POMPANOS OF SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST 



195 



sists of mullusks, the softer kinds of crustaceans, 

 and probably, the yoimg of other fishes." Accord- 

 ing to Evermann and Marsh (1902: p. 140), 

 "The food of this fish seems to consist very largely 

 of small bivalve shells and small crustaceans." 

 Tracy (1910: p. 113) listed "Stomach contents: 

 fishes, small Crustacea, amphipods, lamellibranch 

 shells, diatoms, and vegetable debris. Often 

 seen rooting or digging in the sand for food . . . ." 

 Gunter (1958: p. 189), referring to T. carolinus, 

 stated "The little pompano feed to a large extent 

 on young Harengula, and are commonly found 

 in the summer with their stomachs distended 

 with them." Stomach contents of T. carolinus, 

 13.5-80.5 mm. from the Georgia beaches, were 

 found to contain amphipods, bivalve mollusks, 

 crab larvae, copepods, isopods, and invertebrate 

 eggs, in that order. Also found were small 

 sessile barnacles, polychaetes, cumacea, imidenti- 

 fied small Crustacea, and other invertebrates. 

 Sand was quite commonly found in the stomachs, 

 confirming Tracy's observations. Indian River 

 market fishermen state that it is not xmcommon 

 to see several "pompano" accompanying large 

 rays, particularly the spotted eagle ray, as they 

 feed, supposedly feeding on mollusks and Crustacea 

 im covered by the rays and also on morsels the 

 rays fail to ingest. 

 Color 



Meek and Hildebrand (1925: p. 385) stated 

 that the color of T. carolinus is "bluish above, 

 silvery below; ventrals pale; other fins usually 

 black or dusky." Smith (1907: p. 214) gave the 

 color as "bluish or greenish on back, sUvery on 

 sides, rich golden yellow below; fins with bluish 

 or yellowish shades." Ginsburg (1952: p. 80) 

 stated that coloration is "Silvery, with a grayish 

 tinge on upper half, lighter below; fins dusky in 

 the larger specimens, usually almost imiformly 

 so; no cross bands." Bean (1903: p. 444) gave 

 the color as "Uniform bluish above, sides silvery, 

 golden in the adult, without bands, fins plain 

 silvery or dusky." 



Beach specimens (20-40 nun.) fresUy killed in 

 formalin exhibited the following coloration: 



Chin, branchiostegal region, and ventral surface 

 of body anterior to pelvic base white. Belly and 

 lower sides of body from pectorals to caudal base 

 silvery-white flecked with plumbeous chromato- 

 phores. Dorsal surface and upper sides of head 

 and body metallic blue-green. Spinous dorsal 



with hyaline interspinous membranes; spines 

 dusky, especially along leading edges. Anterior 

 part of soft dorsal virtually black, because of 

 the concentration of melanophores between first 

 six or seven soft-rays. The lobe is dusky to the 

 tip. Remainder of soft dorsal hyaline along its 

 distal margin and proximal third of fin; base and 

 area between hyaline parts lightly dusky. Inter- 

 spinous membranes and basal portion of soft 

 anal fin hyaline; spines, leading edge of soft anal, 

 lobe, and distal margin distinctly yellow. Scat- 

 tered melanophores form dusky lines between 

 first three or four pectoral soft-rays; rest of 

 pectoral fin yellow along proximal half and 

 hyaline toward tip. Pelvic fins bright yellow- 

 white. Lobes of caudal fin bright yellow, flecked 

 with melanophores, causing outer principal rays 

 to appear dusky. Coloration diminishes toward 

 inner rays. Upper secondarj' caudal rays dusky 

 and lower ones hyaline. Eye with black pupil 

 and silvery iris with lightly dusky patch above 

 and below the pupil. 



Live T. carolinus kept in aquariums exhibited 

 limited ability to change color. Small specimens 

 (15-30 mm.) were able to change body pigmen- 

 tation from silvery to very dusky, with an inter- 

 mediate "peppered" stage. Individuals above 

 about 30 mm. constantly maintained a uniform 

 silvery body color. Generally, live specimens in 

 the 30-50-mni. range showed very little duskiness 

 on the body and fins, except for the leading edge 

 and lobe of the dorsal fin, which is opposed to 

 the duskiness on the fins and bodies of preserved 

 specimens (fig. 7). 

 Parasites 



Linton (1905: p. 330-335, 366) listed the 

 following organisms found to be parasitic on T. 

 carolinus: 



Protozoa: Myxobolis (Henneguya) sp.; Nema- 

 toda: Immature nematodes (Ascaris) usually 

 encysted in viscera. Cestoda: Rhynchohothrium 

 sp. (encysted) in mesentary and on viscera; 

 Scolex polymorphus Rudolphi. Trematoda : Aspid- 

 ogaster ringens Linton; Distomum monticellii 

 Linton; Distomum pectinatum Linton; Distomum 

 valde-inflatum Stossich; Distomum vitellosum Lin- 

 ton; Distomum sp.; and Monostomum sp. 



The soft fins of small specimens of Trachinotu^ 

 spp. are often deformed or atrophied by cysts that 

 adhere to the rays. Mild infestations seem to 

 cause little damage, but concentrated infestations 



