FISHES OP NEW YORK 449 



close TO any of the other groups. The superficial resemblance to 

 Echeneis, asDr Gill has shown, is not connected with any 

 intimate homolog}^ (After Jordan and Evermann) 



224 Rachycentron canadus (Linnaeus) 

 Crabeater; Cobia 



•Gasterosteus canadus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. XII. 491, 1766, Carolina. 

 €Jentronotus spinosus Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 490, pi. Ill, 



fig. 9. 1815, New Yorlc. 

 Elacate atlantica Cuviek & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 334, pi. 



233. 1831, Brazil; De Kay. N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 113, pi. 25, fig. 77, 



1842. 

 Elacate nigra Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II. 375, 1860. 

 Elacate canada Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 418, 1883; 



Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 144. pi. II, fig. 13, 1888, 19th Rep. Comm. 



Fish. N. Y. 270, pi. XX, fig. 25, 1890, (young). Great Egg Harbor Bay. 

 Hachycentron canadus Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 948, 



1896, pi. CXLVIII, fig. 401, 1900; Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 98, 



1898. 



Head much depressed. The length of the head is contained 

 four and one fourth times in the length of the body; while the 

 width of the body is contained five and two thirds times in its 

 length. Mouth moderate, the short maxillary reaching front of 

 orbit; pectorals broad and falcate; caudal deeply emarginate, the 

 upper lobe slightly the longer; lateral line wavy and irregular, 

 descending posteriorly^ Length 5 feet. D. VIII-l, 26; A, II, 25. 

 Color, olive brown; sides with a distinct broad dark band and a 

 less distinct band above and below it; lower parts silvery. 



The crabeater inhabits all warm seas, occasionally appearing 

 on our Northern coast in summer and ranging northward to 

 Massachusetts bay. Individuals are occasionally taken at 

 Woods Hole Mass. 



Dr Mitchill had a specimen of the crabeater which was caught 

 in New York bay June 11, 1815. He found in its stomach 20 

 spotted sand crabs and several young flounders. The fish was 

 eaten at his table, and pronounced one of the best he had ever 

 tasted. This example was 31 inches long. Dr De Kay styles it 

 the northern crabeater. The specimen described by him was 

 captured in Boston harbor, and placed in a live car with other 

 fish, chiefly porgies (S t e n o t o m u s c h r y s o p s), and it de- 



