FISHES OF NEW YORK 371 



187 Sphyraena borealis De Kay 

 Northern Barracuda 



Sphyraena borealis De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 39, pi. 60, fig. 196, 1842, 



New York; Meek & Newland, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 75, 1884; 



Bean, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 145, 1888; 19tli Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 



271, 1890; Jordan & Btermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 825, 1896. 

 Sphyraena spet Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, 1883; not 



of Hauy. 



Body moderately elongate and compressed, its greatest depth 

 equal to length of snout, and contained seven and one half times 

 in total length without caudal, its width equaling two sevenths 

 of length of head; caudal peduncle subterete and tapering, its 

 least depth one fifth of length of head. The head is one third of 

 total length without caudal, its width one fourth of its length, 

 the lower jaw projecting a space equal to pupil, top of head 

 slightly convex, a very shallow median groove, the interorbital 

 space equal to length of eye; maxilla broadly expanded poste- 

 riorly, its greatest width one fourth of its length, its end not 

 reaching front of orbit by a space two thirds as long as the eye; 

 mandible as long as snout and eye combined; preocular ridge 

 two thirds as long as the eye, not verj^ prominent; premaxillary 

 teeth small, smaller anteriorly, about 45 in number, front of the 

 premaxillaries with three large canines on each side, one of them 

 much larger than the others, one third as long as the eye; two 

 large fangs on one side of the palatines, three on the other, fol- 

 lowed on each side by three smaller teeth; a large, compressed 

 fang at the symphysis of lower jaw, mandible with 10 to 12 

 teeth, increasing in size and becoming more widely separated 

 posteriorly; eye equal to interorbital width and its length con- 

 tained six and one fourth times in length of head; dorsal origin 

 at a distance from tip of snout equal to a little more than three 

 times length of snout, base of spinous dorsal nearly one third as 

 long as the head, second dorsal spine longest, about one third 

 length of head, last dorsal spine one half of postorbital part of 

 head, interspace between dorsals one half of length of head, base 

 of second dorsal equal to longest dorsal ray and two sevenths 

 of length of head, last dorsal ray equal to long diameter of eye,. 



