472 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



rangement of its fins, including the fact that the 

 two lower rays of each pectoral form separate 

 feelers. But its body is entirely clothed with 

 bony plates of considerable size. There are 4 

 rows of these on each side, from the vent rearward, 

 with an equal number of rows of thornlike spines, 

 the latter close set and directed rearward. The 

 plates on the abdomen have no spines. Thanks 

 to this armor, the trunk is very stiff. The lower 

 jaw bears a number of short fleshy barbels; there 

 is one long barbel with short side branches at each 

 corner of the mouth (the sea robins have no bar- 

 bels) ; and the front of its head is given so peculiar 

 an appearance by the two projections from the 

 skull (p. 467) that the armored robin could hardly 

 be mistaken for any other fish, except for one of 

 its own tribe. 



Color. — Bright crimson, below and above. 



Size. — Maximum recorded length between 13 

 and 14 inches (330-355 mm.). 



Habits. — This is a ground fish, recorded from 

 depths ranging from 50 fathoms down to some- 

 where between 200 and 235 fathoms. And it 



seems to be confined to the zone of warm water 

 along the outer part of the continental shelf and 

 upper part of the continental slope for the lowest 

 temperature in which it has been recorded is be- 

 tween 44° and 45°. 70 The stomachs of those we 

 have opened contained shrimps, stomatopods, and 

 other smaU crustaceans. 



General range. — Outer part of the continental 

 shelf and upper part of the continental slope ; from 

 the southwestern face of Georges Bank to the 

 offing of Charleston, S. C. (kit. 32°24' N., long. 

 78°44' W.). 71 



Occurrence in the Gulf of Maine. — Trawlers tell 

 us they sometimes take these brilliant crimson 

 fishes on the southwestern part of Georges Bank. 

 And they must be rather common outside the 60- 

 fathom contour, for we saw 89 specimens trawled 

 there and south of Nantucket at depths of 66 to 

 more than 185 fathoms, by the Albatross III in May 

 1950. But it is probable that they are barred 

 from the more easterly parts of the bank and from 

 the inner parts of the Gulf of Maine by low 

 temperature. 



THE FLYING GURNARDS. FAMILY DACTYLOPTERIDAE 



Flying Gurnard Dactylopterus volitans (Linnaeus) 

 1758 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2183, as Cephala- 

 canthus volitans (Linnaeus) 



Description. — The flying gurnard (only known 

 representative of its family), built, in general, on 

 the "sea robin" plan, is remarkable for its enor- 



mous pectorals. "When it is about half grown or 

 older, these reach nearly to the base of the caudal 

 fin if laid back. "When spread, they have the form 

 of enormous rounded fanlike wings. Other con- 



'» We have seen it trawled oil southern New England In water as shoal as 

 50 fathoms, and as cold as 44.4°. 



" For list of early localities, see Goode and Bean, Smithsonian Contrib. 

 Knowl., vol. 30, 1895, p. 471. 



Figure 248. — Flying gurnard (Dactylopterus volitans), Key West, Florida. From Jordan and Evermann. Drawing by 



H. L. Todd. 



