122 GIANT FISHES 



The name Grouper or Groper is a corruption of the Portu- 

 guese name " garrupa ", given to some of the species of 

 Epinephelus. These fishes are also known as Rock-fishes, 

 Hinds, Nigger-fishes, Coneys, etc. The name " Jew-fish " is 

 properly reserved for the genus Stereolepis, but is popularly 

 used for a number of large Sea Perches, as well as for one of 

 the Croakers (p. 131). The scientific name is derived from 

 a Greek word meaning " clouded over ", referring to the 

 membrane which is supposed to cover the eye in some of the 

 species. 



PAMPANOS. 



(Family Carangid^.) 



Percoids related to the Sea Perches, but differing from them 

 in the following characters : The spinous dorsal fin is shorter, 

 with the spines either slender or quite short, and the soft 

 portions of both the dorsal and the anal fins are longer. The 

 first 2 spines of the anal fin are detached from the rest of the 

 fin ; sometimes these spines are hidden under the skin. The 

 caudal fin is more widely forked and is placed at the end of a 

 more slender peduncle. 



The Pampanos represent a large and varied family, and 

 abound in all warm seas, often moving northward during 

 summer months. Many of the species have a wide distribution, 

 and most of them are valued as food. Fossil remains of fishes 

 which appear to belong to this family have been found in 

 rocks as old as the Cretaceous period. 



AMBER-FISHES OR YELLOW-TAILS. 



(Genus Seriola.) Fig. 41. 



The body is oblong and moderately compressed, and is 

 covered with small, smooth scales. The mouth is fairly wide. 

 The first dorsal fin has 6 or 7 weak spines, which are connected 

 with one another by membrane ; the second dorsal fin is very 

 long, and its front part forms a more or less raised lobe. The 

 anal fin is much shorter than the second dorsal, and the 2 

 detached spines disappear in adult fish. The pectoral fins are 



