298 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Figure 156. — American John Dory (Zenopsis oceUata), Provincetown. From Goode. Drawing by H. L. Todd. 



(25 to 27 rays) is somewhat longer than the spiny 

 dorsal fin, but less than half as high, and its 

 anterior rays are only about half as high as the 

 posterior ones. The two dorsal fins, together, 

 occupy the entire length of the back of the fish 

 from nape of neck to caudal peduncle. 



The anal fin (24 to 26 rays preceded by 3 short 

 stout spines) corresponds to the soft dorsal in 

 location, height, and outline. The very small 

 caudal fin is brush shaped, the ventral fins are very 

 long, with the rays free at their tips, and they are 

 situated in front of the pectorals. The pectorals 

 are short and rounded. The skin is naked except 

 for a series of bony bucklers, each with a hooked 

 thorn or double thorn ; two or three of them along 

 the base of the spiny dorsal fin and four along the 

 base of the soft dorsal; two in front of the ventral 

 fins; one in the midline behind the ventrals, 



followed by six pairs along the belly to the anal 

 fin; and five along the base of the anal fin. 



Color. — Silvery all over. Specimens that we 

 have seen up to about 10 inches long are marked 

 on either side with about 12-24 vaguely outlined 

 dark spots, irregularly arranged, and fish up to 

 about 15 inches long retain some of the spots. 29 

 But it seems that the spots tend to fade out with 

 growth, for larger specimens that we have at hand, 

 16-20 inches long, have only one vague blotch on 

 each side, a short distance behind the gill opening. 



Size. — The largest four specimens yet seen 

 measured 18% and 18K inches; M 19 inches, weigh- 



a This agrees with (he original account of the species (Storer, Proc. Boston 

 Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 6, 1858, p. 380) and with a photograph of one about 3H 

 Inches long, from Campobello, New Brunswick, sent us by Dr. A. H. Lelm. 



» Taken ofl Long Island, N. Y., by the Albatross III, lat. 39°39' N., long. 

 72°08' W., May 12, 1960. 



