xiv Introduction 



(Stanford University), John T. Nichols (American Museum of Natural History), Luis 

 Howell-Rivero (University of Havana) and Leonard P. Schultz (U.S. National Mu- 

 seum). 



The articles in this and subsequent volumes, which will be co-operatively produced 

 by many ichthyologists, are intended to be critical reviews or revisions of each group rather 

 than perfunctory compilations or mere reprintings of previously published works. An out- 

 line of the general classification has been prepared, based on widely accepted schemes of 

 classification (such as that used at the British Museum). Standards for both the text and 

 the illustrations have been formulated so as to "achieve a fairly uniform treatment for all 

 volumes. Under each species will be found both the distinctive characters which set it 

 apart from its nearest relatives, a detailed description, as well as discussions of its color, 

 size, general habits, abundance, range, relation to man (that is, its economic importance, 

 danger to man, sporting qualities, etc.), and its occurrence in the western Atlantic. Since 

 the publication will be used by lay persons as well as by ichthyologists and marine biologists, 

 the use of highly technical words and phrases has been avoided as far as possible. Because 

 of the large number of references which are included in a study of this nature, particularly 

 in the "Synonyms and References," abbreviations have been used throughout. References 

 to periodicals are listed and abbreviated in accordance with the standards established in 

 A World List of Scientific Periodicals, Published in the Years i^oo—igjj (Oxford Uni- 

 versity Press, Second Edition, 1934), and an approximate consistency has been developed 

 for books and periodicals not listed in that publication. The final volume will contain a 

 complete and extended bibliography. Common names which are most generally used have 

 been included} for future volumes it is possible that the recommendations of the Commit- 

 tee on Common Names of the American Fisheries Society will be available. 



The geographical range of Fishes of the Western North Atlantic em- 

 braces the western half of the North Atlantic, including the adjoining gulfs and seas, 

 from Hudson Bay southward to the Amazon River. But this range is not strictly ad- 

 hered to in all instances; a number of species living close to the outer borders of the 

 region covered by this publication are included, particularly when their inclusion assists 

 in a more adequate understanding of the group under consideration. Brackish water species 

 are included, and naturally those which are cosmopolitan. As far as oceanic forms are con- 

 cerned, pelagic species are treated in full, while the strictly deep-sea (bathypelagic) fishes 

 are referred to only in keys and by references to the more recent reports describing these 

 animals. Two factors dictate this decision: i) The relative paucity and incompleteness of 

 our knowledge of these animals, and 2) the fact that they rarely, if ever, come within the 

 provenance of the nonspecialist in fishes, since special vessels and gear are required to eflFect 

 their capture. 



The map which accompanies this first volume is by no means complete. Since it was 

 prepared before the manuscript was finished, all the localities given in the text could not 

 be included, particularly in such heavily worked areas as New England. However, it will 



