MASTERS OF THE WATER-BONY FISHES 



243 



ing and like incisors in the front and like molars in the rear. The possession 

 of more than one kind of tooth in fish is rare. This condition is called "hetero- 

 dont." Porgies are practically omnivorous. They eat small fishes, invertebrates, 

 shellfish, and some plant matter. The predominant ground color is silver, and 

 there are usually rather dull markings of black and flecks of brighter colors. 

 Most species show plain, light color phases over sand bottoms and darker, barred 

 phases over reefs, grass, or dark bottoms. Many are important food fishes. Two 

 of the most famous of these are the European dentex and that symbol of good 

 luck and well-being, Japan's red tai. 



NORTHERN PORGY (scup) : Stenotomns chrysofs 



Size: Averages 8 to 10 inches. Up to 18 inches. 



Weight: Averages 1 to IV2 pounds. Lip to 4 pounds. 



Distribution: Cape Hatteras to New. England, moving north in spring and 

 summer. 



Identification: The body is about the same depth along the whole length of 

 the dorsal, giving it a different shape from that of the genus Calamus. The color 

 is a dull silver, becoming olivaceous above. There are bright silvery blotches on 

 the sides, and the fins are dusky. 



Habits: This is a schooling, migratory fish which comes north and inshore 

 during the warmer months. It feeds on a wide variety of animals, chiefly 

 molluscs, worms and crustaceans. It is most common over sandy or hard gravel 

 bottoms. 



Similar S'pecies: The southern porgy, Stenotomus aculeatiis, replaces the 

 northern porgy south of Cape Hatteras and ranges to Texas. It is very similar 

 to the northern porgy, but has a less steep profile. 



Fig. 132. Northern forgy. 



Fig. 133. Jolt-head porgy. 



JOLT-HEAD PORGY (bluebone PORGY, GRASS porgy) : Colamus bajonado 



Size: The largest of the genus, reaching 2 feet or more. 



Weight: Reaching 10 pounds or more. 



Distribution: West Indies and Bermuda to the Florida Keys. 



