458 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Stromateus cnjptosiis Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 365, pi. I, 



lis. ^>. 1^15- ^'ew York Bay. 

 nhumhm triacanthus Dk Kay. N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 137, pl.'26, fig. 80, 1842; 



Stoker. Hist. Fish. Mass. pi. XV, fig. 4, 1867; Jordan & Evermann, 



Kull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mns. 967, 1896. pi. CL. fig. 4a5, 1900: Bean, Bull. 



Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 363, 1897; Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 99, 



1898; Bean, ,^>2a Ann. Kept. N. Y. State Mus. 104, 1900. 

 Poronotiis triacanthus Gooce & Bean, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 16, 1879; Bean, 



Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 140, 1888; 19th Eep. Comra. Fish. N. Y. 257, 



pi. XI, fig. 14, 1890. 



Body oval, iimcli compressed. The depth is contained two 

 and one third times in the length. Dorsal and ventral outlines 

 about equally curved. The length of the head is contained four 

 times in that of the body. Snout very blunt, rounded in profile; 

 month small, the maxillary not reaching the orbit; caudal 

 IK'duncle very shoit; anterior rays of dorsal and anal little ele- 

 vated; lateral line high, a series of consjjicuous pores above it 

 near the base of the dorsal; pectorals much longer than head; 

 gill rakers rather long, two thirds the diameter of the eye, 

 which is four in head. Length 10 inches. D. Ill, 45; A. Ill, 38. 

 Bluish above, below silvery. Maine to Cape Hatteras; very 

 abundant. 



This is known as the dollarfish, harvestfish and lafavette. 

 Mitchill called it the cryptous broad shiner, and De Kay described 

 it under tlie name short-finned harvestfish. About Gape Cod it 

 is the sheepshead and skipjack. In Connecticut it is called 

 pumpkin seed and at Norfolk starfish. 



The butterfish ranges from Maine to South Carolina^ and is 

 gradually replaced southward by the long-finned harvestfish, 

 i{ h o III I) II s i>a ] n . It is a summer visitor, associated with 

 ihe mackerel. I >e Kay records it in New York bay July 1, and 

 obijiiiird i( ri-,,111 fyke nets in New York harbor as late as Octo- 

 ber IJ. We seined young examples at Blue Point Lifesaving 

 SI ;i I inn (( idhrr 7. and oiheis were secured September 30 at Oak 

 Islaml bejich. 1 1 is tak<'n chiefly in pound nets, and has recently 

 becouM- ;i liighlv pii/.rd market fish. A few years ago it was 

 III 1 1"' esiccnici. Til,, young are to be found in the summer 

 iiK'iiilis swiiiiiniin; :il I lie sill lac*' in sheltered bays and fre- 



