FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



417 



that of the scup; the dorsal profile of its head is 

 steeper; its nose is blunter; and its teeth are much 

 broader. Furthermore, the body of the sheeps- 

 head is noticeably thicker, its back is rounded, and 

 its sides show seven broad, dark brown or black 

 crossbars on a gray or greenish yellow ground, 

 instead of being plain colored like the sides of tbe 

 scup. 



Size. — The sheepshead grows to a length of 

 about 30 inches and to a weight of 20 pounds. 



General range. — Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 

 coasts of the United States from Texas to Cape 

 Cod, and reported in the Bay of Fundy as a stray. 



Occurrence in the Gulf of Maine. — The sheeps- 

 head was abundant as far north as New York for- 



merly, and not uncommon about Woods Hole. 

 It is common still to the southward. But it has 

 been decidedly rare east of New York for many 

 years past, although a number, about 6 inches 

 long, were taken off Onset at the head of Buzzards 

 Bay, in late August 1951. 66 



The only record of it north or east of the el- 

 bow of Cape Cod is Cox's 67 statement that it is 

 occasional in St. John Harbor, New Brunswick. 

 But no actual specimens are mentioned, and as it 

 is not known ever to have strayed to Massachu- 

 setts Bay (a far more likely goal for any southern 

 coast fish than the Bay of Fundy is), its claim to 

 mention here is weak. 



THE CROAKERS, DRUMS, AND WEAKFISHES. FAMILY SCIAENIDAE 



The croakers have both the spiny portion and 

 the soft portions of the dorsal fin well developed 

 (either separate or as one continuous fin), and 

 their ventrals are what is known as thoracic in 

 position, i. e., about under the pectorals. They 

 are readily separable from the sea basses (p. 3S9,) 

 the porgies (p. 411), and the cunner tribe (p. 473) 

 by the fact that their anal fin has only 1 or 2 spines 

 instead of 3, and is much shorter than the soft por- 

 tion of the dorsal; from the rockfishes and sculpius 

 by their relatively smooth head; and from all the 

 mackerels and the pompano tribe by their stout 

 caudal peduncles and rounded or only slightly con- 

 cave caudal fins. Most of them produce loud 

 drumming sounds by rapid contractions of certain 

 abdominal muscles against the gas-filled air blad- 

 der; hence the common names "croaker" and 

 "drum." The kingfish (p. 423) is an exception 

 to this rule. 



KEY TO GULF OF MAINE CROAKERS 

 AND WEAKFISHES 



1. There is no barbel on the chin 2 



The chin bears one or more barbels 3 



2. Body only about one-fourth as deep as it is long (to 



base of caudal fin) ; anterior profile of head sloping 

 only moderately; snout pointed; no dark spot be- 

 hind upper corner of gill opening... Weakfish, p. 417.' 8 



M Information from Mrs. Harold Hatch. 



« Bull. Nat. Hist. Soc. New Brunswick, No. 13, 1895, p. 71. 



« Jordan (Stanford Univ. Publ., Univ. Series, Biol. Sci., vol. 3, No. 2, 

 1923, p. 202) placed the weakfish in his new family Otolithidae, which he 

 separated from the Sciaenidae as having a different arrangement of vertebrae. 

 But we think it preferable (following Smith, Sea Fishes Southern Africa, 

 1949, p. 223) to use Sciaenidac in the older and more inclusive sense, because 

 the only family character marking Otolithidae off from it is internal, hence 

 requires dissection for its recognition. 



210941—53 28 



Body at least one-third as deep as it is long to base of 

 caudal fin; anterior profile of head sloping steeply; 

 snout blunt; there is a dark spot close behind the 



upper corner of the gill opening Spot, p. 423 



3. Several barbels on chin; snout ends about even with 

 front of lower jaw; cheek smooth. Black drum, p. 425 



Only one barbel on chin; snout projects considerably 

 beyond lower jaw; cheek with 2 short, tooth-like 

 serrations Kingfish, p. 423 



Weakfish Cynoscion regalis (Bloch and Schneider) 

 1801 



Squetkague; Sea trout; Gray trout 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 1407. 



Description. — The relative sizes and shapes of 

 the fins of the weakfish, and its color, are such 

 ready field marks that it is one of our most easily 

 identified fishes. Among Gulf of Maine species 

 with separate spiny and soft-rayed dorsal fins, it is 

 distinguishable from the mullet by the considerable 

 length of its dorsals as well as by many other 

 characters; its slightly emarginate tail distinguishes 

 it from any mackerel or pompano; this same char- 

 acter, combined with a short anal fin and a first 

 dorsal fin higher than the second dorsal gives it 

 an appearance quite different from a bluefish; 

 and the fact that its second dorsal is much longer 

 than the first, and that it has only 2 anal spines 

 and a slender body obviate all possibility of con- 

 fusing it with striped bass or white perch. The 

 shape of its dorsal and caudal fins and of its head, 

 and the absence of a chin barbel make it dis- 

 inguishable at a glance from the kingfish (p. 



