590 Chromides and Pharyngognathi 
number (10+14), but in northern forms the number is largely 
increased with a proportionate increase in the number and 
strength of the dorsal spines. All the species are strictly marine, 
and the coloration is often the most highly specialized and 
brilliant known among fishes, the predominant shade being 
blue. 
All are carnivorous, feeding mainly on crustaceans and 
snails, which they crush with their strong teeth, there being 
often a strong canine at the posterior end of the premaxillary, 
which holds the snail while the lower jaw acts upon it. The 
species are very numerous and form the most conspicuous 
feature in the fish markets of every tropical port. They abound 
Fic. 486 —Tautog, Tautoga onitis (L.). Wood’s Hole, Mass. 
especially in the pools and openings in the coral reefs. All are 
good for food, though all are relatively flavorless, the flesh 
being rather soft and not oily. 
The Wrasse Fishes: Labride.—The principal family is that of 
the Labride, characterized by the presence of separate teeth 
in the front of the jaws. Numerous fossil species are known 
from the Eocene and Miocene. Most of these are known only 
from the lower pharyngeal bones. Labrodon is the most widely 
diffused genus, probably allied to Labrus, but with a pile of 
successional teeth beneath each functional tooth. The species 
are mostly from the Miocene. 
The northern forms of Labride are known as wrasse on the 
