The Bass and their Relatives 



body. In the margate-fish, or Jallao (Hamulon album], the larg- 

 est of the grunts, there are no stripes at all. Another common 

 grunt is the black spotted sailor's choice, Ronco prieto (Hcemulon 

 parr a), very abundant from Florida southward. Numerous other 

 grunts and "Tom Tates " are found on both shores of Mexico, 

 all the species of H&mulon being confined to America. Aniso- 

 tremus 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, 



FIG. 278. Porkfish, Anisotremus virginicus (Linnaeus). Key West. 



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 character- 

 istic of Anisotremus and Hcemulon. 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 com- 

 monest West Indian species, Pomadasis hasta the best known 

 of the Asiatic forms. Gnathodentex aurolineatus with golden 

 stripes is common in Polynesia. 



