74 8 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OK FISHERIES. 



Sphyrana guachancho Cuvier Valenciennes. 



Barracuda. 

 Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 824; H. M. 



Smith, 1898, p. 94; Kendall, 1908, p. 69. 

 Only two records: Woods Hole, Juty 7, 1876; 

 Buzzards Bay, July 17, 1883. Smith. 



Sphyrcena borealis DeKay. Barracuda. 



Stoier, 1867, p. 86; Goode, 1884, p. 448; Jordan 

 and Evermann, 1896, p. 825; H. M. Smith, 

 1898, p. 54; Linton, 1901, p. 444; Kendall, 

 1908, p. 69. 



Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay, Woods Hole, 

 Katama Bay, Gay Head. The young fishes 

 are common, adults rare, seldom reaching 12 

 inches in length. Smith. Present from July 

 to December; most common after October 

 i.- Smith. Taken in traps and seines. 



Food: Young fish, young gastropods. Linton. 



Family POLYNEMID^. 



Polydactylus octonemus (Girard). Eight-threaded 



threadfin. 

 Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 830; H. M. 



Smith, 1898, p. 94; Kendall, 1908, p. 69. 

 One taken by seine in Little Harbor in Septem- 

 ber, 1882. Smith. Another, b% inches long, 

 in trap at Menemsha Bight, October 28, 1908 

 (collected by Edwards, identified by Sumner). 



Family AMMODYTID^E. 



Ammodyles americanus De Kay. Sand launce, 

 sand eel, lant. [Chart 200.] 



Baird, 1873; Storer, 1867, p. 217; Bean, 1884; 

 Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 833; Bumpus, 

 1898, p. 486; Mead, 1898, p. 902; H. M. Smith, 

 1898, p. 95 (A. americanus and A. dubius); 

 Kendall, 1908, p. 70. 



Abundant throughout region, frequenting sandy 

 beaches and flats, and darting into the sand 

 when disturbed. Taken throughout the year, 

 though most abundant late in fall and early 

 spring; rare in winter. Smith. Dredged by 

 the Survey throughout Vineyard Sound at 

 depths of 2% to 13 fathoms, on sandy bottoms; 

 not taken in Buzzards Bay dredgings. Young 

 in tow from % to i inch in length in March, 

 1898. Bumpus. Young taken from January 

 till November, being most frequent from March 

 to May, especially April. Towing records of 

 V. N. Edwards. 



Fish Hawk stations: 7533 (2), 7540 (6), 7545 (i 

 small), 7546 bis (i), 7562 (3), 7562 bis (3), 7566 

 (i), 7569 bis (about 12), 7575 (i), 7596 (several), 

 7703 (few), 7704 (few), 7705 (many), 7739 (i), 

 7771 (2). 



A mmodytes americanus Continued. 



Phalarope stations: 43 (2), 60 (i). 



Important food for mackerel (Smith), and prob- 

 ably other fishes. 



Parasites: Cestodes (Linton) Rhynchobothrimn 

 bulbifer, R. imparispine (listed for "Ammo- 

 dytcs dubius"). Copepods (C. B. Wilson) 

 Caligus rapax. 



Family HOLOCENTRID.^. 



fHolocentrus tortuga Jordan & Thompson. 

 Squirrel-fish. 



H. M. Smith, 1899, 1900, igoia; Kendall, 1908, 

 p. 70 (these specimens were referred to IIolo- 

 centrus ascensionis (Osbeck)). 



Katama Bay; one young specimen seined Sep- 

 tember i, 1899, another August 28, 1900. 



Family MULLID^. 



Mullus auralus (Jordan & Gilbert). Goatfish, sur- 

 mullet. 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 856; H. M. 

 Smith, 1898, p. 95; Kendall, 1908, p. 71. 



" Rare. Taken every year in September, mostly 

 in Quisset Harbor. " Smith. Specimens from 

 the following points are contained in the local 

 collection: Woods Hole (4 specimens, July 25, 

 1894); Menemsha Bight (22 in one seine haul, 

 July 29, 1908, and again in some numbers, 

 August 19, 1908), Great Harbor (one speci- 

 men, September 20, 1908). A young fish, 

 probably of this species, was dredged by the 

 Fish Hawk in Buzzards Bay during the sum- 

 mer of 1906. The foregoing specimens are all 

 small (mostly 4 inches or less in length). 



Family SCOMBRID^. 



Scomber scombrus Linnaeus. Common mackerel. 



Storer, 1867, p. 55 (Scomber vernalis); Verrill and 

 Smith, 1873, p. 516 (Scomber vernalis) ; Baird, 

 J 873; Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 865; 

 H. M. Smith, 1898, p. 95; Bumpus, 18983, p. 59; 

 Sherwood and Edwards, 1901; Linton, 1901, p. 

 444; Sharp and Fowler, 1904, p. 508; Kendall, 

 1908, p. 71. 



Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay; believed to 

 be less abundant here than formerly, though 

 still taken on a commercial scale. According 

 to Smith (1898) the mackerel appear about 

 June i , for two weeks, then disappear for a few 

 weeks for spawning (?); after reappearance, 

 they remain through November. Mr. Ed- 

 wards states that they arrive the first week in 

 May, and remain in the region till November; 

 that they are scarce in the Bay trap after July 



