438 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUINI 



at base, niimcrons black points anteriorly, margin yellowish^ 

 pectoral yellowish, ventral white, preanal spines and connecting 

 membrane white, anal translucent at base, rest of fin yellowish 

 with a few dusky points. 



The casabe is a small fish of wide distribution along our east 

 coast, ranging from Cape Cod to Brazil; it is common in the 

 Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and in Cuba, but rather rare from 

 Charleston northward. The only authority for its occurrence 

 in New York waters till recently has been Cuvier and Valen- 

 ciennes, who claimed to have a specimen from New York. De 

 Kay did not regard it as a member of the fish fauna. In 1899, 

 however, W. I. De Nyse secured several fine examples at Graves- 

 end beach, L. I., and one of these, 8 inches long, is now 

 in the U. S. National Museum, where it is numbered 49219. 



The fish grows to the length of 10 inches. It has no value as- 

 food, but is a beautiful species. 



Genus trachixotus Lac^pMe 

 Body compressed, moderately elevated, the general outline 

 ovate; caudal peduncle short and rather slender; abdomen not 

 trenchant, shorter than the anal fin; head moderately com- 

 pressed, very blunt, the snout abruptly truncate; mouth nearly 

 horizontal the maxillary reaching the middle of the eye; premax- 

 illaries protractile; maxillary without distinct supplemental 

 bone; jaws, vomer and palatines with bands of villiform teeth, 

 which are deciduous with age; preopercle entire in the adult; gill 

 rakers short; gill membranes considerably united; spinous dorsal 

 represented by six rather low spines, which are connected by 

 membrane in the young but are free in the adult. In old speci- 

 mens the spines appear small on account of encroachments of 

 the flesh, and ultimately often disappear. Second dorsal long,, 

 elevated in front; anal opposite to it and similar in form and 

 size; two stout, nearly free spines in front of anal, and one con- 

 nected with the fin, these often disappearing with age; scaler 

 small, smooth; lateral line unarmed, little arched; no caudal 

 keel. 



