350 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 





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Figure 185. — Escolar (Ruveltus pretiosus), Georges Bank. From Goode and Bean. Drawing by J. C. van Hook. 



Size. — The escolar grows to a weight of at least 

 100 pounds. 



General range. — Tropical parts of the Atlantic, 

 and the Mediterranean, in moderately deep water 

 (usually 100 to 400 fathoms); also widespread 

 in warm latitudes in the North Pacific 46 and in 

 East Indian waters. It is plentiful around Cuba 

 though not reported from Puerto Pico; is known 

 from Bermuda; and it has been taken as a stray 

 as far north as the Bay of Biscay in the east and 

 to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in the west. 



There are regular fisheries for it off Cuba and about 

 the Canaries ; also in the Pacific. 46 



Occurrence in the Gulf of Maine. — Two escolars, 

 respectively, 49 inches long and 6 feet long, were 

 brought in to the United States Fish Commission 

 from Georges Bank during the autumn of 1891. 46 

 It has not been seen in the Gulf of Maine region 

 since then. The nearest record of it to the south- 

 ward, with which we are acquainted, is of two 

 trawled about 92 miles off Cape May, N. J., in 

 January 1950. 47 



THE CUTLASSFISHES. FAMILY TRICHIURIDAE 



The cutlassfishes are characterized by a scale- 

 less, band-shaped body tapering to a slim pointed 

 tail, with one dorsal fin extending the whole 

 length of the body; the anal is also long but is very 

 low. The ventrals are absent or rudimentary, 

 and there is no distinct caudal fin. Their large 

 mouth is armed with strong teeth of various sizes. 

 They inhabit the surface waters of tropical seas. 



Cutlassfish Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus 1758 



Hairtail; Scabbardfish; Silver eel; Ribband- 

 fish 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 889. 



Description. — The most striking characteristics 

 of the cutlassfish are its band-like form tapering to 

 a pointed whiplike tail without caudal fin; its 

 single long dorsal fin (about 135 rays) originating 

 close behind the eyes, about two-thirds as high at 

 its midlength as the body is deep, and diminishing 

 to nothing some distance in front of the tip of the 

 tail; its long anal composed of very low detached 

 spines pointing backward; and its long barbed 

 fangs in the front of the mouth, four in the upper 

 and two in the lower jaw. The depth of the body 



equals about one-thirteenth to one-fifteenth of its 

 total length, about one-seventh to one eighth of 

 which is occupied by the head. The snout is 

 pointed, the mouth gapes back to below the eye 

 and the lower jaw projects beyond the upper. 

 Each of the jaws is armed with 7 to 10 smaller 

 teeth behind the fangs. The anal fin is reduced to 

 a series of short inconspicuous spines, about 100 to 

 110 in number, without connecting fin membrane, 

 running back from the vent nearly to the tip of the 

 tail. The small pectorals are situated a little in 

 advance of the rear corners of the gill covers. 

 There are no ventral fins and the skin is scaleless. 



Color. — Plain silvery all over. The dorsal fin is 

 plain yellowish or dusky green in life, dark edged 

 or speckled along the margin with black; the 

 tips of the jaws dusky. 



Size. — Maximum length about 5 feet. 



General range. — All warm seas; abundant in the 

 West Indies and Gulf of Mexico; not rare along the 



'• Gudger (American Naturalist, vol. 62, 1928, p. 467) and Nordhoff (Natural 

 History, vol. 28, 1928, p. 40) give accounts of the geographic distribution of 

 the escolar, and of the fisheries for it In tropical waters. 



« Approximate location 41° 40' N., 67° 44' W. See Goode and Bean, Smith- 

 sonian Contrib. Knowl., vol. 30, 1895, p. 197. 



" LaMonte, Marine Life, vol. 1, No. 8, 1950, p. 40. 



