SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 285 



Family PRIACANTHID.^. The Catalufas. 



A sharply defined family of tropical, carnivorous fishes, with compressed, 

 oblong or ovate body; deep head; large, oblique mouth, having minute teeth on 

 jaws, vomer, and palatines; protractile premaxillaries, broad maxillary without 

 supplemental bone; large eye, with diameter nearly .5 length of head; post- 

 orbital part of head much shortened, opercle with 2 or 3 pointed flaps; preopercle 

 serrate, gills 4, gill-rakers long, gill-membranes separate, and not joined to 

 isthmus; pseudobranchise very well developed; entire body, head, snout, and 

 maxillary covered with small rough scales; lateral line present, continuous; air- 

 bladder large; pyloric coeca few; dorsal fin continuous, with 10 spines and 9 to 15 

 soft rays; anal fin with 3 spines and 9 to 15 soft rays; pectorals rather small; 

 ventrals large, thoracic, inserted anterior to pectorals and joined to abdomen by 

 a membrane. Two genera, both represented in American waters but only 1 in 

 North Carolina, although the other (Priacanthus) may be looked for, as 1 species 

 has been taken as a straggler as far north as Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 



Genus PSEUDOPRIACANTHUS Bleeker. Big-eyes. 



Small deep-water fishes with very deep body; very rough scales; strongly 

 arched lateral line; 2 small spines at angle of preopercle; dorsal and anal fins with 

 strong rough spines. (Pseudopriacnnthns, false Priacanthus.) 



250. PSEUDOPRIACANTHUS ALTUS (Gill). 

 Short Big-eye. 



Priacanthus altus Gill, Proceedings Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 1862, 132; Narragansett Bay, 



R. I. 

 Pseudopriacanthus altus, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 1239, pi. cxcv, fig. 512. 



Diagnosis. — ^Depth about .5 length, least depth of caudal peduncle .25 depth of body; 

 head very short, less than ..3 length; mouth nearly vertical, the broad maxillary extending to 

 middle of pupil; eye very large, .5 length of head and more than twice length of snout; scales 

 ctenoid, number in lateral series 42; dorsal fin high, the rays x,ll, the longest spine .66 length of 

 head; anal rays iii,ll, the longest spine (third) .5 head; caudal margin square; pectorals .6 

 head; ventrals as long as head and extending to first anal spine. Color: lustrous crimson, 

 the back dark; fins black-edged except pectorals, {altus, high.) 



The short big-eye is a beautiful West Indian species which sometimes strays 

 northward and is occasionally taken in considerable numbers as far as southern 

 Massachusetts. The largest recorded specimen, 11 inches long, was taken at 

 Charleston, S. C. The onl}^ North Carolina example thus far known was .5 inch 

 long and was obtained by the steamer Fish-Hawk off Beaufort on August 14, 

 1902. 



Family LUTIANID^. The Snappers. 



The snappers constitute a very numerous family of warm-water shore fishes, 

 nearly all of them being food fishes and some of great economic importance in the 

 United States and other countries. Form mostly oblong, compressed; head 

 large, with conspicuous crests on skull; mouth usually large, terminal, low, well 



