The Bass and their Relatives 333 



Lobotes pacificus is found about Panama. Lobotes erate, com- 

 mon in India, was taken by the writer at Misaki, Japan. 



The Bigeyes: Priacanthidae. The Catalufas or bigeyes (Pria- 

 canthidcz) are handsome fishes of the tropics, with short, 

 flattened bodies, rough scales, large eyes, and bright-red color- 

 ation. 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 Pentacerotidae. Another family with strong spines and 

 rough scales is the group of Pentacerotidce. 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: Lutianidae. Scarcely less numerous and varied 

 than the sea-bass is the great family of LuHamda, known 

 in America as snappers or pargos. In these fishes the maxillary 

 slips along its edge into a sheath formed by the broad preor- 

 bital. In the Serranida there is no such sheath. In the Luti- 

 anidcc 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. 



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 



