172 



H a IV ait an Fishes 



Drown from Fowler 



THE SQUARE TAIL FISH FAMILY 



82 Family T etragonuridae 

 The square tails are fishes of plump or almost squarish form and 

 have their bodies covered with numerous hard and firm scales. The 

 family contains but a single species which has been taken in Hawaiian 

 waters. 



The Square Tail or Escolar de Natura 

 82-1 T etragonurus cuvieri Risso 



The square tail is a curious fish and is reported to appear as if it had 

 been whittled out of wood. A uniform rusty black color, its plump and 

 compact body is covered with an armor of bony scales. The tail is 

 distinctly four angled with ridges which run into the forks of the fins 

 to form serrated keels. It reaches a length of about twelve inches. 



A fish of the open sea, it is reported to swim slowly in deeper waters. 



It is known from the Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific 

 Oceans. One four-inch specimen has been recorded from the Hawaiian 

 Islands. 



