42 VERTEBRATE ANIMALS OF THE UNITED STATES 



L. tidlihee (Rich.). Tullibee (Fig. 19). Length 450 mm.; head 4; 

 depth 3; color bluish above; sides white with fine dots; rays of dorsal 

 and anal fins 12; scales 8 or 9-67 to 74-8; body short, very deep, com- 

 pressed; adipose fin large: basin of Lake Winnipeg; small lakes of Minne- 

 sota and Wisconsin; Lakes of central New York; common. 



Subfamily 2. Salmoninae. — Salmon and trout. Mouth large, the 

 maxillary extending to a point behind the eye; dentition strong and 

 complete, teeth occurring on the jaws, vomer, palatines and tongue; 

 scales small; flesh usually pink or orange in color: 4 genera in the 

 United States. 



Key to Genera of Salmoninae in the United States 



ai Anal fin with 13 to 17 rays; Pacific salmon i. 0)icorliy)ichns. 



ao Anal fin with from 9 to 12 rays, 

 bi Body not spotted with red. 



Ci Body spotted with black 2. Salnio. 



C2 Body spotted with gray 3. Cristivomer. 



bo Body spotted with red 4. Salvelinus. 



I. Oncorhynchus Suckley. Pacific salmon. Body elongate, com- 

 pressed, elliptical; mouth wide; during the breeding season, in the fall, 

 the snout of the male becomes distorted, both upper and lower jaw being 

 elongated, the former hooking over the latter, which is itself hooked at 

 the tip, the teeth become enormously enlarged, a fleshy hump develops 

 in front of the dorsal fin, and the flesh loses its pink color more or less 

 completely: 5 species; north Pacific Ocean, ascending the rivers of both 

 America and Asia to spawn; the most valuable commercial fishes in the 

 country. The king salmon and blueback begin their run up the streams 

 generally the last of March and continue it until the spawning season 

 in the fall; the other species run only in the fall. The spring and 

 summer are when the most valuable catches are made and when the 

 fish are in the best condition. The fall catches are of far less commer- 

 cial value as the flesh of the fishes is then poor, dry and colorless. 

 The fish do not feed during the run, and most of them probably die 

 after spawning. The young salmon descend the stream to the sea 

 where they feed for a period of years, which for the king salmon is from 

 3 to 5 years, before arriving at maturity, when they migrate to the 

 spawning grounds. 



Key to the American Species of Oncorhynchus 



ai GiU-rakers short and comparatively few (20 to 25 in number); 



bi Tail with large oblong spots; scales very small O. gorbuscha. 



