212 



FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



Genus TRACHINOTUS Lac^pfede. Pompanoes. 



A numerous genus of subtropical marine fishes, some of them excellent food. 

 The body is ovate, compressed, the edges rounded; head blunt, snout truncate; 

 mouth rather small, horizontal, maxillary extending about to middle of eye, 

 premaxillaries protractile; vomer and palatals with villiform teeth in bands, 

 teeth usually absent in adults; preopercle entire in adult, spinous in young; 

 gill-rakers short; scales small, smooth; lateral line not strongly arched, unarmed; 

 dorsal spines low, 6 in number, connected by membrane in young but free in 

 adult; soft dorsal and anal falcate; anal preceded by 2 stout spines which become 

 obsolete with age. Of the 10 or 12 American species, 5 are known from the east 

 coast of the United States, and 4 of these have been taken in local waters. 



Key to the North Carolina species of pompanoes. 



i. Soft dorsal rays 19 or 20; soft anal rays 17 to 19. 



a. Body very strongly compressed; sides with 4 narrow black vertical bars; anterior soft 

 rays of dorsal and anal very long, extending to or beyond middle of caudal. . . .glaucus. 

 aa. Body moderately compressed: no black cross-bars on sides; anterior dorsal and anal soft 

 rays rarely reaching base of caudal. 

 b. Body broad, depth about .66 length; anterior soft rays of dorsal and anal fins con- 

 siderably elongated, the dorsal lobe much longer than head; size small . . . .falcatus. 

 bb. Body oblong, depth about .4 length; anterior soft rays of dorsal and anal fins shorter; 



size large goodei. 



a. Soft dorsal rays 25 to 27; soft anal rays 22 to 26 carolinus. 



(Trachinotus, rough-back.) 



184. TRACHINOTUS GLAUCUS (Bloch). 

 "Gaff-topsail Pompano". 



Chcetodon glaucus Bloch, Ichthyologie, pi. 210, 1787; Martinique. 

 Trachinotus glaucus, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 940, pi. cxl\n, fig. 395. 



Fig. 90. Gaff-topsail Pompano. Trachinotus glaucus. 



Diagnosis. — Depth .5 length; head .25 length; eye contained 3.6 times in length of head; 

 dorsal rays vi + i,19, anal rays ii + i,18; caudal lobes long, nearly half length of body. Color: 



