FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 245 



THE BUTTERFISHES. FAMILY STROMATEID^ 



The members of this family are deep bodied and very much compressed, with 

 one long dorsal fin that is soft rayed except for a few short weak spines at its anterior 

 extremity, an anal of corresponding size and shape, a deeply forked caudal, a blunt 

 nose, and a small mouth. The two species occurring on the east coast of North 

 America lack ventral fins, but the extremity of the pelvic bone projects through the 

 skin as a spine — easily felt but so short that it is apt to be overlooked. 



Two species occur in the Gulf of Maine — one (the butterfish) being a common 

 summer visitor, and the other (the harvestfish) a rare stray from the south. 



KEY TO GULF OF MAINE BUTTERFISHES 



1. The anterior one-fourth of the anal fin is at least seven times as high as the rear portion 



of the fin. The anal and dorsal fins are both extremely falcate in outline. .Harvestfish, p. 250 

 The anterior one-fourth of the anal fin is only about 2 or 3 times as high as the rear 

 portion of the fin. The margins of the anal and dorsal fins are only slightly con- 

 cave Butterfish , p. 245 



95. Butterfish (Poronotus triacanihus Peck) 



Dollakfish; Shiner; Skipjack; Sheepshead; Harvestfish; Pumpkinseed 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 967. 



Description. — The most distinctive characters of the butterfish are its very 

 flat deep body (the fish is only about two and one-third times as long as deep) 

 like a flounder on edge, the only common Gulf of Maine species of this shape com- 

 bined with a single, long, soft-rayed dorsal, an almost equally long anal, and a 

 deeply forked tail, but no ventral fins. The absence of ventral fins separates it 

 from the deep-bodied pompanos; the spineless dorsal and deeply forked tail from 

 the scup (p. 263) and John Dory (p. 291) ; the lack of detached dorsal spines from 

 the triggerfishes, which are, furthermore, very different in general aspect (p. 293) ; 

 and it is easily distinguishable from its rare relative, the harvestfish (p. 250), by the 

 fact that its dorsal and anal fins are much lower (compare fig. 115 with fig. 117). The 

 dorsal (about 45 rays) originates close behind the axil of the pectoral and tapers 

 at first abruptly and then gradually backward, while the anal (about 38 rays) 

 narrows evenly from front to rear. There is a short forward-pointing spine close 

 in front of each of these fins, and both extend rearward almost to the base of the 

 caudal. 



Distinctive, also, are the long-pointed pectoral fin, the short head, the blunt 

 snout, the small mouth, the weak teeth, and the short and slender unkeeled caudal 

 peduncle. The scales are very small and easily detached when the fish is handled, 

 and there is a row of very conspicuous mucus pores below the anterior half of 

 the dorsal fin. 



Color. — Leaden bluish above, paling oh the sides, with silvery belly. 



Size. — The largest are about 10J^ inches long; the run about 6 to 8 inches. 



General range. — Atlantic coast of North America from Nova Scotia to the Gulf 

 of Mexico. 



