Jordayi and Evcrmann. — Fishes of North America. 1347 



eye, the upper rows less distinct than the lower, the anterior row of about 

 20 scales ; caudal fin moderately forked, the middle ray about 2\ iu longest 

 ray. First dorsal spine as long as eye, the second about as long as third, 

 which is about 2 in head; temporal crest obsolete; frontal bones not 

 gibbous or porous; antrorse spine attached to the fourth interneural by a 

 downward projecting spur about twice as long as the spine. Color nearly 

 plain dull silvery, with golden longitudinal streaks, following the rows of 

 scales ; axil dusky ; ventrals dark. South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the 

 United States, from Cape Hatteras to Texas, common. It closely resembles 

 the northern scup, which it more or less replaces southward. The speci- 

 mens here described from Charleston, (aculeaius, spined.) 

 Ghn/sophrys aculeatiis, Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vi, 137, 1830, Charles- 

 ton. 

 Stenotomus acideatus, Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 557; Jordan & Feslee, I. c, 507. 



552. CALAMUS, Swainson. 

 (Pez pe Pluma.) 



Calamus, SwAlNSON, Nat. Hist. Fishes, etc., 11, 222, 1833 (calamus). 

 Orammateus, POEY, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. 1872, 182 {mierops). 



Body oblong, compressed, the back elevated; head large, the preorbital 

 deep ; mouth small, the teeth strong, those in front conical or pointed, those 

 on sides molar; preopercle entire, posterior nostril slit-like; dorsal fin 

 rather low, not much notched, the soft rays low, not scaly; caudal well 

 forked ; anal spines small ; pectoral rather long. Second interh:emal bone 

 enlarged, hollowed anteriorly, or pen-shaped, receiving the posterior end 

 of the air bladder in its anterior groove; first spine-bearing interneural 

 without antrorse spine; temporal crest very thin and high, joining the 

 lateral crest which forms part of the margin of orbit above middle of eye, 

 both crests coalescing with the supraoccii)ital in the cavernous anterior 

 part of the interorbital area; interorbital area somewhat contracted ante- 

 riorly ; prefrontal process very strong, making an obtuse angle with the 

 supraorbital, this process forming a conspicuous knob above the long 

 posterior nostril. Shore fishes, remarkably distinguished by the structure 

 of the interhicmal. This genus contains numerous species, all American, 

 and all very closely related. All are valued as food-fishes, {calamus, a 

 quill or reed, from the quill-like interha^mal.) 



Calamus: 



a. Scales comparatively small, 8 or 9-54 to 58-18 or 19;* about 6 vertical rows of scales 



on base of preopercle, with about 12 scales entering into the formation of the 



lower margin ; species of large size, with the preorbital deep, the pectoral fin 



long, and the outer teeth strong. 



b. Body very deep, the back elevated, the depth in adult half the length to base of 



caudal ; outer t.eth about ^^yg in number, the outer one on each side iu one 

 or both jaws sometimes enlarged, canine-like, sometimes directed forwards, 

 especially in the adult. 



* Scales above the lateral line are counted from the base of the first dorsal spine, those 

 below the lateral line from the base of the first aual spine. 



