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FISHES OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 



Filefish there is a small ventral spine like that of the Triggerfish. The 

 Orange Filefish and Unicorn Filefish lack this structure and their bodies, 

 particularly the tail part, are more elongate. The Orange Filefish has 

 about thirty-six rays in the dorsal fin, the Unicorn Fish about forty-six. 

 The latter is the rarer member of the trio, the records from hereabouts 

 being very few and rather unsatisfactory. 



A still further development along this line is the Trunkfish whose 

 body is encased in a hard, three-cornered, beech-nut shaped shell. Only 

 one species of Trunkfish is recorded as straggling north to us in summer 

 and autumn. This is the Common Trunkfish which has distinct spines 

 extended backward from the ventral region behind, no spines in front of 

 the eye and the shell closed behind the dorsal fin. There is evidently 

 rather a close relationship between the Trunkfish and the Swellfishes 



COMMON TRUNKFISH 



with loose skin, oblong bodies, small isolated soft-rayed dorsal and anal 

 fins. These fishes have the power of inflating the body with water or 

 air till it assumes an almost spherical outline. Our common species, the 

 Swellfish or Blowfish, has dorsal and anal fins of six or eight rays, caudal 



^""^^ 



SWELLFISH OR BLOWFISH 



