THE WRASSE-FISHES 



Family LIX. Labridce 



BODY oblong or elongate, covered with cycloid scales; lateral 

 line well developed, continuous or interrupted, often angularly 

 bent; mouth moderate, terminal; premaxillaries protractile; maxil- 

 lary without supplemental bone; anterior teeth in jaws usually very 

 strong and canine-like, often soldered together at base, but not 

 forming a continuous plate; no teeth on vomer or palatines; 

 lower pharyngeals completely united into one bone without 

 median suture, this bone T-shaped or Y-shaped, its teeth conical 

 or tubular; lips thick, longitudinally plicate; nostrils round, with 

 2 openings on each side; dorsal fin continuous, the spinous por- 

 tion usually long, the spines usually slender, 3 to 20 in number; 

 anal similar to the soft dorsal, with 2 to 6 spines; branchiostegals 

 5 or 6; pseudobranchiae well developed; gills 3^-, the slit behind 

 the last arch small or obsolete; gill-membranes somewhat con- 

 nected, sometimes joined to the narrow isthmus; air-bladder 

 present; no pyloric cosca. 



This is one of the very largest families of fishes, the known 

 genera being about 60 and the species about 450. They are 

 chiefly tropical fishes, living among rocks or kelp. Many of 

 them are brilliantly coloured, and some are valued as food. Most 

 of them feed upon mollusks, the dentition being well adapted 

 for crushing shells. Some of the species will take the hook, 

 but none of them ranks high as to game-qualities. In our waters 

 are about 20 genera and 50 species, only a few of which deserve 

 more than mere mention. 



The genus Tautogolabrus contains 2 species, one in Brazil, the 

 other, the cunner, T. adspersus, one of the best known fishes 

 on our North Atlantic Coast from Labrador to Sandy Hook. In 

 southern New England it is called " chogset." Other names 



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