fic, 327, 1896. M
Gaidropsarus ensis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III,
2558, 1898.
Body unusually deep, its greatest depth at vent equaling two
ninths of total length without caudal; head small, a little more
than one sixth of total without the caudal ; eye rather” larece
nearly as long as snout, equaling interorbital area, and situated
in first half of head; posterior margin of orbit nearly equidistant
from tip of snout and posterior margin of opercle; mouth normal;
supramaxillary ending under posterior margin of pupil; |
teeth in a narrow band in each jaw, some of those at least in ;
outer row of upper jaw slightly enlarged and brownish colored; ‘
vomerine teeth in two rows forming a short curved band; nasal A
barbel about equal to diameter of eye; chin barbel small and |
not much exceeding one half diameter of eye; foremost ray of
first dorsal springing from back above opercular margin; second
dorsal fin low in front, but rising rapidly to seventh or eighth
_ vay, behind which it is nearly uniform for a long distance and
highest at posterior portion; anal fin much lower than second
dorsal; caudal slightly emarginate, almost truncate behind, its
median rays about two thirds as long as the head; pectorals
nearly three fourths as long as the head, produced toward the
| upper angles, the third ray being longest; ventrals with their
bases mostly in advance of pectorals, the longest ray filamentous
and nearly equaling pectoral; lateral line obsolescent. D. 59;
B A. 44 to 46; P. 22 to 27; V. 8.
-
‘I
tf
ii
i
- |
(10 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Inhabits the Atlantic coast of North America from Greenland
to Cape Hatteras in deep waters. It reaches a depth in the Gulf
Stream of 1081 fathoms. The fish is described and figured by
Goode and Bean in Oceanic Ichthyology, p. 881, fig. 8327. It isa
small species, scarcely reaching 1 foot in length, and is without
importance as food.
Genus ENCHELYoPus BI. & Schn.
Barbels four, one at each nostril, one at tip of snout, and one
at the chin; head high and compressed anteriorly; teeth in nar-
row bands, some of them enlarged; otherwise essentially as in
Gaidropsarus. North Atlantic.
-355 Enchelyopus cimbrius (Linnaeus)
Four-bearded Rockling
Gadus cimbrius LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 440, 1766, Atlantic Ocean.
Motella caudacuta STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 183, pl. X XIX, fig. 1, 1867.
Onos cimbrius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 797, 18838.
Rhinonemus cimbrius GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 384, fig. 328, 1896;
H. M. Situ, Bull, U. S. F. C. 1897, 107, 1898; SHERWOOD & HDWARDS,
Bull. U. S. F.C. 1901, 31, 1901, :
Enchelyopus cimbrius JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, III,
2560, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXVII, fig. 907, 1900.
Body slender, tapering, its depth nearly one sixth of the total
without caudal; caudal peduncle narrow, one fourth length of:
head, which is contained five and one half times in total without
caudal; snout moderate, blunt, rounded, not depressed, a little
shorter than the eye, which is one fourth as long as the head;
interorbital space narrow, one sixth length of head; teeth villi-
form, small and unequal in upper jaw, with about eight enlarged
in front, long, slender, and equal in lower jaw, a few somewhat
enlarged in front; maxillary reaching beyond posterior border
of eye; a barbel at each nostril, one on tip of snout and one on
chin; lateral line with about 35 enlarged pores along its entire
length; first (free) ray of dorsal nearly as long as the head;
ventral one half as long as head; pectoral equal to head without 7 |
snout; caudal narrow, rounded behind, two thirds as long as
head.
Color, light rufous or salmon red; first dorsal ray and pos-
terior end of dorsai and anal abruptly black; lower half of caudal
ay
,
FISHES OF NEW YORK Tit
black; pectorals and ventrals pale; sides of head somewhat
silvery; cavity of mouth dark bluish.
The four-bearded rockling is found in the north Adiantie on
both coasts, ranging south in deep water to the Gulf Stream.
It is common in Massachusetts bay. This fish is also described
in Oceanic Ichthyology, p. 384, fig. 328. At Woods Hole Mass.,
according to Dr Smith, it is a rare visitor, found only in winter.
It was once taken in a fyke net in Great harbor. In 1900,
according to Sherwood and Edwards, young rockling were taken ~
in the surface towings at the fish commission wharf, Woods Hole
Mass. from June 27 to July 6. They formed into schools in the
eddies, around the wharves and were mixed with young stickle-
backs. An example measuring 10 inches in length was speared
in the Eel pond Jan. 5, 1889. A second example was caught in
Little harbor also in the winter.
Storer described and figured this fish under the name
Motella caudacuta. It isa resident of the deep waters
of Massachusetts bay, where it occurs in considerable abundance.
The young swim at the surface and have often been erroneously
identified with the mackerel midge. The species grows to the
length of 1 foot.
Genus BROSME (Cuvier) Oken
Body moderately elongate, covered with very small scales;
mouth rather large, with teeth in the jaws, vomer and palatines,
some of those on the vomer and palatines enlarged; chin with a
barbel; branchiostegals seven; dorsal fin single, continuous, not
elevated, not notched; anal fin similar, but shorter; caudal fin ©
rounded; ventral fin several-rayed. Northern seas.
356 Brosme brosme (Miiller)
Cusk
Gadus brosme MULLER, Prodr. Zool. Dan. 41, 1776, Denmark.
Brosmius vulgaris? DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 289, pl 44, fig. 148, 1842.
Brosmius flavescens GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 369, 1862; STORER,
Hist. Fish. Mass. 190, pl. X XIX, fig. 2, 1867.
Brosmius brosme. GUNTHER, op. cit. IV, 369, 1862; GoopE & BEAN, Bull.
Essex Inst. XI, 9, 1879; JonDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat, Mus.
802, 1883; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 385, fig. 329, 1896; H. M.
SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 107, 1898.
Brosme brosme JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2561,
1898.
ee ice teat
712 NEW. YORK STATE MUSEUM
Body cylindric, posteriorly compressed, its depth contained
five and one fourth times in total length without caudal; head
flattened above, its length contained four and one fourth times
in total; mouth large, oblique, maxillary reaching beyond orbit;
lower jaw included; several rows of sharp teeth on jaws, vomer
and palate; barbel about one fifth as long as the head; inter-
orbital width greater than diameter of eye; origin of dorsal
above anterior half of pectoral; pectoral round, two fifths as long
as head; caudal rounded behind. D.98; A. 71; P. 24; V. 5. :
Color brownish above, the sides yellowish, sometimes mottled
with brown; young uniform dark slate, or with transverse yellow
bands; vertical fins bordered with blackish, and with a white
edge.
The cusk is described and figured by De Kay, but he did not
see the fish and copied his information from Storer and others.
Storer mentions a specimen weighing 20 pounds, but the fish
grows even larger. It inhabits the North Atlantic, ranging
southward to New Jersey and Denmark. It is an important food
tish. According to Dr Smith; it was formerly not uncommon in
Vineyard sound, and was caught with cod in April and May. It
has been very rare for more than 20 years, though a few are
still taken in April. The average weight of individuals in those —
waters is 5 pounds, and the maximum weight from 12 to 13
pounds. It is known also as ling. In Massachusetts bay and
vicinity the cusk is a common resident on the inshore fishing
grounds, where it occurs in great abundance, lurking among the
stones, but it is soon caught up by the fishermen after the dis-
covery of a new bank.
Family MACRURIDAE
Grenadiers
Genus COELORHYNCHUS Giorna
This genus agrees with Macrurus in all essential
respects, except that the small mouth is wholly below the long-
pointed, sturgeonlike snout. Dorsal spine smooth in typical
species, those with serrate spine having been lately sepa- ~
rated under the generic name Coelocephalus. Species
numerous. .
FISHES OF NEW YORK Tt
-357 Coelorhynchus carminatus (Goode)
Grenadier
Macrurus carminatus GoovE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 346, 475, 1880.
Macrurus (Coelorhynchus) carminatus GUNTHER, Challenger Report, Deep-
sea Fishes, XXII, 129, pl. 5, fig. 13, 1887.
Coelorhynchus carminatus GOODE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 398, fig. 336, 1896;
JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2588, 1898; IV, pl.
CCCLXIX, fig. 914, 1900.
The body is stout anteriorly, tapering very rapidly to a rather
long and slender tail. The depth is one eighth, and the length
of the head about one fifth of the total length. The eye is iarge,
one fifth as long as the head, equaling the interorbital width.
The snout is as long as the eye. The body is less elongate than
in Baird’s grenadier. The snout is long, sharp, depressed, tri-
angular. Strong horizontal ridges run from the supraorbital
margins to the gill openings, parallel with the subocular ridges.
The nostrils are immediately in front of the orbit; barbel very
short; teeth small, conic, somewhat recurved, arranged in villi-
form bands; base of first dorsal fin two ninths as long as the
distance from its origin to the snout. The first dorsal spine is
very short, hardly perceptible above the skin. The second spine
is about one half as long as the head, slender and unarmed;
when laid back, the tip reaches to or beyond the origin of the
second dorsal. The spines decrease in length very gradually,
the sixth being nearly as long as the second. The second dorsal
begins in the perpendicular from the seventh anal ray. The
anal fin is much higher than in Baird’s grenadier, nearly
equal to one half of the interorbital width; its origin is under
the 18th scale of the lateral line; its longest ray is as long as
the interorbital width. The distance of pectoral from snout
equals twice its own length, and about equals the longest dorsal
spine; the origin of the pectoral is below the middie of the depth
of the body, and below the level of the middle of the orbit; the
tip of the pectoral does not reach the origin of the anal. The
insertion of the ventrals is behind the pectoral, slightly in
advance of the first dorsal, its distance from the snout greater
than twice its length, its long filament not reaching the anal.
Color silvery gray. Length of the specimen described 10 inches.
~ noo
14 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
This grenadier inhabits the West Indies, the Gulf of Mexico,
and is found in the Gulf Stream in deep water. It is abundant.
The U.S. Fish Commission steamer, Fish Hawk, has taken it in
the Gulf Stream off Rhode Island in 115 fathoms. The fish is
described and figured by Goode and Bean, Oceanic Ichthyology,
p. 398, fig. 336.
\
Order HETEROSOMATA
Flatfishes
Family PLEURONECTIDAE ~
Flownders
Genus HIPPOGLOSsUS Cuvier
Eyes and color on the right side; form oblong, not strongly
compressed; mouth wide, oblique; teeth in the upper jaw in two
series, those below in one, anterior teeth in upper jaw, and
lateral teeth in lower, strong, no teeth on vomer or palatines,
lower pharyngeal teeth in two rows; dorsal fin beginning above
the eye, its middle rays elevated, the posterior rays of dorsal and
anal bifid; caudal fin lunate; ventral fins both lateral; scales
very small, cycloid; lateral line with a strong curve in front; gill
rakers few, short, compressed, wide set. Vertebrae 16+34.
Largest of the flounders. One species; abundant on both coasts
of the north Atlantic and of the north Pacific.
358 Hippoglossus hippoglossus (Linnaeus)
Halibut
Pleuronectes hippoglossus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat.ed. X, I, 269, 1758; MITCHILL,
Rep. Fish. N.Y. 10, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 386, 1815.
Hippoglossus vulgaris DE Kay, N.Y. Fauna, Fishes, 294, pl. 49, fig. 157, 1842;
GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 403, 1862; StorER, Hist. Fish.
Mass. 192, pl. XXX, fig. 1, 1867; GooprE & Bran, Bull, Essex Inst. XI,
7, 1879; JoRrDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 819, 1883; GoopDE,
Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 189, pl. 54, 1884.
Hippoglossus hippoglossus JORDAN, Cat, Fish. N. A. 138, 1885; H. M. SMITH,
Bull, U. S. F. C. 1897, 108, 1898; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8.
Nat. Mus. III, 2611, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXXI, fig. 918, 1900; SHERWooD
& EDWARDS, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 31, 1901.
Body comparatively elongate, not strongly compressed, deep
mesially, its depth one third of total length without caudal,
tapering rapidly in its posterior half; head broad, moderately —
Es
= ~ “ r : 4 ‘ 3
SOP eta A ca a RL, ge reas ah <0"
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ee eee
eed pee
——— SS ee
al.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 715
long, its length contained three and three fourths times in total
length without caudal; mouth large, the maxillary reaching to
below middle of orbit; eyes large, separated by a very broad,
' flattish area; lower eye slightly in advance. D. 105; A. 78; P.
19; V. 6.
Color, nearly uniform dark brown; blind side white.
The halibut lives in all northern seas, ranging southward to
Sandy Hook, or beyond, and occasionally to the Farallones off
San Francisco. ;
The halibut was described by both Mitchill and De Kay under
its present name. De Kay says that the capture of the halibut
on the shores of Nantucket at one time afforded employment to
80 vessels of from 60 to 80 tons each. He says the fish is very
voracious, Swimming near the ground and devouring other flat
fishes as well as shells and crustaceans. It occurs on both shores
of the Atlantic as also in the north Pacific, migrating south on
the approach of spring and returning in June or July. An indi-
vidual was found some years ago near Colonial Beach, in the
Potomac river. The fish grows to the length of 8 feet or more,
and the weight of several hundred pounds. It is a very valuable
food fish. In the Pacific, according to Jordan and Evermann, it
extends its range southward to the Farallones, off San Francisco.
The halibut was formerly not very uncommon in Vineyard
sound, where it is now very rare. In 1872 and 1873, V. N.
Kdwards caught a number weighing 235 or 240 pounds while
fishing for cod. Ap. 16, 1900, a halibut weighing 100 pounds was
caught off Block island by cod fishermen, and was taken to New-
port. The fish was very abundant at one time in Massachusetts
bay, but is now found chiefly in depths of 100 to 250 fathoms on
the slopes of the outer banks. In August 1878 a halibut weigh-
ing over 200 pounds was caught in Gloucester harbor. |
Genus HIPPOGLOSSOIDES Gottsche |
Eyes and color on the right side (except sometimes in H.
elassodon, a Pacific species); body oblong, moderately com-
pressed; mouth rather large, with one row of sharp teeth on
each jaw; no teeth on vomer or palatines; gill rakers rather
716 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
long and slender; scales ctenoid; lateral line nearly straight,
simple; dorsal fin low in front, beginning over or before the eye;
ventrals both lateral; caudal double truncate, produced behind.
This genus, as here restricted, contains three closely related
species, two of the north Pacific, one of the north Atlantic. All
are essentially arctic species, inhabiting shallow waters in the
regions where they are most abundant.
309 Huippoglossoides platessoides (F'abricus)
Rough Dab
Pleuronectes platessoides FABRICIUS, Fauna Groenlandica, 164, 1780, Green-
land.
Platessa dentata STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 143, 1839; Hist. Fish. Mass. 197,
pl. XXX, fig. 3, 1867; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 298, 1842, New
York markets.
Hippoglossoides dentatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 406, 1862.
Hippoglossoides platessoides GILL, Proc. Ac, Nat. Sci. Phila. 217, 1864; GoopE
& BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 7, 1879; JonpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.
S. Nat. Mus. 826, 1883; GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. 8. I, 197, pl. 55,
1884; GoopDE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth, 438, 1896; H. M. Smirn, Bull U.
S. F. C. 1897, 108, 1898; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
III, 2614, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXXU, fig. 919, 1900.
The length of the body is two and one half times its depth
and three and three fourths times the length of the head. Body
ovate; mouth moderate, oblique; maxillary narrow, reaching to
beyond pupil, two and two thirds in length of head; teeth rather
small, conic, larger anteriorly, in one row in each jaw, those
in the lower largest; eyes rather large, the upper longer than
snout, four and one third in head; lower jaw included, but with
a projecting knob at the chin; snout thick and scaly; inter-
orbital space narrow, with a raised obtuse ridge, entirely cov-
ered with rough scales in about six series; mandible with a
series of scales; gill rakers rather short and robust, not toothed,
about 10 below angle; longest raker less than one third length
of eye; fins with small, rough scales; a strong preanal spine;
pectoral not quite half length of head. D. 88 (80 to 93); A. 70
(64 to 75); Lat. 1.90 (pores).
Reddish brown, nearly plain. North Atlantic; abundant
northward on both coasts.
FISHES OF NEW YORK TL
De Kay described this flounder under the name of the toothed
flatfish. He said it was extremely common in New York
markets, where it is called the summer flounder, and that it
grows to the length of 25 inches. It is a rather common food
fish of the deep waters northward on both sides ef the north
Atlantic, ranging habitually south to Cape Cod and the coasts
of England and Scandinavia. At Woods Hole it is sometimes
called sand dab and rusty flounder. Dr Smith says it is not
common there, but is found some years in winter in inshore
waters adjacent to Woods Hole; specimens have been taken in
February on lines. One year some were caught in a fyke net
in Great harbor. In Massachusetts bay it is a common species
in the deep waters, approaching the shores in winter.
Genus raranicuTuys Girard
Eyes and color normally on the left side; body oblong; mouth
large, oblique; each jaw with a single row of usually slender
and sharp teeth, which are more or less enlarged anteriorly,
no teeth on vomer or palatines; gill rakers slender; scales small,
weakly ctenoid or ciliated; lateral line simple, with a strong
curve anteriorly; dorsal fin beginning before the eye, its anterior
rays not produced; both ventrals lateral; caudal fin double
truncate, or double concave, its middle rays produced; no anal
Spine. Species numerous, found in all warm seas. This genus,
as now restricted, contains a considerable number’ of species,
inhabiting both coasts-of America and the eastern and southern
coasts of Asia. As indicated by the reduced number of verte-
brae, the species range farther southward than do those of the
type of Hippoglossoides.
360 Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus)
Summer Flounder
Pleuronectes dentatus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 458, 1766; Mircuiut,
ficrans. init & Phil, Soc. N.-Y..F, 390, 1815.
Pleuronectes melanogaster MITCHILL, op. cit. 390, 1815, New York.
Platessa ocellaris DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 300, pl. 47, fig. 152, 1842.
Pseudorhombus ocellaris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 430, 1862,
Platessa oblonga STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 201, pl. X XXI, fig. 2, 1867.
Pseudorhombus dentatus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 7, 1879.
718 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
Paralichthys ophryas JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 822, 1883.
Paralichthys dentatus GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 178, 1884 (part);
JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 134, 1885; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N.
ry
=,
Y. 246, pl. II, fig. 2, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 372, 1897;
H. M. SmitTH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 108, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2629, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXXITI, fig. 922,
1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 110, 1900.
The depth of the body is contained two and one third times
in its length, which is three and two thirds times the length of
the head. Body oblong, moderately compressed; mouth wide,
oblique, the mandible very heavy and much projecting; eight to
10 teeth on side of lower jaw, the two anterior teeth very long;
anterior teeth of upper jaw strong, but smaller than those in
the lower jaw; the lateral teeth very small and close set; eyes
small, shorter than snout, about one sixth length of head, and,
in adult as wide as the broad, flattish, scaly interorbital area.
The latter is much narrower in the young. Scales small, cycloid;
accessory scales few; gill rakers lanceolate, dentate, stoutish,
wide set, much shorter than eye, the longest two and one half
times as long as broad at base, five and one half in the maxil-
lary, about 2+10 in number; pectoral fin about as long as maxil-
lary, which extends beyond the eye, and is rather more than
half length of head; dorsal low, its anterior rays somewhat
exserted, but short; caudal double concave, the middle rays pro-
duced; anal spine obsolete; ventrals small; fins all scaly. D.
88 (85 to 93); A. 66 (65 to 73); Lat. 1. about 100.
Blackish olive, mottled and blotched with darker; in life ight
brown; adults with numerous small white spots on body and
vertical fins; sometimes a series of larger white spots along
bases of dorsal and anal; about 14 ocellated dark spots on sides,
these sometimes inconspicuous, but always present; a series of
four or five along dorsal base, and three or four along anal
}
base, those of the two series opposite, and forming pairs; two
pairs of smaller, less distinct spots midway between these basal °
series and lateral line anteriorly, with a small one on lateral line
in the center between them; a large distinct spot on lateral line
behind middle of straight portion; fins without the round dark
blotches.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 719
Is styled flounder, or se eaticn flounder, turbot flounder,
toothed flatfish, fluke, and, in Great South bay, it shares the
name flatfish with the Pseudopleuronectes ameri-
ceanus. Brail and puckermouth are names applied to it in
Rhode Island. The name fluke is the one most frequently used
on Long Island.
The fluke is a very abundant fish and is found on the eastern
coast from about Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. Centers of
abundance are found on the Connecticut coast and on Long
Island. :
It is a Summer visitor in Gravesend bay, arriving in May or
June, and leaving when cold weather begins. It frequents the
sandy flats for the purpose of feeding on little fishes, which it
destroys in large numbers. A fluke will often be found with
eight or 10 little blackfish in its stomach, and young mackerel
suffer greatly from its depredations. In Great South bay this
fish was found at Blue Point cove and at Fire Island late in
September, and was caught in traps at Islip October 1, 1890.
Small fluke were collected in Mecox bay, Blue Point cove and
at Islip in August 1898. Adults were obtained at Fire Island
inlet Sep. 16 of that year, when they were abundant. In 1901
the fish were taken at Fire Island inlet, Blue Point, and Smith’s
point. Aug. 1 they were feeding on small menhaden. The next
day they were seen in Wigo inlet, and again chasing young men-
haden. On that date more than half a barrel were caught in the
inlet near buoy no. 2, with young menhaden for bait. One of
the fluke disgorged a sand lance.
It feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and occasion- .
ally on sand dollars, and one of its favorite foods is said to be
the squid. This fish is found generally in salt water, but fre-
quently ascends fresh streams. Unlike the flatfish, it moves
off into deep water in winter, and may be found in summer near
the shores. The fluke has the same habit as the flatfish, of
burying itself in the sand when alarmed, or secreting itself from
its prey. It is often found feeding about wharves, whose sup-
ports furnish it a suitable hiding place from which to dart on
720 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
small fishes when they are congregated in schools. I have seen
large individuals cautiously wriggling their way upward in the
concealment of a wharf pile till within easy reach of a shoal —
of silversides, when a sudden dart into the midst of the school 4
would result in the capture of a fish, and the flounder would a
leisurely sink to digest its victim and prepare for another —
onslaught. It has been known to reach a weight of 26 pounds. .
Dr Goode has seen individuals measuring 3 feet in length. The
fish is caught largely in weirs and traps. It is probable that .
more of them are taken in Vineyard sound and in Rhode Island a i
waters than on any other parts of our coast. The fishing season 4 i
extends from May to October. They are carried alive in well:
smacks to the markets. Menhaden is the bait principally used
for the capture of the fluke by hook and line.
361 Paralichthys lethostigmus Jordan & Gilbert
Southern Flounder |
Platessa oblonga DE Kay, N.Y. Fauna, Fishes, 299, pl. 48, fig. 156, 1842, New a |
York, not Pleuronectes oblongus MITCHILL.
Paralichthys dentatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus.
1883.
Paralichthys lethostigma JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 237,
1884.
Paralichthys lethostigmus JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
III, 2680, 1898. E
Body ovate, its depth contained two ard one third times in its 3 ;
total length without the caudal; length of head about three and r
one half times in same length; depth of caudal peduncle con- :
tained two and one third times in length of head; eyes of mod- | }
erate size, placed close together on the left side of the head; ,
mouth large, jaws curved; maxilla reaching past vertical
through eye; mandible projecting; anterior teeth of jaws F
strong; posterior small and close set; gill rakers 2+10, lanceo- P t
late, wide set, shorter than eye; scales smooth, small; dorsal —
originates in front of eye and continues almost to caudal; anal
well separated from the ventrals; pectorals short, less than : F |
one half length of head; ventral moderately developed, ‘about
two thirds length of pectoral. D. 90; A. 70; V. 6.
Color dusky olive, with a few darker mottlngs and spots.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 721 i
This is the fish which was described by Jordan and Gilbert
» under the name of the southern flounder. It inhabits the south |
Atlantic and Gulf coast of the United States, ranging north to |
New York. De Kay described and figured it as the oblong ty
flounder, which he says grows to the length of 15 to 20 inches HA
and occasionally larger. He states that it is common along MW
the sandy shores of New York, and is procured abundantly in 4
the months of September and October; that it is excellent eat- |
ing, and usually sells at from 6c to 8c a pound; that it is tena-
cious of life and can be preserved in good condition for a long
period.
~The southern flounder is very closely related to the fluke or
summer flounder. It is, however, always darker in color and
almost uniform, while the fluke is usually profusely spotted. i€
The character by which it is best distinguished from the fluke, a
is the number of gill rakers. The southern flounder has only ft
12, of which 10 are below the angle of the first arch, while the { b
summer flounder has from 20 to 24, of which from 15 to 18 are
below the angle of the first arch.
362 Paralichthys oblongus (Mitchill)
: Fourspotted Flounder
Pleuronectes oblongus MiTcHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 391, 1815. | in
Platessa quadrocellata SToRER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 208, pl. XX XI, fig. 3, 1867. ia
Pseudorhombus oblongus GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 7, 1879. at |
Paralichthys oblongus GoopE, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. 472, 1880; Jorpan & HAE 3
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 824, 1883; GooDE & BEAN, Oceanic ae i
Ichth. 436, 1896; H. M. Smitu, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. 1897, 108, 1898; JoRDAN
& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2682, 1898; IV,~pl.
CCCLXAXIV, fig. 924, 1900.
Body comparatively elongate, strongly compressed. The
depth of the body is contained two and one fourth times in the
length of the body, which is four times the length of the head.
Eyes large, nearly four times in head, separated by a prominent
narrow, sharp ridge; upper jaw with very numerous small, close
set teeth laterally, and four or five canines in front, the lateral
teeth abruptly smaller than the anterior, each side of lower
jaw with seven to 10 teeth; chin prominent, maxillary narrow,
reaching past middle of pupil, two and one fourth in length of
722 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
head; gape curved; scales weakly ctenoid or cycloid; gill rakers —
thick, rather long, few, about eight below angle; dorsal low,
beginning over front of eye, some of the anterior rays exserted,
but not elongate, the longest rays behind middle of fin, not quite
half head; caudal one and one fourth in head; pectoral one and ©
three fifths; anal spine obsolete. D. 72; A. 60; Lat.1. 98. (D.
79; A. 59, according to Mitchill; D. 86; A. 76, according to Storer).
Grayish, thickly mottled with darker and somewhat translu-
cent; four large, horizontal oblong, black ocelli, each surrounded
by a pinkish area, one just behind middle of body below the dor-
sal, one opposite this above anal; two similar smaller spots below
last rays of dorsal and above last of anal. ' Atlantic coast, north-
ward; not abundant.
The fourspotted flounder inhabits the coast of New England |
and New York. It is very common on the coast of New York
and the neighboring islands. Mitchill described the fish in 1815.
It grows to the length of about 14 inches. Its common name
relates to the four large horizontal oblong black ocelli. At
Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it is common in May
and June, scarce at other times. It is most abundant about
June, during the run of scup. 3
Young fish are rarely observed, but in the fall of 1885 and 1886
large numbers, two or three inches long, were seen. The aver-
age length of adults there is 12 inches. The fish spawns in May,
and its eggs have been experimentally hatched at Woods Hole.
They are buoyant, s¢ of an inch in diameter and hatch in eight
days in water having a mean temperature of 51° to 56° F. In
1877 a single example was taken at the mouth of Salem harbor ~
by the U.S. Fish Commission.
Genus LOPHOPSETTA Gill
| Eyes and.color on the left side; body broadly ovate, strongly
compressed, pellucid; mouth large, oblique, the maxillary reach-
ing to beyond eye; teeth subequal, in narrow bands, or in ‘single
series; a small patch of teeth on the yomer; scales small, cycloid,
| imbricate, the skin without bony tubercles; lateral line strongly
| arched in front, without accessory branch; dorsal fin beginning
|
i.
|
di ‘ eae 2
FISHES OF NEW YORK TIS
on the snout, its anterior rays exserted; no preanal spine;
ventral of left side free from the anal, inserted nearly on the
ridge of the abdomen, its base broad, the rays well separated;
pectoral and ventral fins moderate. One species. Very close
to the European genus Bothus Rafinesque, from which it
differs in the more numerous gill rakers, pellucid bedy and pro-
duced dorsal rays. The European turbot, Psetta Swainson,
is also closely related, but the typical species, Psetta
maxima, isa large, robust fish, scaleless and beset with bony
tubercles.
363 Lophopsetta maculata (Mitchill)
Window Pane
Pleuronectes maculatus MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 9, 1814, New York;
De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 301, pl. 47, fig. 151, 1842; SToreER, Hist.
Fish. Mass. 204, pl. XX XI, fig. 4, 1867.
Pleuronectes aquosus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 389, pl. I,
fig. 3, 1815, New York,
- Rhombus aquosus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 411, 1862.
Bothus maculatus JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 815, 1883;
BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist, IX, 372, 1897; H. M. Suiru, Bull. U.
S. F. C. 1897, 108, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 110,
1900.
Lophopsetta maculata Gitu, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 216, 1862; GoopE &
BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 6, 1879; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish.
N. Y. 247, 1890; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III,
2660, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLX XXII, fig. 938, 1900.
The length of the body is one and three fifths times the depth
of the body and three and three fourths times the length of the
head. Body broadly rhomboid, very strongly compressed; inter-
orbital area flattish; eye rather large, about equal to snout; teeth
in both jaws in one series laterally, in a very narrow band in
front; maxillary nearly half length of head; gill rakers rather
long and slender, numerous, about 25 below the angle of the
arch; scales well developed, cycloid, loosely imbricated; those of
the blind side a little smaller; no bony tubercles; vertical fins
scaly; anterior rays of dorsal elevated, branched, with free tips.
D. 65; A. 52; Lat. 1.-85.
Light olive brown, almost translucent, everywhere marbled
with paler, and with many roundish, irregular, blackish blotches;
fins spotted. Length 18 inches. Atlantic coast of the United
States, very common northward. Size rather small.
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724 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
This is the plaice according to Mitchill; it is known also as fe
the watery flounder. De Kay calls it the spotted turbot and
sand flounder. In Great Egg Harbor bay it is the window light. —
Windowpane and daylight are other names applied to the
species. De Kay saw specimens 18 inches long. He saysitisa
delicate article of food. pr,
The windowpane is found on the east coast from Maine to
North Carolina. Though abundant and well flavored and some-
times reaching a length of a foot or more, it is not an important .
food fish. In Gravesend bay the fish delights in cold water. It —
is not adapted to captive life. In Great South bay we took it at
Fire Island beach at the end of September 1890. In 1898 an —
individual was taken at Islip August 18. Young.examples were ~
obtained at Fire Island inlet and Oak Island beach in September. |
In 1901 young individuals were obtained July 31 and Aug. 15 in—
_ Fire Island inlet. At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, a
it is found from April to late in the autumn. There is quite ie
large run about June 1, when the fish is full of spawn. The —
average size there is 10 to 12 inches. In experimental hatching |
of the eggs at Woods Hole, it was found that the eggs were buoy- iS
ant, nonadhesive, 2 sz of an inch in diameter, and that they hatch .
in eight days when the average water temperature is na 4
to 562 _F. rat Sng
Genus ETRoPus Jordan & Gilbert
Eyes and color on left side; body regularly oval, deep and
compressed ; head small; mouth very small, the teeth close ‘set,
slender, and pointed, somewhat incurved, mostly on the blind
side, no teeth on vomer; eyes small, separated by a narrow, o :
scaleless ridge; margin of preopercle free; ventrals free from
anal, that of colored side inserted on ridge of abdomen, its base :
rather long; dorsal fin beginning above eye; caudal double Pe
truncate; anal without spine; scales thin, deciduous, ctenoid on i:
left side, cycloid on blind side; lateral line simple, nearly
straight. Size small. This genus is very close to Cithar-
ichthys, from which it differs only in the very small size of
the mouth and in the correspondingly weak dentition. The three —
'
f
FISHES OF NEW YORK 725
-or four known species are similar in appearance to the species
‘of Citharichthys, and they inhabit the same waters.
‘The larval form is translucent and symmetric, as in Plato-
phrys, Monolene, and Arnogtlossus.
364 Etropus microstomus (Gill)
Smallmouthed Flounder
-Citharichthys microstomus GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila, 228; 1864, Bees-
paley’sieomt, Niide; BEAN, Bull Ue S.C. :ViL,- 135; 1888, Great Hes
Harbor Bay N. J.; JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus, 332, 1890; GooDE &
BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 446, 1896.
Ltropus microstomus JORDAN & Goss, Rep. U. S. F. C. for 1886, 278, 1889;
BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 247, 1890.
Body ovate. The depth of the body is contained two and one
tenth times in its length, which is three and one half times the
length of the head. Mouth small, very oblique, the gape curved;
maxillary two and two thirds times in length of head, reaching
beyond middle of orbit; snout projecting; eyes small, even,
Shorter than snout, about six in head, separated by a narrow
ridge, which is concave and scaleless anteriorly; teeth all small,
front teeth of upper jaw wide set, much larger than posterior,
which are close together and very small, teeth of lower jaw
few, wide apart; gill rakers short and strong, 138 below angle;
pectorals short, less than half length of head; scales large,
those on middle of sides posteriorly largest. D. 80; A. 61; Lat.
1. 45. Individuals from Great Egg Harbor bay have: D. 74;
A. 55; seales 41 to 42.
Olive brownish, usually with large blotches of darker; a
series of distinct, obscure, blackish blotches along the basal
portions of the anal and dorsal fins. Size small. Tropical
America, north to Long Island occasionally in summer.
The smallmouthed flounder was first described many years
ago by Dr Gill, from a specimen obtained on the New Jersey
coast. The fish was not seen again till we collected it in Great
South bay, where it was found in moderate numbers at Fire
Island, and near Blue Point cove Lifesaving station in Septem-
ber 1884. Since that time it has been found sufficiently common
in various parts of Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., during August
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126 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
and September, and has also been taken in Great South bay..
The individuals collected in Great Egg Harbor bay, varied from —
2 inches to 44 inches in length. - One of these was dextral and.
all the rest sinistral as usual.
Genus timanpba Gottsche
Teeth chiefly uniserial; lateral line with a distinet arch in
front and without accessory dorsal branch; scales imbricated,,
rough ctenoid; vertebrae about 40. This genus is closely allied
to Pseudopleuronectes, from which it differs only in
the presence of an arch on the anterior part of the lateral line.
365 Limanda ferruginea (Storer)
Sand Dab
Platessa ferruginea STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 141, pl. 2, 1839; Hist. Fish.
Mass. 198, pl. XXX, fig. 4, 1867; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 297, pl.
48, fig. 155, 1842. :
Platessa rostrata H. R. STORER, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, I, 268, pl. VIII,.
fig. 2, 1857.
Pleuronectes ferrugineus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 447, 1862; Jor-
DAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 834, 1883.
Limanda ferruginea GooDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 6, 1879; Oceanic
Ichth. 427, 1896; GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pl. 49, 1884; H. M.
SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 108, 1898; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull.
47, U. 8. Nat. Mus. III, 2644, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLX XVII, fig. 929, 1900.
The length of the body is two and one fifth times its depth and.
four times the length of the head. Body ovate-elliptic, strongly
compressed; teeth small, conic, close set, in a single series on
each side in each jaw; snout projecting, forming a strong angle
above upper eye with the descending profile; gill rakers of mod-
erate length, very weak, not toothed; eye moderate, four and one
half in head, the lower slightly in advance of the upper, sepa-
rated by a high, very narrow ridge, which is scaled posterioriy
and is continued backward as an inconspicuous but rough ridge
to the beginning of the lateral line; scales imbricate, nearly uni-
form, those on right side rough ctenoid, those on left side nearly
or quite smooth, scales on body rougher than on cheeks; caudal
peduncle short, higher than long; dorsal inserted over middie of
eye, its middle ray highest; pectoral less than two fifths length
of head; caudal fin rounded; anal spine present; lateral line
_ simple, with a rather low arch in front, the depth of which is
\
FISHES OF NEW YORK | Cok
‘barely two fifths the length; a concealed spine behind ventrals;
ventral of colored side partly lateral, the other wholly so; anal
“spine strong. D.85; A, 62; Lat. |. 100.
Brownish olive, with numerous, irregular reddish spots; fins
‘similarly marked; left side with caudal fin, caudal peduncle, and
margins of dorsal and anal fins lemon yellow. Atlantic coast,
chiefly northward.
This is also known as the rusty ‘ob It inhabits the coast of
North America from Labrador to New York. De Kay calls it
‘the rusty flatfish, which he says is a rare species, reported by
the fishermen to occur only in deep water. The specimen
described by him was 18 inches long. According to Dr Smith,
it is very common in Vineyard sound and observed by him in
water from 10 to 12 fathoms deep, where it may be found
throughout the year. There is no fishery, but numbers are
caught incidently while bottom fishing for other species. In
Great harbor a few are taken in fyke nets, only in winter. The
average length there is about 14 inches. In Massachusetts bay
it is a common resident species, inhabiting deep waters in sum-
‘mer, and approaching the shores in winter.
GenuS PSEUDOPLEURONECTES Bleeker !
Body oblong, with firm flesh; the scales firm, regularly imbri-
cated, strongly ctenoid on eyed side in both sexes; fin rays scaly;
‘mouth small; teeth uniseriai, incisorlike, close set, all more or
less blunt, lower pharyngeals very narrow, each with two rows
of separate, conic teeth. This genus is distinguished from
Pleuronectes chiefly by the well imbricated ctenoid scales,
-and from Limanda, which it more closely resembles, by the
want of arch to the lateral line.
366 Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum)
Flatfish; Winter Flounder
Pleuronectes americanus WALBAUM, Art. Gen. Pise. III, 113, 1792; GunTHER,
Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 448, 1862; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S.
Nat. Mus. 8387, 1883.
_Pleuronectes planus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 387, 1815,
~ New York.
Plaiessa plana STORER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 140, 1839: DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna,
Fishes, 295, pl. 48, fig. 154, 1842; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 195, pl.
MAX, He: 2; E867.
Sar
SIS ST FSI SRG ae LTO
PSST
7S aeieetcoare ee
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EE
728 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Platessa pusilla DE KAy, op. cit. 296, pl. 47, fig. 153, 1842, New York.
Pseudopleuronectes americanus GiLL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila, 216, 1864;-
GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 182, pl. 44, 1884; BEAN, 19th Rep.
Comm. Fish. N. Y. 245, pl. I, fig. 1, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.
IX, 373, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 108, 1898; Jorpan &
EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2647, 1898; IV, pl.
COCLXXIX, fig. 933, 1900; Bran, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus.
110, 1900; SHERWOOD & EpwaArps, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 31, 1901.
Body elliptic, an angle above eye. The length of the body is
two and one fourth times its depth and four times the length of-
the head. Head covered above with imbricated, strongly ctenoid
scales similar to those on body; blind side of head nearly naked;
interorbital space rather broad, strongly convex, its width half
eye; the space entirely scaled; teeth compressed, incisorlike, and
widened toward tips, close set, forming a continuous cutting:
edge, some of teeth often emarginate, sometimes movable; right™
side of both jaws toothless; highest dorsal rays less than length.
of pectorals, and more than half length of head; anal spine
present. D. 65; A, 48; Lat. 1. &3.
Dark rusty brown, spotted or nearly plain; young olive brown,
more or less spotted and blotched with reddish.
The common flatfish is equally well known as flounder or win-
ter flounder. It ranges from the Chesapeake bay to Labrador-
and appears to be alike abundant in both limits of its distribu-
tion. The flatfish was found in Blue Point cove, at Blue Point
Lifesaving station, and on Fire Island beach. It was moderately
common in all of these localities. The species isa permanent
resident of Great South bay, but undergoes a partial hibernation
in the mud in winter, and the adults in summer migrate into:
deeper and cooler water. <A few individuals were observed by
me in a fish pound at Islip Oct. 1, 1890.
Dr Mitchill describes two color varieties of the flatfish. One
of these had a yellow margin on the lower side, surrounding the
white of that side. This border was three fourths of an inch
wide and in striking contrast with the pearl of the contiguous.
parts within it and the brown of the adjacent fins. The other
variety, obtained Ap. 9, 1815, has “a whiteness of the upper side
nearly as clear as that of the nether surface over rather more-
FISHES OF NEW YORK 729
than half its extent. The anterior part is blanched in this man-
ner. The dorsal fin very sensibly partakes of the lighter hue;
but its dark brown is tinctured with yellow, specially on the rays.
Something of the same kind, though less distinct, is observable
on the ventral fins, and on about a dozen rays of the anal. The
length of this individual was 5 inches and the breadth 3. Dr
De Kay obtained a specimen in April which was reversed and
double. “Its color on both sides was uniform bronze, with a
white patch on its right side near the chin, almost entirely
denuded of scales; it had the singular protuberance over the
eye, noticed by Dr Mitchill in his melanogaster.”
On the New Jersey coast young individuals are very common
in summer, but the adults are rarely found except in the winter.
At Woods Hole Mass. this is a very abundant permanent resi-
dent, frequenting muddy or grassy bottoms. The average weight
of those taken in the immediate vicinity of the Fish Commission
station was only 1 pound, but larger fish are found in the deeper
water of the sound and bay. In October fish averaging 2
pounds and apparently migrating are taken with lines in Vine-
yard sound on sandy bottom.
In the markets this species is extremely common in the winter
and spring months and the flesh is delicious even when the eggs
are nearly mature. It feeds on small shells, crabs and other
invertebrates living in the mud. When at rest it partly sub-
merges itself in the sand or mud, and changes its color to suit
its surroundings.
In Long Island bays the flatfish spawns from February to the
end of March, and in July the young have attained to the length
of half aninch. At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, it
Spawns from February to April. On being transferred to tanks
containing running water, many deposit their eggs during the
night. The eggs are zo of an inch in diameter and very glutinous,
sticking together in masses of various sizes. The average num-
ber to a fish is 500,000. Mar. 6, 1897, a fish that weighed 343
pounds after spawning furnished 30 fluid ounces of eggs, num-
bering 1,462,000. The eggs hatch in 17 or 18 days, when the
mean water temperature is 37° or 38° F.
rs — Ri eran = —e Sa
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730 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Genus PLATOPHRYsS Swainson ,
Eyes and color on the left side; body ovate, strongly com-
pressed; mouth of the large type, but comparatively small; the
maxillary one third or less of the length of the head; teeth
small, subequal, in one or two series, no teeth on vomer or
palatines; interorbital space broad and concave, broadest in
adult males; gill rakers moderate; dorsal fin beginning in front
of eye, all its rays simple; ventral of colored side on ridge of
abdomen; caudal convex behind; pectoral of left side usually
with one or more filamentous rays, longest in the male; scales
very small, ctenoid, adherent; lateral line with a strong arch
in front; coloration usually variegated.
All the species are extremely closely ‘related and can be dis-
tinguished with difficulty. On the other hand, the variations
due to differences of age and sex are greater than in any other
of our genera.
367 Platophrys ocellatus (Agassiz)
Sand Flounder
Rhombus ocellatus AGAssiz, Spix, Pise. Brasil. 85, pl. 46, 1829, Brazil.
Platophrys nebularis JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 31, 148,
1884, Key West; GoopE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth. 441, 1896.
Rhomboidichthys ocellatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 433, 1862;
Pory, Syn. Pisce. Cubens. 408, 1868. |
Piatophrys ocellatus SwAInson, Nat. Hist. Class’n Fishes, IJ, 302, 1839;
BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 247, 1890; JornpDAN & HE'VERMANN,
Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 26638, 1898; IV, pl. COCLX XXII, fig. 939,
1900.
Body rhomboid ovate, its depth one half of the total length;
length of head one fourth of total without caudal; mouth small,
oblique; eyes large, the diameter of the upper eye contained two
and two thirds times in length of head, almost equal to depth
of caudal peduncle; teeth conic, the upper jaw with two series,
the lower with one; the dorsal fin originates a short distance
from tip of upper jaw and continues to caudal; ventral origin
on a vertical through front of eye; the ventral and anal sepa-
rated by a short space; pectoral of eyed side about equal in
length to caudal; scales of moderate size, those of colored side
2 Te
— a
FISHES OF NEW YORK TL
«tenoid, of blind side smooth; lateral line sharply arched over
two thirds of pectoral. D. 85; A. 64; V. 6 (5 on blind side).
Color light gray with reddish tinge; spots and blotches of
darker on head and body; also lighter rings inclosing spaces
of ground color; dorsal and anal with a black spot on each
sixth or eighth ray.
The sand flounder, or spotted flounder, is a native of the
western Atlantic, from New York southward to the Gulf of
‘Mexico and the West Indies, and perhaps to Rio Janéiro on
sandy shores. It is a small species, the largest individual
taken being only 3 inches in length. Two small examples of
this little flounder were collected at Fire Island inlet beach
Sep. 30, 1890. These specimens were obtained on a sand beach
in shallow water. The discovery of this fish in Great South
bay was entirely unexpected, as this is many degrees north of
its original habitat. ?
; Family SOLEIDAE
Soles
Genus acuirus Lacépede
Eyes and color on the right side; body oblong, bluntly rounded
anteriorly; head small; eyes small, close together, the upper
eye in advance of the lower, the two separated by a bony ridge;
mouth smaJl, somewhat turned toward the colored side; nasal
flaps present, the nostril of the blind side fringed; lip of the
colored side fringed; teeth very small, on blind side only; gill
openings rather narrow, but confluent below, not reduced to a
slit; the branchiostegal region scaled; head closely scaled every-
where, the scales on the colored side similar to those on the
body, those of the nape and chin much enlarged; scales on the
blind side anteriorly with their pectinations more or less pro-
duced. forming cirri, scales of both sides extremely rough,
extending on the fins; lateral line straight, simple; edge of pre-
opercle covered by the scales; dorsal beginning on the snout,
low in front and thickly scaled, its rays divided; anal fin simi- —
lar, without spine; caudal fin free, convex; caudal peduncle very
ce A El gM LE, Stet te A a
ee. he ire are cet ketene ay ak Seren eee age
i greet age 5 eR ELL LLIN CI
rae
-
(oa ; NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
short and deep; pectoral fin of left side wanting, that of right
side small or obsolete; ventral rays three or four, the ventral
fin of the colored side long, connected with the anal by a mem-
brane. This strongly marked genus contains numerous species,
sll very closely related, and nearly all American.
368 Achirus fasciatus Lacépéede
American Sole; Hogchoker
Achirus fasciatus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 659, 662, 1803, Charles-
ton; JORDAN & Goss, Rep. U. S. F. C. 1886, 315, 1889; BEAN, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. LX, 373, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 108,
1898; EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 41, 1898; Mrarns,
Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 322, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull, 47,
U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2700, 1898; IV, pl. CCCLXXXVII, fig. 948, 1900;
BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 110, 1900.
Pleuronectes mollis MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 9, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil.
BOG Ne YY. la ace, pl. sEl, fie. (45 1815.
Achirus mollis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 308, pl. 49, fig. 159, 1842;
Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 206, pl. XXXII, fig. 1, 1867; BEAN, Bull
U.S. F. C. VII, 184, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 244, 1890.
Achirus lineatus CUVIER, Régne Anim. ed. 2, II, 348, 1829, and of various
American authors.
Form a well rounded oval, regular in outline; head small, its
length about one fourth of standard body length; the depth of
the body equals one half of the total length; eyes minute, close
together on right side of head; mouth small, curved; lateral line
distinct, straight; dorsal fin continuous from snout to caudal;
ventral connected by membrane with anal, the latter then con-
tinuous to caudal; caudal peduncle broad, the fin thumb-shaped;
body everywhere densely scaled; anterior dorsal rays scaled;
about 75 rows of scales along lateral line. D. 55; A. 40; V. 4.
General color olive brown; body and fins with numerous black
spots and clouded areas; usually from six to eight vertical
narrow cross bands of black; left side whitish, usually much
mottled with dark spots and shadings.
This is called hogchoker, cover clip, or cover, calico and Ameri-
can sole, the name calico is used on the New Jersey shore oppo-
‘site New York. The American sole has a wide distribution along
our east coast, but is not important for food, and sometimes
proves very inconvenient to pigs, as may be inferred from one
=
FISHES OF NEW YORK Taos
of its common names. Dr De Kay has eaten the species, how-
ever, and pronounces it to have a delicate flavor. Dr Mitchill
also describes it as “ delicate eating.” De Kay records it as high
up the Hudson as Peekskill. The following interesting observa-
tions are to be found in his work: “ When it is taken from the
water, it escapes readily from the hand by an undulating move-
ment, in which it is aided by its mucous surface and by an eleva-
tion of its scales beneath. By the same means it can make con-
siderable progress over a moderately smooth surface. It is
extremely tenacious of life, and I kept one alive four days out
of water.” Another very curious habit of the American sole is
that of clinging to the glass front or side of an aquarium for
an indefinite length of time. It is common on the shallow flats
of Great South bay in the summer and early fall. We obtained
specimens at the mouth of Swan creek and in Blue Point cove
in September 1890. This species is abundant in Swan creek, at
Patchogue L. I., and many very young examples were taken
there in the summer and fall of 1898, where the water was
brackish and, at low tide, fresh. In 1901 this species was taken
at Howell’s point, Duncan’s creek and Smith’s point.
Kugene Smith caught one very small example in a tidal creek
of the Hackensack river, where the water was fresh. He states
that it is believed that soles spawn in fresh water.
The American sole, or calico flounder, has been obtained in
Gravesend bay every month of the year except the first four. It
is hardy in captivity. Its habit of clinging to the glass front and
the walls of its tank is interesting.
Order PEDICULATI
Pediculate Fishes
Family topHmuDAE
| Fishing Frogs
Genus Ltopnius (Artedi) Linnaeus
Head wide, depressed, very large; body contracted, conic,
tapering rapidly backward from the shoulders; mouth exceed-
ingly large, terminal, opening into an enormous stomach; upper
jaw protractile, maxillary without supplementary bone; lower
aoe : eens
wie i as soar eee = = = ~
a ga na er
ae
Payet
arate Se
734 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
jaw projecting; both jaws with very strong, unequal, cardiform
teeth, some of the teeth caninelike, most of them depressible;
vomer and palatines usually with strong teeth; gill openings
comparatively large, in the lower axil of the pectorals; pseudo-
branchiae present; no gill rakers; gills three; skin mostly
smooth, naked, with many dermal flaps about the head; spinous
dorsal of three isolated, tentaclelike spines on the head, and
three smaller ones behind, which form a continuous fin; second
dorsal moderate, similar to the anal; pectoral members scarcely
geniculated, each with two actinosts and with elongate pseudo-
brachia; ventrals jugular, I, 5, widely separated, large, much
enlarged in the young. Young with the head spinous. Pyloric
caeca present. Vertebrae numerous, about 30 in number.
Living on sea bottoms, at moderate depths; remarkable for
great voracity.
369 Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus
Angler; Goosefish; Bellows Fish
Lophius piscatorius LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, i 236, 1758; MITCHILL,
Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N: Y. I, 465, 1815; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit.
Mus. III, 179, 1861; Goopr & Bran, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 2, 1879; Jor- ©
DAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 844, 1883; BEAN, Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 373, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 109,
1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2713, 1898;
IV, pl. CCCLXXXVIII, fig. 952 (skeleton), 1900; SHERWOOD &
EDWARDS, Bull. U. 8. F. C. 1901, 31, 1901.
Lophius piscator MiTcHILu, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 28, 1814, Long Island.
Lophius americanus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XII, 380,
1837; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 162, pl. 28, fig. 87,°1842; STORER,
Hist. Fish. Mass. 101, pl. X VIII, fig. 2, 1867.
Body depressed, tapering, scarcely longer than head; humeral
spine with points, of which the posterior is the longest; head sur-
rounded with a fringe of barbels; top of head in young with
many strong spines; anterior dorsal spine elongate, fleshy at tip.
D. I-I-I, I1I-10; A. 9.
Brownish, mottled, below white; mouth from behind the hyoid
bone immaculate; pectorals and caudal black at tip; peritoneum
b.ack. North Atlantic, on both coasts; generally common, from
North Carolina northward. A fish of singular ugliness of
appearance.
FISHES OF NEW YORK 735
De Kay calls this fish the American angler. He says it is not
an uncommon fish in New York waters, and that among its
popular names are sea devil, fishing frog, bellows fish, goosefish,
monkfish, and various others. The largest one he saw was 4 feet
long. It is not eaten, but is often opened by fishermen for the
numerous fishes which are found in its stomach. He says it is
found on the south side of Long Island.
The angler is moderately abundant on the fishing banks in the
vicinity of New York city, and small ones are sometimes caught
in Gravesend bay. No examples of this fish were obtained by
me in Great South bay during three seasons of summer investiga-
tions, but it is found sparingly in the ocean adjacent to the bay.
According to Dr Smith, it is abundant in Vineyard sound,.
usually from Ap. 1 to July 1, some seasons from April to Novem-
ber, or as late as the traps are set. Traps often take boat loads
of these fish, which are carried to the shore and put on the land.
No other use is made of them, though the flesh is considered very
palatable. Those caught in traps are from 4 inches to 4 feet
long.. The young keep off shore in deep water and are never
taken in the seine. The spawn is often found floating in Vine-
yard sound. During the fall of 1900, according to Sherwood and
Edwards, anglers were very abundant in Great harbor, at
Woods Hole Mass. and late in the fall several large ones were
washed.ashore. The fish are not often seen near Woods Hole,
though abundant at Menemsha and Cuttyhunk, where the shores
are frequently strewn with their bleached skeletons.
In Massachusetts bay it is a common resident of the deep
waters, often coming to the shores. An individual about 4
inches in length was taken off the banks of Newfoundland in
1856. This is probably the most northern recorded occurrence
of the fish in the western Atlantic, except the unconfirmed state-
ment by Pennant of its appearance in Hudson’s bay. The angler
ranges from North Carolina northward. Mitchill called this fish
the sea devil.
Family ANTENNARIIDAE
Genus PTEROPHRYNE Gill .
Body smooth or scarcely eranular, Short, somewhat com-
pressed, with tumid abdomen; mouth small, oblique; palate with
736 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
teeth; wrist and pectoral fin slender; ventrals elongated; soft
dorsal and anal vertically expanded. Small fishes of fantastie
shape in the West Indies and Gulf Stream. .
370 Pterophryne histrio (Linnaeus)
Mousefish
Lophius histrio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 237, 1758.
Chironectes laevigatus STorER, Rep. Fish. Mass. 73, 1839; DE Kay, N. Y.
Fauna, Fishes, 165, pl. 27, fig. 83, 1842. ,
Antennarius histrio JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 846, 1883.
Pterophryne histrio GILL, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 216, 1878; GoopE & BEAN,
Oceanic Ichth. 486, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat, Hist. IX, 378,
1897; H. M. Smirn, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 109, 1898; JorDAN & HVER-
MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2716, 1898.
The length of the body is one and four fifths times its depth
and two and one fourth times the length of the head; skin of
head and body, as well as dorsal fins, with fleshy tags, which
are most numerous on the dorsal spines and abdomen; wrist
N slender; ventrals large, nearly half as long as head; dorsal and
anal with posterior rays not adnate to the caudal pedunele.
| x D. IlI-14; A. 7; V.5. 7
H nf} = A : ; 3
i Yellowish, marbled with brown; three dark bands radiating
from eye; vertical fins barred with brown; belly and sides with
small white spots. Tropical parts of Atlantic; abundant on our
Gulf coast and occasional northward.
The mousefish inhabits the tropical parts of the Atlantic.
It is abundant on our Gulf coast and occasional northward to.
Cape Cod, specially in floating masses of Sargassum. It was
once taken in Europe in floating seaweed, from the Gulf
Stream, and has been recorded from the coast of Senegambia.
De Kay described this species under the name of the smooth
—>
= ae om IE 6 Ee hat ee
r 223 SS ae = *
mousefish. He refers to the descriptions of Cuvier and Valen-
‘ ciennes, and Storer. He states that the geographic range of
| the species at that time was known to extend from Charleston
{ to Boston.
+] This species is not uncommon in summer in floating masses of
‘| . gulf weed brought near our shores by the Gulf Stream and other
‘| currents. An example was caught off the ocean shore of Long
‘FISHES OF NEW YORK (es:
Island in August 1897. At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr
Smith, it was taken in 1877. In November 1885, 12 specimens
were seined in Quissett harbor. From that year till 1897 none
were observed, but in 1897 the fish were comparatively common
in Vineyard sound. During July there was an unusual preva-
lence of southerly winds, and a large quantity of sargasso weed
was blown in from the Gulf Stream, and with it this fish, which
he calls the marbled angler. In Vineyard sound, a few miles
from Woods Hole, 50 individuals were taken July 24, 1897.
Probably not less than 100 specimens were taken during that
year. Many were kept alive in aquaria for several weeks. Some
remain under or among the gulf weed at the surface, some con-
ceal themselves in the algae on the bottom, some hide behind
stones and other objects, and some seek crevices among rocks.
While clumsy in their movements, they were adept in approach-
ing and capturing other fishes. They were cannibalistic, one
about 6 inches long swallowing another 4 inches long, and they
frequently bit off the fleshy dermal appendages of their fellows.
In August several spawned in the aquarium. The eggs are con-
nected in long bands, like those of the angler. It is reported
that in the summer of 1889 the fish was not uncommon off Nan-
tucket, and in 1897, eight specimens were taken in gulf weed off
‘that island.
Family 0GCOCEPHALIDAE
Batfishes
Genus oGcocEPHALUsS Fischer
Body stoutish, tapering backward; head very broad and de-
pressed, triangular in form, the forehead elevated and produced;
eyes large, lateral; mouth rather small, subinferior under the
‘snout; villiform teeth in bands on jaws, vomer and palatines;
skin covered with rough, bony tubercles; dorsal and anal fins
‘very small; rostral tentacle present, retractile into a cavity
under a bony prominence on the forehead; ventrals present, I, 5,
well separated; pectorals large, placed horizontally; gills 24; no
air bladder; no pyloric caeca. Tropical America, in shallow
water. Small fishes of singular form, often regarded by the
ignorant as venemous.
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ee
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738 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
ol Ogcocephalus vespertilio (Linnaeus)
Batfish; Malthe
Lophius vespertilio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 236, 1758.
Malthaea vespertilio CUVIER & ee anny Hist. Nat. Poiss. XII, 440;.
18387; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 167, 1842.
Malthe vespertilio GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 200, 1861; Jorpan &
GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 850, 1883.
Ogcocephalus vespertilio JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus.
III, 2787, 1898; IV, pl. CCCXCII,. figs. 958, 958a, 958b, 1900; BEAN,
Science, N. S. IX, no. 211, 8, 1899.
Anterior half of body (the head), between eyes and gill open-
ings, much depressed and broadened, the greatest width in front
of gill openings equaling distance from tip of rostral process to
gill openings or about half length of entire fish; from gill open-
ings to caudal the body is rounded, tapering to the tail; the
width of the body at the vent equals one third of the width
at gill openings; forehead produced in a subconic process of vary-
ing length, its length measured from eye being contained six
and one half times or more in total length without caudal; mouth
small, inferior; jaws, vomer, and palatines with bands of villi-
form teeth: 1. 4; A.'4;'V. I, 5.
Color dark gray and brown, — varying from almost black
to light gray and orange.
The batfish is a West Indian species, ranging north to the
Florida Keys, and has been taken at least once in the harbor of
New York. It grows to a length of 12 inches. De Kay did not
meet with this fish on the coast of New York, but he copies the
description of Cuvier and Valenciennes. In the midsummer of
1854 or 1855, Dr Theodore Gill saw an individual of this species,
which was recently caught at a wharf at the foot of 27th st.
East river, New York. No record of its occurrence was pub-
lished, but the writer noted this circumstance in Science, Jan. te,
tSOOo So yes.
FISHES
OF NEW YORK
RECORDED DISTRIBUTION OF NEW YORK FISHES
1 Petromyzon marinus....-......-
2 P. marinus unicolor...........-
3 Ichthyomyzon concolor
4 Lampetra wilderi.............-
5 Pseudotriakis microdon.....-..-
6 Mustelus canis... -.. 0s... --<.
7 Galeocerdo tigrinus
8 Prionace glauca....
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
24
25
26
7 AE(
28
29
30
=) |
boat
33
34
35
36 A. rubicundus
D. hastata -
D. sa
Polyodon spathula
BAe breviTOsthisiccce Loe. scerebe soe ioe les
9 Carcharhinus obscurus. .-.-..---.
Ae eMMENEIG Wares secs tclom ents cen
11 Aprionodon isodon.-..-.....-----
12 Scoliodon terrae-novae......--.
ts ophyrna, tibUro ....2. ++. ----<-
Sa ZV MACHA 8 oe e nie cee a nes 2
PMIGDIAS VIE PES! -:scic cnc ein sce bese
Carcharias littoralis.....-...--..
Iisurus idekayt 2.055. ..3c60 5. -
Lamna cornubica -........---.-
Carcharodon carcharias .-..-...-
Cetorhinus maximus ...........
Squalns acanthias....'.. .....-.-
Squatina squatina..-....--......
Ao mieajerinaCeas..ssi2s.05--+ 4--
eeocewlata cif co cele a sce ws soe
Lived Ai 8 2 ee a
Site wis. eee eo eee
Tetranarce occidentalis ....---.
Dasyatis centrura .--..-.--.----
Pteroplatea maclura ........--.
Myliobatis freminvillei.....-....
Khineptera bonasus. .-<i---:.<-2.}---|..-
PCIVEUSETS bULIO) 2 255 47-\- oo abel fie
38 Lepisosteus osseus ..-.....-----
Jo Lr) platOssOnlUs S22. 545-25 so 523s
A0e mia Calva‘ cic = Jaoctesteleeece.
41 Felichthys marinus -........--.|-
42 Galeichthys felis .-.-......-..--.
43 Ictalurus punctatus
44 Ameiurus lacustris. -....-,-.--.-
45 A.
46 A.
AT A.
48 A.
49 A.
50 Aq melas. 22:
51 Noturus fiavus
nebulosus!
catus eee a a ete iain wisi hial Sele ore aellle
nebulosus marmoratus...-.-.--
Great lakes
| Interior lakes
x|x
| St Lawrence
a
4 ‘ ’ o
6 9 . r) 6
t) o
|
|
U
|
|
Susquehanna basin
°
eee
.
Adirondacks
Lake Champlain
tt
2 Recorded also from the Walkill, Passaic and Hackensack.
Ohio basin
| Delaware basin
hit | Long Island streams
——
Hudson basin
739
| Marine
4
Ht MMMM MMMM
Anadromous
a8” oe ee re nO ee ee SS ES SS
1
=
Lt a OE EL ee ne
F
i
%
‘
740
53
54
75
76
763
ae
78
79
30
SL
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
914
92,
93
94
944
95
96
‘97
98
49
100
101
NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Recorded distribution of New York fishes (continued)
OS, MSGS W2../. seek eee :
Sei Millrus) 53.0 ose Soe eee
Carpiodes thompsoni -.....--..
Catostomus catostomus....--..
Ci commersonii'! 228202 Saaeeeece
C. mipricans:. 3.2655 - eee ees
Erimyzon sucetta?..2.- 2... -s--
E. sucetta oblongus .-.......-.-
Minytrema melanops -.....--.--
Moxostoma anisurum......-.-.-
M.:aureolum ../-bseeeeee eee
Campostoma anomalum ..-.---.
Chrosomus erythrogaster...-..
Hybognathus nuchalis ......-.
Pimephales promelas......-.-.
Fe notatus oojocs22sesse eee
Semotilus bullaris. .........-..
S. atromaculatuss...---. ..--..
}
ines ‘tina: 5555 -- eeseeeseee
Leuciscus elongatus.......---.
lay Margaritas... J. tecsemesese
Tdusidis .c2jS. 08 eee
Abramis crysoleucas! .........
A.erysoleucas roseus, Cen’! Park
Chola -vyieilax) 2352! aGaeeeee ce
Notropis bifrenatus ......-...-.
Naanosenus: i) 50h oe see
INS PC OVME A: |... n'2 oe ce eee
Ny heterodon ). 22-2 ogee sees
IN DIGHNIWS 2.522. ese
Dy pLOCKG 22.0 3.6 sce eee
N
N
N
PHMOSONIUIS |..:.5 bore eee sell de
Panipplit os... Seo ease
ING RcOrmuUbus. ot. Ue eee ee
NW. ecormutus frontalis..Jl.222--
Mm. Atherinoides . 2... 5ko2 sees
PREMIO LOUS +. cc... scene bee ee
PMAMOBMUS son... Skee
IRQ es BT DE al a cg
Rmcymba buceata.\-... >: o.sfaeee
Rhinichthys cataractae.......-
PeparOMasns ot st se
Hybopsis: dissimilis ......°....2.
ASO IG PS. ole aio. wa et
ie SEOrortanUs: 52). << eee oe
Hp wentouckiensis. 6... oss. cece
Couesius pluimbeus.... .....-.--
Exoglossum maxillingua ......
CArassite aUbatus.~ 2.2.5 'oeee
CV PUMUS) COLPIO 5. 6... seas 3's
Anguilla chrysypal..........:.
Great lakes
Tnterior lakes
t T.awrence
| Adirondacks
xX | X/} X |---
OX (9) OX
SEA See
eee Kesey
| Lake Champlain
-- =--eleee
-- ee -ler oe,
ee eles ooe
ee ee
x) OAs
* Recorded also from the Walkill, Passaic and Hackensack.
2 Recorded also trum the Passaic and Hackensack.
x
MM | Ohio basin
Susquehanna basin
DEN e Gali 6
x deified
x | xX
SOS Mis ce
Delaware basin
Hudson basin
SGayh iesS
=m alo s8
Long Island streams
arine "|
Anadromous
|
a
DON cielo SS
nace eleen er leore
FISHES OF
NEW YORK
Recorded distribution of New York fishes (continued)
| Great lakes
‘bts | St Lawrence
102 Leptocephalus conger ..--..-..-.|---
aoc earpon atianticus..... 52 ...<,-- 20) L272
Hae BOS SAUTES. 2220 ooo. cco eeekes | bee
0a) Albala valpes)----...5-. 24----4-|-2-
ae. Hiodon tecaisus.. 25. 2.222526) X
Bie le LOBOINE S25) acon wp nr gces Ih
108 Dorosoma cepedianum ....----- x
MOS piorumeus: betes... i. 5- J2s~seen) 2.
IO Clhipea harengus. 5-2. .55 .000%5|22-
111 Pomo!lobus chrysochloris -....-.| x
ME MCUINETIS <5 ce as ae wan nse -
113 P. pseudoharengus -....-......-- x
MAE eyAnOonoton <..... .564 2. 2- (24 ee-
115 Alosa sapidissima --..-.......... p<
iMG piarensula sp. --..5-2.- --2-5---
117 Opisthonema oglinum .. ......-.|...|---
HSebrevoortia tyrannus 2. 2.2.<-2- |...
119 Stolephorus brownii............|..-
120 Saabs yroprabus... .c-.---- ---.|-~.}-2 -
ai wePeriasciatus, 03. .50. os55 02-2 caf.
ULE SATE 10 a
123 Coregonus quadrilateralis ...-.. x
Ae Cl PeiLGrmis is... <2 < sone sees x
125 Argyrosomus osmeriformis...-...|-..
Pe AG Looe Son nae eke cas ose x
Le] ik OL ASUS ies Re AL Te
Weare presnathus.o. 2... 2c---- | X
UAE) ETE Ce) ae ge ea) FS
130 Oncorhynchus chouicha -..-.-.---| x
Sl Salmo (Salat oo joc ces wwe a
Peep asdiat Se0ACO.. 2425 to oa. se pak
se REM SRW (ota ccc chk ecw Soe Ne
WSO AIANET: oo. tink so abiew Leni x
Bee MID ne ha ote ae ie Se aa
136 S. trutta levenensis ........---.|-..
Pee IR OEHHA 2). 2 etc. oe Coe e reas
Mee TEMAS. 2300 ooce foc ccese See feed
139 Cristivomer namaycush ........ x
140 Salvelinus fontinalis! ..........|...
Pris alpee?. 22) 5. be de wo ok howe
142 S. alpinus aureolus?........-..--|---
143 Osmerus mordax..>...-...-----|---
fr SyHOGus fOCLONS.-.- ..~-<--.s-o0}-ac
2 CTT Rs ee a 5
Sab aWe pyemaeds 55652 oo ces ooo Sawn fete
my Duems americanus. .-...--. -<<<|2.-
MS. vyermiculatuss... 2-22-00 x
digele-sreticulatusl. 2. 0.25 uke x
Meats MI eos a hoe ok eth
iol We masquinonsy =... <= 32-2022 x
4 Recorded also from the Walkill and Passaic.
2 Introduced into Sterling lake.
° Introduced into Lake George.
* Recorded from the Passaic and Hackensack.
Interior lakes
| Adirondacks
| Ohio basin
Susquehanna basin
Delaware basin
Pid Lake Champlain
Long Island streams
Hudson basin
i}
|
|
I
Mh MM | Marine
- -|ees ee
i
<c eee eco
ee cer cleer le ce
wc ele -lee - es
e@releeesle elece
Se aes ene (eel (ese bes | AS Gl fae. aot
eat re ratad| Mane sj o|s=- et peer i
Staxailie orotate! | SS eae a) PA x
eceleen es - elee es:
ee ele ecel-- ees
- eles eee steele
ee celee e|ee ecele .
2 enele eleeelee
eeelee ee ol ee | --e
ecele- e|er el|ereleee
a el eg a
o-| X |---|---|---
xX] x - -sleee
eee -- 2eerlee cee
-- eele mele eele ee
- eeceleoreclorejice
eeelene --celece
eceler else eleee
ec eller eleee --
<-- es ee ele ce
eeleece eel-ee
cee oo eelece
eslee eceeolece
ccloee -- ec
ee 2: . ece
2c: . cee
ee eel eeele ee
NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Recorded distribution of New York fishes (continued)
152
153
154
155 F
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
Fundulus majalis ...-..--:.
. diaphanust
Lucania PALVGE cowttemtetiet on cells
Tylosurus marinus
APE EAD MTG OMe seas wiscce oe sem
Hyporhamphus roberti.-..-.....
Exocoetus volitans.
Cypsilurus heterurus.
C. furcatus
C. gibbifrons
EKucalia inconstans..-...-----..
E. inconstans caynga
Pygosteus pungitius!
Gasterosteus bispinosus
Apeltes quadracus
Fistularia tabaccaria
Siphostoma fuscum
Hippocampus hudsonius
Pereopsis guttatus
Aphredoderus sayanus
Menidia gracilis
M. beryllina
M. notata
181 Kirtlandia vagrans
182 Labidesthes sicculus
183 Mugil cephalus
184 M. curema
185 M. trichodon. -
186 Syphraena guachancho.........
TOs MO WOLCAIS ee cle os pein lo 2
188 Polydactylus octonemus........
189 Ammodytes americanus........
190 Mullus auratus. ..-.-
191 Seomberscompbrus.5--5.'5 =... .-..
192 S. colias
AS PAM AIG POAZALO price fee 9 Saimie oc os
194 Gymnosarda pelanis
195 G. alleterata -. -
196 Thunnus thynnus
i97 Sarda sarda
198 Scomberomorus maculatus......|-.-.|...
199 S. regalis
200 S. eavalla- -
201 Trichiurus lepturus Ah Ai es
202 Istiophorus nigricans. ........../--.|--
203 Tetrapturus imperator .........!---)..-1...
2 ize m..ophiensis. (Kirt.)))..2<-2.- ~-
Chis eee See ee ee es ee
Euleptorhamphus velox ....-.---|.-
Scomberesox saurus......-..--..|-
2c ceeeeee|«
eseecrwes ee es tee ees | «=
eer2ee cere wen e ececeece |e
cs eeeeee ee eeewe | =
us heteroclituscmiss 2osS hee eae
Cyprinodon variegatus .....-...|---
E a
me & c
‘a roy les &
Q — 4 cat rm] 2
® @Q wo [oF 8 —
Dm ad (5) ed g =| 2 ) Ss
o @ =| re) 5 q S| x =|
al(elelsla|¢laleiole
= 1S )E | a0] SoS ae
~ ‘Ss Os So Fo) =} E n
BS [49 | Be ber eul ase oe
le ae Sees cai SS S| S|) Ss
Cas ta [ty | aS | we ele ees
Sel Keen Pere Hen 2-5 acallos
xe x BG (eae VMs meee (Pere AL cs cy lO Ok x
x Bic II. 2:6 iss ||P ec& 3 z S DO
x ere aS a0 Bicmey lets
x os BSNS x x So
x 4 x x = atone
Sr WL 2 oeniltar cccdlte soe: | OK eal geRoael mee
x SAN cutee eure ten lett x % Sole
- es = eels - ee =
es Pate | dt IR | 2 =cc)| ae
Recorded also from the Passaic and Hackensack.
i MM
| MAM MMMM
M
KM MMMM MMMM
Anadromous
ome situ
FISHES OF NEW YORK
743
Reeorded distribution of New York fishes (continued)
Interior lakes
241 Micropterus dolomieu 5
PAD) Mesa NOLES 02 ioe. oe see ene
243 Stizostedion vitreum
244 §. canadense
245 S. canadense griseum
246 Perea flavescens7
eeseer seee2 ease cee ees
weeee ceevece
xX |) XK
2At EP ereina CAprodges:. oi ne2os.oecue less |- ~-
-248 P. caprodes zebra
2419 Hadropterus aspro ---..
250 Cottogaster copelandi
S22 xO Chee yils bei. ses<ca aoe eee ele bees MX less le
1 Recorded in the Hackensack.
2 Introduced into the Passaic and Long Island waters.
3 Recorded from Long pond, Hudson Highlands.
+ Recorded also from the Walkill, Passaic and Hackensack.
5 Introduced into the Passaic.
* Recorded from the Walkill, Passaic and Bross
7 Recorded from the Passaic ‘and Hackensack.
Lake Champlain
| Susquehanna basin
Delaware basin
Seale 3
sle|e/3|o\4 é
5 RH} 2 Z
o B| 4 S Hy
Pie Rep hins Pladius 2286222600 eles eee) elle ee:
PPAROueoOplibes SHUTHS ON. Lo. See eee |e ea ae ee ey es
206 Nauecrates ductor ......- OS Arad = Poe (snes al pee (Poynter eige| ige Ltt
PUPS EMO ZOWALA sao. a ches ctw e/ae | Joe (2-2 te sele. Ba hed alin aes esl ase
SSE eM es Soe ee ce sot soe yeseloec eke tte ie Re ee
POsmnacanic bipiinwlatus:s.loc5. 2.) 5 Pee esate. tess |e sche [EA
ZldeVecaplerus punctatus =. 220-52 --)/5c2|s-che coe. THES tS yas ree aa
Pape TC ARE USO toes Sales se ae we owed Petite sete [aap eee [ee
em AOUMT US GEACMUPUS. oo Gu sec.ccec|i- 2 [> 7 (ose /- check fo. Toe Sele
mio raciurops crumenophthalmus.. |... )\-<-|.s.)2.|-2.).--]2--|2 22] 2
Ome MMC OSI i oc ate ss] .ks |= ees fe ssqc el he ve fee] Se ee
POM BeEVISOS oo lU ly Sout wik dent |S oe Sei (ee tl betes a arse ee,
Pile Chis CHIATISt loses bo'sSoe Se). sey s ssf. 22 [ee See Re WA pee
PiGiniel SCuINIMNIS coe saeeess seliee | ses |aeale esis st lhsels este ect ee
PSP SeleMeNVOMED 2-2! cuso. Ge tee nels... arse tice lb Ns | kanes Hees
219 Chloroscombrus chrysurus....-:|---}---|---|--- Perl Reae eee eg ool p=
PPOP MeN MObUSAlCHbUS s-coe- 2 So fees sos [lL ee STS Oe ee) ee
Pa pevleran te MUCUS? mcs een cine of oot!) 2 ae oho |S odie ope es [eee Sole ee
Pee MERC ALOMMUS sean 54 eee SSS raphe See |e [oats Lene (eosin eh deed
223 Pomatomus saltatrix ...--....-- = ag Ie Sra fay tt a ese bea ce |. <
224 Rachyceutron canadum..-....... Spa 295 Be elles oi saes <=) 28 clasetl e2.<
Pease ony Racha MUP PULUS! 22 cso feet paee | obo (oe PCS cleans
PPO MC GUISELIS(. ese le Ska oft epee of Bguha P Se toN ahr rst | 2
227 Palinurichthys perciformis .-.-..- SA ES ve ae eS eas ey book ah
Pee MOnMUIUS Palen seo soos ae oe cst. Solas e ioe loo fie [oo ees > [Seabee
LIS). J Bye) TENOR TONG IN | SUR at eat Pe aed aoa FeQea a ose (ge ache Fe (Se be
236 Pomoxis annularis.....-..----.. DG ee | (octal les ear (te fee cae LP pe a
SPL OP ATOMUES “cca. Uae eset rion aets| Xo |) Xi | ees soo /s. eee RS
232 Acantharchus pomotis!......... SSS A eee. sre cilh eh ae | ee O
233 Ambloplites rupestris? -........ SOR a Keg de | Se NCE he RS otal eae
PZote CHacnobry tts CulOsus: 95~).ch 02) K IS he Solon ape
PAO UNeCACAMLNUS OVESUS). Ssboss os.) S7i foc 5] 62 tee | anf [e ed OS ee
Za WO PTOELOSUS 2 Saosin soos DELS es TA es Rage om seal gue Rp nS aha af
237 Apomotis cyanellus....---.---..] X | KX |---/---|---]---]---]---|--.
238) Aue poms auritus: 25-25 4222 52. ek PS ee Aer a ape aha Loc
Pome AUS= eae ie ee sone Wl ali Re SO oo) Saeed ee ewe
240 Eupomotis gibbosus4 .......--- DG e<
Long Island streams
i MMMM MMMM MMM MM dd | © Marin6
Ko fe Ses
Ro parece |e
Xi a eee
[44 x NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Recorded distribution of New York fishes (continued)
: |
reat lakes
Interior lakes
‘St Lawrence
Adirondacks
Lake Champlain
Ohio basin
Susquehanna basin
Delaware basin
Hudson basin
Long Island streams
; Anadromous
252 Diplesion blenniodes .......-... x
253 Boleosoma nigrum ....---.---- x
254 3B. nigrum olmstedi? -......... x |x fx |e.) tesco loe ie gee
255 Etheostoma cveruleum .-.....-.. > ee ee ei eee s Seo) kf |
Baap Oreale: ators) oes cole p-al Poardl Wp aa Meg recs bere ee Fil SS ee
x
256i a habellare ene oo. case's eos. XP =e
257 + Boleichthys fusiformis ..--..-... Mwai oils Se ee eee
258 (BOcUSMORMISs 60s. 2) 522.) 2.5. RHA Cie eee
259 Roceusechrysops3 .........---. Ky] ea bil Geer baltsaees eee x
rly FY Boas TPE I A ok file Bd A ee es ele ar Me Re ec
261 Morone americana -.-.......-.- od hat St ote ee ah eee epee
262 Polyprion americanus -.....--. ee) earn rena) ee te)
263 HvinepHelus niveatus .......2.|---|-.-(.--|--- ahs
264 Centropristes striatus ......... Sill ach ee ee
Zoo» Mules Buble asco sell obs Oe | taatopte
ZUG. LMP CUS DISHISMLNUS: 2.236 8st So) Sho eo ators
267 Lobotes surinamensis ......... fo til 7s, Soh ae ial ee
268 Priacanthus arenatus ......-.-. » dig (Ss ally ed
269 Pseudopriacanthus altus-....... pig Praag foc a ee te RS
270 Neomaenis griseus ..-....----- Papeaie Weare ieee yea er) ne bg MR |
ALP gi 190) 8-2 C6 C00 10 eh pr ae gpa ed eae (Nea
Zio Orpnopristis elrysopverus .. 2) o.|.2 2/2 ete sles Soe eee
273 Stenotomus chrysops..-...-...].-- a cS BES eS eee
274 Lagodon rhomboides.-.--.....-.|--- baipey (eer epee eee
Zio. Arcéhosargus probatocephalus...}...)-s.).4--|-23|teeloee
276 Eucinostomus gula........ CEE al ci AS bee eee ee
wii) Ky phosus seebatrix - 2.55.5 24. ae ics ef a ee ete
* “s218, Gynoseionregalis 2005 2425 266) sich asain ae ere Sab ta
PD re MOM UIORUR 2h oe Slee RA | Rome epee a
250 Lanimus fasciatus. 2225-6. .k aes eee eed iets roe, Yen:
er mlamistr arta GHly stra cer so. Sos | Pe Po lb eles oa eal ele
|
|
|
i
cal
|
|
el
ipl
I!
eel
OSE gen Fag ee Ce a
a
2
|
CUMe
ed
oe
|
re
: (KKK AK KKM KM KKK KM KM WK R MM
RAG anal et
> es 7 Seca <s'
282 Sciaenops ocellatus -.......... ey emer ey eee SN eR re at ual
Peon MaClOs eINus: RAMLNUTUS. oc27 eo sthe et} s ib. Da ee ee | la el -
Mot Micropogen nidulatus..- s20. 0.4] 222) sett ooh ee cell ee ~ve sh) een bint :
285 Menticitrbus saxatilis......... scp lho Sa pene ae fg : Ae Sed s
Zab EOP Ona CLOMIS =~. 32065. su: so as athe Sie eee ees e eeeeae : a
231 Aplodinotus grunniens -2.. 2-2.) K | -- eb. - ees | Cee he ee ae
288 ~Tautogolabrus adspersus: ESS: easveifialig 2 Wego: ds eee er ea Nene 2 Dede 2} ye
289 Tautoga onitis ....-...-....-.. wie (a) Sie Le PS es ae wos [ieee ee ;
- 290 Zenopsis Probes os wea). Ml Lethe chee. | eepsle Colo) hs
291 Chaetoudipterus faber.......... Bae he AN ay dalle ele een ae =< 3) = | eel aN eee 5
292. Chaetodon ocellatus:.. 2.2.22.) o5-) 20). ek Stee Aeon So Se r
293 -PTOUpwIS REVPANIS)> 2%. 22S. ae Je |e | cere) oe eth eo ae a
294. Balistes Cavolitiensis... ---.2:2+|-.-|}-+-| +) -|-.'|<<2|-2-|2e4)-i-2—9 een A
295 | A VGTIED) eo i Sale wale noo wine's 'o- =| eae | oo cs = obese | eee tee arlene a
296, Monacantinsihispwls. joo0< 22. [ 2.0 y-).% 1] oe beta aioe Re cee .
257) Sen BEIMe UIs niet ccc die o(e~ oeot| ox. ae A eee eee 2 ee 4
298 > Lactopnrys thiconus:..--- 2. s...|---|---).- |< les chesie| soe tee eee B
ys 299. Liazocephalus laevigatus --.-..|..:|2--|...|-- 2] gecle-n le )epo le. ope er ;
300° Spheroides maculatus. . 22 225. [seo |---|} ed ons sete ate gone ete ee eee
BOL BS. TEStMGIMEMB iS oe. eee ce cican oe tee fee sce eee veel appli
1 Recorded from the Passaic, Hackensack and Bronx. ; y
2 Recorded from the Hackensack. . ‘
Introduced into Greenwood lake. i
a
Ai)
Rit
Ry
}
f
7 BT
FISHES
Reeorded distribution of
ee .
7Recorded also in the Hackensack and Passaic.
OF NEW YORK
New York fishes (continued)
eee
|
N
eae |
n E = 5 q i i
o|o| 2 te ee wn i
glzieleleis/ai=l2/2| |2 |
fale elelel2le)alzlel:
Sei an Os | one eae tie [)
s/o /Slelsleleial2|=|al/z |
. 2 cel ae ee es e fe
Slal2{a|as| 42/4 jal [als :
| 12
BUS BOTIC MOCO URANUS. G2 ae ~ ae be Selle [an BES cal we! 2 ace) |iocerelll a mioins |e Seog See Me
Blam TA ChOUIOd ON! PLIOSUS-o.c2 oes | -u-|=a-|22[ >< | se el} ors lowe ea were leer oe
304 Chilomycterus schoepfii ........|--- WES Saas os Sill ae/eil eeel oan 3 5 ee ea
POEUN TO MO SUG tee eet eens alot ill sie e |r| wet allie =| ess Pa aloo eller ata a es
Sm LOlRIN Ola eee eet ci cnimces leetclel Ne foal colts. dle, oulloel aoe, eminem
BUM SSUASLON MMAR YNUS e 2S oye ot Satins el oles flee ol ae ee tees Viaienall paral lees ole oul ieee
308 Helicolenus dactylopterus....-.{..-|.--|---|---|.--|---]--- a ey oa OER
309 Cottus ictalops ..-.-..----.---- ns Seale Keore, seca ge, seb Peek res | crcley Sel oe lee:
Sid euiiramucaenaeiich. «Aber fos. Ose Me Ko) Se | Oe sll oe [ar oe a ee ee
MUP ROEIMOSA oe ca cicoe bemiwice ceecet (zeeiees |e ci. lee |b F Se eas | yer mee s
312 Myoxocepbalus aeneus -..-.----|---|=--|---|---|-..]-- BE Wes es ae e
Dla OCLAMECIMESPINOSUS 2-2-0515 20|-'o heen howe |e endo t.| col. Bh al ell We ee
Sie MMe KOeMANGICUS! 45 ooo Woe cisei| ee |e |25 S)e< =|. ote he sie Klee
315 Triglopsis thompsoni......+..-- Oe. pA a eee S Ss = 2a et oo ae:
316 Hemitripterus americanus.-.----.|---|--.|- Phe 2 Vines es fecs Hetcetl A e
317 Aspidophoroides monopterygius|...|--.|-..|---|---|-.-|---|---]---|---| X |--.-
Momo ycropterus: Mimpus.2-..--...2-.)-!e}-2<]e. lose]. ef-s ese ole ae
Moe VeOMMAliS UlAMtEUS,. 2.002 eee | fe eles aloe leo foe ec cl Seclee alas asl ON pare
aAmbnoatS Wi paris. Avsoessec cc. oes. | ele Seeilhee de ae eache BC hae
SIG OnOsOMma DOSE! ..---.6--22s52c2} lo cle hel eeses eaten lee
322 Astroscopus guttatus.......-.-.|- : ae pat Re Ae tS
Pe MOSAMUES AW See oh ene fac us |ehe les olee leet eeedene eel eee ey ho Be
a24 Blennius fucorum ....-.-...----.|- Bere ell a acteetarne aa é Koo
325 Chasmodes bosquianus. ....----|-- Be aes ey Bat ey ten pc
pepe LNOls CUMNOlUS. . 204.2 eden len = |eote as |ae ze 3 s see ee
a2f Ulvaria subbifureata....--.-:--|--.|--- | NE et BS sa on|) Soae0| esac one ene
Sloe richaeus punctatus -.o2 1... le.: Mee Sif ke hee ese 2 SE eee, | SP eine. ei
329 Lumpeuus lampetraeformis.-....|...|---|--.|--- Sialiee i lhe is
330 Cryptacanthodes maculatus --...|-.-|--- oe te Eaten ci
dot; Anarhichas lupus ....------.--. rN ee Sey ae Ry ee see ere ake mc moe Meee | deo
Jo wAOATCeS ABOUIIATIS: noc sh-c cn ble. c\Se eo. lee clon ol) Sect enc |e Shiny ae leet
Sooumissolanmareinata. 2:2 50... ....|2o-|-shess| ee --|-- at es ae see
Sea MO MOMS CATOMMUS) soa s. sss wees |au Hl scl cele ee loe eel hss eee slipeXG tems
DS) | LE PREP On | EASA ec) : Pree Behe ell cas ee
pram suploalas. i. 6.0002. 2oe. ee POP aS orca ate eos sy eel eet Penne || 8
Deteriena CUCULUS. 2. 2 s.cs6% Los 255 aieira: fa taiso aetna ia eks colenters a Sabha
See eonalacanthus), VOlWtANS _.. 225.) 9.s)>se (Gael tenes ole Sets. le Piles cat ei ce
339 Echeneis naucrates.....--....-. fit Sense ais etre jes can Stee
MEM a CMACe ONES: ec .c eo secs s wis woleemamelice ese lam > |eae Weemoe cls acefae a]. Nev eee
SPeMeMmMOra TEM OLA... enna arse ic. ee [en |ae bees 2 pes eee ea oneal ees
Bee OEACMY PUCIA) li cec. 25's aces [oot onla| Sen a tales Nees) cs oS.
343 Rhombochirus osteochir. -...---|---|-.-|-.-|-..!--.|- ; shel eee
Pee MeElcitts DLWMOAPIS: \.lvcGs soe sfatsipoc le oleae lene. eee ets
Lae PAC MUUES: VALENS -ie' seis seen | oot leetelleee tae all em aie e ee mera pee a
346 Microgadus tomcod .....-..----|+.-|--- beak eee Seap R eee | ye ex
ee AOS GOMES oh Ste ee ea la rate oe ove MGR ce ee | th
sto Melanosrammus aeelifinus...5--;--.|.--|-- =] -- <2. |---) ee Peeve Kent ee
Seo ote maen los. 2.. 6-2. eee 2 -- Kf sat osc eae Sed lig So ee ct ee
SIUM UC opNy Cis VOCUS). 255 /.c cio siee ou oes [Se oot ee Rares seals SP Aree
pe UPRHORILES S98tu 9 bo S S55 dois 27a sass!) shee (eee eae Pees | oe Sf ase elie ete
Sf, SE GETS SI oa ree eee (Gl ai ce ese Sea ssllbee Bed he. oe
SoplOmOropsarus- argent Abus... = <<] <6 = |-—-|2- -een a — ~ | as -lane fee Xe
Sel (Sl CILST EArt A og PRIS Sec | A cal nee eee | A ema eb <a
746 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
a
- Recorded distribution of New York fishes (concluded)
Great lakes
Interior lakes
Long Island streams
Anadromous
| Lake Champlain
; Marine :
| St Lawrence
| Adirondacks
| Hudson basin
Joo TH MMONEMUS GIMIDMMUS:.---.cse0|>--|2e0[e-- | ose |e ee
PI IEOSMIMIS DLOMME RS eisee seo weee =| sete - [Se cls eos
sot Coelorhynchus carminatus. ..-.|---|-2s|22-/... 2-2
358 Hippoglossus hippoglossus. .--.].--|---|---!.-.|.--
359 Hippoglossoides platessoides...|...|.-.| --|.-.)---
SOU) Partcienysidembabus.. cc s.c5)-6-|2 ts (ec se tease
Sol > Weuuonmemdeae owes. wa coe cel soe ee eee
Dee OL OHSMS ere eee shoe's wont | o's 2) ns oc m> eau
363 Lophopsetta maculata.....---.|-..|--.|-..|---|..-
sot tropusmucrostomus-.. 0.2 -5-.|. 2). 26)... Bete
300 dimendal Terrnueined...--5-22-55|--6|--<122.(oseleee
- 366 Pseudopleuronectes americanus.|.-.-|.--.|.--|-..|---
sai flatoplinys: Ocelladlis. 0.05.2. (222) 42242 2o\eoal eee
Soe ACMILUs MT aASCIAbUS] oo ce gue eee ehil so |eeele ole selene
Boo Luephins PIscalOrius._ J. -. so05|- a-|+ 2 (oe | oes
HO LE tetophryne shistrigs..- 5.2 .25.|5-0/ s.r caer eee:
371 Ogeocephalus vespertilio.....:.|---|---|2--|.--|.--
ce eeleee le ee le ee
| Ohio basin
| Susquehanna basin ©
| Delaware basin
eererle cele eelaoecele oe
MMMM AM MMMM KH MM MH
ce eceleae
|
eee
1 Recorded also from the Hackensack.
INDEX :
Abramis, 132-34
americanus, 132
chrysoleucas roseus, 134
erysoleucas, 132-34
Smithii, see Cyprinus (Abramis?)
Smithii
versicolor, 182
Acadian bullhead, 646
Acantharchus, 464-66
pomotis, 464-66
Acanthias americanus, 438
vulgaris, 43 ~
Acanthocottus, 639-44
aeneus, 639
anceps, see Cottus (Acanthocottus)
anceps
groenlandicus, 643
octodecimspinosus, 641
variabilis, 643
virginianus, 641
Acanthopteri, 351-608
Acanthosoma carinatum, 629
Acanthurus chirurgus, 607
nigricans, 607
phlebotomus, 607
Acara aya, 554
Achigan, 487
Achirus, 731-33
fasciatus, 732-33
lineatus, 732
mollis, 732
Acipenser, 63-69
brevirostris, 68
brevirostrum, 68-69
maculosus, 66
oxyrinchus, 64
rubicundus, 66-67
Sturio, 63-65
var. oxyrrhynchus, 64
Acipenseridae, 63-69
Aelurichthys marinus, 77
Agonidae, 647-49
Agoninae, 647-49
Albula, 181-83
conorhynchus, 182
erythrocheilos, 182
Parrae, 182
vulpes, 182-83
Albulidae, 181-83
Alburnellus amoenus, 150
rubrifrons, 149, 150
Alburnops blennius, 138
heterodon, 137
Alburnus rubellus, 147
rubrifrons, 149
Aleby trout, 702
Alectis, 481-33
ciliaris, 432-33
crinitus, 4382
Alewife, 5, 199-201, 441
river, 192
Alligator, 71
Alligator gar, 71
Alopecias vulpes, 33
Alopias, 32-34
vulpes, 33-34 4
Alopiidae, 32-34
Alosa, 203-8
alosa, 204
chrysochloris, 195
eyanonoton, 202
lineata, 197
mattowaca, 197
menhaden, 211
praestabilis, 204
sapidissima, 204-8
teres, 189
tyrannus, 199 .
Alutera, 613-15 :
schoepfii, 613
schoepfii, 613-15
Aluteres cuspicauda, 613
Alvordius, 507-9
aspro, 507
Amber fish, 416-18
Amber jack, 418
.
/
TAS NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Amblodon grunniens, 590
neglectus, 590
Ambloplites, 466-70
rupestris, 467-70
Ameiurus, 81-90
catus, 85-86,
lacustris, 81-83
melas, 90
natalis, 84 :
nebulosus, 85, 87-89
marmoratus, 89
vulgaris, 84-85
American angler, 735
American cod, 699
American codling, 706
American hake, 692
American shad, 204
American sole, 732-33
Amia, 73-76
calva, 74-76
occidentalis, 74
Amilidae, 73-76
Amiurus albidus, 86
borealis, 81
catus, 87.
cauda-furcatus, SO
dekayi, 84
marmoratus, 87, 89
natalis, 84
nigricans, 82
ponderosus, 82
pullus, 90
vulgaris, 84
Ammocoetes branchialis, 16
concolor, 14
niger, 16
unicolor, 13
Ammodytes, 375-77
americanus, 376-77
vittatus, 376
Ammodytidae, 375-77
Ammodytoidei, 375-77
Amphiodon alosoides, 185
?Amphiprion americanus, 532
Anacanthini, 691-714
Anarhichadidae, 672-74
Anarhichas, 672-74
lupus, 673-74 —
vomerinus, 673
Anchovies, 213-19, 359
banded, 217-18
Silvery, 216-17
striped, 214-15
Angel fish, 45-46, 57, 602-4
Angel sharks, 45-46
Angler, 734-35
American, 735 .
marbled, 787
Anguilla, 169-74
blephura, 170
bostoniensis, 170
chrisypa, 170
chrysypa, 170-74
conger, 175
macrocephala, 170
oceanica, 175
rostrata, 170
tenuirostris, 170
tyrannus, 170
vulgaris, 170
Anguillidae, 169-74
Antennariidae, 735-37
Antennarius histrio, 736
Apeltes, 342-44 °
quadracus, 342-44
Aphredoderidae, 352-54
Aphredoderus, 352-54
gibbosus, 353
sayanus, 353-54
Aplodinotus, 590-92
grunniens, 590-92
Apodes, 169-77
Apomotis, 475-77
cyanellus, 475-77
Aprionodon, 28-29
isodon, 28-29
punctatus, 28
Archosargus, 561, 562-65, 563-65 -
probatocephalus, 563-65
Argentinidae, 282-85
Argyreiose, hairfinned, 436
Argyreiosus capillaris, 435
setipinnis, 433 »
vomer, 435
Argyreus atronasus, 154
‘nasutus, 152
Argyriosus vomer, 435.
4
Argyrosomus, 230-41
; artedi, 233-35, 241
hoyi, 235-37, 237, 241
| osmeriformis, 230-33, 241
. prognathus, 237-38, 241
tullibee, 238-41
A! Argyrotaenia vittata, 376
Arius equestris, 78
felis, T8
milberti, 78
Aspidophoroides, 647-49
monopterygius, 648-49
Aspidophorus monopterygius, 648
Asterospondyli, 17-43
Astroscopus, 658-60
anoplus, 658
guttatus, 658-60
| Atherina brownii, 214
menidia, 357
. mordax, 282
notata, 357
viridescens, 357
-Atherinichthys gracilis, 355
menidia, 357
notata, 357
Atherinidae, 354-62
: Atherinopsis notatus, 357
. Atlantic salmon, 244-48
Autumnal herring, 197
Auxis, 383-85
rochei, 384
thazard, 384-85
vulgaris, 384
Aya, 9, 554
Bachelor, 460
Bachforelle, 255
Baione fontinalis, 272
Bairdiella, 576-78
chrysura, 576-78.
Bait-stealer, 595
Balaos, 323-27
Balistes, 608-11
aurantiacus, 613
broccus, 611
capriscus, 608
‘ carolinensis, 608-10
cuspicauda, 613
fuliginosus, 608
hispidus, 611
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
TAD |
Balistes (continued)
schoepfii, 613
yetula, 610-11
Balistidae, 608-11
Balloonfish, spot-siriped, 628 it
unspotted, 628-29 ii
Banana fish, 182-83 _
Banded anchovy, 217-18
Banded blenny, 644-65
Banded dace, 146
Banded drum, 589
Banded Ephippus, 603
Banded garfish, 318
Banded gurnard, 680
Banded larimus, 575
Banded mummichog, 809
Banded pickerel, 292-94
Banded pilot, 415
Banded rudder fish, 414-16, 428-2
Banded sucker, 104
Banded sunfish, 471-73
Bank lake bass, 462
Barfish, 463
Barndoor skate, 50-51
Barracuda, 368-73
long, 369-70
northern, 371-73
Barred killifish, 311, 312
Barred maskalonge, 304-7
Basking shark, 41-48
Bass, bank lake, 462
bayou, 491
big, 487
big-fin, 462
black, 537 a
brown, 487
calico, 462-64
channel, 578-80
dark, 487
gold, 487
grass, 462, 463
green, 491
hog, 488
lake, 462, 468, 487
Lake Erie, 462, 463
large-mouthed black, 490-93
little, 488
minny, 487
moss, 491
Oswego, 491, 492
A ea “ Bin chy . oi uh ey) ie
rat Bs
at
750 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Bass (continued) Billfish, 61, 70-72, 317-19, 349, Ena
Otsego, 225. — . Bitter head, 463
y Yiver, 491 aii Black bass, 537
rock, 467-70, 537 Es large-mouthed, 490-93
ruddy, 529 : small-mouthed, 486-90
sea, 522-42 a ' | Black bullhead, 90
silver, 185, 462, 523 : Black croppie, 463 © es
small mouthed black, 486- aU | Black drum, 589
spotted, 487, 580 x Black grunt, 543
ss stone, 5382 Black lamprey, small, 16-17 3
strawberry, 462-64 . Black mullet, 586 nee
streaked, 525 ; . Black-nosed dace, 5, 154-56
striped, 528, 524-27 Black-nosed sucker, 108
striped sea, 525. : Black perch, 488, 529, 537
white, 522-23. ay Black pilot, 454-55
yellow, 487 slide ah iawe alban Black pollack, 694
, Bass fry, 309 Black salmon, 267
Bass killy, 307-9 . ; Black sea bass, 5387 +
Bass mummy, 309 ud Black-sided darter, 507-9 —-
Bass sunfish, 466 Black sucker, 104
Basse, striped, 525 Vos i Black wall, oor
Bat fishes, 737-38 Blackfin whitefish, 228
Batoidei, 46-60 Blackfish, 536-39, 597-99
Batrachoididae, 660-62 sbi Blackharry, 537 .
Batrachus celatus, 661 aula Blackhead minnow, 118-19 —
tau, 661 | 1 Blennies, 662-65 7 ‘
Bayou bass, 491 eee banded, 664-65
. Bellows fish, 734-35 eel, 670-71
Belone caribbaea, 322 Ups Seaweed, 663-64
crassa, 319 arate snake, 671
gerania, 319 spotted, 668-69
jonesi, 322 SaOEy, a Blenniidae, 662-65
latimana, 322 . mie Blennioidei, 662-74
melanochira, 319 Blennius, 662-64 : Me
raphidoma, 319 anguillaris, 674
truncata, 317 bosquianus, 664 nae
Bengal, 595 chuss, 707 ae
Bergall, 593-96 ciliatus, 674
spotted, 596 fucorum, 663-64
Bermuda chub, 568-69 . gunnellus, 665
Bermuda whiting, 586 - labrosus, 674
Berycoidei, 377-79 as , lampetraeformis, 670
a Bessy corka, 610-11 | oceanicus, 663
Bigeye, 544-45 pholis, 664
short, 546-47 Beihai punctatus, 668
Big-eyed herring, 199 regius, 704
Big-eyed scad, 426-27 serpentinus, 670
Big-fin bass, 462 : Blenny darter, 508
Big-mouthed cat, 86 . peas Blennylike fishes, 662-74
Billed eel, 318, 348 bike aie Blepharichthys crinitus, 432
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Blepharis crinitus, 432
Bloater, 237-38
Blob, 635-37
Bloody stickleback, 3438
Blower, 621
Blowfish, 622-24
hairy, 624
Blue bream, 482
Blue cat, 80
great, 82
Blue darter, 517-18
Blue herring, 195-96
Blue Johnny, 518
Blue perch, 595
Blue pike, 303, 494, 497
Blue shark, 39
great, 25
Blue snapper, 446
Blue-spotted sunfish, 473-75, 477
Blue-striped trigger fish, 610-11
Blue sunfish, 480-82
Blueback, 202-3
Bluefin, 228
Bluefish, 445-48, 537, 571, 595
Bluegill, 480-82
Blunt jaw, 117
Blunt-nosed minnow, 120-21
Blunt-nosed shiner, 434
Bodianus argyroleucus, 576
aya, 554
bistrispinus, 541
costatus, 583
flavescens, 500
rufus, 528
rupestris, 467
triurus, 542
Boleichthys, 520-21
eos, 521
fusiformis, 520-21
eos, 521
Boleosoma, 513-16
fusiformis, 520
maculatum, 513
nigrum, 513-14
olmstedi, 514-16
olmstedi, 514
tesselatum, 509, 514
Bone fish, 182-83
Bone shark, 43
Bonito, 393-95
oceanic, 386-88
Bonnet skate, 48
Bonnethead, 30-31
Bony fishes, 76-212
Bony gar, 71
Bony pike, 71
Bony-scaled pike, 6
Bony sturgeon, 66
Bothrolaemus, 439
pampanus, 443
Bothus, 723
maculatus, 723
Bowrfins, 73-76
Boxfish, spiny, 626-28
Brail, 719
Branch herring, 199-20
Branded drum, 580
Brassy sculpin, 639-41
Brazen bullhead, 640
Bream, 133, 484
blue, 482
copper-nosed, 482
salt water, 562
Brevoortia, 211-13
tyrannus, 211-13
Bridge perch, 460, 487
Bridled minnow, 135-36
Brier ray, 49-50
Bristly dory, 434
Broad shiner, eryptous, 45S
Brochet, 299
Bronze backer, 488
Brook lamprey, 16
Brook minnow, 154-56
Brook silversides, 361-62
Brook Stickleback, 335-37
Brook sucker, 101
Brook trout, 6, 255, 272-15
Brosme, 711-12
brosme, 711-12
Brosmius brosme, 711
flavescens, 711
vulgaris?, 711
Brotula, 676
Brown bass, 487
Brown catfish, 90
Brown tomcod, 696
Brown trout, 254-57, 488
son
Oe ee ed
SL esi arene
re i
ay ee
a
a,
WETS
Ma aoe i BS a ete
eos
)
752 + y oa a rf
402 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM
Bryttus fasciatus, 471
gloriosus, 473
longulus, 475
Buffalo fish, 71
Bugfish, 212
Bullhead, 87-89, 636, 642
Acadian, 646 :
black, 90
brazen, 640 °
smooth browed, 640
Bullhead shark, little, 46
Bullpout, 87
Bumper, 437-38
Bunker, 212
Burbot, 701-4
Burfish, 626-29
Burn stickle, 341
Butirinus vulpes, 182°
Butter chub, 163 ;
Butterfish, 444, 457-59, 665-66
humpbacked, 434
Butterfly fishes, 604-6, 678
Butterfly ray, 56-57
Calico bass, 462-64
Calico flounder, 733
Calico sole, 732
Calliurus formosus, 475
longulus, 475
Campbellite, 460
Campostoma, 112-14
anomalum, 113-14
dubium, 113
Cantharus nigromaculatus, 462 |
Capelin, 359
Capriscus, 608-10
Carangidae, 410-44
Carangus hippos, 428
Caranx, 427-31
carangus, 428
chrysos, 430
chrysus, 430
crumenophthalmus, 426
erysos, 430-31
defensor, 428
hippos, 428-29
hippus, 428
macarellus, 423
pisquetus, 430
punctatus, 421
Caranx (continued)
spotted, 422
sutor, 482
trachurus, 425
yellow, 429
Carassius, 164-66
auratus, 164-66
Carcharias, 34-387 —
americanus, 34
atwoodi, 40
caeruleus, 26
glaucus, 25 >
' (Prionodon) glaucus, 25
isodon, 28
(Aprionodon) isodon, 28
littoralis, 34-37
(Prionodon) milberti, 26
obscurus, 25
(Prionodon) obscurus, 25
punctatus, 28
terrae-novae, 29 :
(Scoliodon) terrae-novae, 29
vulpes, 33
Carcharidae, 34-37
Carcharinus, 25-28
glaucus, 25
milberti, 26-28
obseurus, 25-26
Carcharodon, 40-41
earcharias, 40-41
Cardonniera, 634
Carp, 112-69
golden, 165
lake, 98
leather, 168
mirror, 167
scale, 167
Carpe blanche, 101
Carpiodes, 97-98
thompsoni, 98
Carplike fishes, 97-169
Casabe, 437-38
Catalufas, 544-77
Catfishes, 76-97
big-mouthed, 86
blue, 80
brown, 90
channel, 80-81, 85-86
chubby, 84
common, 87
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Catfishes (continued)
filannel-mouth, 82
Florida, 82
great blue, 82
great fork-tailed, 82
lake, 81-83
long-jawed, 84-85
marbled, 89
Mississippi, 82
mud, 82
Schuylkill, 86
sea, 77-78, 78-79
silver, 80
Spoonbill, 61-63
spotted, 80-81
stone cat, 91-92, 93-94
white, 80, 85-86
yellow, 84 — a
Catonotus fasciatus, 518
flabellatus, 518 \
Catostomidae, 97-112
GCatostomus, 99-104
anisurus, 109
aureolus, 110
carpio, 109
catostomus, 99-101
commersoni, 101
commersonii, 101-3
communis, 101
¢yprinus, 98
duquesnii, 110
fasciatus, 108
hudsonius, 99
longirostris, 99
melanops, 108
nanomyzon, 99
nigricans, 103-4
oneida, 110
pallidus, 101
sucetta, 105
teres, 101
tuberculatus, 105
Cavalla, 401
Cayuga lake shad, 200
Cayuga lake sticklebacks, 337
Centrarchidae, 459-93
Centrarchus aeneus, 467
gulosus, 470
hexacanthus, 462
pomotis, 464
viridis, 470
Centrolophidae, 454-55
Centronotus gunnellus, 665
spinosus, 449
Centropristes, 535-39
atrarius, 536
nigricans, 536
striatus, 536-39
Cephalacanthidae, 683-85
Cephalacanthus, 683-85
spinarella, 684
volitans, 684-85
Cephalus brevis, 629
Ceratacanthus, 613-15
Ceratichthys biguttatus, 159
eataractae, 152
dissimilis, 157
lucens, 158
micropogon, 159
plumbeus, 161
prosthemius, 161
Cernier, 532
Cero, 398-400
spotted, 400
Cetorhinidae, 41-43
Cetorhinus, 41-438
maximus, 42-43
Chaenobrytus, 470-71
antistius, 470
gulosus, 470-71
Chaetodipterus, 601-4
faber, 602-4
Chaetodon, 604-6
alepidotus, 456
bimaculatus, 604
faber, 602
maculocinctus, 605
ocellatus, 604-6
oviformis, 602
Sheepshead, 603
Chaetodontidae, 604-6
Chaetodontops, 604-6
Chain pickerel, 6, 296-98
Channel bass, 578-80
Channel cat, 80-81, 85-86
Chasmodes, 664-65 |
boscianus, 664
bosquianus, 664-65
Chatoéssus cepedianus, 187
ellipticus, 187
signifer, 209
753.
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(a4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Checouts, 571
Cheilichthys, 622-24
Chelidonichthys, 682-83
Chickwick, 571
Chilomycterus, 626-29
fuliginosus, 628-29
geometricus, 626, 629
‘subsp. (?) fuliginosus, 628
schoepfi, 626-28
Chinook salmon, 241-44
Chinquapin perch, 460, 463
Chironectes laevigatus, 736
Chirostoma beryllinum, 356
notatum, 357 |
sicculum, 361
vagrans, 359
Chivey, 221
Chivin, 122-23.
Chloroscombrus, 436-38
caribbaeus, 437
chrysurus, 487-38
Chog-mummy, 310
Chogset, 593-96
Chondrostei, 63-69
Chonerhinidae, 618
Chorinemus occidentalis, 410
Chrosomus, 114-16 ;
erythrogaster, 114-16
Chub, 123-26, 168, 491, 582, 598
Bermuda, 568-69 ;
butter, 163
day, 163
horned, 159-60
Indian, 160
lake, 161-62
nigger, 160, 162-64
river, 159-60
salt-water, 598
Silver, 122-23
Chub eel, 702
Chub mackerel, 381-83
Chub sucker, 105-7
northern, 106
Chubby eat, 84
Cichla aenea, 467
Cigar fish, 287
Ciliata argentata, 708
Circharra, 427
Cirrimens, 584 -
4
Cisco, 180, 233-35, 241 |
mooneye, 235-37
Citharichthys, 724
microstomus, 725
-
Clear-nosed skate, 49-50_
Clinostomus, 128-29
margarita, 130 —
Clinus punctatus, 668
Cliola analostana, 144
hudsonia, 140
procne, 139
storeriana, 142, 158
whipplei, 144
Clupea, 192-94
aestivalis, 202
alosa, 204
chrysochloris, 195
coerulea, 192
cyanonoton, 9
elongata, 192
halec, 192
harengus, 192-94
heterurus, 187
hudsonia, 140
mattowaca, 197 ©
mediocris, 197
menhaden, 211
pseudoharengus, 199°
pusilla, 192
sadina, 190-91
sapidissima, 204
tyrannus, 211
vernalis, 199
virescens, 197
- vittata, 214
Clupeidae, 188-219
Coachman, 539-40
Coalfish, 694
Cobbler, 310
Cobblerfish, 4382-33
Cobia, 449-50
Cobitis heteroclita, 309
majalis, 307
Cock-paddle, 651
| Cod, 698-99
American, 699
common, 699
fresh-water, 702
rock, 699
Codfishes, 693-712
Lo
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Codling, 706, 707
American, 706
spotted, 704-5
‘ Coelocephalus, 712
Coelorhynchus, 712-14
earminatus, 713-14
Conger eels, 174-77
Conger niger, 175
occidentalis, 175
vulgariy, 175
Copelandia, 471
Copeland’s darter, 509-10
Copper-nosed bream, 482
Coregonus, 220-80
albus, 224
artedi, 233
clupeiformis, 224-30, 233, 240
harengus, 233
hoyi, 230, 236
labradoricus, 9, 224
latior, 224
novae angliae, 221
osmeriformis, 230
prognathus, 237
quadrilateralis, 221-24, 240
sapidissimus, 224
tullibee, 239
Cornet fishes, 344-46
Corvina argyroleuca, 576
ocellata, 578
oscula, 590
Coryphaena, 450-54
equisetis, 452-54
globiceps, 451
hippuris, 451
hippurus, 451-52
perciformis, 454
punctulata, 452
sueuri, 451
sueurii, 451
Coryphaenidae, 450-54
Cottidae, 635-47
Cottinae, 635-47
Cottogaster, 509-11
cheneyi, 510-11
copelandi, 509-10
putnami, 509, 510
Cottus, 635-37
aeneus, 639
(Acanthocottus) anceps, 639
‘
aa
Ot
Ot
Cottus (continued)
Bairdii, 635
formosus, 638
gracilis, 637
groenlandicus, 642
hispidus, 646
ictalops, 635-37
bairdi, 636
mitehilli, 639
monopterygius, 648
octodecimspinosus, 641
Richardsoni, 635
Scorpio, 639
scorpius groenlandicus, 643
virginianus, 641
Couchia argentata, 708
Couesius, 160-62
dissimilis, 161
plumbeus, 161-62
prosthemius, 161
Cover, 732
Cover clip, 732
Cow-nosed ray, 59-60
Crab-eater, 449-50
Cramp fish, 51-52
Cranberry, mountain, 85
Craniomi, 676-85
Crappie, 459-62
Crawl-a-bottom, 104, 505
Creek chub, 125
Creek fish, 106-7
Crevalles, 410-44
Cristivomer, 266-71
namaycush, 266-71
Croakers, 569-92
Crocus, 591
Croppie, black, 463
lake, 463 7
timber, 460
white, 460
Cryptacanthodes, 671-72
maculatus, 671-72
Cryptacanthodidae, 671-72
Cryptous broad shiner, 458
Ctenolabrus, 593
adspersus, 5938
burgall, 593
ceruleus, 593
chogset, 593
uninotatus, 593
a
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756 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM
Cuckold, 616-17
Cuckoo fish, 678
Cucumberfish, 626-28
Cunner, 593-96
Cusk, 711-12
lake, 702
little, 676
Cut-lips, 162-64
Cutlas fishes, 402-3
Cybium caballa, 400
eavalla, 400
maculatum, 396 ©
regale, 398
Cyclichthys, 626-29
Cycloganoidea, 73-76
Cyclopteridae, 649-52 :
Cyclopterinae, 649-52
Cyclopterus, 649-52
coeruleus, 649
liparis, 654
lumpus, 649-52
Cyclospondyli, 48-46
Cylindrosteus, 72
Cynoperea, 498-99 —
Cynoscion, 569-74
maculatum, 573
nebulosus, 573-74
regale, 570
regalis, 570-73
Cyprinella whipplii, 143
Cyprinidae, 112-69
Cyprinodon, 315-17
parvus, 314
variegatus, 315-17
Cyprinus, 166-69
atromaculatus, 123
atronasus, 154
auratus, 164 —
bullaris, 122 s Ue?
carpio, 167-69
catostomus, 99 i
commersonnii, 101
cornutus, 145
corporalis, 122
crysoleucas, 132
hemiplus, 132
idus, 131
maxillingua, 162 ;
megalops, 145
oblongus, 106
t
a
Cyprinus (continued)
(Abramis?) Smithii, 184
sucetta, 105
teres, 101
tinea, 126
vittatus, 154
Cypselurus, 331-35
furcatus, 333
| Dab, rusty, 727
Sand. 1iy(26-20
Dace, 122-238, 146
banded, 146 |
black-nosed, 5, 154-56
horned, 123-26, 160:
long-nosed, 152-54
mud, 288
red-bellied, 114-16
Dactylopterus volitans, 684
| Daddy sculpin, 642-44
Dark bass, 487
Darter, black-sided, 507- 9
blenny, 508
blue, 517-18
Copeland’s, 509-10
fantail, 518-20
greensided, 512-13
Johnny, 513-14
manitou, 506-7
rainbow, 517-18
tessellated, 514-16
Dasibatis hastata, 54
Dasibatus centrura, 53
_ Dasyatidae, 53-57
- Dasyatis, 53-56
centrura, 53-54
hastata, 54-55
say, 55-56
Dasybatis sayi, 55
Day chub, 163
Daylight, 724
Decapterus, 420-24
macarellus, 423-24 |
punctatus, 421-22
Deep water sculpin, 646.
Diodon carinatus, 629
fuliginosus, 628
hairy, 625
hystrix, 626
maculostriatus, 626
~I
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Eagle rays, 57-60
Eastern pickerel, 297
Eeaille, grande, 177-79
Echeneididae, 686-90
’Echeneis, 686-88
albacauda, 686
albicauda, 686
brachyptera, 689
Diodon (continued)
nigrolineatus, 626
pilosus, 625
rivulatus, 626
schoepfi, 626
Diodontidae, 624-29
Diplesion, 511-18
blennioides, 512-13
Diplodus argyrops, 558 holbrooki, 687
probatocephalus, 563 | naucrateoides, 687-88
rhomboides, 561 : naucrates, 686-87
Dipterodon chrysurus, 576 neucrates, 686
Discocephali, 686-90 osteochir, 690
Distribution of New York fishes, quatuordecimlaminatus, 689
739-46 - yremora, 688
Doctor fish, 607 | Kel blenny, 670-71
Dog shark, 23 Eelpouts, 674, 702
Dogfishes, 48-45, 75, 288-89, 702 | Hels, 169-77
horned, 44 billed, 318, 348
smooth, 23 chub, 702
spined, 43-45 . eonger, 174-77
Doliodon, 489 lamprey, 11-13, 67
Dollardee, 482 rock, 665-71
Dollarfish, 434, 458 sand, 376-77
Dolphin, 450-54 | Sea, 175-77
common, 451-52 ; true, 169-74
small, 452-54 _ Kegfish, 621 \
Doré, 495 | Elacate atlantica, 449
Dorosoma, 186-88 | Canada, 449
cepedianum, 187-88 | nigra, 449
notata, 187 Elagatis, 418-20
Dorosomidae, 186-88 | pbipinnulatus, 419-20
Dory, bristly, 434 | pinnulatus, 419
hair-finned, 436 Ezectrie ray, 51-52
rostrated, 436 Elephant shark, 42-43
spinous, 489 Kilwhop, 199
Dotted scad, 422 Ei!lwife, 199
Drum, 98, 587-90, 591 ' Elopidae, 177-80
banded, 589 | Elops, 179-80
big, 589 | inermis, 179
black, 589 | saurus, 179-80
fresh-water, 590-92 | Emerald minnow, 147-49
red, 589 Emphycus, 705-8
young, 589 Enchelycephali, 169-77
Drummer, 571 Enchelyopus, 710-11
Duck-billed cat, 61 - eimbrius, 710-11
Dules, 539-40 Engraulididae, 213-19
auriga, 539-40 Engraulis argyrophanus, 216
Dusky shark, 25-26 brownii, 214
Dwarf salmon, 246 | mitchilli, 218
Pah 1b aaa! a
758,
Engraulis (continued)
perfasciatus, 217
vittata, 214
vittatus, 219
Enneacanthus, 471-75
eriarchus, 473
gloriosus, 473-75
obesus, 471-738
simulans, 473
Ephippidae, 601-4
Ephippus, 602
banded, 603
- faber, 602
gigas, 602 ~
Epinephelus, 533-35
niveatus, 533-35
Erimystax, 157-58
Erimyzon, 104-7
goodei, 105
sucetta, 105-6
oblongus, 106-7
HWsocidae, 317-23
Hsox aflinis, 296 _
americanus, 292
boreus, 299
crassus, 294
cypho, 294
estor, 299
fasciatus, 292
flavulus, 307
immaculatus, 304
— longirostris, 317
lucius, 5, 298
f americanus, 292
marinus, 317
masquinongy, 302
immaculatus, 304
niger, 292
nobilior, 302
osseus, 6, 70
ovinus, 316
phaleratus, 296
pisciculus, 309
pisculentus, 309
porosus, 294
raveneli, 292
reticulatus, 296
salmoneus, 286, 294
saurus, 327
scomberius, 292
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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Su Nae
Esox (continued)
tridecemlineatus,
umbrosus, 294
vermiculatus, 294
‘ vulpes, 182
zonatus, 307
Eitheostoma, 516-20
aspro, 507 1 La AE a
plennioides, 512 gta
‘ (Diplesion) blennioides, se
; caprodes, 505
coerulea, 517
Sie nest coeruleum, 417-18
be pagar tago _ flabellare, 518-20
| flabellaris, 518.
hes fusiforme, 520
rug lihy linsleyi, 518
nigrum, 513
olmstedi, 514
olmstedi, 514
Etropus, 724-26 |
microstomus, 725-26
Htrumeus, 189-91 fas 7 a
sadina, 8, 189 IF; te
_ teres, 189-91 :
Hucalia, 335-37
_inconstans, 333-34, 336
eayuga, 337
Eucinostomus, 565-67
argenteus, 566
gula, 566-67
Eugomphodus littoralis, 34
Hulamia milberti, 26
Euleptorhamphus, 325-27
longirostris, 326
velox, 326-27 Vt SaaS 4
HKumesogrammus subbifurcatus, 60F
Hupomotis, 482-86
aureus, 483 ae: a
gibbosus, 483-86 ts
Huthynnus alliteratus, 389 a
pelamys, 386 on 7 a
Eventognathi, 97-169 5
Exocoetidae, 330-35
Exocoetus, 330-35
affinis, 330
comatus, 332
exiliens, 330
furcatus, 333, 335-37
gibbifrons, 334-35
\
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INDEX TO FISHES OF
Bxocoetus (continued)
heterurus, 331-32
melanurus, 330
noveboracensis, 332
nuttalli, 333
rubescens, 330
volitans, 330-31
Exoglossum, 162-64
annulatum, 162
dubium, 113
(Hypentelium) macropterum, 103
maxillingua, 162-64
nigrescens, 162
vittatum, 162
‘Fairmaid, 559, 562
_ Fall herring, 197-98
Fall shad, 197
Fallfish, 122-23
smaller, 125
Fanegal, 634
Fantail darter, 518-20-
Fantail mullet, 367-68
Fario gairdneri, 252
lemanus, 264
Fatback, 364
Fathead, 118-19
Fathead minnow, 118
Federation pike, 297
Felichthys, 76-78
marinus, 77-78
‘Fiddlefish, 46
Filefish, 611-15
orange, 613-15
Fishing frogs, 733-35.
‘Vistularia, 344-46
neoboracensis, 345
serrata, 345
tabacaria, 345-46
Fistulariidae, 344-46
Flannel-mouth cat, 82
Flasher, 542-43
Flatfish, 714-33
rusty, 727
toothed, 719
Florida cat, 82
Wlounders, 714-31
calico, 733
fourspotted, 721-22
oblong, 721
759
NEW YORK
Flounders (continued)
rusty, 717
sand, 724, 730-31
small-mouthed, 725-26
southern, 720-21
spotted, 731
summer, 717-20
turbot, 719
watery, 724
winter, 727-29
Tluke, 719
Flying fishes, 330-35, 678, 680
Flying gurnards, 683-85
Flying robin, 684-85
Fork-tailed cat, 82
Four-bearded rockling, 710-11
Fourspotted flounder, 721-22
Fresh-water cod, 702
Fresh-water drum, 590-92
I'resh-water killy, 311-138
Fresh-water salmon, 246
Fresh-water silversides, 356-57
Friar, 357-59
Frigate mackerel, 384-85
Frost fish, 221-24, 240, 692, 695-97
Fundulus, 307-13
diaphanus, 311-13
fasciatus, 307
fuscus, 289
heteroclitus, 309-11
macrolepidotus, 309
majalis, 307-9
multifasciatus, 311
pisculentus, 309
swampina, 311
viridescens, 309
zebra, 3209
Gadidae, 676, 693-712
Gadus, 697-99
aeglefinus, 699
albidus, 691
arenosus, 698
brosme, 711
eallarias, 698
cimbrius, 710
compressus, 701 |
lacustris, 81, 701
longipes, 707
maculosus, 701
" si * im
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760 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM —
Gadus (continued) Giri ace (continued) —
merlucius, 691 occidentalis, 338 i
morhua, 698 pungitius, 338 —
morrhua, 698-99 ea) quadracus, 342 —
pruinosus, 695 7 saltatrix, 445
punctatus, 704 - cB : Gerres argenteus, 566
purpureus, 693 . gula, 566.
rupestris, 698 : Gerridae, 565-67
tau, 661 Ghostfish, 671-72 ©
tenuis, 705 . Gizzard shads, 186-88
tomeod, 695 > Glasseye, 494
tomcodus, 695 — “ Glassfish, 361-62
virens, 693 a Globefish, 622-24 Lat Ne eee
Gaff topsail, 77-78 Glossodon harengoides, 184 _
Gaidropsarus, 708-10 . Glut herring, 9, 202-3
argentatus, 708-9 “fas titted | Goatfish, 377-79 |
ensis, 709-10 fig i —Gobies, 656-58
~ Gairdner’s trout, 252-54 — naked, 656-58
Galeichthys felis, 78 | of variegated, 657 ay
3 marinus, 77 ree Gobiidae, 656-58 a Siang.
Galeidae, 22-30 — Gobiinae, 656-58 | OPER eis
Galeocerdo, 23-24 ah Gobio cataractae, 152
tigrinus, 24 | yg plumbeus, 161 | :
Ganoid fishes, 60-76 Rives Gobioidei, 656-58
Ganoidei, 60-76 ea oc aes Gobiosoma, 656-58
Gar, alligator, 71 roe ata alepidotum, 656
bony, 71 é ‘bosci, 656-58 ee
short-nosed, 72-738. 99) ) / 1). Gobius alepidotus, 65649) /) nan
silver, 317-19 ig . bosei, 656
soft, 318 Bie bal -viridi-pallidus, 657 ye
7am Gar pikes, 69-73 Nanya ‘vividipallidus, 656 th
Garfish, banded, 318 | Goggle-eye, 460, 463, 468, 470- TE
Gascon, 425-26 Goggle-eye perch, 463 .
Gaspagie, 591 ue Goggle-eyed jack, 427
Gaspereau, 200 : Tecra Goggler, 426-27 ©
' Gaspergou, 591 es i Gold bass, 487
' * Gasterosteidae, 335-44 speiot Gold nerfling, 131
Gasterosteus, 340-42 Gold shad, 195-96.
aculeatus, 340 . ok Golden carp, 165
biaculeatus, 340 . if Golden ide, 131-32
; bispinosus, 340-42 Soa fey Pays | Golden mullet, 111
canadus, 449 Golden red horse, 111
carolinus, 443 ities Golden shiner, 132-34
cataphractus, 341 tele | Golden sueker, J111
concinnus, 338 ; Golden trout, 278-82
ductor, 412 =i MEE Goldfish, 164-66
inconstans, 335 Goody, 582
millepunctatus, 342 ; Goosefish, 734- 35
nebulosus, 338 wey BS Grand-oranchee, 516
neoboracensis, 340 eae | | Grass bass, 462, 463
esis
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK TOL
Grass pike, 300, 494 . Hadropterus, 507-9
Gray-back, 200 aspro, 507-9
Gray pike, 498, 499 ; Haemulidae, 555-57
Gray snapper, 548-50 Haemulon fulvomaculatum, 556
Gray sucker, 101 Hair-finned argyreiose, 436
Gray trout, 267 _| Hair-finned dory, 486
Grayling, 246 Hairtail, 402-3
Greenback, 198 Hairy back, 188
Green-backed shark, 30 Hairy blowfish, 624
Green bass, 491 _ Hairy diodon, 625
Green pike, 296-98, 494, 498 Hairy porcupine fish, 625-26
Green pollack, 694 Hake, 586, 692, 705-7
Green-sided darter, 512-13 American, 692
Green sunfish, 475-77 silver, 691-93
Greenfish, 446 spotted, 704-5
Greenhead, 525 squirrel, 706, 707-8
Grenadiers, 712-14 white, 705-7 ea
Grey trout, 571 Halatractus zonatus, 414
Grilse, 246 Half-gills, 335-46
Grindle, 75 Halfbealz, 324-25
Ground shark, 35 slender, 326-27
Grouper, snowy, 533-35 Halibut, 714-15
spotted, 533-35 Hammerhead, 104
Growler, 487 ware Hammerheaded shark, 30-32
Grubber, 183 y Hanna hills, 537
Grubby, 639-41 Haploidonotus grunniens, 590
Grunt, 589 Haplomi, 287-317
thornbacked, 444 Harvestfishes, 455-59 3 Pah
Grunters, 555-57, 589, 678, 680 SoD ee Ee oueil aoe
Guardfish, 319-21 Headfishes, 629-31
Hecht, 299
Gudgeon, 142-43
New York, 309
Niagara, 152-54
Gunnellus mucronatus, 665
- punctatus, 668
Gurnard, 676-83
banded, 680
common, 678
flying, 683-85
red, 682-83
Gymnodontes, 617-31
Gymnosarda, 385-90
alleterata, 388-90
pelamis, 386
pelamys, 386-88
Hedgehog ray, 47-48
Helicolenus, 633-35
dactylopterus, 634-35
Hemdurgon, 633:
Hemibranchii, 335-46
Hemioplites, 471 ;
simulans, 473
Hemirhamphidae, 323-27
Hemirhamphus longirostris, 326
(KHuleptorhamphus) longirostris,
326
macrorhynchus, 326
roberti, 324
unifasciatus, 324
Hemitremia bifrenata, 135
heterodon, 137
Hacklehead, 641-42 Hemitripterus, 645-47
Haddock, 699-700 acadianus, 646
Norway, 631-33 “ios americanus, 646-47
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4
%
val
alt
762 NEW YORK STATHD MUSEUM
Hen-paddle, 651
Herring, 188-219, 241
autumnae, 197
big-eyed, 179-80, 199
blue, 195-96
branch, 199-201
fall, 197-98
glut, 9, 202-3
lake, 283-35, 241
Long Island, 197
river, 199
round, 8, 189-91
satin striped, 215
sea, 192-94
shad, 197-98, 203, 209-11
sprat, 209-11
spring, 199
Staten Island, 197
summer, 203
thread, 188, 209-11
toothed, 184-85
wall-eyed, 199-200
Heterosomata, 714-33
Hexanematichthys, 78-79
felis, 78-79
Hickory shad, 9, 188, 197-98
Hicks, 198
Hiodon, 183-86
chrysopsis, 185
clodalus, 184
tergisus, 184-85
Hiodontidae, 183-86
Hippocampinae, 349-51
Hippocampus, 349-51
heptagonus, 350
hudsonius, 349-51
Hippoglossoides, 715-17
dentatus, 716
elassodon, 715
platessoides, 716-17
Hippoglossus, 714-15
hippoglossus, 714-15
vulgaris, 714
Hippos mackerel, 422
Histiophorus americanus, 404
belone, 406
Hog bass, 488
Hog mullet, 104
Hog sucker, 103-4
Hogchoker, 732-33
pm
we
a)
Hogfish, 505, 556-57
Hogmolly, 104, 505-6
Holocentrus surinamensis, 542
Hololepis fusiformis, 520
Homoprion xanthurus, 576
Horned chub, 159-60
Horned dace, 123-26, 160 3
Horned dogfish, 44
Horned pout, 87-89
Hornfish, 495
Horny head, 160
Hors, 425
Horse mackerel, 391-98, 446
Horsefish, 349-51, 483-34, 498
Houndfish, 28, 319-21, 322-23
Hoy’s whitefish, 241
Hudsonius amarus, 142
Humpbacked butterfish, 434
Huro nigricans, 490
Hybognathus, 116-18
nuchalis, 116-18
osmerinus, 116 _
procne, 1389 me
regius, 116
Hybopsis, 156-60
bifrenatus, 135
dissimilis, 157-58
heterodon, 137
hudsonius, 140
kentuckiensis, 159-60
procne, 139
storerianus, 142, 158-59
Hyborhynchus notatus, 120
Hybrid trout, 5, 257-59
Hydrargira atricauda, 288
diaphana, 311
fusca, 288
limi, 288
multifasciata, 311
Hydrargyra fusca, 288
majalis, 307
swampina, 311
Hyodon alosoides, 185-86
amphiodon, 185
claudalus, 184
clodalis, 184, 185
Hypentelium macropterum, see
Exoglossum (Hypentelium) ma-
' ecropterum
Hyperoartii, 11-17
ot
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK.
Hyporhamphus, 323-25
roberti, 3824-25
Hyporthodus flavicauda, 533
Hypsilepis cornutus, 145
gibbus, 147
diplaemia, 151
kentuckiensis, 144
Hypsoblennius, 664
Hypsolepis frontalis, 147
Ice fish, 282-85
» Ichthyomyzon, 14-15
argenteus, 15
eoncolor, 14-15
Ictalurus, 79-81
albidus, 85
lacustris, 81
lophius, 85
nigricans, 81
punctatus, 80-81
Ide, golden, 131-32
Idus, 131-32
idus, 131-82
melanotus, 131
Indian chub, 160
Indian remora, 687
inomi, 285-87
Irish roach, 134
Isospondyli, 177, 285
Isospondylous fishes, 177-285
Istiophoridae, 403-7
Istiophorus, 403-5
nigricans, 404-5
Isuropsis dekayi, 38
Isurus, 37-39
dekayi, 38-39
Jack, 297, 299, 495
goggle-eyed, 427
salt-water, 446
Jack salmon, 495
Jenny, silver, 566-67
Jerker, 160
Jewel head, 591
John-a-grindle, 75
John demon, 460
John dories, 600-1
Johnius ocellatus, 578
regalis, 570
saxatilis, 585
Johnny, blue, 518
Johnny darter, 513-14
Jorobado, 434
Jugular fishes, 691-714
Jumper, 488, 491, 492
Jumping mullet, 364
Kenoza, 292
Killifishes, 307-17
barred, 311, 312
big, 311
sheepshead, 317
striped, 309
white-bellied, 311
yellow-bellied, 311
Killy, bass, 307-9
fresh-water, 311-13
Ixing, silver, 177-79
Kxking salmon, 241-44
Kingfish, 400-1, 585-87
Kingston, 46
Kiouk, 203
Kirtlandia, 359-61
laciniata, 9, 360
vagrans, 9, 359-61
Wit, 54-55
Kyphosidae, 567-69
Kyphosus, 567-69
sectatrix, 568-69
La quesche, 185-86
Labeo elegans, 106
esopus, 105
gibbosus, 105
oblongus, 106
Labidesthes, 361-62
sicculus, 361-62
Labrador whitefish, 9, 224-30
Labrax albidus, 522
lineatus, 524
nigricans, 528
notatus, 522
pallidus, 528
rufus, 528
Labridae, 593-600
Labroid fishes, 593-601
Labrus adspersus, 593
appendix, 478
auritus, 478
chogset, 593
764 - NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
" Labrus (continued)
fulva, 593
cromis, 587
faleatus, 439
fulvomaculatus, 556
griseus, 548
grunniens, 588
onitis, 597
pallidus, 480
salmoides, 490
sparoides, 462
squeteague, 570
var. maculatus, 573
striatus, 536
tautoga, 597
versicolor, 558
Lactophrys, 615-17
trigonus, 616-17
yalei, 616
Ladyfishes, 181-83
Lafayette, 458, 577, 580-83
Lagocephalus, 617-19
laevigatus, 618-19
lagocephalus, 618 |
Lagodon, 561-62
rhomboides, 561-62
Lake bass, 462, 468, 487
Lake blob, 6388
Lake carp, 98
Lake catfish, 81-83
Lake chub, 161-62
Lake croppie, 463
Lake cusk, 702
Lake Hrie bass, 462, 463 .
Lake herring, 233-35, 241
Lake lamprey, 15-14
Lake minnow, 158-59
Morse, 161-62
Lake mullet, 111
Lake pike, 300
Lake sculpin, 644-45
Lake shiner, 236, 241
Lake sturgeon, 66-67
Lake Tahoe trout, 250-52
Lake trout, 266-71
Swiss, 263-66
Lamna, 39-40
caudata, 27
cornubica, 39-40
punctata, 38
Lamnidae, 37-41
Lampetra, 15-17
wilderi, 16-17
Lamplighter, 463 Ras)
Lamprey eel, 11-18, 67
Lampreys, 11-17 JS
brook, 16
great sea, 11-13
lake, 13-14
mud, 16
Silver, 14-15
small black, 16-17 |
Lampugus punctulatus, 452, 453:
Lances, sand, 375-77 —
Landlocked salmon, 246, 248-50
Lantern fishes, 285-87 4
Larimus, 574-75 ey
banded, 575 Us
fasciatus, 575 aa
‘Lawyer, 75, 701-4 -
Leather carp, 168 Shen .
Leather jacket, 410-12, 608-10
Lebias ellipsoides, 316
ovinus, 316
sheepshead, 316
. Leiostomus, 580-83
obliquus, 581
xanthurus, 580-83
Leopard shark, 24
| Lepidsosteus osseus, 71 —
platystomus, 72
Lepisosteidae, 69-73
Lepisosteus, 69-73
_ bison, 70 Pe
osseus, 70-72 ~
platostomus, 72-73
platyrhineus, 72
- Lepomis, 477-82
auritus, 478-80
cyanellus, 475
elongatus, 478
gibbosus, 483
mystacalis, 478
pallidus, 480-82
Leptoblennius, 670-71
serpentinus, 670
Leptocephalidae, 174-77 =|
Leptocephalus, 174-77
conger, 175-77
Leuciseus, 114, 127-31
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Leuciscus (continued)
atromaculatus, 123
atronasus, 154
biguttatus, 159
chrysopterus, 122
ecornutus, 145
elongatus, 128-29
erythrogaster, 114
frontalis, 147
heterodon, 137
hudsonius, 140
tidus, 131
leuciscus, 128
margarita, 130-31
nasutus, 152
nitidus, 122
procne, 1389
proriger, 128
pygmaeus, 289
rubellus, 147
rubrifrons, 149
spilopterus, 143
storerianus, 142, 158
vittatus, 145
Leucosomus corporalis, 124
Lichia carolina, 443
Licorne de Mer, 651
Limanda, 726-27
ferruginea, 726-27
Ling, 674-75, 701-4
Liparididae, 652-56
Liparidinae, 652-56
Liparis, 653-56
lineata, 654
liparis, 654-56
montagui, 652
vulgaris, 654
Lirus perciformis, 455
Lizard fishes, 285-87
Lobotes, 542-43
auctorum, 542
emarginatus, 548
surinamensis, 542-43
Lobotidae, 542-43
Loch Leven trout, 259-61
Log perch, 505-6
Long-eared sunfish, 478-80
Long Island, species from, 5-6
Long Island herring, 197
Long jaw, 237-38, 241
Long-jawed catfish, 84-85
Long-nosed dace, 152-54
Long-nosed sucker, 99-101
Long-tailed porbeagle, 27
Lookdown, 435-36
Lophiidae, 733-35
Lophius, 733-35
americanus, 734
bufo, 661
histrio, 736
piscator, 734
piscatorius, 734-35
vespertilio, 738
Lophobranchii, 347-51
Lophopsetta, 722-24
maculata, 723-24
Loricati, 631-56
Losh, 702
Lota, 701-4
brosmiana, 701
compressa, 701
inornata, 701
maculosa, 701-4
Lucania, 314-15
parva, 314-15
Luccio, 299
Luciidae, 291-307
Lucioperca americana, 495
canadensis, 498
grisea, 499
pepinus, 499
vitrea, 494
Lucius, 291-307
americanus, 292-94
lucius, 298-301
immaculatus, 304
masquinongy, 302-4
immaculatus, 304-7
reticulatus, 294, 296-98
vermiculatus, 294-96
Lumpenus, 669-71
lampetraeformis, 670-71
Lumpfish, 649-52
Lumpsucker, 649-52, 652-53
Lumpus anglorum, 649
Lunge, 267
Lutianidae, 547-55
Lutjanus aya, 554
blackfordi, 551
Blackfordii, 550
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———————
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766 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Lutpanus (continued)
caballerote, 548
campeachianus, 551
campechianus, 553
griseus, 548
stearnsii, 548
vivanus, 554
Luxilus, 145-47 ,
dissimilis, 157
elongatus, 128
erythrogaster, 114
kentuckiensis, 144, 159
lucidus, 151
Mackerel, 379-401, 446
chub, 381-83
common, 379-81
frigate, 384-85
hippos, 422
horse, 391-93, 446 ;
skip, 446 7
snap, 445-48
snapping, 446
Spanish, 396-98
thimbleeye, 381-83
yellow, 430-31
Mackerel midge, 708-9
Mackerel pike, 292
Mackerel sead, 423-24
Mackerel shark, 37-41
Mackinaw, 267:
Macrozoarces, 674
Macruridae, 712-14
Macrurus carminatus, 713
(Coelorhynchus) carminatus, 713
Mademoiselle, 577
Maiden, 559
Mail-cheeked fishes, 631-56
Makaira nigricans, 404
Malashegany, 592
Malthaea vespertilio, 738
Malthe, 738
vespertilio, 738
Man-eater, 40-41
Mangrove snapper, 548-50
Manitou darter, 506-7
Marbled angler, 737
Marbled cat, 89
Margined stone cat, 95-96
Marse banker, 425
Marsipobranchii, 11-17
Marthy, 702
Mascalongus, 301-7
Maskalonge, 302-4
barred, 304-7
spotted, 302-4
unspotted, 304-7
Maskinonge, 3038
Masticura, 53-59
Mayfish, 309:
Megalops atlanticus, 177
cepediana, 187
elongatus, 177
_ notata, 209
oglina, 209
thrissoides, 177
Melanogrammus, 699-700
aeglefinus, 699-700
Melanura annulata, 289
pygmaea, 289
Meletta suoerii, 195
Menhaden, 5, 211-13 ©
Menidia, 354-59
beryllina, 356-57
gracilis, 355-56.
beryllina, 356
laciniata, 360
notata, 357-59
vagrans, 359
- laciniata, 360 |
Menominee whitefish, 221
Menticirrhus, 584-87
nebulosus, 585
saxatilis, 585-87 ,
Merit fish, 359: \
Merlangus carbonarius, 693
leptocephalus, 693
purpureus, 693
Merluciidae, 691-938
Merlucius, 691-93
albidus, 691
bilinearis, 691-93
Mesoprion caballerote, 548
griseus, 548 \
Methy, 702
Microgadus, 694-97
proximus, 694
tomcodus, 695
Micropogon, 583-84
costatus, 583
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK ~ T6T
Micropogon (continued) Mitchill’s perch, 525
lineatus, 583 Mixed tomcod, 696
undulatus,. 583-84 Mojarra de Ley, 566-67
Micropterus, 486-93 Mojarras, 565-67
dolomieu, 486-90— Mola, 629-31
pallidus, 490 mola, 629-31
salmoides, 490-93 rotunda, 630
Micropteryx chrysurus, 437 Molacanthus, 629
Milbert’s shark, 26-28 Molidae, 629-31
Miller’s thumb, 635-37, 637-38 Moll, 598
Minister, 87 Molva maculosa, 701 :
Minnilus blennius, 138 Monacanthidae, 611-15
cornutus, 145 Monacanthus, 611-13
var. frontalis, 147° aurantiacus, 613
dinemus, 148 broccus, 612
diplaemius, 151 hispidus, 611-13
notatus, 120 massachusettensis, 612 :
percobromus, 149 setifer, 612
plumbeolus, 145 Mongrel whitefish, 238-41
rubellus, 148 Monk, 46
rubrifrons, 149 Monkfish, 45-46, 735
Minnow, blackhead, 118-19 Mooneye, 183-86
bluntnosed, 120-21 / - northern, 185-86
bridled, 135-36 Mooneye cisco, 235-37
brook, 154-56 Moonfish, 483-34, 435-36, 602-4
emerald, 147-49 Morone, 527-31
fathead, 118 americana, 528-31
lake, 158-59 flavescens, 500
Morse lake, 161-62 maculata, 483
mud, 287-91 pallida, 528
pearl, 130-31 , rufa, 528
plumbeous, 161-62 Morrhua aeglefinus, 699
red-bellied, 115 americana, 698
rosy, 147-49 americanus, 698
rosy-faced, 149-50 pruinosa, 695 fi
salt-water, 310 Morse lake minnow, 161-62 i! |
sheepshead, 315-17 Moss bass, 491 P|
silvery, 116-18 Mossbunker, 211-13 +]
spotted, 120-21 3 Motella argentata, 708
steel back, 113 . caudacuta, 710
ensis, 709
straw-colored, 138-39
striped mud, 289-91
toothed, 312
top, 307
Minny bass, 487
Minytrema, 107-9
Mother-of-eels, 702
Mountain trout, 488
Mousefish, 736-37
smooth, 736
Moxostoma, 109-12
anisurum, 109-10
melanops, 108-9 aureolum, 110-12
Mirror carp, 167 crassilabre, 112
Mishcuppauog, 559 macrolepidotum, 111
Mississippi cat, 82 oblongum, 106 ii ‘i
‘Mud sunfish, 464-66°
Mudfish, 74-76, 310
Mufile-jaws, 686
Mugil, 9, 362-68
albula, 363
brasiliensis, 866, 367
cephalus, 363-66
curema, 366-67
gigas, 587
grunniens, 587
lineatus, 363
obliquus, 581
petrosus, 366
trichodon, 9, 366, 367-68
Mugilidae, 362-68
Mullet, 106, 111, 362-68
black, 586 ,
fantail, 367-68
golden, 111
jumping, 364
lake, 111
red, 377-79
striped, 363-66
~ i
summer, 367 \
whirligig, 367-68
white, 366-67
Mullidae, 377-79
Mullus, 377-79
auratus, 377-79
barbatus auratus, 377
Mummichog, 309-11
banded or striped, 309
spring, 312
Mummy, 310
porgy, 316
Muraena bostoniensis, 170
conger, 175
rostrata, 170
Muraenoides gunnellus, 665
Muscalonge, 303
Muskallunge, 303
768 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ae
Mud cat, 82 Muskellunge, 303.
“Mud creeper, 656-58 Mustelus, 22-23 —
Mud dace, 288 canis, 23
Mud eel, 15 Muttonfish, 674-75
Mud lamprey, 16 Myliobatide, 57-60 )
Mud minnow, 287-91 Myliobatis, 57-58 PEN it.
striped, 289-91 acuta, 58
Mud shad, 188 freminvillei, 58
Mud sucker, 104 , ? say, 59
Myoxocephalus, 639-44
aeneus, 639-41
groenlandicus, 642-44
octodecimspinosus, 641-42
Myxostoma anisura, 109
Myxus harengus, 365
Naked goby, 656-58
Namaycush, 266
Narcobatidae, 51-52.
Nauclerus, 412
Naucrates, 412-14
ductor, 412-14
- indicus, 412
noveboracensis, 412
Needle-fishes, 317-23 —
Nematognathi, 76-97 |
Neoliparis, 652-53
atlanticus, 652-53 *
montagui, 652
Neomaenis, 547-55
aya, 551
blackfordi, 9, 550-55
griseus, 548-50
Nerfling, gold, 181
New York gudgeon, 309
New York pollack, 694
New York shadine, 190-91
Newligut, 460
Niagara gudgeon, 152-54
Nigger chub, 160, 162-64
_ Nipper, 593-96
Nocomis, 159-60
Northern barracuda, 371-73
Northern chub sucker, 106
Northern mooneye, 185-86.
Northern pickerel, great, 299
Northern sucker, 99, 100
Norway haddock, 631-83
Notemigonus, 132-34
chrysoleucas, 132
lucidus, 151
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK 769
Notropis, 135-52 Oncorhynchus, 241-44
amarus, 141, 142
amoenus, 150-51
anogenus, 136
atherinoides, 147-49
bifrenatus, 135-56
blennius, 138-39
cayuga, 136-37
cornutus, 145-47
frontalis, 147
dilectus, 149
dinemus, 149
heterodon, 137-38
hudsonius, 140-42, 143
amarus, 142-438
lythrurus, 151
megalops, 145
frontalis, 147
photogenis, 151
procne, 139-40
rubrifrons, 149-50
umbratilis lythrurus, 151-52
whipplei, 144
whipplii, 148-45
Noturus, 91-92
flayus, 91-92
gyrinus, 93
insignis, 95
lemniseatus, 95
marginatus, 96
miurus, 96
Numbfish, 51-52
chouicha, 242
orientalis, 242
quinnat, 241
tschawytscha, 241-44
Oneida sucker, 111
Onos cimbrius, 710
ensis, 709
reinhardti, 708
rufus, 709
| Ophidiidae, 675-76
Ophidioidei, 674-75
Ophidium barbatum, 676
marginatum, 675
mucronatum, 665
Ophioscion, 576, 578, 583
Opisthonema, 209-11
oglina, 209
oglinum, 209-11
Opsanus, 660-62
tau, 661-62
Orange filefish, 613-15
Orcynus alliteratus, 389
pelamys, 386
thynnus, 391
Orfe, 131
Orthagoriscus analis, 630
mola, 630
chrysopterus, 556-57
duplex, 556
Osmerus, 282-85
mordax, 282-85
viridescens, 282
Ostariophysi, 76-738
Oblong flounder, 721
- Oceanic bonito, 386-88
Oceanic sucker, 689
Odontaspis americanus, 34
Ogcocephalidae, 737-38
Ogcocephalus, 737-38
vespertilio, 738
Ohio golden shad, 192
Ohio river sturgeon, 66 ;
Okow, 495
Oldwife, 582
‘Oligocephalus, 517-18
Oligoplites, 410-12
occidentalis, 410
saurus, 410-12
Oncocottus, 644, 645
Ostraciidae, 615-17
Ostracion, 615
trigonus, 616
yalei, 616
Ostracium trigonum, 616
trigonus, 616
Ostracodermi, 615-17
Oswego bass, 491, 492
Otolithus, 569
carolinensis, 573
nebulosus, 573
regalis, 570
Otsego bass, 225
Ouananiche, 249
Ovate pompano, 439-41
Oysterfish, 598, 656-58, 661-62
770 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM
Paddlefishes, 60-63
Pagrus argyrops, 558
Painted tail, 487
Pale sucker, 101
Palinurichthys, 454-55
perciformis, 454-55
Palinurus perciformis, 454
Pammelas perciformis, 455
Panhagen, 212
Pappyfish, 456-57
Paralichthys, 717-22
dentatus, 717-20
lethostigma, 720
lethostigmus, 720-21
oblongus, 721-22
ophryas, 718
Paratractus, 480-31
pisquetus, 480
Parche, 604-6
Parr, 245
Pastinaca hastata, 53, 54
maclura, 56
Pearl minnow, 130-31
Pearl roach, 134
Pediculate fishes, 733-38
Pediculati, 783-88
Pegedictis, 635-37
ictalops, 635
Peixe carago, 18-22
Pelamys sarda, 393
Perea, 500-4
acuta, 500 ©
americana, 500, 528
atraria, 536
chrysops, 522
chrysoptera, 556
flavescens, 500-4
fluviatilis, 500
gibbosa, 483
gracilis, 500
granulata, 500
marina, 631
mitchilli, 524
alternata, 524
interrupta, 524
ocellata, 578
saltatrix, 445
schrenckii, 500
sectatrix, 568
septentrionalis, 524
Perea (continued)
serrato-granulata, 500
undulata, 583
varia, 536, 537
vitrea, 493
Percesoces, 354-73
Perch, 488, 493-521, 529, 595.
black, 488, 529, 537
blue, 595
bridge, 460, 487
chinquapin, 460, 463
goggle-eye, 463
log, 505-6
Mitchill’s, 525
pike, 493-97
pirate, 352-54
red, 529
red-eyed, 468
red sea, 633
ring, 500-4
river, 529
sand, 463
sea, 595
Silver, 4638, 576-78
speckled, 460
strawberry, 460, 463
striped, 502
tin, 460
trout, 351-52, 488
white, 528-31, 590-92
yellow, 6, 488, 500-4, 529
Perch pike, 494
Perchlike fishes, 459-599
Percidae, 4938-521
Percina, 504-6
caprodes, 505-6
var. manitou, 506
zebra, 506-7
manitou, 506
Percoidea, 459-599
Percopsidae, 351-52
Percopsis, 351-52
guttatus, 351-52
hammondi, 351
Petromyzon, 11-14
americanus, 11
appendix, 11
concolor, 14
marinus, 11-18
subsp. dorsatus, 13
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Petromyzon (continued)
unicolor, 13-14
nigrum, 16
Petromyzontidae, 11-17
Pharyngognathi, 593-601
Pholis, 665-66
gunnellus, 665-66
subbifurcatus, 667
Photogenis spilopterus, 143
Phoxinus, 114, 1380-31
elongatus, 128
margaritus, 130
Phycis chuss, 707
filamentosus, 707
punctatus, 705
regalis, 704
regius, 704
tenuis, 706
Picarel, 495
Pickerel, 5, 298-301, 495, 498, 505
banded, 292-94
chain, 6, 296-98
eastern, 297
great, northern, 299
little, 294-96, 505
trout, 295
‘ Pickering, 498
Pigfish, 556-57, 642
Pigmy sculpin, 639-41
Pike, 291-307, 493-97
blue, 303, 494, 497
bony, 71
bony-scaled, 6
common, 298-301
federation, 297
gar, 70-72
grass, 300, 494
gray, 498, 499
great, 303
green, 296-98, 494, 498
lake, 300
long-jawed fresh-water, 318
rock, 499
sand, 498-99
sea, 318
wall-eyed, 493-97
yellow, 494
Pike perch, 493-97
Pikelike fishes, 287-317
Pileoma semifasciatum, 505
zebra, 506
Pilot, banded, 415
black, 454-55
shark’s, 416
Pilot-fish, 221, 412-14
Pilot sucker, 687-88
Pimelepterus boscii, 568
Pimelodus atrarius, 85
catus, 87
cupreus, 84
flavus, 91
insigne, 95
lemniscatus, 96
livrée, 96
marmoratus, 89
natalis, 84
nebulosus, 87
nigricans, 81
pullus, 90
vulgaris, 84
Pimephales, 118-21
notatus, 120-21
promelas, 118-19
Pinfish, 562
Pipefish, 347-49
common, 347-49
spotted, 346
Pirate perches, 352-54
Pisces, 17-738
Plaice, 724
Platessa dentata, 716
ferruginea, 726
oblonga, 717, 720
ocellaris, 717
plana, 727
pusilla, 728
quadrocellata, 721
rostrata, 726
Platophrys, 730-31
nebularis, 730
ocellatus, 730-31
Plectognathi, 608-733
Plectospondyli, 97-169
Pleuronectes, 727
americanus, 727
aquosus, 723
dentatus, 717
ferrugineus, 726
hippoglossus, 714
SO a
772 - NEW YORK STATP MUSEUM
Pleuronectes (continued) _| Pomolobus, 195-203
maculatus, 723 / aestivalis, 202
melanogaster, 717 _ chrysochloris, 195-96
mollis, 732 iat tot cyanonoton, 202-3
mediocris, 197-98 _
pseudoharengus, 199-201
vernalis, 199 yi
Pomotis appendix, 478 _
auritus, 483
oblongus, 721
planus, 727
platessoides, 716
Pleuronectidae, 714-31
Plumbeous minnow, 161-62, gibbosus, 480 ;
Puneumatophorus, 381-83 — gulosus, 470
_ Poecilia macrolepidota, 309 ¢ guttatus, 472 ean =: 3
Poecilichthys coeruleus, 51 hexacanthus, 462
eos, 521 | incisor, 480 -
fusiformis, 520 longulus, 475 ‘
Poeciliidae, 307-17 obesus, 471 ae
- Pogonias, 587-90 Fe dad a _ rubricauda, 478 =e
chromis, 588. speciosus, 480
vulgaris, 4838 eg
cromis, 587-90
fasciatus, 587
Gd Pogy, 559
ak Pollachius, 693-94
_ carbonarius, 693
virens, 693-94
Pollack, 693-94
black, 694
green, 694
New York, 694
Polydactylus, 373-75
Pomoxis annularis, 459-62
nitidus, 459
sparoides, 462-64
| Pomoxys, 459-64 —
sparoides, 462 .
Pompano, common, 443-44
ovate, 439-41 —
round, 439-41
shore, 441
silvery, 441-43
Pompeynose, 444
wien: cae, Ee Pondfish, 484
COD BEETS bane | _ | Porbeagle, 39-40
Polynemidae, 373-75 long-tailed, 27 FATHENY
Polynemus octofilis, 373° Porcupine fishes, 624-29
octonemus, 3873 hairy, 625-26 man
‘Sexradiatus, 684 Porgee, 583 f
Polyodon, 60-63. big, 559
feuille, 61 . little, 582
folium, 61 rhomboidal, 562
spathula, 61-63 sand, 558-61, 582
Polyodontidae, 60-63 | ‘three-tailed, 603
Polyprion, 531-83 — Porgies, 557-65 — /
americanus, 532-33 Porgy mummy, 316 aa
cerhium, 532 Poronotus, 457-59
oxygeneios, 532 — ? triacanthus, 458
oxygenius, 532 Pout, horned, 87-89.
Pomadasys fulvomaculatus, 556 Priacanthidae, 544-47
Pomatomidae, 445-48 Priacanthus, 544-45
Pomatomus, 445-48 altus, 546
saltator, 445 arenatus, 544-45
Saltatrix, 445-48 coy macrophthalmus, 544
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Prickly skate, 47-48
Pride, 16-17
Prionace, 24-25
glauca, 25
Prioncdon glaucus, see Carcharias
(Prionodon) glaucus
milberti, see Carcharias
don) milberti
obscurus, see Carcharias (Priono-
don) obseurus
Prionotus, 676-82
carolinus, 677-78
evolans, 679
var. lineatus, 679
lineatus, 679
palmipes, 677
strigatus, 679-81
tribulus, 681-82
Pristipoma fasciatum, 556
fulvomaculatum, 556
Promicropterus, 541-42
Psetta, 723
Pseudopleuronectes, 726, 727-29
americanus, 727-29
Pseudopriacanthus, 545-47
altus, 546-47
Pseudorhombus dentatus, 717
oblongus, 721
ocellaris, 717
Pseudotriakidae, 17-22
Pseudotriakis, 17-22
microdon, 18-22
Pterophryne, 735-37
histrio, 736-37
Pteroplatea, 56-57
maclura, 56-57
Ptyonotus thompsonii, 644
Puckermouth, 719
Puffers, 617-24
smooth, 618-19
Pug-nosed shiner, 434
Pumpkin seed, 458, 483-86
Pygosteus, 337-40 ©
pungitius, 338-40
sinensis, 338
Querimana, 9, 365
gyrans, 9, 366, 368
harengus, 366
Quinnat salmon, 241-44
Rabbitfish, 618-19
Rachycentridae, 448-50
Rachycentron, 448-50
canadus, 449-50
Radiated shanny, 667-68
Raia eglanteria, 49
laevis, 50
ocellata, 48
Rainbow darter, 517-18
Rainbow trout, 261-63
Rainwater fish, 314-15
Raja, 46-51
bonasus, 59
centroura, 53
diaphanes, 49
eglanteria, 47, 49-50
erinacea, 47-48
erinaceus, 47
laevis, 50-51
maclura, 56
ocellata, 48-49
Say, 55
torpedo, 51
Rajidae, 46-51
Rakehead, 32
Ray, 46-60
brier, 49-50
butterfly, 56-57
common sting, 53-54
cow-nosed, 59-60
eagle, 57-60
electric, 51-52
hedgehog, 47-48
southern sting, 55-56
spotted, 48
sting, 53-57
whip, 55
whip sting, 55
whip-tailed, 53-59
Razor back, 463
Red-bellied dace, 114-16
Red-bellied minnow, 115
Red drum, 578-80, 589
Red-eyed perch, 468
Red gurnard, 682-83
Red horse, 110-12
golden, 111
Red mullet, 377-79
Red perch, 529
Red sea perch, 633
~~
774
Red-sided shiner, 128-29
Red-sided sucker, 100
Red snapper, 9, 550-55
Red sturgeon, 66 |
Redtail, 160
Redthroat trout, 250-52
Red trout, 267
Red-winged sea robin, 678, 679-81
Redeye, 467-70, 475-77
Redfin, 145-47, 151-52
Redfish, 634-35
Remora, 686-90
brachyptera, 689-90
Indian, 687
jacobaea, 688
remora, 688-89
white-tailed, 687
Remoropsis brachyptera, 689
brachypterus, 689
Reniceps tiburo, 30
Requiem sharks, 22-30
Rhegnopteri, 373-75.
Rheocrypta copelandi, 509
Rhina squatina, 45
Rhinichthys, 152-56
atronasus, 154-56
cataractae, 152-54
marmoratus, 152
nasutus, 152
obtusus, 155
Rhinonemus cimbrius, 710
Rhinoptera, 58-60
bonasus, 59-60
quadriloba, 59
Rhombochirus, 690
osteochir, 690
' Rhomboganoidea, 69-73
Rhomboidal porgee, 562
Rhomboidichthys ocellatus, 730
ROMIDUS, 455-59
aquosus, 723
longipinnis, 456
— ocellatus, 730
paru, 456-57
triacanthus, 457-59
Rhypticus decoratus, 541
maculatus, 541
Richardsonius, 128
Ring perch, 500-4
NEW YORK STATP MUSEUM | uP, Et
-Rissola, 675-76 st
‘Round herring, 8, 189-91
Ruddy sturgeon, 66
marginata, 675-76 r
River alewife, 192 eae
River bass, 491 ‘
River chub, 159-60
River herring, 199
River perch, 529
Roach, 6, 182-34, 582
Irish, 184
pearl, 134
Robin, flying, 684-85
Roccus, 522-27
americanus, 528
chrysops, 522-23
comes, 570 :
lineatus, 524-27
striatus, 524
Rock, 525
Rock bass, 467-70, 537,
Rock cod, 699 ;
Roek eels, 665-71.
Rock pike, 499 .
Rock sturgeon, 66
Rock toadfish, 646 — .
Rockfish, 155, 505, 524-27, 631- 85.
Rockling, 709-10
four-bearded, 710-11
silvery, 708-9 me
Roncador, 590
Rosefish, 631-33
Rostrated dory, 486
Rosy-faced minnow, 149-50
Rosy minnow, 147-49
Rough dab, 716-17
Rough-head, 146 —
Rough silversides, 359-61
Round pompano, 439- pale
Round robin, 421-22)
Round whitefish, 221-24
Rounded sucker, 106
Roundfish, 221, 222
Rudderfish, 454-55, 457, 567-69:
banded, 414-16, 428-29
Ruddy bass, 529
Runner, 419-20, 598
Rusty dab, 727 °
Rusty ‘flatfish, 727
Rusty flounder, 717 _
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK TT
Rutilus anomalus, 113
storerianus, 158
Rypticus, 540-42
bistrispinus, 541-42
Sac-a-lait, 460, 463
Saibling, 275-78
Sailfishes, 403-7
Sailor’s choice, 561-62
Salar ausonii, 254
Salmo, 244-66, 257-59
adirondacus, 266
alpinus, 275, 278
amethystinus, 266
amethystus, 266
ascanii, 275
canadensis, 272
clarkii henshawi, 250
clupeaformis, 224
colii, 276
confinis, 266
erythrogaster, 272
fario, 254-57
ausonii, 254
foetens, 286
- fontinalis, 272
gairdneri, 252-54
gairdnerii, 252
gloverii, 248
_grayi, 276
(Coregonus) harengus, 238
henshawi, 250-52
hocdii, 266
immaculatus, 272
irideus, 261-63
shasta, 261
killinensis, 276
(Coregonus) labradoricus, 224
lemanus, 263-66
levenensis, 259
mykiss, 250
henshawi, 250
namaycush, 266
pallidus, 266
perisii, 276
purpuratus, 252
var. henshawi, 250
(Coregonus) quadrilateralis, 221
quinnat, 241
rivalis, 276
or
Salmo (continued)
salar, 244-48
sebago, 248-50
var. sebago, 248
salmarinus, 275
salvelinus, 275
sebago, 248
Siscowet, 266
trutta, 263
levenensis, 259-61
tshawytscha, 241
(Coregonus) tullibee, 238
umbla, 275
willughbii, 276
Salmon, 61-62, 219-82
Atlantic, 244-48
black, 267
chinook, 241-44
dwarf, 246
fresh-water, 246
jack, 495
king, 241-44
landlocked, 246, 248-50
Quinnat, 241-44
Susquehanna, 494
white, 495, 497
Salmon killer, 341
Salmon shark, 40
Salmon trout, 180, 252-54, 266-71
Salmonidae, 219-82
Salmoperca pellucida, 351
Salmopereae, 351-52
Salt water bream, 562
Salt-water chub, 598
Salt-water jack, 446
Salt-water minnow, 310
Salt-water trout, 571
Salvelinus, 271-82
alpinus, 275-78
aureolus, 276-82
aureolus, 278
fontinalis, 272-75
namaycush, 266
Sand dab, 717, 726-27
Sand eel, 376-77
Sand flounder, 724, 730-31
Sand lances, 375-77
Sand perch, 463
Sand pike, 287, 498-99
Sand porgee, 558-61, 582
776 | NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM poet ss
Sand rollers, 851-52. -
Sand shark, 34-37
Sand smelt, 359
Sand sucker, 108-9
Sareura, 46-52
Sarda, 393-95
mediterranea, 393
pelamys, 393
sarda, 393-95
Sardine, scaled, 209
Sardinella, 208-9
sp., 209
Sargus ambassis, 558
arenosus, 558
ovis, 563 |,
rhomboides, 561
Sarothrodus maculocinctus, 605
Satin striped herring, 215
‘Sauger, 498-99 Sie
Saurel, 425-26
Sauries, 327-29 —
Saurus foetens, 286
mexicanus, 286
Sawbelly, 200
Scabbard fish, 402-3
Scad, 421-22, 425
big-eyed, 426-27
dotted, 422
mackerel, 423-24
Scale carp, 167
Scaled sardine, 209
Scaly fins, 601-8
Schilbeodes, 92-97
_ gyrinus, 93-94
insignis, 95-96
miurus, 96-97
Schoodice trout, 246
Schuylkill cat, 86
Sciaena, 578, 590
caprodes, 505
chrysura, 576
imberbis, 578
lineata, 524
nebulosa, 585
obliqua, 581
ocellata, 578
oscula, 590
punctata, 576
xanthurus, 581 :
Sciaenidae, 569-92
\
neh,
Sciaenops, 578-80, 583 —
ocellatus, 578-80
Sciena fusca, 588
gigas, 588
Sclerodermi, 608-15 _
Scoliodon, 29-30
Scoliodon terrae noyae, 29-30
Scolopsis sayanus, 353
Scomber, 379-83
alleteratus, 388
echrysurus, 437
colias, 381-83
crumenophthalmus, 426
crysos, 430
dekayi, 382
ductor, 412
grex, 382 -
hippos, 421, 428 >
maculatus, 396
pelamis, 386
plumbeus, 445 —
plumieri, 426 - one
pheumatophorus, 382
regalis, 398 a
garda, 393
saurus, 410
scomber, 380
scombrus, 379-81
thazard, 384 —
thynnus, 391
trachurus, 425
vernalis, 380 |
zonatus, 414
Scomberesocidae, 327-29
Scomberesox, 327-29
equirostrum, 327
saurus, 327-29
scutellatum, 327
storeri, 328
Scomberomorus, 395-401
cavalla, 400-1
maculatus, 396-98
regalis, 398-400
Scombridae, 379-401
Scombroidei, 379-459
Scombroides occidentalis, 410
Scorpaena americana, 646
dactyloptera, 634
flava, 646
purpurea, 646
rufa, 646
¥ _
a a es ig ee a pai tain cia
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Lek
Scorpaenidae, 631-35
Scorpoena, yellow, 646
Sculpin, 635-47
brassy, 639:
daddy, 642-44
deep water, 646
18-spined, 641-42
lake, 644-45
pigmy, 639-41
Sea, 646
Scup, 558-61
Scuppaug, 559
Scuteeg, 571
Sea basses, 522-42, 536-39
striped, 525
Sea catfish, 77-78, 78-79
Sea devil, 735
Sea eel, 175-77
Sea herring, 192-94
Sea horse, 349-51
Sea lamprey, great, 11-13
Sea mink, 585-87
Sea owl, 651
Sea perch, 595
red, 633
Sea pike, 318
Sea poacher, 648-49
Sea raven, 646-47
Sea robin, 642, 677-78, 680
big-headed, 681-82
red-winged, 678, 679-81
Sea sculpin, 646
Sea snails, 652-56
striped, 654-56
‘Sea snipe, 318
Sea swallow, 685
Sea tead, 642
Sea trout, 571, 573-74
Sea wolf, 673
Seaweed blenny, 663-64
Sebago trout, 246
Sebastes, 631-33
dactylopterus, 634
marinus, 631-33
norvegicus, 632
_ horwegicus, 631
Sebastinae, 631-35
Sebastoplus dactylopterus, 634
Seering, 180
Selachii, 17-60 :
Selachostomi, 60-63
Selachus maximus, 42
Selene, 434-36
argentea, 435
gallus, 435
setipinnis, 483
vomer, 435-36
Semotilus, 121-26
atromaculatus, 123-26
biguittatus, 159
bullaris, 122-23
corporalis, 122, 124
Seran imperial, 634-35
Scrgeant fishes, 448-50
Seriola, 414-18
bipinnulata, 419
cosmopolita, 437
gigas, 416
lalandi, 416-18
pipnulata, 419
zonata, 414-16
Seriolichthys .bipinnulatus, 419
Serranidae, 522-42
Serranus atrarius, 536
brasiliensis, 539
flaviventris, 539
margaritifer, 533
nigrescens, 536
niveatus, 533
Shad, 192, 204-8, 460
Cayuga lake, 200
fall, 197
gizzard, 186-88
gold, 195-86
hickory, 9, 188, 197-98
little, 200
mud, 188
Ohio golden, 192
stink, 188
tailor, 198
white, 205
white-eyed, 188
winter, 188 )
Shad bait, 194
Shad herring, 197-98, 203, 209-11 )
Shad trout, 571
Shad-waiter, 221, 224-30 Fi
Shadine, 190-91 Fi
Shanny, radiated, 667-68
Shark ray, 46
CTO NEW YORK STATD MUSEUM
Sharks,171-G07 7-0.“ Short-nosed sturgeon, 68-69
angel, 45-46 Shovel fish, 61
basking, 41-43 Shovelhead shark, 30-31
blue, 39 : . Shovelnose shark, 32
bone, 43 Sierra, 400-1
x dog, 23 Siluridae, 76-97
dusky, 25-26 Silurus catus, 85-87
elephant, 42-48 ; felis, 78
great blue, 25 : ' : gyrinus, 93
great white, 40-41 marinus, 77
green-backed, 30 melas, 90
ground, 35 punctatus, 80
' hammerheaded, 30-32 . Silver bass, 185, 462, 523
leopard, 24 Silver cat, 80
little bullhead, 46 ag Silver chub, 122-23
mackerel, 37-41 Silver gar, 317-19
Milbert’s, 26-28 Silver hake, 691-93
requiem, 22-30 Silver Jenny, 566-67
salmon, 40 Naik Silver king, 177-79
sand, 34-37 Silver lamprey, 14-15
sharp-nosed, 29-30 Silver perch, 463, 576-78
shovelhead, 30-31 ° Silver trout, 278-82
shovelnose, 32 Silverfin, 143-45
small blue, 27 Silverfish, 165
swingle-tail, 33-34 Silversides, 354-62
thresher, 32-34 brook, 361-62
tiger, 24 fresh-water, 356-57
Shark’s pilot, 416 rough, 359-61
Sharksucker, 686-87 Slender, 355-56
Sharp-nosed shark, 29-30 small, 358 ~
Sheepshead, 458, 563-65, 591 Silvery anchovy, 216-17
three-tailed, 603 Silvery minnow, 116-18
young, 589 Silvery pompano, 441-43
Sheepshead chaetodon, 603 Silvery rockling, 708-9 :
Sheepshead killifish, 317 Siphostoma, 347-49
Sheepshead Lebias, 316 fuscum, 3847-49
Sheepshead minnow, 3815-17 peckianum, 347
Shiner, 139-40, 145-47, 160, 235-87, | Skate, 17, 46-51, 49
241, 359, 562 - barndoor, 50-51 _
blunt-nosed, 434 big, 48-49
cryptous broad, 458 bonnet, 48
golden, 132-3 clear-nosed, 49-50
lake, 236 — common, 47-48
pug-nosed, 434 prickly, 47-48
red-sided, 128-29 spotted, 48-49
spotted, 157-58 “summer, 48
Shoemaker, 104 winter, 49
Shoemakerfish, 432-33 : Skip mackerel, 446
Shore pompano, 441 Skipjack, 192, 195-96, 361-62,
Short-finned harvestfish, 458 458 , ‘
Short-nosed gar, 72-73 Skippang, 212
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK 779
Skipper, 327-29 Spheroides, 619-24
Slender halfbeak, 326-27
Slender silversides, 355-56
' Slippery Dick, 675-76
Smelt, 140-42, 148, 282-85
sand, 359
Smelt of New York lakes, 230-33
Smolt, 245
Smooth browed bullhead, 640
Smooth dogfish, 23
Smooth mousefish, 736
Smooth puffer, 618-19
Snake blenny, 671
Snakefish, 287, 670-71
Snap mackerel, 445-48
Snapper, 445-48, 547-55, 633
- blue, 446
gray, 548-50
mangrove, 548-50
red, 9, 550-55
Snapping mackerel, 446
Snipe, sea, 318
Snowy grouper, 533-35
Soapfish, 541-42
Soft gar, 318
Soft sucker, 108
Soldier fish, 518
Soleidae, 731-33
Soles, 731-33
American, 732-33
calico, 7382
Southern flounder, 720-21
Spadefishes, 601-4
Spanish mackerel, 396-98
Sparidae, 557-65
Sparus argyrops, 558
aureus, 483
chrysops, 558
Ovis, 563
probatocephalus, 563
rhomboides, 561
Spawn-eater, 140-42
Spearfish, 287, 405-7
Spearfish sucker, 690
Spearing, 359
Speckled perch, 460
Speckled trout, 273
Sperling, 194, 359
Sphaeroides trichocephalus, 624
NG SS
maculatus, 620-22
nephelus, 624
pachygaster, 624
testudineus, 622-24
trichocephalus, 624
Sphyraena, 368-73
TCUS ole
borealis, 371-73
guachancho, 369-70
guaguanche, 369
guaguancho, 369
guntheri, 369
spet, 3871
Sphyraenidae, 368-73
Sphyrna, 30-32
tiburo, 30-31
Zygaena, 31-32.
Sphyrnidae, 30-32
Spikefish, 404-5
Spinax acanthias, 438
Spined dogfish, 43-45
Spinous dory, 439
Spinoeus trachinote, 441
Spiny boxfish, 626-28
Spiny-rayed fishes, 351-608
Spoon-billed sturgeon, 61
Spoerbill, 61
Spoonbill cat, 61-63
Spot, 589-83
‘Spot-striped balloon fish, 628
Spotted bass, 487, 580
Spotted bergall, 596
Spotted blenny, 668-69
Spotted caranx, 422
Spotted cat, 80-81
Spotted cero, 400
Spotted codling, 704-5
Spotted flounder, 731
Spotted grouper, 533-35
Spotted hake, 704-5
Spotted maskalonge, 302-4
Spotted minnow, 120-21
Spotted pipefish, 346
Spotted ray, 48
Spotted shiner, 157-58
Spotted skate, 48-49
Spotted stargazer, 658-60
Spotted sucker, 108-9
Spotted turbot, 724
4
TSO NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Spotted weakfish, 573-74
Sprat herring, 209-11
Spring herring, 199
Spring mummichog, 312
Squalidae, 48-45
Squalius elongatus, 128
margaritus, 130
Squalus, 43-45
acanthias, 43-45
canis, 23
carcharias, 40
cornubicus, 39
glaucus, 25
littoralis, 34
maximus, 42
obseurus, 25
punctatus, 29
spathula, 61
Ssquatina, 45
(Carcharias) terrae-novae, 29
tiburo, 30
vulpes, 33
Zygaena, 31
Squamipinnes, 601-7
Squatina, 45-46
angelus, 45
dumerili, 45,
Squatina, 45-46
Squatinidae, 45-46
Squeteague, 570-73
Squid hound, 525
Squirrel fish, 562
Squirrel hake, 706, 707-8
Starfish, 458
Stargazers, 658-62
little, 637
spotted, 658-60
Staten Island herring, 197
Steel-back minnow, 113
Steelhead, 252-54
Stellifer, 576
Stenotomus, 557-60
argyrops, 558 .
chrysops, 558-61
Stephanolepis, 611-13
Stichaeinae, 667-71
Stichaeus, 668-69
islandicus, 670
punctatus, 668-69
‘Striped mummichog, 309
Sticklebacks, 335-44
bloody, 348
brook, 335-37
Cayuga lake, 337
four-spined, 342-44
10-spined, 338-40
two-spined, 340-42
Stilbe chrysoleucas, 132.
Sting rays, 53-57
Stink shad, 188
Stizostedion, 493-99
canadense, 498-99
griseum, 499
vitreum, 493-97
Stizostedium canadense, 498
var. griseum, 499
vitreum, 494
Stolephorus, 213-19
argyrophanus, 216-17
browni, 214
brownii, 214-15
eurystole, 216 |
mitchilli, 218-19 a
perfasciatus, 216, 217-18 4
Stomodon Bilinearis, 691
Stone bass, 532
Stone cat, 91-92, 93-94
margined, 95-96
tadpole, 93
variegated, 96-97
Stone lugger, 104, 113-14
Stone roller, 103-4, 113-14
Stone toter, 104, 115
Straw-colored minnow, 138-59
Strawberry bass, 462-64
Strawberry perch, 460, 463
Streaked bass, 525
Streaked head, 438
Striped anchovy, 214-15
Striped bass, 523, 524-27
Striped basse, 525
Striped killifish, 309
Striped mud minnow, 289-91 =
Striped mullet, 363-66
+ desceiat akan 4 a
Striped perch, 502
Striped sea bass, 525
Striped sea snail, 654-56
Striped sucker, 108-9
Stromateidae, 455-59
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Stromateus alepidotus, 456
cryptosus, 458.
gardenii, 456
longipinnis, 456
paru, 456
triacanthus, 457
Sturgeon, 63-69
bony, 66
common, 63-65
lake, 66-67
Ohio river, 66
red, 66
rock, 66
ruddy, 66
short-nosed, 68-69
spoon-billed, 61
Suckers, 97-112
banded, 104
black, 104
black-nosed, 108:
brook, 101
chub, 105-7
common, 101-3
golden, 111
gray, 101
hog, 103-4
Summer skate, 48
Sun trout, 571
Sunapee trout, 278-82
(81
Sunfish, 434, 459-93, 483-86, 615, 629
banded, 471-73
bass, 466
blue, 480-82
blue-spotted, 473-75, 477
green, 475-77
long-eared, 478
mud, 464-66
Sunny, 484
Surgeons, 606-7
Surmullets, 377-79
Susquehanna salmon, 494
Sweet sucker, 106
Swellfish, 620-22
Swelltoad, 621
Swingle-tail shark, 33-3-
Swiss Lake trout, 263-66
Swordfish sucker, 689-80
Swordfishes, 71, 407-9
Synentognathi, 317-35
Syngnathidae, 347-49
Syngnathinae, 347-49
large-scaled, 104 Syngnathus fasciatus, 347
long-nosed, 99-101 fuscus, 347
mud, 104 hippocampus, 350
northern, 99, 100 peckianus, 347
oceanic, 689 7 viridescens, 347
Oneida, 111 A Synodontidae, 285-87
pale, HL Synodus, 285-87
pilot, 687-88 foetens, 286-87
red-sided, 100
rounded, 106
Tadpole stonecat, 98
sand, 108-9
Tahoe trout, 250-52
soft, 108 Tailor, 446
spearfish, 690 Tailor shad, 198
spotted, 108-9 Tambor, 624
striped, 108-9 Tang. 607
sweet, 106
swordfish, 689-90
white, 101
Tarpon atlanticus, 177-79
Tarpons, 177-80
Tarpum, 177-7
white-nosed, 109-10 Tautog, 597-99
Sucking fish, 686-87 Tautoga, 596-99
Sucking toad, 621 americana, 597 °
Summer flounder, 717-20 caerulea, 593
Summer herring, 203 niger, 597
Summer mullet, 367 . onitis, 597-99
T82 ‘NEW, YORK STATE MUSEUM
Tautogolabrus, 593-96
adspersus, 593-96
Tectospondyli, 45-46
Teleostei, 76-738 :
Teleostomi, 60-76
Temnodon saltator, 445
Tench, 126-27
Tessellated darter, 514-16
Tetraodon laevigatus, 618
turgidus, 620
Tetraodontidae, 617-24
Tetrapturus, 405-7
albidus, 406
belone, 405
imperator, 405-7
Tetrodon curvus, 618,
hispidus var. maculatus, 620
laevigatus, 618
mathematicus, 618
mola, 629
testudineus, 622
trichocephalus, 624
turgidus, 620
Tetronarce, 51-52
occidentalis, 51-52
Teuthididae, 606-7
Teuthis, 606-7
hepatus, 607
Thimble-eye mackerel, 381-83
Ther Daciewsee oto. 6.5
Thorn-backed grunt, 444
Thread herring, 188, 209-11
Threadfins, 373-75
Threadfish, 210, 482-33
Thresher shark, 32-34
Thunder pumper, 591
Thunnus, 390-93
thynnus, 391-93
Thynnus affinis, 389
brachypterus, 391
brasiliensis, 388
brevipinnis, 388
brevirostris, 389
pelamys, 386
secundidorsalis, 391
thunnina, 388
vulgaris, 391
Tiburon, 28-29
Tiger shark, 24
Timber croppie, 460
Tin mouth, 463
Tin perch, 460 —
Tinea, 126-27
tinea, 126-27
vulgaris, 126
Toad, 598
sucking, 621
Toadfish, 621, 660-62
rock, 646
Tobacco box, 484
Togue, 267
Tomecod, 586, 695-97
brown, 696 ats
mixed, 696
yellow, 696
yellowish white, 696
Toothed flatfish, 719
Toothed herring, 184-85
Toothed minnow, 312
Top minnows, 307
Topsail, gaff, 77-78
Torpedo, 51-52
occidentalis, 51
Torsh, 699
Trachinoidei, 658-62
Trachinote, spinous, 441
Trachinotus, 488-44
argenteus, 441-43
- carolinus, 443-44
cupreus, 441
falcatus, 489-41
fuscus, 439
pampanus, 448
rhomboides, 439
spinosus, 4389
Trachurops, 426-27
crumenophthalmus, 426-27
Trachurus, 424-26
saurus, 425
trachurus, 425-26
Trachynotus, 4389
carolinus, 443
ovatus, 4389 oh: ;
pampanus, 443
rhomboides, 489
Trichidion octofilis, 873
octonemus, 373
Trichiuridae, 402-3
Trichiurus, 402-3
argenteus, 402
lepturus, 402-3
INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK
Trichocyclus erinaceus, 625
Trichodiodon, 624-26
pilosus, 625-26
Trichopterus, 428-29
Trigger fishes, 608-11
blue-striped, 610-11
Trigla, 677, 682
carolina, 677
cuculus, 682-83
evolans, 679
lineata, 679
palmipes, 677
strigata, 679
tribulus, 681
volitans, 684
Triglidae, 676-83
Triglopsis, 644-45
stimpsoni, 644
thompsoni, 644-45
Triple-tails, 542-43, 602-4
Trota, 255
Trout, 488, 491, 571
aleby, 702
brook, 6, 255, 272-75
brown, 254-57, 488
Gairdner’s, 252-54
golden, 278-82
gray, 267, 571
hybrid, 5, 257-59
lake, 266-71
Lake Tahoe, 250-52
Loch Leven, 259-61
mountain, 488
rainbow, 261-63
red, 267
salmon, 180, 252-54, 266-71
salt-water, 571
Schoodiec, 246
sea, 571, 573-74
Sebago, 246
shad, 571
Silver, 278-82
speckled, 273
steelhead, 252-54
sun, 571
Sunapee, 278-82
Swiss Lake, 263-66
white, 488
Trout perches, 351-52, 488
\
Trout pickerel, 295
Trout pike, 287
True fishes, 60-76
Truite, 255
Trumpet fish, 345-46
Trunkfishes, 615-17
Trutta, 244
Trygon hastata, 53-54
Sayl, 55
Tuftgills, 347-51
Tuladi, 267
Tullibee, 238-41
Tunny, 391-93
little, 388-90
Turbot, 608-10
spotted, 724
Turbot flounder, 719
Tylosurus, 317-23
acus, 322-23
crassus, 319
gladius, 319
longirostris, 317 .
marinus, 317-19
raphidoma, 319-21
Ulceina, 648-49
Ulvaria, 667-68
subbifurcata, 667-68
Umbra, 287-91 '
limi, 288-89
pygmaea, 289
pygmaea. 289-91
Umbridae, 287-91
Umbrina, 585
alburnus, 585
nebulosa, 585
Unspotted balloonfish, 628-29
Unspotted maskalonge, 304-7
Upsilenphorus guttatus, 658
Uranidea, 637-38
formosa, 638
gracilis, 637-38
quiescens, 637
richardsoni, 636
Uranoscopidae, 658-60
Uranoscopinae, 658-60
Urophycis, 704-8
chuss, 707-8
regius, 704-5
tenuis, 705-7
783
/
7TS4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
Variegated goby, 657
Variegated stone cat, 96-97
Vomer, 433-34
brownii, 4383
setipinnis, 433-34
Von Behr trout, 255
Wall-eyed herring, 199-200
Wall-eyed pike, 4938-97
Warmouth, 470-71
Watery flounder, 724
Weakfish, 570-73
spotted, 573-74
Weesick, 198
Welshman, 491
Whip ray, 55
Whip sting ray, 55
Whip-tailed rays, 53-59
Whirligig mullet, 367-68
White bass, 522-23
Wohite-bellied killifish, 311
White cat, 80, 85-86
White croppie, 460
White-eyed shad, 188
White hake, 705-7
White mullet, 366-67
White-nosed sucker, 109-10
White perch, 528-31, 590-92
White salmon, 495, 497
White shad, 205
White shark, great, 40-41
White sucker, 101
White-tailed remora, 687
White trout, 488
Whitebait, 194, 215, 217, 218-19, 357-59
Whitefish, 205, 219, 446
blackfin, 228
common, -224-30, 240
Hoy’s, 241
Labrador, 9, 224-30
Menominee, 221
mongrel, 238-41
round, 221-24
Whiting, 585-87, 691-93
Bermuda, 586
Will George, 598
Wind fish, 122-23
Window light, 724
Windowpane, 723-24
Winegfish, 678
Winninish, 246
Winter flounder, 727-29
Winter shad, 188
Winter skate, 49
Wolf fishes, 672-74
Wrassefishes, 593-600
Wreckfish, 532-33
Wrymouths, 671-72
Xenarchi, 352-54
Niphias, 407-9
gladius, 408-9
imperator, 405
Xiphidiidae, 665-71
Xiphiidae, 407-9
Xystophorus, 412
Yellow backs, 208
Yellow bass, 487
Yellow-bellied killifish, 31]
Yellow caranx, 429
Yellow cat, 84
Yellow fins, 571
Yellow mackerel, 480-31
Yellow perch, 6, 488, 500-4, 529
Yellow pike, 494
Yellow scorpoena, 646
Yellow-tail, 309, 562, 576-78
Yellowish white tomcod, 696
Zeidae, 600-1
Zenopsis, 600-1
ocellatus, 600-1
Zeoidea, 600-8
Zeus capillaris, 435
ciliaris, 482
crinitus, 4382
geometricus, 435
ocellatus, 600
rostratus, 435
setapinnis, 483
spinosus, 439
vomer, 485 .
Zoarces, 674-75
anguillaris, 674-75
viviparus, 674
ZAoarcidae, 674-75
Zonichthys gigas, 416
Zygaena malleus, 31
tiburo, 30
el i ee)
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53 (E14) Felt, E. P. 17th Report of the State Entomologist 1go1.
232p. il. 6pl. Aug. 1902. 30¢.
54 (Bs) Peck, C: H. Report of the State Botanist see 58p. 7pl.
Nov. 1902. 40¢.
55 (A7) Beauchamp, W: M. Metallic Implements of ne New York
Indians. g4p. 38pl. June 1902. 25¢.
56 (Gs) Merrill, F: 3 H. Geologic Map of New York. Jn press.
57 (E15) Felt, E, P. Elm Leaf Beetle in New York State. 46p. il.
8pl. Aug. 1902. 5c.
58 (Mz) Whitlock, H.P. Guide to the Mineralogic Collections of the
New York State Museum. 1 5op.il. 39pl. 11 models. Sep. 1902. 406.
59 (E16) Felt, E. P. Grapevine Root Worm. gop. 6pl. Dec. 1902. Z5¢.
60 (Zg) Bean, T. H. Catalogue of the Fishes of New York. 784p.
Feb. 1903. $1, cloth.
61 (EGrr) Dickinson, H. T. Quarries of Bluestone and other Sand-
stones in New York. Lh press.
62 (Miscr) Merrill, F: J. H. Directory of Natural History Museums
in United States and Canada, Jn press.
63 Clarke, J: M. Stratigraphy of Canandaigua and Naples Quadrangles.
2maps. Jn press.
Catalogue of Type Specimens of Paleozoic Fossils in the New York
State Museum. Jn press.
Ellis, Mary. Bibliography and Index of New York State Museum
Publications 1848-1902. Jn press.
_ Needham, J. G. & others. Aquatic Insects of New York. /n press.
lili niin
ae Sailr arin
MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS
Museum memoirs 1889-date. Q. :
1 Beecher, C: E. & Clarke, J: M. Development of some Silurian
Brachiopoda. g6p. 8pl. Oct. 1889. Out of print.
2 Hall, James & Clarke, J: M. Paleozoic Reticulate Sponges. 35op. il.
yopl. 1898. $v, cloth.
a ae / M. The Oriskany Fauna of Becraft Mountain, Columbia
Co. N7Y. 128p. gpl. Oct. 1900... oc.
Aeveck, C: H. N.Y. Edible Fungi, 1895-99. 106p. 25pl. Nov. 1900. 75¢.
This includes revised descriptions and illustrations of fungi reported in the
49th, 51st and 52d reports of the state botanist.
5 Clarke, J: M. & Ruedemann, Rudolf. Guelph Formation and Fauna
of New York State. Jn press.
6 Clarke, J: M. Naples Fauna in Western New York. Jn press.
Felt, E. P. Insects Affecting Park and Woodland Trees. Jn prepa-
ration.
Natural history of New York. 3ov. il.pl.maps. Q. Albany 1842-94.
DIVISION 1 zooLoGy. De Kay, James E. Zoology of New York; or, The New
York Fauna; comprising detailed descriptions of all the animals hitherto ob-
served within the State of New York with brief notices of those occasionally
found near its borders, and accompanied by appropriate illustrations. 5v. il.
pi. maps. sq..Q. Albany 1842-44. Out of print.
Historical introduction to the series by Gov. W:H. Seward. 178p.
v.1 ptl Mammalia. 13-+146p. 33pl. 1842.
300 copies with hand-colored plates.
vy.2pt2 Birds. 12-+-380p. 141pl. 1844.
Colored plates.
v.3 pt3 Reptiles and Amphibia. 7-+-98p. pt4 Fishes. 15+415p. 1842.
pt3-4 bound together.
v.4 Plates to accompany v.3. Reptiles and Amphibia 23pl. Fishes 79pl. 1842.
300 copies with hand-colored plates.
v.5 pt5 Mollusea. 4+271p. 40pl. pt6 Crustacea. 70p. 13pl. 1843-44.
Hand-colored plates: ptd-6 bound together. : :
DIVISION 2 BOTANY. Torrey,Johu. Flora of the State of New York; comprising
full descriptions of all the indigenous and naturalized plants hitherto dis-
covered in the State, with remarks on their economical and medical proper-
ties. 2v. il. pl. sq. Q. Albany 18438. Out of print.
v.1 Flora of the State of New York. 12-+-484p. 72pl. 18438.
300 copies with hand-colored plates.
v.2 Flora of the State of New York. 572p. 89pl. 1843.
300 copies with hand-colored plates. :
DIVISION 3 MINERALOGY. Beck, Lewis C. Mineralogy of New York; comprising
detailed descriptions of the minerals hitherto found in the State of New York,
and notices of their uses in the arts and agriculture. il. pl.sq.Q. Albany
1842. Out of print.
v. 1 ptl Economical Mineralogy. pt2 Descriptive Mineralogy. 24-++-536p. 1842.
8 plates additional to those printed as part of the text.
DIVISION 4 GEOLOGY. Mather, W: W.; Emmons, Ebenezer; Vanuxem, Lardner
& Hall, James. Geology of New York. 4v.il. pl. sq.Q. Albany 1842-43.
Out of print.
v.1 ptl Mather, W: W. First Geological District. 37-+-653p. 46pl. 1843.
v.2 pt2 Emmons, Ebenezer. Second Geological District. 10+437p.17pl. 1842.
v.3 pt3 Vanuxem, Lardner.’ Third Geological District. 306p. 1842. —
v. ue Hall, James. Fourth Geological District. 22-+683p. Map and 19pl.
43.
DIVISION 5 AGRICULTURE. Emmons, Ebenezer: Agriculture of New York; com-
prising an account of the classification, composition and distribution of the
‘soils and rocks aud the natural waters of the different geological formations,
together with a condensed view of the meteorology and agricultural produc-
tions of the State. 5y. il. pl. sq. Q. Albany 1846-54. Out of print.
v.1 Soils of the State, their Composition aud Distribution. 11-+-371p. 21pl.
UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
v.2 Analyses of Soils, Plants, Cereals, etc. 8-+343-+-46p. 42pl. 1849.
vith hand-colorsd platen? ; Rat eaten Rl
v.3 Fruits, etc. 8-++-340p. 1851.
v.4 Plates to accompany v.38. 95pl. 1851.
Hand-colored.
v.5 Insects Injurious to Agriculture. 8-+-272p. 50pl. 1854.
With hand-colored plates.
DIVISION 6 PALEONTOLOGY. Hall, James. Paleontology of New York. 8v. il.
pl. sq. Q@. Albany 1847-94. Bound in cloth.
v.1. Organic Remains of the Lower Division of the New York System. 23-++338p.
99pl. 1847. Out of print.
vy.2 Organic Remains of Lower Middle Division of the New York System.
84-362). 104p]. 1852. Out of print.
v.3 Organic Remaius of the Lower Helderberg Group and the Oriskany Sand-
stone. pt1, text. 12-+-532p. 1859. [$3.50]
—— pt2, 143pl. 1861. [$2.50]
v.4 Fossil Brachiopoda of the Upper Helderberg, Hamilton, Portage and Che-
mung Groups. 11-++-1-+428p. 99pl. 1867. $2.50.
v.5 ptl Lamellibranchiata 1. Monomyaria of the Upper Helderberg, Hamilton
aud Chemung Groups. 18-+-268p. 45p!. 1884. $2.50.
—— — Lamellibranchiata 2. Dimyaria of the Upper Helderberg, Hamilton, ~
Portage and Chemung Groups. 62-+-293p. 51pl. 1885. $2.50.
—— pt2 Gasteropoda, Pteropoda and Cephalopoda of the Upper Helderberg,
Hamilton, Portage and Chemung Groups. 2v. 1879. v. 1, text. 15-+-492p.
v.2,120pl. $2.50 for 2 v.
v.6 Corals and Bryozoa of the Lower and Upper Helderberg and Hamilton
Groups. 24-+-298p. 67pl. 1887. $2.50.
v.7 Trilobites and other Crustacea of the Oriskany, Upper Helderberg, Hamil-
ton, Portage, Chemung and Catskill Groups. 64+236p. 46pl. 1888. Cont.
supplement to v. 5, pt2. Pteropoda, Cephalopoda aud Annelida. 42p. 18pl.
1888. $2.50.
v.8 ptl Introduction to the Study of the Genera of the Paleozoic Brachiopoda.
16-+-367p. 44pl. 1892. $2.50. /
—— pt2 Paleozoic Brachiopoda. 16-+394p. 84pl. 1894. $2.50.
Museum handbooks 1893-date. 7144x12% cm. |
In quantities, 1 cent for each 16 pages or less. Single copies postpaid as
below.
H5 New York State Museum. 14p.il. je.
Outlines history and work of the museum; with list of staff and scientific
publications, 1893. New edition in press.
H13 Paleontology. 8p. 2c.
Brief outline of State Museum work in paleontology under heads: Definition ;
Relation to biology; Relation to stratigraphy; History of paleontology in New
York. : f
H15 Guide to Excursions in the Fossiliferous Rocks of New York.
PZOp, ie:
Itineraries of 32 trips covering nearly the entire series of Paleozoic rocks, pre-
pared specially for the use of teachers and students desiring to acquaint them-
selves more intimately with the classic rocks of this State.
H16 Entomology. 16p. 2c.
H17 Economic Geology. Jn preparation.
Maps. Merrill, F: J. H. Economic and Geologic Map of the State
of New York. 59x67 cm. 1894. Scale 14 miles to 1 inch. Out of
print. |
New edition in preparation.
Printed also with Museum bulletin 15 and the 48th museum report, v. 1.
Geologic Map of New York. 1901. Scale 5 milesto rinch.
atlas form $3, mounted on rollers $5. Lower Hudson sheet 6oc.
The lower Hudson sheet, geologically colored, comprises Rockland, Orange,
Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, New York, Richmond, Kings, Queens and
Nassau counties, and parts of Sullivan, Ulster and Suffolk counties; also north-
eastern New Jersey and part of western Connecticut.
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