SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 



347 



in local species); mucous canals inconspicuous; dorsal and anal fins small, of 6 

 to 8 rays; caudal fin rather short, broad, its posterior margin rounded or nearly 

 square; abdomen exceedingly dilatable with either air or water. Numerous 

 species, most of them American, 4 known from east coast of United States, but 

 only 2 as yet recorded from North Carolina. 



i. Head and body prickly, the prickles small, stiff, 3-rooted; no cirri present; about 12 irregular 

 black blotches on back and sides maculatus. 



ii. Sides of head and of body smooth, except an area behind pectorals, the prickles on back and 

 belly larger and wider apart than in maculatus end sometimes lacking; small cirri or flaps 

 on sides; numerous small black spots above, and a single series of 12 to 16 small, round 

 black spots along junction of sides and abdomen, these most distinct in young. . .spengleri. 



299. SPHEROIDES MACULATUS (Bloch & Schneider). 



"Swell-toad"; Puffer; Swell-fish; Balloon-fish. 



Tetrodon hispidus, var. maculatus Bloch & Schneider, Systema Ichthyologiae, 504, 1801; Long Island, N. Y. 



Chilichthys turgidvs. Yarrow, 1877, 204; Beaufort. 



Cirrisomus turgidus, Jordan cfc Gilbert, 1879, 366; Beaufort. 



re^rodoji <[(rff!dMs, Jordan, 1886, 30; Beaufort. Jenkins, 1887, 93; Beaufort. Wilson, 1900,355; Beaufort. 



Spheroides mandatus, Jordan & Evennann, 1898, 1733, pi. cclxiv, fig. 645. Linton, 1905, 402; Beaufort. 



Diagnosis. — Depth (uninflated) about equal to width, .33 total length; length of head 

 greater than depth of body; snout more than .5 head; eye small, .25 snout; interorbital space 

 concave, 2.6 times diameter of eye; skin prickles small, 3-rooted, stiff, and of uniform size; 

 prickles. absent posterior to dorsal fin and vent; fins small; dorsal rays 7, the longest one-third 

 head; anal rays 6, of same size as dorsal; caudal margin slightly convex, the central rays .4 

 length of head; pectorals rather broad. Color: upper parts rich dark green with black mot- 

 tlings; below white or pale yellow; sides marked with about 12 short black bars, of unequal size 

 and mostly oblique, the 2 or 3 immediately behind pectorals most distinct; fins plain, caudal 

 dark-edged, {maculatus, spotted.) 



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Xj. 



Fig. 156. Puffer; Swell-fish. Spheroides maculatus. 



"Swell-toad " is the name applied to this and the related species by the 

 North Carolina fishermen. The fish is common as far north as Cape Ann, and 

 is abundant during the warmer months on the coast and in the bays and sounds 

 of this state. Its maximum length is about 10 inches. Specimens examined at 

 Beaufort in July and August by Professor Linton were found to contain a very 

 great variety of animal food, including fragments of oysters, scallops, mussels, 

 razor-clams, gastropods, barnacles, crabs, shrimp, sea-urchins, worms, ascidians, 



