158 



FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



134. TYLOSURUS RAPHIDOMA (Ranzani). 

 Hound-fish. 



Belone raphidoma Ranzani, Novi Commentarii Academic Scientiarum Instituti Bononiensis, v, 1842, 359, 



pi. 37, fig. 1; Brazil. 

 Tylosurus raphidoma, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 715, pi. cxvi, fig. 308. Linton, 1905, 357; Beaufort. 



Diagnosis. — ^Body slightly compressed, comparatively short, the depth about .08 total 

 length with caudal, equal to postorbital part of head and contained less than 4 times in total 

 length of head; head less than .33 length, broad; space between eyes about .66 length of post- 

 orbital part of head, with a broad shallow groove; jaws comparatively short, strong, upper 

 jaw (anterior to eye) less than 2 times remainder of head; teeth large, strong, knife-like; eye 

 less than .33 postorbital part of head and contained 1.8 times in interorbital space; maxillary 

 entirely covered by preorbital; scales in lateral series about 350; cheeks closely scaled, opercles 

 scaled only anteriorly; dorsal rays 21 to 24, height of longest rays about equal to postorbital 

 region; anal rays 22 to 24, the fin similar to dorsal; caudal deeply concave, the upper lobe much 

 longer than lower; ventrals inserted halfway between eye and base of caudal, their length less 

 than pectorals. Color: green above, silvery on sides and below, no lateral stripe; dorsal, cau- 

 dal, and pectorals blackish; caudal keel black. (rap/uViowa, from rapMs, a sharp instrument.) 



This large hound-fish is a rare straggler to the United States coast north of 

 Florida, its normal range being the West Indies and northern South America. 

 The only North Carolina record is that of a 3-foot specimen taken at Beaufort 

 August 26, 1901. The species attains a length of 5 feet, and is a hound-fish par 

 excellence, its leaps out of the water making it dangerous to fishermen. 



135. TYLOSURUS ACUS (Lacepede). 

 Hound-fish; Gar-fish. 



Sphyraena acus Lac^pbde, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons, v, 6, pi. 1, fig. 2, 1803; Martinique. 



f Belone Mans, Jordan & Gilbert, 1879, 383; Beaufort. 



Tylosurus caribbcBus, Jordan, 1886, 26; Beaufort. 



^Tylosurus acus, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 717, pi. cxvi, fig. 309; Beaufort, etc. 



*iiMiiiMiil! !l. L'Ii 4 k'.¥'M^!'*_' " " " 



Fig. 62. Hound-fish. Tylosurus acus. 



Diagnosis. — Body slightly compressed, its depth .05 total length and .66 length of pec- 

 torals; head flattened above, with a median groove expanding posteriorly into a triangular 

 space, length of head contained a little more than 3 times in total length; beak strong, about 

 twice length of remainder of head; eye .1 length of head, equal to interorbital width; teeth 

 large, sharp, about 60 in each jaw; scales in lateral series about 380; caudal keel strong; several 

 folds of skin across opercle; dorsal fin arising slightly in advance of anal, falcate, the developed 

 rays 23 or 24; anal fin falcate, the rays 21 or22, the last ray considerably anterior to last dorsal; 



