244 UNDERWATER GUIDE TO MARINE LIFE 



Identificatioyi: All members of this genus have the peculiar, high, rounded 

 forehead, the high-placed, large eye, and the body depth greatest through the 

 shoulder that make a characteristic silhouette. The teeth are also odd, being 

 like canines rather than like incisors in the front of the mouth. This species 

 is usually of dull, brassy, plain coloration. There is a slender blue streak below 

 the eye. When feeding over a grassy bottom a banded phase may be displayed 

 and when over sand, a clear gray phase. 



Habits: This is a typical, omnivorous, schooling porgy and is the most common 

 member of this typically American genus, all species of which are inshore 

 inhabitants of the West Indies. The common name of this fish is reported by 

 Breder (1940) to be derived from the habit this fish has of jolting molluscs loose 

 from rocks with its jaws. 



Similar S-pecies: The following species all have the silhouette of the jolt-head 

 and are best separated by color pattern. All are found in the West Indies, 

 ranging north to the Florida Keys. 



The saucer-eye porgy. Calamus calamus, reaches a length of about Wz feet, 

 but is usually much smaller. The color is silvery with bluish reflections and a 

 yellowish wash, which is strongest anterio-dorsally. Golden spots on each scale 

 form indistinct longitudinal rows. There is usually a violet stripe below the eye. 

 A banded phase may occasionally be encountered over a dark bottom. 



The little-head porgy. Calamus fwridens, reaches 12 inches, is of a brighter 

 silver than other Calamus species, and has violet longitudinal rows of spots 

 on the sides and pale orange spots below. 



The grass porgy. Calamus arctifrons, lives chiefly in the grassy, shallow water 

 of the Gulf of Mexico. It has conspicuous dark bars and blotches, over a dull 

 silver ground color, which serve to camouflage it. It is the smallest of the porgies, 

 reaching only a foot. 



sheepshead: Archosargus fwhatocephalus 



Size: Up to 3 feet. 



Weight: Averages 1 to 4 pounds. Large at 5 to 15 pounds. Up to 30 pounds. 



Distribution: Cape Cod to Texas. Overfishing has caused it to become scarce 

 in much of its range. 



Identification: This large, chunky fish is immediately distinguished by the 

 wide, vertical, nearly black bars that cross its body. These fade in large 

 individuals. 



Habits: The sheepshead derives its name from its flat molar teeth, used to 

 crush its food, which consists mostly of molluscs and crustaceans. The fishes 

 group or school inshore over hard, rocky, or even reef bottoms. They will stray 

 into brackish water or even into the fresh water of rivers. They are most common 

 inshore in the summer. This is especially true north of Cape Hatteras, where 

 they are not present at all in winter. 



Similar Species: The brim (salema), Archosargus unimaculatus, is a southern 

 Florida and West Indian species. It reaches the length of only a foot but has 

 the same shape as the sheepshead. The coloration is pretty and distinctive. There 

 are only faint dark crossbars. The back is blue, with wavy streaks of brilliant 

 gold. There is a black spot above the pectoral fin base, and the underside is 

 silvery. 



