866 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



pointed, compressed. Mouth large, maxillary extending to anterior mar- 

 gin of orbit. Ventrals and pectorals short, the former nearly half length 

 of head. Lustrous dark blue above, with about 35 wavy , blackish, trans- 

 verse streaks ; below silvery ; base of pectorals dark ; base of preopercle 

 with about 15 or 20 small black specks or mucous pores, generally arranged 

 in a single row ; both dorsals margined with white. Length 18 inches. 

 North Atlantic ; abundant on both coasts, north to Norway and Labrador; 

 south to Spain and Cape Hatteras. One of the best known food-fishes of 

 America aud Europe. (Eu.) 

 Scomber scombrus, 'Liti'sxvs, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 297, 1758, Atlantic; after Scomber pirnmUs V 



of Artedi; Jordan & Gildert, Synopsis, 424, 1883; Dresslah Sc Fesler, 7. c, 431, 1889. 

 Scomber veriudis, Mitciiill, Trans. Lit. and Philos. Soc. N. Y., 1815, 423, Sandy Hook, New 



Jersey. 

 Scomber scomber, Linnjeus, Syst. Nat., Ed. xii, 492, 17G0; after Artedi; GCnther, Cat., ii, 357, 



1860. 



Subgenus PNEUMATOPHORUS, Jordan A Gilbert. 



1253. SCOMBER COLIAS, Gmelin.* 



(CiiUB Mackerel ; Tinker Mackerel ; Easter Mackerel; Thimbleeted Mackerel ; Spanish 

 Mackerel of England.) 



Head 3; depth 3^; eye 4 in head, nearly equal to snout. D. IX-1, 12-V 

 or VI ; A. I-I, 11-V or VI ; scales 200. Hea'd rather pointed : ridges of 

 skull evident but not parallel ; subopercle rather more elliptical than tri- 

 angular ; posterior border of eye covered with large radiating scales; top 

 of head with a large translucent area; no groove connecting dorsals ; the 

 first dorsal higher than long, the last spines short aud weak; second dor- 

 sal twice as long as high. Maxillary reaching front of pupil. Pectoral 

 I length of head. Blue, with about 30 wavy, blackish streaks which 

 extend to just lielow the lateral line; some of these form reticulations, 

 and inclose pale spots of the color of the back ; more than 20 black 

 specks or mucous pores on base of preopercle, generally arranged in more 

 than one row ; belly aud sides silvery, but always in the adult with 

 roundish dusky spots or cloudings ; a black axillary spot. Atlantic and 

 Pacific oceaus, widely distributed, north to England, Maine, and San 

 Francisco ; very common in the Mediterranean and in southern Califor- 

 nia ; irregular in its appearance on our Atlantic Coast. Smaller than the 

 common mackerel and inferior to it, although a food-fish of importauce. 

 The Pacific Coast form called Scomber dieijo differs in no tangible charac- 

 ter. (coZias, an old name of some mackerel.) (Eu.) 



* A supposed hybrid between Scomber scombrus and Scomber colias was obtained at Block Island, 

 off Rhode Island, by Dr. Seth E. Meek. The following are its characters: 



Head 4 in length to fork of caudal fin; eye 5 in head. D. XII, I-IO-IV; A. I, 11-IV. Body 

 robust, as in colias. Caudal peduncle round, as in colias, rather than depre.sscd, as in scotnbrus. 

 No lougitudinal groove between the dorsals. A black axillary spot. Snout more like scombrus 

 than colias. Ventrals aud pectorals short. Hindmost iiulets double, as is the case with S. 

 scombrus. Ridges on its head are in three parallel lines, as mscombriis, not as in colias. Suboper- 

 cle more elliptical than triangular. I'osterior border of eye not covered with large radiating 

 scales. Top of head, as in S. somhrns, without translucent area. About 20 small black specks 

 or pores at base of preopercle, arranged in a single row. Coloring on the back in blotches, as 

 in colias, rather than in stripes, as in scnmhi-iis. Sides mottled, much as in colias. Base of pec- 

 torals dark. The following notf> was made by Dr. Meek: "September 16, Block Island. — A 

 peculiarly marked Scomber scombrus, only four Unlets, no air bladder, low spinous dor.sal, and 

 markings of S. colias. Mr, Blackford thinks it is a cross between the two." Length 133^ 

 inches. 



