THE BASS AND THEIR RELATIVES
=THE Cardinal-fishes. Apogonidæ.=—The _Apogonidæ_ or cardinal-fishes are
perch-like fishes, mostly of small size, with two distinct short dorsal
fins. They are found in the warm seas, and many of them enter rivers,
some even inhabiting hot springs. Many of the shore species are bright
red in color, usually with black stripes, bands, or spots. Still others,
however, are olive or silvery, and a few in deeper water are
violet-black.
[Illustration:
FIG. 252.—Cardinal-fish, _Apogon retrosella_ Gill. Mazatlan.
]
The species of _Apogon_ are especially numerous, and in regions where
they are abundant, as in Japan, they are much valued as food. _Apogon
imberbis_, the "king of the mullet," is a common red species of southern
Europe. _Apogon maculatus_ is found in the West Indies. _Apogon
retrosella_ is the pretty "cardenal" of the west coast of Mexico.
_Apogon lineatus_, _semilineatus_ and other species abound in Japan, and
many species occur about the islands of Polynesia. _Epigonus
telescopium_ is a deep-sea fish of the Mediterranean and _Telescopias_
and _Synagrops_ are genera of the depths of the Pacific. _Paramia_ with
strong canines is allied to _Apogon_, and similar in color and habit.
Allied to _Apogon_ are several small groups often taken as distinct
families. The species of _Ambassis_ (_Ambassidæ_) are little fishes of
the rivers and bays of India and Polynesia, resembling small silvery
perch or bass. All these have three anal spines instead of two as in
_Apogon_. Some of these enter rivers and several are recorded from hot
springs. _Scombrops boops_, the mutsu of Japan, is a valued food-fish
found in rather deep water. It is remarkable for its very strong teeth,
although its flesh is feeble and easily torn. A still larger species in
Cuba, _Scombrops oculata_, known as _Escolar chino_, resembles a
barracuda. These fishes with fragile bodies and very strong teeth are
placed by Gill in a separate family (_Scombropidæ_). _Acropoma
japonicum_ is a neat little fish of the Japanese coast, with the vent
placed farther forward than in _Apogon_. It is the type of the
_Acropomidæ_, a small family of the Pacific. _Enoplosus armatus_ is an
Australian fish with high back and fins, with a rather stately
appearance, type of the _Enoplosidæ_. In his last catalogue of families
of fishes Dr. Gill recognizes _Scombropidæ_ and _Acropomidæ_ as distinct
families, but their relationships with _Apogon_ are certainly very
close. Many genera allied to _Apogon_ and _Ambassis_ occur in Australian
rivers. Several fossils referred to _Apogon_ (_Apogon spinosus_, etc.)
occur in the Eocene of Italy and Germany.
=The Anomalopidæ.=—The family of _Anomalopidæ_ is a small group of
deep-sea fishes of uncertain relationship, but perhaps remotely related
to _Apogon_. _Anomalops palpebrata_ is found in Polynesia and has
beneath the eye a large luminous organ unlike anything seen elsewhere
among fishes.
=The Asineopidæ.=—Another family of doubtful relationship is that of
_Asineopidæ_, elsewhere noticed. It is composed of extinct fresh-water
fishes found in the Green River shales. In _Asineops squamifrons_ the
opercles are unarmed, the teeth villiform, and the dorsal fin undivided,
composed of eight or nine spines and twelve to fourteen soft rays. The
anal spines, as in _Apogon_, are two only, and the scales are cycloid.
[Illustration:
FIG. 253.—Kuromutsu, _Telescopias gilberti_ Jordan & Snyder. Misaki,
Japan.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 254.—_Apogon semilineatus_ Schlegel. Misaki, Japan.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 255.—Robalo, _Oxylabrax undecimalis_ (Bloch). Florida.
]
=The Robalos:[13] Oxylabracidæ.=—The family of Robalos (_Oxylabracidæ_
or _Centropomidæ_) is closely related to the _Serranidæ_, differing
among other things in having the conspicuous lateral line extended on
the caudal fin. These are silvery fishes with elongate bodies, large
scales, a pike-like appearance, the first dorsal composed of strong
spines and the second spine of the anal especially large. They are found
in tropical America only, where they are highly valued as food, the
flesh being like that of the striped bass, white, flaky, and of fine
flavor. The common robalo, or snook, _Oxylabrax_ (or _Centropomus_)
_undecimalis_, reaches a weight of fifteen to twenty pounds. It ranges
north as far as Texas. In this species the lateral line is black. The
smaller species, of which several are described, are known as _Robalito_
or _Constantino_.
Footnote 13:
The European zander is the type of Lacépède's genus _Centropomus_. The
name _Centropomus_ has been wrongly transferred to the robalo by most
authors.
=The Sea-bass: Serranidæ.=—The central family of the percoid fishes is
that of the _Serranidæ_, or sea-bass. Of these about 400 species are
recorded, carnivorous fishes found in all warm seas, a few ascending the
fresh waters. In general, the species are characterized by the presence
of twenty-four vertebræ and three anal spines, never more than three.
The fresh-water species are all more or less archaic and show traits
suggesting the _Oxylabracidæ_, _Percidæ_, or _Centrarchidæ_, all of
which are doubtless derived from ancestors of _Serranidæ_. Among the
connecting forms are the perch-like genera _Percichthys_ and _Percilia_
of the rivers of Chile. These species look much like perch, but have
three anal spines, the number of vertebræ being thirty-five.
_Percichthys trucha_ is the common trucha, or trout, of Chilean waters.
_Lateolabrax japonicus_, the susuki, or bass, of Japan, is one of the
most valued food-fishes of the Orient, similar in quality to the robalo,
which it much resembles. This genus and the East Indian _Centrogenys
waigiensis_ approach _Oxylabrax_ in appearance and structure. _Niphon
spinosus_, the ara of Japan, is a very large sea-bass, also of this
type. Close to these bass, marine and fresh water, are the Chinese genus
_Siniperca_ and the Korean genus _Coreoperca_, several species of which
abound in Oriental rivers. In southern Japan is the rare _Bryttosus
kawamebari_, a bass in structure, but very closely resembling the
American sunfish, even to the presence of the bright-edged black
ear-spot. There is reason to believe that from some such form the
_Centrarchidæ_ were derived.
Other bass-like fishes occur in Egypt (_Lates_), Australia
(_Percalates_, etc.), and southern Africa. _Oligorus macquariensis_ is
the great cod of the Australian rivers and _Ctenolates ambiguus_ is the
yellow belly, while _Percalates colonorum_ is everywhere the "perch" in
Australian rivers. The most important member of these transitional types
between perch and sea-bass is the striped bass, or rockfish (_Roccus
lineatus_), of the Atlantic coast of the United States. This large fish,
reaching in extreme cases a weight of 112 pounds, lives in shallow
waters in the sea and ascends the rivers in spring to spawn. It is
olivaceous in color, the sides golden silvery, with narrow black
stripes. About 1880 it was introduced by the United States Fish
Commission into the Sacramento, where it is now very abundant and a fish
of large commercial importance. To the angler the striped bass is always
"a gallant fish and a bold biter," and Genio Scott places it first among
the game-fishes of America.
The white bass (_Roccus chrysops_) is very similar to it, but shorter
and more compressed, reaching a smaller size. This fish is abundant in
the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi as far south as Arkansas.
The yellow bass (_Morone interrupta_), a coarser and more brassy fish,
replaces it farther south. It is seldom seen above Cincinnati and St.
Louis. The white perch (_Morone americana_) is a little fish of the
Atlantic seaboard, entering the sea, but running up all the rivers,
remaining contentedly landlocked in ponds. It is one of the most
characteristic fishes of the coast from Nova Scotia to Virginia. It is a
good pan fish, takes the hook vigorously, and in a modest way deserves
the good-will of the angler who cannot stray far into the mountains.
Very close to these American bass is the bass, bars, or robalo, of
southern Europe, _Dicentrarchus labrax_, a large olive-colored fish,
excellent as food, living in the sea about the mouths of rivers.
=The Jewfishes.=—In the warm seas are certain bass of immense size,
reaching a length of six feet or more, and being robust in form, a
weight of 500 or 600 pounds. These are dusky green in color,
thick-headed, rough-scaled, with low fins, voracious disposition, and
sluggish movements. In almost all parts of the world these great bass
are called jewfish, but no reason for this name has ever been suggested.
In habit and value the species are much alike, and the jewfish of
California, _Stereolepis gigas_, the prize of the Santa Catalina
anglers, may be taken as the type of them all. Closely related to this
is the Japanese ishinagi, _Megaperca ischinagi_, the jewfish, or
stone-bass, of Japan. Another Japanese jewfish is the Abura bodzu, or
"fat priest," _Ebisus sagamius_. In the West Indies, as also on the west
coast of Mexico, the jewfish, or guasa, is _Promicrops itaiara_. The
black grouper, _Garrupa nigrita_, is the jewfish of Florida. The
European jewfish, more often called _wreckfish_, or stone-bass, is
_Polyprion americanus_, and the equally large _Polyprion oxygeneios_ is
found in Australia, as is also another jewfish, _Glaucosoma hebraicum_,
the last belonging to the _Lutianidæ_. Largest of all these jewfishes is
_Promicrops lanceolata_ of the South Pacific. This huge bass, according
to Dr. Boulenger, sometimes reaches a length of twelve feet.
[Illustration:
FIG. 256.—White Perch, _Morone americana_ Gmelin. (From life by Dr. R.
W. Shufeldt; one half natural size.)
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 257.—Florida Jewfish, _Promicrops itaiara_ (Lichtenstein). St.
John's River, Fla.
]
Related to the jewfishes are numerous smaller fishes. One of these, the
Spanish-flag of Cuba, _Gonioplectrus hispanus_, is rose-colored, with
golden bands like the flag of Spain itself. Other species referred to
_Acanthistius_ and _Plectropoma_ have, like this, hooked spines on the
lower border of the preopercle.
[Illustration:
FIG. 258.—_Epinephelus striatus_ (Bloch), Nassau Grouper: _Cherna
criolla_. Family _Serranidæ_.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 259.—John Paw or Speckled Hind, _Epinephelus drummond-hayi_ Goode
Pensacola.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 260.—_Epinephelus morio_ (Cuvier & Valenciennes), Red Grouper, or
Mero. Family _Serranidæ_.
]
=The Groupers.=—In all warm seas abound species of _Epinephelus_ and
related genera, known as sea-bass, groupers, or merous. They are mostly
large voracious fishes with small scales, pale flesh of fair quality,
and from their abundance they are of large commercial importance. To
English-speaking people these fishes are usually known as grouper, a
corruption of the Portuguese name garrupa. In the West Indies and about
Panama there are very many species, and still others abound in the
Mediterranean, in southern Japan, and throughout Polynesia and the West
Indies. They have very much in common, but differ in size and color,
some being bright red, some gaudily spotted with red or blue, but most
of them are merely mottled green or brown. In many cases individuals
living near shore are olivaceous, and those of the same species in the
depths are bright crimson or scarlet. We name below a few of the most
prominent species. Even a bare list of all of them would take many
pages. _Cephalopholis cruentatus_, the red hind of the Florida Keys, is
one of the smallest and brightest of all of them. _Cephalopholis
fulvus_, the blue-spotted guativere of the Cubans, is called negro-fish,
butter-fish, yellow-fish, or redfish, according to its color, which
varies with the depth. It is red, yellow, or olive, with many round blue
spots. _Epinephelus adscenscionis_, the rock-hind, is spotted everywhere
with orange. _Epinephelus guaza_ is the merou, or giant-bass, of Europe,
a large food-fish of value, rather dull in color. _Epinephelus striatus_
is the Nassau grouper, or _Cherna criolla_, common in the West Indies.
_Epinephelus maculosus_ is the cabrilla of Cuba. _Epinephelus
drummond-hayi_, the speckled hind, umber brown, spotted with lavender,
is one of the handsomest of all the groupers. _Epinephelus morio_, the
red grouper, is the commonest of all these fishes in the American
markets. In Asia the species are equally numerous, _Epinephelus quernus_
of Hawaii and the red _Epinephelus fasciatus_ of Japan and southward
being food-fishes of importance. _Epinephelus merra_, _Epinephelus
gilberti_, and _Epinephelus tauvina_ are among the more common species
of Polynesia. _Epinephelus corallicola_, a species profusely spotted,
abounds in the crevices of coral reefs, while _Cepholopholis argus_ and
_C. leopardus_ are showy fishes of the deeper channels. _Mycteroperca
venenosa_, the yellow-finned grouper, is a large and handsome fish of
the coast of Cuba, the flesh sometimes poisonous; when red in deep water
it is known as the bonaci cardenal. _Mycteroperca bonaci_; the bonaci
arará sells in our markets as black grouper. _Mycteroperca microlepis_
is commonest along our South Atlantic coast, not reaching the West
Indies, and _Mycteroperca rubra_, which is never red, enters the
Mediterranean. _Mycteroperca falcata_ is known in the markets as scamp,
and _Mycteroperca venadorum_ is a giant species from the Venados
Islands, near Mazatlan. _Diploprion bifasciatus_ is a handsome
grouper-like fish with two black cross-bands, found in Japan and India.
_Variola louti_, red, with crimson spots and a forked caudal fin, is one
of the most showy fishes of the equatorial Pacific.
[Illustration:
FIG. 261.—Red Hind, _Epinephelus adscensionis_ (Osbeck). Puerto Rico.
(After Evermann.)
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 262.—Yellow-fin Grouper, _Mycteroperca venenosa_ (Linnæus).
Havana.
]
The small fishes called Vaca in Cuba belong to the genus _Hypoplectrus_.
Their extraordinary and unexplained variations in color have been
noticed on page 235, Vol. I. The common species—blue, orange, green,
plain, striated, checkered, or striped—bears the name of _Hypoplectrus
unicolor_. (Fig. 264).
=The Serranos.=—In all the species known as jewfish and grouper, as also
in the _Oxylabracidæ_ and most _Centrarchidæ_, the maxillary bone is
divided by a lengthwise suture which sets off a distinct supplemental
maxillary. This bone is wanting in the remaining species of _Serranidæ_,
as it is also in those forms already noticed which are familiarly known
as bass. The species without the supplemental maxillary are in general
smaller in size, the canines are on the sides of the jaws instead of in
front, and there are none of the hinged depressible teeth which are
conspicuous in the groupers. The species are abundant in the Atlantic,
but scarcely any are found in Polynesia, and few in Japan or India.
[Illustration:
FIG. 263.—_Hypoplectrus unicolor nigricans_ (Poey). Tortugas, Fla.
]
_Serranus cabrilla_ is the Cabrilla of the Mediterranean, a well-known
and excellent food-fish, the original type of the family of _Serranidæ_.
_Serranellus scriba_ is the serran, a very pretty shore-fish of southern
Europe, longer known than any other of the tribe. On the coast of
southern California are also species called Cabrillas, fine, large,
food-fish, bass-like in form, _Paralabrax clathratus_, and other less
common species. The _Cabrillas_ and their relatives are almost all
American, a few straying across to Europe. One of the most important in
the number is the black sea-bass, or black will, of our Atlantic coast,
_Centropristes striatus_. This is a common food-and game-fish, dusky in
color, gamy, and of fine flesh. The squirrel-fishes (_Diplectrum_) and
the many serranos (_Prionodes_) of the tropics, small bright-colored
fishes of the rocks and reefs, must be passed with a word, as also the
small _Paracentropristis_ of the Mediterranean and the fine red
creole-fish of the West Indies, _Paranthias furcifer_. In one species,
_Anyperodon leucogrammicus_ of Polynesia, there are no teeth on the
palatines.
The barber-fish (_Anthias anthias_) of southern Europe, bright red and
with the lateral line running very high, is the type of a numerous group
found at the lowest fishing level in all warm seas. All the species of
this group are bright red, very handsome, and excellent as food.
_Hemianthias vivanus_, known only from the spewings of the red snapper
(_Lutianus aya_) at Pensacola, is one of the most brilliant species,
red, with golden streaks. The genus _Plesiops_ consists of small fishes
almost black in color, with blue spots and other markings, abounding
about the coral reefs. In this genus the lateral line is interrupted and
there is some indication of affinity with the _Opisthognathidæ_.
[Illustration:
FIG. 264.—Snowy Grouper, _Epinephelus niveatus_ (Cuv. & Val.). Natural
size: young. (Photograph by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt.)
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 265.—Soapfish, _Rypticus bistrispinus_ (Mitchill). Virginia.
]
In the soapfishes (_Rypticus_) the supplemental maxillary appears again,
but in these forms the dorsal fin is reduced to two or three spines and
there are none in the anal. _Rypticus saponaceus_, so called from the
smooth or soapy scales, is the best known of the numerous species, which
all belong to tropical America. _Grammistes_, with eight dorsal spines,
is a related form in Polynesia, bright yellow, with numerous black
stripes. Numerous species referred to the _Serranidæ_ occur in the
Eocene and Miocene rocks. Some are related to _Epinephelus_, others to
_Roccus_ and _Lates_. In the Tertiary lignite of Brazil is a species of
_Percichthys_, _Percichthys antiquus_, with _Properca beaumonti_, which
seem to be a primitive form of the bass, allied to _Dicentrarchus_.
_Prolates heberti_ of the Cretaceous, one of the earliest of the series,
has the caudal rounded and is apparently allied to _Lates_, as is also
the heavily armed _Acanus regleysianus_ of the Oligocene. _Smerdis
minutus_, a small fish from the Oligocene, is also related to _Lates_,
which genus with _Roccus_ and _Dicentrarchus_ must represent the most
primitive of existing members of this family. Of both _Smerdis_ and
_Dicentrarchus_ (_Labrax_) numerous species are recorded, mostly from
the Miocene of Europe.
[Illustration:
FIG. 266.—Flasher, _Lobotes surinamensis_ (Bloch). Virginia.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 267.—Catalufa, _Priacanthus arenatus_ Cuv. & Val. Wood's Hole,
Mass.
]
=The Flashers: Lobotidæ.=—The small family of _Lobotidæ_, flashers, or
triple-tails, closely resembles the _Serranidæ_, but there are no teeth
on vomer or palatines. The three species are robust fishes, of a large
size, of a dark-green color, the front part of the head very short. They
reach a length of about three feet and are good food-fishes. _Lobotes
surinamensis_ comes northward from the West Indies as far as Cape Cod.
_Lobotes pacificus_ is found about Panama. _Lobotes erate_, common in
India, was taken by the writer at Misaki, Japan.
[Illustration:
FIG. 268.—Bigeye, _Pseudopriacanthus altus_ Gill. Young specimen.
(From life by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt.)
]
=The Bigeyes: Priacanthidæ.=—The _Catalufas_ or bigeyes (_Priacanthidæ_)
are handsome fishes of the tropics, with short, flattened bodies, rough
scales, large eyes, and bright-red coloration. The mouth is very
oblique, and the anal fin about as large as the dorsal. The commonest
species is _Priacanthus cruentatus_, widely diffused through the Pacific
and also in the West Indies. This is the noted Aweoweo of the Hawaiians,
which used to come into the bays in myriads at the period of death of
royalty. It is still abundant, even after Hawaiian royalty has passed
away.
_Pseudopriacanthus altus_ is a short, very deep-bodied, and very rough
fish, scarlet in color, occasionally taken along our coast, driven
northward by the Gulf Stream. The young fishes are quite unlike the
adult in appearance. Numerous other species of _Priacanthus_ occur in
the Indies and Polynesia.
=The Pentacerotidæ.=—Another family with strong spines and rough scales
is the group of _Pentacerotidæ_. _Histiopterus typus_, the Matodai, is
found in Japan, and is remarkable for its very deep body and very high
spines. Equally remarkable is the Tengudai, _Histiopterus acutirostris_,
also Japanese. _Anoplus banjos_ is a third Japanese species, more common
than the others, and largely taken in the Inland Sea. All these are
eccentric variations from the perch-like type.
=The Snappers: Lutianidæ.=—Scarcely less numerous and varied than the
sea-bass is the great family of _Lutianidæ_, known in America as
snappers or pargos. In these fishes the maxillary slips along its edge
into a sheath formed by the broad preorbital. In the _Serranidæ_ there
is no such sheath. In the _Lutianidæ_ there is no supplemental
maxillary, teeth are present on the vomer and palatines, and in the jaws
there are distinct canines. These fishes of the warm seas are all
carnivorous, voracious, gamy, excellent as food though seldom of fine
grain, the flesh being white and not flaky. About 250 species are known,
and in all warm seas they are abundant.
[Illustration:
FIG. 269.—Gray Snapper, _Lutianus griseus_ L. Puerto Rico. (After
Evermann.)
]
To the great genus _Lutianus_ most of the species belong. These are the
snappers of our markets and the pargos of the Spanish-speaking
fishermen. The shore species are green in color, mostly banded, spotted,
or streaked. In deeper water bright-red species are found. One of these,
_Lutianus aya_, the red snapper or pargo guachinango of the Gulf of
Mexico, is, economically speaking, the most important of all these
fishes in the United States. It is a large, rather coarse fish, bright
red in color, and it is taken on long lines on rocky reefs chiefly about
Pensacola and Tampa in Florida, although similar fisheries exist on the
shores of Yucatan and Brazil.
[Illustration:
FIG. 270.—_Lutianus apodus_ (Walbaum), Schoolmaster or Cají. Family
_Lutianidæ_.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 271.—_Hoplopagrus guntheri_ Gill. Mazatlan.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 272.—Lane Snapper or Biajaiba, _Lutianus synagris_ (Linnæus). Key
West.
]
A related species is the _Lutianus analis_, the mutton snapper or pargo
criollo of the West Indies. This is one of the staple fishes of the
Havana market, always in demand for banquets and festivals, because its
flesh is never unwholesome. The mangrove snapper, or gray-snapper,
_Lutianus griseus_, called in Cuba, Caballerote, is the commonest
species on our coasts. The common name arises from the fact that the
young hide in the mangrove bushes of Florida and Cuba, whence they sally
out in pursuit of sardines and other small fishes. It is a very wary
fish, to be sought with care, hence the name "lawyer," sometimes heard
in Florida. The cubero (_Lutianus cyanopterus_) is a very large snapper,
often rejected as unwholesome, being said to cause the disease known as
ciguatera. Certain snappers in Polynesia have a similar reputation. The
large red mumea, _Lutianus bohar_, is regarded as always poisonous in
Samoa—the most dangerous fish of the islands. _L. leioglossus_ is also
held under suspicion on Tutuila, though other fishes of this type are
regarded as always safe. Other common snappers of Florida and Cuba are
the dog snapper or jocu (_Lutianus jocu_), the schoolmaster or cají
(_Lutianus apodus_), the black-fin snapper or sese de lo alto (_Lutianus
buccanella_), the silk snapper or pargo de lo alto (_Lutianus vivanus_),
the abundant lane snapper or biajaiba (_Lutianus synagris_), and the
mahogany snapper or ojanco (_Lutianus mahogani_). Numerous other species
occur on both coasts of tropical America, and a vastly larger assemblage
is found in the East Indies, some of them ranging northward to Japan.
[Illustration:
FIG. 273.—Yellow-tail Snapper, _Ocyurus chrysurus_ (Linnæus). Key
West.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 274.—Cachucho, _Etelis oculatus_ (Linnæus). Havana.
]
_Hoplopagrus guntheri_ is a large snapper of the west coast of Mexico,
having very large molar teeth in its jaws besides slit-like nostrils and
other notable peculiarities. From the standpoint of structure this
species, with its eccentric characters—is especially interesting. The
yellow-tail snapper or rabirubia (_Ocyurus chrysurus_) is a handsome and
common fish of the West Indies, with long, deeply forked tail, which
makes it a swifter fish than the others. Another red species is the
diamond snapper or cagon de lo alto, _Rhomboplites aurorubens_. All
these true snappers have the soft fins more or less scaly. In certain
species that swim more freely in deep waters, these fins are naked.
Among them is the Arnillo, _Apsilus dentatus_, a pretty brown fish of
the West Indies, and its analogue in Hawaii, _Apsilus brighami_, red,
with golden cross-bands. _Aprion virescens_, the Uku of Hawaii, is a
large fish of a greenish color and elongate body, widely diffused
throughout Polynesia and one of the best of food-fishes. A related
species is the red voraz (_Aprion macrophthalmus_) of the West Indies.
Most beautiful of all the group are the species of _Etelis_, with the
dorsal fin deeply divided and the head flattened above. These live in
rather deep water about rocky reefs and are fiery red in color. Best
known is the Cuban species, _Etelis oculatus_, the cachucho of the
markets. Equally abundant and equally beautiful is _Etelis carbunculus_
of Polynesia, _Etelis evurus_ of Hawaii, and other species of the
Pacific islands.
[Illustration:
FIG. 275.—_Xenocys jessiæ_ Jordan & Bollman. Family _Lutianidæ_.
Galapagos Islands.
]
_Verilus sordidus_, the black escolar of Cuba, has the form of _Etelis_,
but the flesh is very soft and the color violet-black, indicating its
life in very deep water. Numerous small silvery snappers living near the
shore along the coast of western Mexico belong to the genera called
_Xenichthys_, _Xenistius_, and _Xenocys_. _Xenistius californiensis_ is
the commonest of these species, _Xenocys jessiæ_, the largest in size,
with black lines like a striped bass. To the genus _Dentex_ belongs a
large snapper-like fish of the Mediterranean, _Dentex dentex_. Very many
related species occur in the old world, the prettily colored _Nemipterus
virgatus_, the _Itoyori_ of Japan being one of the best known. Another
interesting fish is _Aphareus furcatus_, a handsome, swift fish of the
open seas occasionally taken in Japan and the East Indies. _Glaucosoma
burgeri_ is a large snapper of Japan, and a related species, _Glaucosoma
hebraicum_, is one of the "jewfishes" of Australia. Numerous fossil
forms referred to _Dentex_ occur in the Eocene of Monte Bolca, as also a
fish called _Ctenodentex lackeniensis_ from the Eocene of Belgium.
[Illustration:
FIG. 276.—_Aphareus furcatus_ (Lacépède). Odawara, Japan. Family
_Lutianidæ_.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 277.—Grunt, _Hæmulon plumieri_ (Bloch). Charleston, S. C.
]
=The Grunts: Hæmulidæ.=—The large family of _Hæmulidæ_, known in America
as grunters or roncos, is represented with the snappers in all tropical
seas. The common names (Spanish, _roncar_, to grunt or snore) refer to
the noise made either with their large pharyngeal teeth or with the
complex air-bladder. These fishes differ from the _Lutianidæ_ mainly in
the feebler detention, there being no canines and no teeth on the vomer.
Most of the American species belong to the genus _Hæmulon_ or red-mouth
grunts, so called from the dash of scarlet at the corner of the mouth.
_Hæmulon plumieri_, the common grunt, or ronco arará, is the most
abundant species, known by the narrow blue stripes across the head. In
the yellow grunt, ronco amarillo (_Hæmulon sciurus_), these stripes
cross the whole body. In the margate-fish, or Jallao (_Hæmulon album_),
the largest of the grunts, there are no stripes at all. Another common
grunt is the black spotted sailor's choice, _Ronco prieto_ (_Hæmulon
parra_), very abundant from Florida southward. Numerous other grunts and
"Tom Tates" are found on both shores of Mexico, all the species of
_Hæmulon_ being confined to America. _Anisotremus_ includes numerous
deep-bodied species with smaller mouth, also all American. _Anisotremus
surinamensis_, the pompon, abundant from Louisiana southward is the
commonest species. _Anisotremus virginicus_, the porkfish or Catalineta,
beautifully striped with black and golden, is very common in the West
Indies. _Plectorhynchus_ of Polynesia and the coasts of Asia contains
numerous large species closely resembling _Anisotremus_, but lacking the
groove at the chin characteristic of _Anisotremus_ and _Hæmulon_. Some
of these are striped or spotted with black in very gaudy fashion.
_Pomadasis_, a genus equally abundant in Asia and America, contains
silvery species of the sandy shores, with the body more elongate and the
spines generally stronger. _Pomadasis crocro_ is the commonest West
Indian species, _Pomadasis hasta_ the best known of the Asiatic forms.
_Gnathodentex aurolineatus_ with golden stripes is common in Polynesia.
[Illustration:
FIG. 278.—Porkfish, _Anisotremus virginicus_ (Linnæus). Key West.
]
The pigfishes, _Orthopristis_, have the spines feebler and the anal fin
more elongate. Of the many species, American and Mediterranean,
_Orthopristis chrysopterus_ is most familiar, ranging northward to Long
Island, and excellent as a pan fish. _Parapristipoma trilineatum_, the
Isaki of Japan, is equally abundant and very similar to it. Many related
species belong to the Asiatic genera, _Terapon_, _Scolopsis_, _Cæsio_,
etc., sometimes placed in a distinct family as _Teraponidæ_. _Terapon
servus_ enters the streams of Polynesia, and is a very common fish of
the river mouths, taken in Samoa by the boys. _Terapon theraps_ is found
throughout the East Indies. _Terapon richardsoni_ is the Australian
silver perch. _Cæsio_ contains numerous small species, elongate and
brightly colored, largely blue and golden. _Scolopsis_, having a spine
on the preorbital, contains numerous species in the East Indies and
Polynesia. These are often handsomely colored. Among them is the taiva,
_Scolopsis trilineatus_ of Samoa, gray with white streaks and markings
of delicate pattern. A fossil species in the Italian Eocene related to
_Pomadasis_ is _Pomadasis furcatus_. Another, perhaps allied to
_Terapon_, is called _Pelates quindecimalis_.
[Illustration:
FIG. 279.—The Red Tai of Japan, _Pagrus major_ Schlegel. Family
_Sparidæ_. (After Kishinouye.)
]
=The Porgies: Sparidæ.=—The great family of _Sparidæ_ or porgies is also
closely related to the _Hæmulidæ_. The most tangible difference rests in
the teeth, which are stronger, and some of those along the side of the
jaw are transformed into large blunt molars, fitted for grinding small
crabs and shells. The name porgy, in Spanish pargo, comes from the Latin
_Pagrus_ and Greek πάγρος, the name from time immemorial of the red
porgy of the Mediterranean, _Pagrus pagrus_. In this species the front
teeth are canine-like, the side teeth molar. It is a fine food-fish,
very handsome, being crimson with blue spots, and in the Mediterranean
it is much esteemed. It also breeds sparingly on our south Atlantic and
Gulf coasts.
[Illustration:
FIG. 280.—Ebisu, the Fish-god of Japan, bearing a Red Tai. (Sketch by
Kako Morita.)
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 281.—Scup, _Stenotomus chrysops_ (Linnæus). Wood's Hole, Mass.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 282.—_Calamus bajonado_ (Bloch & Schneider), Jolt-head Porgy. Pez
de Pluma. Family _Sparidæ_.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 283.—Little-head Porgy, _Calamus proridens_ Jordan & Gilbert. Key
West.
]
Very similar to the porgy is the famous red tai or akadai of Japan
(_Pagrus major_), a fish so highly esteemed as to be, with the rising
sun and the chrysanthemum, a sort of national emblem. In all prints and
images the fish-god Ebisu (Fig. 280), beloved of the Japanese people,
appears with a red tai under his arm. This species, everywhere abundant,
is crimson in color, and the flesh is always tender and excellent. A
similar species is the well-known and abundant "schnapper" of Australia,
_Pagrus unicolor_. Another but smaller tai or porgy, crimson, sprinkled
with blue spots, _Pagrus cardinalis_, occurs in Japan in great
abundance, as also two species similar in character but without red,
known as _Kurodai_ or black tai. These are _Sparus latus_ and _Sparus
berda_. The gilt-head of the Mediterranean, _Sparus aurata_, is very
similar to these Japanese species. _Sparus sarba_ in Australia is the
tarwhine, and _Sparus australis_ the black bream. The numerous species
of _Pagellus_ abound in the Mediterranean. These are smaller in size
than the species of _Pagrus_, red in color and with feebler teeth.
_Monotaxis grandoculis_, known as the "mu," is a widely diffused and
valuable food-fish of the Pacific islands, greenish in color, with pale
cross-bands. Very closely related is also the American scup or fair maid
(_Stenotomus chrysops_), one of our commonest pan fishes. In this genus
and in _Calamus_ the second interhæmal spine is very greatly enlarged,
its concave end formed like a quill-pen and including the posterior end
of the large air-bladder. This arrangement presumably assists in
hearing. Of the penfishes, or pez de pluma, numerous species abound in
tropical America, where they are valued as food. Of these the bajonado
or jolt-head porgy (_Calamus bajonado_) is largest, most common and
dullest in color. _Calamus calamus_ is the saucer-eye porgy, and
_Calamus proridens_, the little-head porgy. _Calamus leucosteus_ is
called white-bone porgy, and the small _Calamus arctifrons_ the
grass-porgy.
The Chopa spina, or pinfish, _Lagodon rhomboides_, is a little porgy
with notched incisors, exceedingly common on our South Atlantic coast.
In some of the porgies the front teeth instead of being canine-like are
compressed and truncate, almost exactly like human incisors. These
species are known as sheepshead, or sargos.
[Illustration:
FIG. 284.—_Diplodus holbrooki_ Bean. Pensacola.
]
_Diplodus sargus_ and _Diplodus annularis_ are common sargos of the
Mediterranean, silvery, with a black blotch on the back of the tail.
_Diplodus argenteus_ of the West Indies and _Diplodus holbrooki_ of the
Carolina coast are very close to these.
The sheepshead, _Archosargus probatocephalus_, is much the most valuable
fish of this group. The broad body is crossed by about seven black
cross-bands. It is common from Cape Cod to Texas in sandy bays, reaching
rarely a weight of fifteen pounds. Its flesh is most excellent, rich and
tender. The sheepshead is a quiet bottom-fish, but takes the hook
readily and with some spirit. Close to the sheepshead is a smaller
species known as Salema (_Archosargus unimaculatus_), with blue and
golden stripes and a black spot at the shoulder. It abounds in the West
Indies.
[Illustration:
FIG. 285.—_Archosargus unimaculatus_ (Bloch), Salema, Striped
Sheepshead. Family _Sparidæ_.
]
On the coast of Japan and throughout Polynesia are numerous species of
_Lethrinus_ and related genera, formed and colored like snappers, but
with molar teeth and the cheek without scales. A common species in Japan
is _Lethrinus richardsoni_.
Fossil species of _Diplodus_, _Sparus_, _Pagrus_, and _Pagellus_ occur
in the Italian Eocene, as also certain extinct genera, _Sparnodus_ and
_Trigonodon_, of similar type. _Sparnodus macrophthalmus_ is abundant in
the Eocene of Monte Bolca.
=The Picarels: Mænidæ.=—The _Mænidæ_, or _Picarels_, are elongate,
gracefully formed fishes, remarkable for the extreme protractility of
the upper jaw. _Spicara smaris_ and several other small species are
found in the Mediterranean. _Emmelichthys_ contains species of larger
size occurring in the West Indies and various parts of the Pacific,
chiefly red and very graceful in form and color. _Emmelichthys
vittatus_, the boga, is occasionally taken in Cuba, _Erythrichthys
schlegeli_ is found in Japan and Hawaii.
[Illustration:
FIG. 286.—Mojarra, _Xystæma cinereum_ (Walbaum). Key West.
]
=The Mojarras: Gerridæ.=—The _Gerridæ_, or _Mojarras_, have the mouth
equally protractile, but the form of the body is different, being broad,
compressed, and covered with large silvery scales. In some species the
dorsal spines and the third anal spine are very strong, and in some the
second interhæmal is quill-shaped, including the end of the air-bladder,
as in _Calamus_. Most of the species, including all the peculiar ones,
are American. The smallest, _Eucinostomus_, have the quill-shaped
interhæmal and the dorsal and anal spines are very weak. The commonest
species is the silver jenny, or mojarra de Ley, _Eucinostomus gula_,
which ranges from Cape Cod to Rio Janeiro, in the surf along sandy
shores. Equally common is _Eucinostomus californiensis_ of the Pacific
Coast of Mexico, while _Eucinostomus harengulus_ of the West Indies is
also very abundant. _Ulæma lefroyi_ has but two anal spines and the
interhæmal very small. It is common through the West Indies. _Xystæma_,
with the interhæmal spear-shaped and normally formed, is found in Asia
and Polynesia more abundantly than in America, although one species,
_Xystæma cinereum_, the broad shad, or Mojarra blanca, is common on both
shores of tropical America. _Xystæma gigas_ is found in Polynesia, _X.
oyena_ in Japan, and _X. filamentosum_ in Formosa and India. _Xystæma
massalongoi_ is also fossil in the Miocene of Austria. The species of
_Gerres_ have very strong dorsal and anal spines and the back much
elevated. _Gerres plumieri_, the striped mojarra, _Gerres brasiliensis_,
the patao, _Gerres olisthostomus_, the Irish pampano, and _Gerres
rhombeus_ are some of the numerous species found on the Florida coast
and in the West Indies. The family of _Leiognathidæ_, already noticed
(page 287), should stand next to the _Gerridæ_.
[Illustration:
FIG. 287.—Irish Pampano, _Gerres olisthostomus_ Goode & Bean. Indian
River, Fla.
]
=The Rudder-fishes: Kyphosidæ.=—The _Kyphosidæ_, called rudder-fishes,
have no molars, the front of the jaws being occupied by incisors, which
are often serrated, loosely attached, and movable. The numerous species
are found in the warm seas and are chiefly herbivorous.
[Illustration:
FIG. 288.—Chopa or Rudder-fish, _Kyphosus sectatrix_ (Linnæus). Wood's
Hole, Mass.
]
_Boops boops_ and _Boops salpa_, known as boga and salpa, are elongate
fishes common in the Mediterranean. Other Mediterranean forms are
_Spondyliosoma cantharus_, _Oblata melanura_, etc. _Girella nigricans_
is the greenfish of California, everywhere abundant about rocks to the
south of San Francisco, and of considerable value as food. Almost
exactly like it is the Mejinadai (_Girella punctata_) of Japan. The
best-known members of this group belong to the genus _Kyphosus_.
_Kyphosus sectatrix_ is the rudder-fish, or Chopa blanca, common in the
West Indies and following ships to the northward even as far as Cape
Cod, once even taken at Palermo. It is supposed that it is enticed by
the waste thrown overboard. _Kyphosus elegans_ is found on the west
coast of Mexico, _Kyphosus tahmel_ in the East Indies and Polynesia, and
numerous other species occur in tropical America and along the coasts of
southern Asia. _Sectator ocyurus_ is a more elongate form of
rudder-fish, striped with bright blue and yellow, found in the Pacific.
_Medialuna californiensis_ is the half-moon fish, or medialuna, of
southern California, an excellent food-fish frequently taken on rocky
shores. Numerous related species occur in the Indian seas.
[Illustration:
FIG. 288_a_.—Blue-green Sunfish, _Apomotis cyanellus_ (Rafinesque).
Kansas River. (After Kellogg.)
]
Fossil fragments in Europe have been referred to _Boops_,
_Spondyliosoma_, and other genera.