Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 945 



1343. TRACHINOTUS PALOMA, Jordan & Starks. 



Head 31 to 3 ; depth 2|. D. VI-I, 24; A. II, I, 23; eye 31 in head; 

 snout 2; maxillary 21. Dorsal lobe If in head; caudal l^. Body 

 rather elongate, the back moderately and regularly arched ; snout blunt- 

 ish ; the profile straight from before eye to dorsal. Mouth large, hori- 

 zontal, the jaws subequal, maxillary reaching past pupil. Lateral line 

 little arched, its curve 1 in straight part. Teeth well developed. Cau- 

 dal not widely forked. Gill rakers shortish, about 8 below angle; dorsal 

 and anal lobes about reaching middle of fin. Silvery, without spot or 

 band; anal creamy orange, its tip whitish. Other fins pale, except 

 dorsal lobe, which is blackish ; pectoral a little dark, axil silvery. West 

 coast of Mexico ; rather scarce, found on sandy shores. Length about a 

 foot. Recorded from Cape San Lucas, Mazatlan, and San Juan Lagoon. 

 It is extremely close to Trachinotus carolinus, but has the head rather 

 larger. As a food-fish it is unknown to Mexican fishermen, who do not 

 distinguish it from other species. Here described from 2 specimens 

 from Mazatlan, and from 4 from San Juan Lagoon, the largest 5 inches 

 long. (paloma f a dove, a name applied to fishes of this group.) 



Trachinotvs paloma, JORDAN & STARRS, Kept. Fishes Sinaloa, MS., 1895, Mazatlan. (Type, No 

 213, L. S. Jr. Univ. Mus. Coll. Hopkins Expedition to Mazatlan.) 



1344. TRACHINOTUS CAIENNENSIS,* Cuvier & Valenciennes. 



Depth (in young of 21 inches) 2 in length. D. V-I, 27; A. II-I, 26. 

 Form of Trachinotus falcatus, the body very deep, the snout short and 

 very blunt ; eye very large ; preopercle (in type) with very strong spines. 

 Dorsal lobe 2 in head, in young. Fins all pale. Coloration plain. Cay- 

 enne ; known from one very young specimen in the museum at Paris, in 

 bad condition, examined by us. Close to Trachinotus falcatus, but with 

 more numerous fin rays. 



Trachinotus cayennensis, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vm, 417, 1831, Cayenne; 

 GtJNTHER, Cat., 11, 485, 1860 (copied); MEEK & Goss, L c., 1884, 129. 



Family CXXVI. POMATOMID.E. 

 (THE BLUEFISHES.) 



Body oblong, compressed, covered with rather small scales, which are 

 weakly ctenoid. Caudal peduncle rather stout. Head large, compressed. 

 Mouth large, oblique. Premaxillaries protractile; maxillary not slip- 

 ping under the preorbital, provided with a large supplemental bone; 

 lower jaw projecting ; bands of villiform teeth on vomer and palatines, 

 those on the vomer forming a triangular patch; jaws each with a single 

 series of very strong, compressed, unequal teeth, widely set; upper jaw 

 with an inner series of small depressed teeth; villiform teeth on the base 

 of the tongue. Occipital keel strong ; free edge of preopercle produced 



* Similar to this species is Trachinotm paitemis from Payta, Peru, also known from a very young 

 example. Depth 2% iu length. D. 28; A. 27. Dorsal lobe black, snout low, bluntish. 



F. N. A. 61 



