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UNDERWATER GUIDE TO MARINE LIFE 



SERGEANT FISH: Family Rachycentridae 



coBiA (sergeant FISH, CRAB-EATER, CUBBY YEw) : Rachycentwn canadus 



Size: Up to 5 feet. 



Weight: Averages 10 to 15 pounds. Up to 125 pounds. 



Distribution: Nearly cosmopolitan in warm seas, gets as far north as the 

 Chesapeake and straggles to Gape God. Most common in the Gulf of Mexico 

 off Mississippi. Not found on the Pacific Goast. 



Identification: The elongate shape, longitudinal stripe on the midline from 

 the eye to the tail, and the brown body are unmistakable. 



Fig. 115. Cohia. 



Habits: This is not a particularly common fish, but it is not rare if one looks 

 in the right spots. Its favorite haunts are offshore near channel markers, buoys, 

 lighthouses, and rocks. Upon occasion it has been known to travel with king 

 mackerels, Scombewviorits, and manta rays. It is a swift fish and will pursue 

 menhaden, bluefish, and other schooling forms, but prefers to feed on the bottom 

 on crabs and flatfish. It is found in schools, groups, or alone. 



MAN-OF-WAR FISH: Family Nomeidae 



MAN-OF-WAR FISH: Novieiis gTonovi—Color Plate 10 



Size: Up to 8 inches. 



Distribution: Gosmopolitan in warm seas. Rather common in the Gulf Stream. 

 Identification: This fish can be recognized by its exceedingly large ventral 

 fins and a mottled black-and-silver pattern. 



