Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 123 



food by natives); Kaplan, Big Game Angler's Paradise, 1937: 89-136 (genl. acct.); Storey, Ecology, 

 18, 1937: 12 (always hurt by freezes); Breder, Bull. N.Y. zool. Soc, 41, 1938: 24 (irreg. in New York 

 Harbor); 42, 1939: 154-155 (habitat of small ones at Sanibel I., Florida); Butsch, J. Barbados Mus. 

 hist. Soc, 7(1), 1939: 18 (common locally); Heilner, Bk. of Fishes, Nat. Geogr. Soc, 1939: 202, 

 327-336 (color plate, genl. acct.); Hildebrand, Zoologica, N.Y., 24 (i), 1939: 19, 25, 30, 35 (in locks 

 of Panama Canal; transit through Canal completed); Longley and Hildebrand, Publ. Carneg. Instn. 

 Wash., 535, 1941 : 5 (feed.; descr., especially as seen by a diver; Tortugas, Florida); Breder, Zoologica, 

 N.Y., 27(1), 1942: I (behavior and respir. in confinement, refs. to papers on same subject); Breder, 

 Zoologica, N.Y., 2(), 1944: 217-252 (habitat, body proportions, growth, movements, refs.). 



Genus Elofs Linnaeus 1766 

 Ladyfish 



Elops Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766: 518; type and only included species, Elofs saurus Linnaeus 1766. 



Generic synonyms: 



Argentina, in part, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766: 519, for A. Carolina Linnaeus. 



Mugilomorus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 5, 1803: 398; t>'pe and only included species, Mugilomorus anna- 



carolina Lacepede equals Elops saurus Linnaeus. 

 Trachonotus Rafinesque, Anal. Nat. ..., 1 81 5: 88; type species Mugilomorus anna-carolina Lacepede; Tracho- 



notus proposed as a substitute for Mugilomorus Lacepede. 



Characters.^ Body slender. Vertebrae about 75. Pseudobranchiae large. Bran- 

 CHiosTEGALs about 34. MouTH nearly horizontal and almost terminal. Lateral line 

 straight, with simple tubes. Scales small, not especially primitive (fully described by 

 Cockerell, l^: y^ ly. 122), forming a sheath on base of dorsal and anal fins. Dorsal 

 rather high anteriorly, the last ray not prolonged. Anal similar to dorsal but smaller, 

 placed far behind dorsal. Pelvics inserted near vertical from origin of dorsal. Last several 

 segments of spinal column directed upward toward base of upper lobe of caudal fin. 



Air bladder slender, with very transparent walls, occupying full length of ab- 

 dominal cavity, adhering to abdominal wall dorsally and to alimentary canal ventrally. 

 Alimentary canal, below air bladder, consisting of a straight tube except for a large 

 elongated blind sac that projects forward to throat below, and parallel to, the main 

 canal; a mass of coeca (firmly bound together) attached to distal end of blind sac 

 and forming a close-fitting shield on right side of sac throughout its length; one 

 lobe of liver forming a hood over blind end of sac, and another lobe shielding left 

 side of sac. 



Remarks. The gular plate distinguishes this genus from Albula. The very slender 

 body, the small scales, and the absence of filaments attached to the last ray of the dorsal 

 and anal fins distinguish it from Tarpon. 



Range. About seven species have been recognized, but only Elops saurus comes 

 within the range of this work. The species are widely distributed in the warmer seas, 

 entering estuaries and tidal streams. 



8. The characters of the skull have been discussed by Gregory {30: 138), who regarded it as rather more primitive 

 than that of the tarpon. The ganoid character of the caudal skeleton has been well described and correcdy figured 

 by Hollister [jg: 260-263). 



