THE FISHES OF NEW JERSE 165 
” RICA 
Ss ak 
4 
Genus FenicutHys Swainson. a, K aN 
The Gaff Topsail Cat Fishes. 
Felichthys marinus (Mitchill). 
PLATE 14. 

Sea Cat Fish. Salt Water Cat. Sea Cat. Channel Cat. 
Oceanic Cat Fish. 
Head 4; depth 424; D. I, 7; A. Iv, 16; width of head 1% 
in its length; snout 234; eye 634; width of mouth 17; inter- 
orbital space 124; least depth of caudal peduncle 3%; pectoral 
spine 1*/,; ventral fin 11%4. Body long, back elevated to origin 
of dorsal, and lower surface anteriorly depressed. Head broad, 
depressed, rather short, and rounded anteriorly with broad snout. 
Eye large, elongate, anterior. Mouth broadly crescent-shaped. 
Bands of villiform teeth on vomer and palatines forming crescent- 
shaped band parallel to those in jaws. Maxillary barbels reaching 
a trifle beyond tip of pectoral spine. Mental barbel about 2 in 
interorbital space. Interorbital space broadly convex with rather 
broad depression of fontanel in center. Gill-rakers rather short 
and few. Occipital buckler oblong, not much broader before than 
behind. Dorsal inserted close behind head, its spine shorter than 
that of pectoral, and with long filament. Anal inserted a little 
nearer base of caudal than origin of dorsal, and lobe extending 
back further than tip of last ray. Caudal deeply forked, lobes 
slender, pointed, and upper longer. Adipose fin over middle of 
base of anal. Pectoral filament reaching beyond ventral’s base. 
Ventral inserted about midway between tip of snout and base of 
caudal, and reaching anal. Color dusky-bluish above, below sil- 
very. Length 1634 inches. Great Egg Harbor Bay. 
Dr. C. C. Abbott records this fish from the lower Delaware 
waters, though it is unusual out of salt-water. I have several 
examples from the Great Egg Harbor Bay and others from 
Harvey Cedars. 
