190 FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



is so great and its supply of blood so abundant that unless bled immediately after capture the 

 flesh, especially in warm weather, is apt to deteriorate, 



Statistics of the North CaroHna fisheries show a catch of only a few thousand 

 pounds of "bonito" annually, mostly in the gill-net fishery of Carteret County, 

 and this small quantity probably includes 1 or 2 other species besides Sarda 

 sarda. The price received by the fishermen is only 1 or 1.5 cents a pound. 



Genus SCOMBEROMORUS Lac^pfede. Spanish Mackerels, Ceroes, etc. 



These are among the most graceful, most beautiful, and most valuable of 

 the mackerels. Some species enter our bays and estuaries, others remain at sea. 

 The form is very elongate and considerably compressed, the body being entirely 

 covered with rudimentary scales not forming a corselet; the head is short and 

 pointed; the mouth is large, with strong knife -like teeth in jaws and with villi- 

 form teeth on vomer and palate bones; there is a single keel on the caudal pe- 

 duncle; the gill-rakers are few in number; the dorsal fins are almost continuous, 

 the anterior low and containing 14 to 18 feeble spines; the soft dorsal and anal 

 are similar and are followed by 7 to 10 finlets. Of the 5 American species, 

 3 occur on the Atlantic coast and are known from North Carolina. 



Key to the North Carolina species of Scomberomorus. 



i. Origin of soft dorsal fin in advance of anal fin; 24 to 32 teeth in each jaw. .maculatus. 

 a. Origin of soft dorsal fin over origin of anal fin. 



a. Depth more than .2 length; about 40 teeth in each jaw regalis. 



aa. Depth about .16 length; about 30 teeth in each jaw cavalla. 



(Scomberomorus, near Scomber.) 



163. SCOMBEROMORUS MACULATUS (Mitchill). 

 "Spanish Mackerel". 



Scomber maculatus Mitchill, Transactions Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, i, 1815, 426; New 



York. 

 Cyhium maculatum, Yarrow, 1877, 208; Beaufort, Shackleford Banks, Cape Lookout. Jordan & Gilbert, 1879, 



375; Beaufort; Albemarle Sound (?). 

 Scomberomorus maculatus, .Jordan, 1886, 27; Beaufort. Jenkins, 1887, 88; Beaufort. Jordan & Evermann, 



1896, 874, pi. cxxxiv, fig. 368. 



Diagnosis. — Depth contained 4.5 times in total length; head equal to depth, small, 

 pointed; profile from snout to dorsal fin straight; mouth large, maxillary extending to posterior 

 edge of eye; teeth large, sharp and compressed; gill-rakers on first arch, 2 above and 11 below 

 angle; lateral line wavy, with about 175 pores; dorsal rays about xvii+ iS, with 9 finlets; anal 

 rays ii,17, with 9 finlets; soft dorsal inserted in advance of anal a distance equal to diameter 

 of eye. Color: dark blue above, silvery belov^; 2 rows of rounded, dull yellow or yellowish 

 brown spots on sides above lateral line, one row below; anterior dorsal with white base and 

 black distal portion; soft dorsal yellow-tinged, with black edge; anal white; pectorals black 

 posteriorly, yellow anteriorly with black border; caudal blackish, (maculatus, spotted.) 



On the Atlantic coast of America this species is known from Brazil to Massa- 

 chusets. It is especially abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, about the Florida 

 keys, and on the coast of the Carolinas; and was once very numerous in Chesa- 

 peake Bay, but is now much less abundant than it was 25 years ago. 



