THE SURMULLETS 



Family XXXI. Mullida 



THIS family is briefly characterized by having the ventrals 

 definitely I, 5, thoracic and separate, gill-openings in front of 

 pectorals, the body covered with large, slightly ctenoid scales, 

 the suborbital without a bony stay, 2 dorsal fins remote from 

 each other, both short, the first of 6 to 8 rather high spines, 

 pectoral entire, no finlets, lateral line unarmed, and throat with 

 2 long barbels. 



Genera about 5, species about 40; found in all tropical seas, 

 many of them highly valued as food. In our waters there are 3 

 genera and about 8 species. 



a. Teeth on lower jaw, vomer and palatines; Mullus, 268 



aa. Teeth on both jaws; vomer and palatines toothless. 



b. Teeth small, subequal, in villiform bands in both jaws;... 



Mulloides, 269 



bb. Teeth rather strong, unequal, in one or 2 series in each 

 jaw Upeneus, 270 



GENUS MULLUS 



The Surmullets 



Villiform teeth on the lower law, and on vomer and palatines, 

 none in the upper jaw, the bone forming a hook over the max- 

 illary well developed; no spines on opercle; interorbital space wide 

 and flat; otherwise as in Upeneus, the head rather shorter. 



The single species of this genus in our waters is the red 

 mullet, or red goat-fish (M. auratus) which is found on our At- 

 lantic coast from Cape Cod to Pensacola. It is occasionally taken 

 in some numbers at Woods Hole, and is sometimes plentiful 

 about Sandy Hook in September and October. 



On the Red Snapper Banks off the west coast of Florida it 

 is frequently found in the spewings of snappers and groupers. 

 It reaches a length of 8 inches, and is closely related to the 



268 



