216 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Table 6. — Left and right hranchioslegal ray relation for 

 203 specimens of Trachinotus falcatus 



[Upper numbers in blocks represent specimens with the indicated combi 

 nation; numbers in parentheses represent approximate percentage of the 

 sample with that combination] 



Table 7. — Left and right hranchiostegal ray relation for 

 49 specimens of Trachinotus glaucus 



[Upper numbers represent specimens with the indicated combination; num- 

 bers in parentheses represent approximate percentage of the sample with 

 that combination] 



strongly recurved teeth runs most of the length 

 of the hiner edge of the premaxillaries. The 

 remainder of the "gum" surface is covered with 

 minute papillae. A single irregular row of 

 slightly larger teeth of the same type, 8 to 10 

 teeth to each side, is located on the outer edge 

 of each dentary for approximately half its length 

 from the symphysis, and 2 or 3 teeth are located 

 on each side, immediately behind the row, adjacent 

 to the symphysis. An irregular, double row of 

 smaller, strongly reciu-ved teeth is located along 

 the inner edge of the dentary for most of its 

 length. The area between the single row and the 

 double rows is covered witli papillae. 



There are 3 to 5 short, slightly recurved teeth 

 on the head of the vomer, and a single row of 

 about 5 slender teeth on each palatine. The 

 teeth present on the tongue (of T. falcatus only) 

 are in a narrow band on tlic middle of the tongue. 



Some or all the teeth become overgrown with 

 flesh and papillae as the size of tlie fish increases. 

 The erratic dentition development found in some 

 phases of tliis study niaj' be effected by the 

 preserving iiiediuiii. The inheroiit shrinking of 



flesh in alcohol-preserved fish may bare teeth 

 that would be undetectable in specimens preserved 

 in formalin. 



Trachinotus sp. — The only teeth evident at 

 3.07 mm. are one or two recurved ones projecting 

 slightly forward on the anterior ends of the 

 premaxillaries. Premaxillary teeth are also the 

 only ones evident in the 4.0- and 4.66-mm. speci- 

 mens. 



T. carolinus. — Teeth are present on premaxil- 

 laries, vomer, palatines, and dentaries of the 

 smallest specimen and all below about 20 mm. 

 Above 20 mm. the vomerine and palatine teeth 

 become overgrown in some specimens, although 

 they can still be found in others up to 150 mm. 

 At about 150 mm. all but the dentary teeth dis- 

 appear and they are gone by about 170 mm. 



T. falcatus. — The 5-mm. specimen has teeth 

 on the premaxillaries, vomer, palatines, and 

 dentaries, but has no teeth on the tongue. At 

 10 to 80 mm., teeth are present also on the tongue. 

 At 80-140 mm., some specimens have no teeth 

 on the vomer, palatines, or tongue; at 140-190 

 mm., teeth are found only on the tongue and 

 dentaries; and the 216.5-mni. individual is 

 toothless. 



T. glaucus. — Teeth are present on premaxil- 

 laries, vomer, palatines, and dentaries of the 

 7.8-mm. specimen, and persist to at least 140 nun. 

 The 211-mm. individual lacks teeth on the vomer. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Anderson, A. W., and E. A. Power. 



1957. Fishery statistics of the United States, 1955. 



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Statistical 



Digest 41, 446 p. 

 Bean, Tarleton H. 



1903. Catalogue of the fishes of New York. New 



York State Museum, Bulletin 60, Zoology 



9, 784 p. 

 1906. A catalogue on the fishes of Bermuda, with 



notes made in 1905 for the Field Museum, 



Field Columbian Museum Publication 108, 



Zoology Series, vol. 7, no. 2, p. 21-89. 

 Beebe, William, and John Tee-Van. 



1928. The fishes of Port-au-Prince Bay, Haiti. 



Zoologica, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1-279. 

 19.33. Field book of the shore fishes of Bermuda. 



G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, xiv + 



337 p. 

 Breder, Charles M., Jr. 



1923. Certain fishes from Sandy Hook l?ay. 



Copeia, 1923, no. 114, p. 2-3. 

 1920. Fish notes for 1925 from Sandy Hook Bay. 



Copeia, 1926, no. 153, p. 121-128. 



