296 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



111. Filefisli ( Monacanthus ciliatus Mitchill) 



Jordan and Evermann, 1S96-1900, p. 1714. 



Description. — This filefish closely resembles the species just described, but its 

 first dorsal ray is never elongate, the ventral dewlap extends far behind the tip of 

 the ventral spine, and the caudal peduncle in the adult is armed with 2 or 3 pairs of 

 strong forward-curving spines on either side. 



Color. — Described as varying from olive gray and grass green to yellowish 

 brown with darker blotches or crossbands. The dorsal and anal fins are pinkish 

 and usually have three dark spots at the base. The ventral flap is edged with 

 scarlet and the caudal is greenish, mottled dark and pale. 



Size. — Four to eight inches long. 



General range. — Warmer parts of the Atlantic, from Cape Cod to Brazil on the 

 American coast. 



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Fig. 136. — Filefish {Monacanthus ciliatus) 



Occurrence in the Gulf of Maine. — Storer's Massachusetts Bay specimen is still 

 the only record of this filefish within the limits of the Gulf, nor is it known at 

 Woods Hole. It is only a very rare stray in the Gulf of Maine from the south. 



112. Orange filefish (Alutera schwpfii Walbaum) 



Foolfish; Turbot; Hogfish; Sunfish; Unicornfish 



Jordan and Evermann, 1S96-1900, p. 1718. 



Description. — This filefish resembles its relatives of the genus Monacanthus 

 in most respects (p. 294), but while equally compressed it is relatively shallower — 

 not over half as deep as long. The pelvic bone is as elongate as it is in the other 

 filefishes, but there is neither ventral spine nor dewlap, the ventral profile of the body 

 being rounded instead of straight. The eye, too, is set lower down on the side of 

 the head and the gill openings are noticeably oblique instead of nearly vertical. 



