Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 8 5 



Fin rays: dorsal 22, 7-10, 7.7; anal 22, and 22, 8-16, 12.6 on right; pel- 



7-10, 7.8 ; caudal 22, 12-14, i2-9'> vie 22, all with 6 rays except i 



pectoral 22, 11 — 15, 12.7 on left with 5 on left. 



Color. In general, dark olivaceous brown above and white to yellowish beneath, 

 but some nearly black dorsally; this coloration not unusual for specimens kept in aqua- 

 riums. Two small specimens (156.5 and 170.5 mm length) dark brown except for light 

 flesh-color on belly, breast, and throat regions. Skin between mandibles finely speckled 

 with brown; numerous dark spots on sides — only below lateral line anteriorly, but 

 above, below, and along lateral line on peduncle posteriorly. Rays of all fins dark brown, 

 the dorsal, anal, and caudal having noticeably darker spots. Individuals of about 500 mm 

 have few dark spots on sides, and then usually on peduncle; although only a few dark 

 spots are present, there are numerous places where the groove between the scales is 

 markedly darker than the surface of the scale; a few dark spots on dorsal, anal, and 

 caudal fins; some large individuals from Lake Pontchartrain devoid of spots on fins as 

 well as on body. 



Color of 49.5-mm specimen. Light median dorsal stripe extending from tip of 

 snout to origin of dorsal, and from posterior insertion of dorsal to upper base of caudal 

 fin; this light stripe bordered on either side by a broad dark brown area extending about 

 a third of the way down the sides and reaching to dorsal rim of orbit. Dark lateral band 

 from anterior tip of mandible to anterior rim of orbit, thence posteriorly from posterior 

 rim of orbit to base of caudal. Dark lateral band extending posteriorly along mandible 

 from its anterior tip to anterior rim of orbit, and from posterior orbit to base of caudal; 

 this dark band on body composed of close-set mottlings, forming irregular borders 

 dorsally and ventrally. Venter light except for dark strip along inside of rami of lower 

 jaws, thus leaving a light midventral band. All fins with dark brown blotches. 



Size. The smallest Alligator Gar seen is the 49.5-mm specimen described above. 

 The largest one on record, a female taken from Belle Island Lake, Vermilion Parish, 

 Louisiana, was 9 feet 8.5 inches long and weighed 302 pounds; statistics on other large 

 individuals are given by Gudger {26: 1 18-120), Weed {6g: 5, 6), and Hussakof {^34: 

 2). During a recent biological survey of Lake Pontchartrain and adjoining brackish 

 waters, 21 specimens, 410—1,472 mmTL," were collected. Additional specimens were 

 taken from the Gulf of Mexico at Grand Isle, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. 



Spawning and Development. Practically nothing is known of the spawning and 

 development of the Alligator Gar, but according to the unpublished writings of George 

 Powers Dunbar (Wortman, y^: 385), it spawns during December and January. The 

 egg is enveloped in gelatinous material, and the egg strands are draped on snags 

 and vegetation; by the end of August the young fish has reached 14 inches in length. 

 These notes by Dunbar need verification. [Recent observations prove the foregoing to 

 be incorrect. The Alligator Gar spawns in April, May, and June in the Louisiana 



II. The remains of several taken from the Gulf side of Breton Island as well as the head of a specimen (ca. 6 ft.) taken 

 from the Gulf of Mexico at Destin, Florida, are in the Tulane University osteology collection. 



