BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 77 



33.-TIIJE: FISHES OF Fr.ORI»A KFY8. 



By DAVID S. JOKDAIV. 



I spent three weeks in active work on the island of Key West, using 

 the seine daily through the forenoon, and availing myself of the im- 

 portant help of the many hook-andline fishermen for information in re- 

 gard to the fishes of the deeper waters. My list numbers one hundred 

 and seventy-five species. The great majority of these are forms more 

 or less common in the West Indies, but rare or absent even so far north 

 as Pensacola and Cedar Keys. A few Northern species, as the Sheeps- 

 head, occur at Key West, and do not cross the channel to Havana, but 

 the number of such is very small. One remarkable species, tlie "Hard- 

 head" {Chriodorus atherinoides Goode a.nd'Besin), is very abundant about 

 Key West, but has never been noticed elsewhere. 1 have also found 

 about fifteen species of small fishes which seem to be new to science. 

 Most of these will doubtless be found in the West Indies when the sea- 

 weed fauna of that region is better known. 



All the market fishing at Key West is done with hook and line. The 

 great supply comes from the bottom fishing, but some kinds, as the 

 Kjng-fish [Scomberomorus cavalla), and frequently theI>o\phiu{Coryphcena 

 Mppurus), the Barracuda {Spliyrcena picuda), the Amber jack [Scriola 

 lalandi), the "Albicore" {Seriola dumerili), the Jack (Caranx), and the 

 "Bonito" {Euthynnus alUteratus), are taken in the winter in large num- 

 bers by trolling. With these are occasionally found the Spike-fish 

 {Histiophorus) and the Wahoo {Acanihocybium solandri). From the 1st 

 of December to April is the "King-fish" season, and then that large and 

 handsome Mackerel is brought every day to the market, and is generally 

 preferred to the "bottom-fish." 



The "bottom-fish" are those taken with hook and line, at moderate 

 depths, from the vessel while at anchor in the channels. Of these, the 

 most abundant species, doubtless exceeding in quantity all other species 

 combined, is the common Grunt or "Eonco Grande" {RccmuJonplumieri). 

 Kext to this comes the lied Grouper [Epinephelus morio), and then in 

 varying number come the different snappers (Lufjanus), groupers {Epine- 

 phelus), porgies [Calamus), and grunts (Hwrnulon), there being some eight 

 or ten species more or less common in each of these groups. 



The common Snappers are the following, arranged in order of abun- 

 dance : L. cahallerote, the Gray Snapper or Mangrove Snapper; L. cliry- 

 surtiSj the YeUow-tail; L. synagris, the Lane Snapper; L. analis, the 

 Mutton-fish ; L. caxis, the Schoolmaster, and L. jocii, the Dog Snap- 

 per. Of the groupers, besides the Red Grouper [Epinephelus morio)^ 

 we have the Nassau Grouper {E. striatus) ; the Gag (E. microlepis) ; the 

 Black Grouper or Bonaci {E. honaci', the Scamp (E./alcatus); the Rock- 



