374 NEW YORK STATE MUSBIUM 



caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth one half the 

 length of head; head short, a little more than one fourth of 

 total length without caudal, its width nearly one half its length; 

 snout obtusely conical, its length varying; with age from one 

 seventh to one fifth of length of head; eye equal to interorbital 

 space and its length contained from four and one third to five 

 and one half times in length of head; mouth inferior, slightly 

 oblique, wide, the lower jaw included, maxilla broadly expanded 

 behind, its end reaching far behind eye, length of upper jaw 

 nearly one half of length of head; hind margin of preopercle 

 with numerous rather coarse spines. Distance of spinous dor- 

 sal from tip of snout equals one third of total length without 

 caudal, base of spinous dorsal one half as long as the head, 

 second spine longest one fifth of total without caudal, last dor- 

 sal spine two ninths as long as the second, interspace between 

 dorsals equal to postorbital part of head, base of second dorsal 

 contained one and three fourth times in length of head, longest 

 dorsal ra.y equal to postorbital part of head, last dorsal ray one 

 third as long as the head. Anal origin is under the fifth or 

 sixth ray of the second dorsal, the base of the fin equals the 

 second spine of the dorsal in length; the longest ray is one half 

 as long as the head; the last ray is as long as the snout and eye 

 combined. The ventral origin is under the middle of the spinous 

 dorsal; the length of the fin is about one half the length of head. 

 The pectoral reaches beyond the end of the spinous dorsal, but 

 not to the vent, its length equal to length of head without the 

 snout; the pectoral filaments are eight in number on each side, 

 the longest reaching past the vent. Caudal deeply forked, its 

 external rays longer than the head. D. VIII-I, 12; A. Ill, 13; 

 V. I, 5; P. I, 15, 8; B. VII. Gill rakers, 21 below the angle, the 

 longest nearly equal to eye; scales 6-70-10. Col ot. light oliva- 

 ceous, with dark punctulations; belly whitish; pectoral black in 

 adult, pale in young. 



The threadfin is found on the east coast of the United States 

 from New York to Texas, occurring northward in summer only. 



Se]). 24, 1800, three specimens were obtained by John B. De 



