720 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW JERSEY. 

 Family POMATOMID^. 



Bluefishes. 



Scales weakly ctenoid ; mouth large and oblique, with premaxil- 

 laries protractile; lower jaw projects; supplementary bone to maxil- 

 lary ; teeth strong, unequal, a triangular patch on the vomer ; occipital 

 keel strong ; free edge of opercle serrated ; branchiostegals seven ; 

 cheeks and opercles scaled ; anal and soft dorsal scaly ; first dorsal of 

 seven low spines ; ventrals thoracic ; vertebrae as in Carangidce. 



POMATOMUS, Lac. 



(Temnodon, Guv.) 



P. saltatrix, L. [Perca, Gasterosleus.) Bluefish. Greenfish. Skip-jack. 



Bluish or greenish above and silvery below ; a black blotch at 

 base of pectoral ; body robust, slightly compressed ; belly with 

 blunt edge ; top of head naked. Rays in dorsal and anal, 25 ; 

 scales in lateral line, 95 ; length, 3 feet. Voracious and' destruc- 

 tive to other fishes. Valued for food. 



" This is a well-known and exceedingly abundant species 

 found along our coast generally. Isolated specimens wander up 

 the Delaware occasionally as high as Bordentown, Burlington 

 county." 



Family STROMATEIDiE. 



Broad Shiners. 



Scales minute, cycloid; profile of body blunt in front; mouth 

 small ; no teeth on vomers or palatines ; cesophagus armed with 

 horny, hooked teeth ; dorsal fin single, long, spines weak ; anal with 

 three spines ; usually no air-bladder. 



STROMATEUS, L. 



(Poronotus. Peprilus.) 



S. paru, L. {Rhombus longipimiis, gardenii.) Rudder-fish. Harvest-fish. 



Body ovate ; tail slender ; scales loosely inserted ; ventrals 



represented by a spine ; pectorals narrow, nearly half as long as 



