Sphyrwna barracuda; its Morphology, Habits, and History. 81 



results of the examination of five barracuda in Bermuda in 1903. The 

 largest Tortugas specimen measured about 1.5 meters in length; the Bermuda 

 specimens were about half that length. It would be of interest to know 

 whether the apparent immunity from parasites of the barracuda and other 

 fish is correlated in any way with the digestive ferments." 



In his later paper dealing with the trematodes, Linton (1910) notes 

 the examination of eight barracudas, in every one of which he found 

 specimens of a new or at any rate undetermined species of Gaster- 

 ostomum. This seems to have been the only parasitic trematode which 

 he found in the barracuda. 



However, an Ascaris has been found by Linstow (1906) in Sphyra- 

 nura barracuda from Tasmania. Linstow's generic name is presuma- 

 bly a misspelling of Sphyrcena. Other than the references given, no 

 accounts of internal parasites of the barracuda have come to light. 

 The fish seems singularly free from such unwelcome guests. 



We now turn to an animal which in the past has been considered as 

 an ectoparasite to its hosts, the barracuda included. I have among my 

 notes gravely worded accounts of the finding, when the so-called para- 

 sites had been removed, of places worn in the skin or scales of the host ; 

 further it has been accused of living on the blood of its host thus 

 obtained through the skin; and, most preposterous of all, one account 

 specifically states that when one had been removed from the bottom 

 of the boat to which it had adhered, the planking was found to be 

 injured. Reference is made to the sucking-fish, Echeneis naucrates, 

 for small forms of which the great barracuda sometimes acts as host. 



On July 4, 1914, while trolling east of Loggerhead Key, the writer 

 took a barracuda 40.8 inches long. When hauled in it was very 

 active and called for strong repressive measures before it was quieted. 

 When the melee was over there was found clinging to the deck the 

 smallest example of Echeneis I had ever seen. This fish was about 



4 inches long and had a most remarkable tail, plumose instead of 

 crescent-shaped. It was carried to the laboratory and, as it seemed 

 sick and the hour was late in the afternoon, it was put into an aquarium 

 to be studied the next morning. When morning came it was gone and 

 no trace of its whereabouts or its manner of going was ever found. 

 Some two years later I was greatly interested to read in the " Memorias" 

 of the Cuban ichthyologist, Poey (1856-58), the following description 

 of a little Echeneis which he calls " E. sphyrcenarum, the sucker of the 

 Picudas." 



"This little fish has never been found up to the present time save only on 

 the Sphyr&na picuda. It hides itself among its hosts' gills and escapes 

 therefrom when the large fish is taken. The individual which I describe is 

 75 mm. long. In size [depth?] it scarcely exceeds a centimeter, since it is 

 shrunken by concentrated alcohol and its body is greatly diminished. One 

 sees, however, that its structures are all elongated. The eye is contained 



5 times in the length of the head. The disk ends towards the [anterior] 



