4;;2 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



rays of each fin elongate and yilliform in the young, becoming 



shorter with age; ventral fins elongate in young, short in the 



adult; ijectorals falcate; no finlets; caudal peduncle narrow, the 



caudal widely forked; gill rakers moderate, stout. This genus 



is not essentially different from C a r a n x , the great change in 



form arising from no important modification of the skeleton. 



The changes due to age are surprisingly gieat, as Dr Liitken has 



shown, the characters of the nominal genera being chiefly stages 



in the growth of individuals. The young individuals are almost 



orbicular in form, with the filaments excessively long. Tropical 



seas. 



210 Alectis ciliaris (Bloch) 



Thread fish; Cohhlerfishj Shoenml-erfish . 



Zeus ciliaris Bloch, Iclith. YI, 29, pi. 29, 178S, East Indies. 



Zeus (rill it is Akeklv, Amer. .Tour. Sei. Arts, XI, 144. pi. 2. 1826, Shoreiiam. 



Biepharis criiiitiis De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 123, pi. 25. fig. 76, 1842. 



Blepharichihys criiiitus Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 262, 1862. 



Caraiix siiior Gi-nttier, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 454, 1860. 



Alectis crinitiis Jordax & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 438, 1883. 



Alectis ciliaris Jordax & Evermaxx, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 981, 1896; 



Beax, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 362, 1897; 52tl Ann. Kept. N. Y. 



State Mus. 1(13, 1900; Smith, Bull. U. g. f. C. XYII, 98, 1898. 



Body oval, much compressed, highest at the elevated bases of 

 the dorsal and anal fins. The depth of the body is contained 

 from one and one fourth to two times in the length of the body. 

 The length of the head is contained three and one third times in 

 that of the body. Mouth nearly horizontal in the adult, very 

 obliqut' in the young; preorbital very deep; first rays of dorsal 

 and anal filamentous, exceedingly long, in the young much 

 longei- tJKin body, becoming shorter with age; lateral with a wide 

 !ii<li. Ihc curved part about equal to the straight part; scaly 

 sheath of lins little developed; scutes 12, scutes becoming 

 stron;i<r mid blunter with age; veutrals broad; occipital keel 

 shiiii.; jHMinniis long and falcate, longer than head. D. VI-I, 

 ^''-\ " J- " Bluish above, golden yellow below; a dark blotch 

 <'.! <i|(ercle; ;i hhi.k s]ot on orbit above; a black blotch on dorsal 

 and ;iii;il in front. 



'I'll.- ilir-;i(Hish is found on ihe east coast from Cape Cod to the 

 CarihlMim s.-:i ;ii,(l on tlu' Pacific coast of tropical America. In 



