CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 125 
others. The tail is slender and the caudal fin forked. In both of our 
species there is a keel (though slight in the yellowtail) on the side of 
the tail, and no dorsal or anal finlets are present. 
The Yellowtail (Seriola dorsalis) .* 
This fish is overed with small scales, some of them being on the cheek 
just behind and below the eye. The pectoral fin is rather short, about 
half as long as the head, and does not reach past the ventral fins. It 
has a slight ridge-like keel cn the side of the tail, but this is much le s 
developed than in the bonito or albacore. The first or spinous dorsal is 
considerably lower than the second. The front of the anal fin is a con- 
siderable distance behind the front of the dorsal and behind the middle 
of the body. The color is bright steel blue above and dull silvery on 
the side and lower parts. A yellowish irregular band extends along 
the side. The caudal fin is a dull yellow. 
This fish is found from the southern California coast southward along 
the coast of Mexico. The largest one recorded weighed 603 pounds, and 
Fig. 70. The yellowtail (Seriola dorsalis). 
this was taken with light tackle (Tuna Club reccrd). The yellowtail 1s 
an excellent food fish and abundant enough to be of considerable impor- 
tance. It is now being canned to some extent. As a game fish it has 
long been famous and it holds an important place in the affections of 
the angler. 
The Horse Mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus). 
The horse mackerel may be known by its having a row of vertical 
bony plates along the side. Above the pectoral fin this row is rather 
high on the side, but under the front of the second dorsal it bends down 
and runs straight along the middle of the side to the tail where it forms 
a sharp bony keel. Southward along the Mexican coast are other 
species with this row of bony plates, but this is the only one found 
within our limits.t The lower jaw projects slightly past the upper one, 
and the maxillary extends to under the front of the pupil. The first 
*Related to the yellowtail is the pilot fish (Naucrates ductor). It is not given a 
place here because it has been taken only once or twice on our coast. It has a 
much lower spinous dorsal, wider keel on the tail, and smaller mouth than the 
yellowtail has. About five broad dark bars extend from the back to the lower part 
of the body. 
yIn 1858 another species (Caranz caballus) having these bony plates was taken at 
San Diego, but as it has not since been seen so far north it is not included here. 
It is common in the tropics and may be found again, so any fish besides the horse 
mackerel with bony plates forming a keel on the tail should be preserved. 
4— 38809 
