THE TRIPLETAILS 



Family XL IX. Lobotidce 



BODY oblong, compressed; snout short; eyes well forward; no 

 teeth on palate; soft parts of dorsal and anal fins equal and opposite, 

 the former preceded by a much larger spinous portion ; vertebrae 12+12. 



This family contains but 2 or 3 species, large fishes closely allied 

 to the Serranidc?, but lacking the vomerine and palatine teeth, and 

 with the fore part of the head very short. Our only important species 



is the flasher or tripletail, which is found from Surinam northward 

 among the West Indies and occasionally to Cape Cod. It has been re- 

 corded also from the Mediterranean, India, and China. It is only of 

 rare occurrence on our coast. In Indian River, Florida, it is taken only 

 occasionally and is not well known to the fishermen. It is not un- 

 common about Porto Rico. The tripletail is an interesting and attrac- 

 tive fish, reaching a length of 3 feet and a weight of 25 or 30 pounds, 

 and is a good food-fish. We know nothing as to its game qualities. 



The Lobotes on the Pacific coast of Central America (L. pacificus) 

 seems to differ from the tripletail chiefly in the narrower interorbital 

 and the smaller preopercular serrations. Little is known of its habits. 



400 



