Jordan and Evcrniann. — Fishes of North America. 1577 



1984. TAUTOGOLABRUS ADSPEBSUS (Walbaum). 

 (Gunner ; Chogset; Blue Perch ; Bergall; Beeg-gylt.) 

 Head 3i to 3A ; dei.th 3 to 3J. D. XVIII, 10; A. Ill, 9; scales 6-46-12; 

 vertebne, 17 + 19 = 36; eye lA iu head; pectoral 2; highest dorsal spiue 

 2j; highest dorsal rays 2; third anal spine 2\. Body rather robnst; head 

 moderately iiointed, much less obtuse than in Taufo(/a; snout moderate, 

 longer than eye; month moderate, maxillary about reaching front of ej^e; 

 5 canines in front of ujiper jaw, about 4 in lower, the teeth on sides of jaw 

 enlarging anteriorly ; bauds of small concave teeth behind canines; gill 

 rakers very short, about 6+11; scales rather small; top of head, preor- 

 bital, maxillary, lower jaw, iuteropercle, and posterior edge of preopercle 

 and opercle naked; preopercle with about 5 rows of small scales; opercle 

 with 4 or 5 rows of larger ones; tins naked. Color livid blue, shaded with 

 brownish above and with more or less of a brassj" luster on sides; head 

 and back sometimes spotted with brassy ; young with darker blotches and 

 markings, and often a black blotch near middle of dorsal fin. Extremely 

 variable in shades of coloration. This little fish is exceedingly abundant 

 about rocks and wharves near shore in the regions where it is found. It 

 reaches a length of about 10 inches, being too small to have much value 

 as food, although its llesh is of excellent flavor. These fishes, although 

 performing a useful duty as scavengers, are a pest to the fishermen from 

 their habit of nibbling the bait from their hooks. Atlantic coasts of 

 North America, from Labrador to Sandy Hook, {adspersus, besprinkled.) 



Bnrgall, Schopf, GeselLsch. Naturf. Freunde, vni, 155, 1788, New York. 



Labrus adspersvs, Walbaum, Artcdi Piscium, 254, 1792; aftuT Bnrgall oi' Hcui'<PF. 



Tautoga niger, Mitchill, Report, in part, on the Fishes of Xew York, 23, 1814, New York. 



Taiitoga ccerulea, Mitchill, Eeport, in part, Fishes of New York, 24, 1814, New York. 



Labrus chogset, Mitchill, Trans. Eit. and Phil. Soc. N. Y., l, 1815, 402, pi. 3, f.2. New York. 



Labrvs chogset fulva, Mitchill. I. c, 4(i3, 1815, New York. 



Ctenlahrus iminotatus, Cuvibr & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xiii, 239, 1839, New 

 York; young; De Kay, New York Faiina: Fishes, 174, pi. 29, f. 90, 1842; Gunther, 

 Cat., IV, 90, 1862. 



Ctenolabrus hurgall. Gunther, Cat., iv, 90, 1862, Canada. 



Ctenolabrus chogset, Cdviee & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xiii, 237, 1839. 



Ctenolabrus ccerulexis, De Kav, New York Fauna : Fishes, 172, pi. 29, f. 93, 1842. 



Tautogolabrus adspersus. Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1880, 87. 



Ctenolabrus ad«per.?MS, Stearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1883, 123; Jordan &. Gilbert, Syn- 

 opsis, 599, 1883; Goode, Nat. Hist. Aquat.Anim., 273, 1884; Jobdan, Keview Labroid 

 Fishes, 623, 1890. 



629. TAUTOGA, Mitchill. 



(Tautogs.) 



Hiatula, Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 11, 522, 1800 (hiattila) ; name preoccupied by Hiatula, 



Modeer, 1793, a genus of Mollusks. 

 Tautoga, Mitchill, Report, in part, Fish. New York, 23, 1814 (tautoga). 



Body long, not elevated nor greatly compressed. Head large, neai'ly as 



deep as long, with a convex profile. Mouth rather small. Teeth very 



strong, conical, in 2 series; the outer somewhat incisor-like; the 2 anterior 



teeth in each jaw strong; the posterior teeth small, without canines. Eye 



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