POMPANOS OF SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST 



203 



head was dull blue-gray, grading into white in 

 the branchiostegal region, breast, lower sides, 

 and belly. Dorsal and anal lobes black, remainder 

 of these fins dusky. Pectorals sliglitly dusky; 

 pclvics white. Caudal lobes very dusky along 

 outer rays; lighter toward inner rays. Five dark 

 vertical bars along sides of body. 



Specimens 40 mm. and smaller can easily be 

 confused with T. carolinus because of the similarity 

 in coloration and depth of body. Fresh specimens 

 exhibit dull silvery dorsal surfaces and light gray 

 to white flanks and belly. The dorsal lobe is 

 black; the anaJ lobe cinnamon and black (black 

 in preserved specimens). The spinous dorsal and 

 anal are pigmented. Other fins are very slightly 

 dusky, except for the caudal, which is moderately 

 dusky along upper and lower margins. There are 

 no bars on the body of the laboratory specimens. 

 Evermann and Marsh (1902: p. 138), referring to 

 small T. glaucus, observed — 



Young individuals, 2 inches in total length, may be 

 described as follows: . . . Color, bright-silvery, merging 

 into metallic-bluish on back and yellowish on lower sides 

 and belly ; the four dark vertical bars very faint, but usually 

 distinguishable with a lens, . . . anterior rays of dorsal 

 and anal and outer rays of caudal black. 



They also stated that —  



Comparing young examples in our collection from Porto 

 Rico with specimens of similar size from Woods Hole 

 which have been identified as the young of T. goodei, it is 

 found that they are difficult to distinguish. The general 

 form, proportional measurements, fins, and general colora- 

 tion are very much alike, but the black vertical bars are 

 apparently not present on the Woods Hole specimens. 



Status of Trachinotus goodei and "Permit" 



Ginsburg (1952: p. 76) placed T. goodei Jordan 

 and Evermann in the sjTionymy of T. glaucus, an 

 action my observations substantiate. 



Trachinotus goodei Jordan and Evermann (1896: 

 p. 943) is "described from a small specimen from 

 Key West, the characters of the adult taken from 

 Gvinther." Morphometric and numerable charac- 

 ters given in the description well fit a small T. 

 glaucus of about 30-50 mm.: "Head 3; depth 

 2%. D. VI-I, 19; A. II-I, 17," and ventrals 2 in 

 head; anterior soft-rays of dorsal and anal fins 

 (dorsal and anal lobes) 4 in length of bodj', in the 

 young; caudal lobes about 3 in body. 



Examination of photographs of syntypes (Stan- 

 ford University 1455) reveals specimens apparently 

 identical to T. glaucus. Other specimens pre- 



viously identified by other workers as T. goodei 

 (USNM 68595 and 125672) are T. glaucus. 



Ginsburg (1952: p. 72) aptly stated the basis of 

 confusion related to T. goodei and the term 

 "permit": 



The apparent existing misapprehension regarding the 

 western Atlantic species of Trachinotus involves also a 

 curious confusion of common and scientific names. In 

 current accounts, the "permit" is generally treated under 

 the name of T. goodei. However, as stated, the name 

 "permit" apparently refers, partly or wholly, to large 

 specimens of falcalus; while the type on which the name 

 goodei is based, is evidently a small specimen of glaucus 

 as noted under its account, and the name goodei must be 

 entered in the synonymy of glaucus. 



Further confusion residts from the almost 

 universal use of the term "permit" for any un- 

 usually large Trachinotus, and by its use for any 

 T. falcatus on Indian River, Fla. 



ONTOGENY OF TRACHINOTUS SPECIES 

 HEAD LENGTH 



There is a gradual decrease in relative head 

 length with an increase in standard length in the 

 three species, Trachinotus carolinus, T. falcatus, 

 and T. glaucus. Growth patterns in all species 

 are essentially the same. Below about 10 mm., 

 relative head length is about 39-44% S.L., and 

 by about 200 mm. it has decreased to about 

 26-27% S.L. Above 230 mm., relative head 

 length in T. carolinus is 25% S.L. or less 

 (appendix table 2 and fig. 19). 



Head lengths of 39.1% and 41.5% S.L. for the 



3.07- and 4.0-mm. specimens {Trachinotus sp.) 



fall in line with the trend suggested by the data 



for the three species, but the value of 33.8% S.L. 



for the 4.66-mm. specimen is low (appendix 



table 2). 



EYE DIAMETER 



As in head length, there is a gradual decrease 

 in relative eye diameter with an increase in 

 standard length. Growth patterns in all three 

 species are very similar, with T. carolinus and 

 T. glaucus presenting virtually identical patterns 

 and T. falcatus showing a slightly larger eye at 

 any given length. Below 10 mm., eye diameters 

 are about 13-16% S.L. for the three species, and 

 by 210 mm. they are about 6-8% S.L. This 

 relative decrease continues in T. carolinus and 

 specimens above 300 mm. approach an eye 

 diameter of about 5% S.L. (appendix table 2 and 

 fig. 19). 



