FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



479 



Figure 250.— Tautog. Tautoga onitis. A, adult, Woods Hole, Mass.; from Goode, drawing by H. L. Todd. B, egg; 

 C, larva, one day old, 2.9 mm.; D, larva, 5 mm.; E, young fry, 10 mm. B-E, after Kuntz and Radcliffe. 



Description. — The tautog suggests an over- 

 grown cunner, but it is a heavier, stouter fish 

 (about three times as long as deep, not counting 

 the caudal fin) with caudal peduncle so broad and 

 caudal fin so little wider than the peduncle that 

 it is hard to hold a heavy one by the tail. The 

 most obvious differences between the two fish are 

 that the dorsal profile of the head of the tautog 

 is high-arched, its nose is very blunt, and its lips 

 are much thicker, giving it a facial aspect quite 

 different from that of a cunner. A more precise if 

 less obvious character is that the cheek region 

 close in front of the gill opening (scaly in the 

 I cunner) is naked in the tautog and velvety to the 

 touch. The fins of the tautog practically repro- 

 duce those of the cunner in relative size and 



location. The dorsal fin (16 to 17 spines and 10 

 soft rays) originates over the upper corner of the 

 gill openings and runs back the whole length of 

 the trunk; the anal (3 stout spines and 7 or 8 

 soft rays) corresponds in outline to the soft portion 

 of the dorsal, under which it stands. The caudal 

 fin is slightly rounded at the corners, the pectorals 

 are large and rounded, and each of the ventrals 

 has one stout spine. The jaw teeth of the tautog 

 (in two series) are stout, conical, with the two 

 or three in the front of each jaw larger than the 

 others. The tautog has, besides, two groups of 

 flat, rounded, crushing teeth in the rear of the 

 mouth, as the cunner has also. 



Color. — -The tautog is a rather dark fish, gener- 

 ally mouse color, chocolate gray, deep dusky 



