NATIONAL FISHERY CONGRESS. 205 



having the greatest number of species in this division is the Poeciliidce, preeminently 

 the family of brackish-water fishes. Florida contains 21 species of this family, of 

 which at least 8 live habitually in brackish water and each of the other 13 may occa- 

 sionally occur there. This family is worthy of note as containing the smallest known 

 fish, Heterandria formosa, which is less than an inch in length. 



Two species of shad are known from Florida. On the east coast the common 

 shad (Alosa sapidissima) is a common and valued species. It occurs regularly and in 

 considerable numbers in the St. Johns and St. Marys rivers and rarely in the Indian 

 Kiver It is not positively known to occur in any other waters of the State. At 

 Peusacola a few young shad were obtained by Dr. Jordan in 1882 and provisionally 

 identified as a species distinct from the common shad, but no name was given to them 

 and no description published. In the spring of 1896 an unusually large run of shad 

 occurred in the Black Warrior River at Tuscaloosa, Ala., and specimens were sent to 

 the United States Fish Commission for identification. They proved to be different 

 from the common shad and a new and undescribed species, to which the name Alosa 

 alabamce was given by Jordan and Evermann. When studying these specimens I also 

 studied those from Pensacola (now in the United States National Museum) and found 

 them identical with the Alabama shad. 



Shad have been reported from various west Florida rivers, particularly the 

 Suwanee, Apalachicola, and Escambia rivers. It is not positively known what species 

 these may be, but it is more than likely that they are the Alabama shad. An actual 

 examination of specimens from these rivers will be necessary to determine the matter, 

 and the United States Fish Commission woilld be glad to receive specimens from 

 anyone who has an opportunity to collect them. 



SALT-WATER SPECIES. 



The great majority of Florida fishes are, of course, salt-water species, there being 

 not fewer than 529 species, distributed among many families and genera. On the 

 east coast approximately 175 species are found, among the Florida Keys 290, and on 

 the west coast about 300. Several important species are found throughout these three 

 regions. Key West is the most important and interesting of all Florida localities as 

 regards the number of species, about 250 species being known from there, of which 

 about 100 are food-fishes of greater or less importance. The richness of Key West in 

 food-fishes will be seen when we recall the total number of food-fishes in each of the 

 other important fishery regions of the United States, as shown in the following list: 



South Atlantic States 55 



Middle Atlantic States 50 



New England States 48 



Pacific States 40 



Great Lakes 16 



Gulf States (Florida excepted) 42 



The more important species handled at Key West are the grunts (6 species), the 

 porgies (5 species), the groupers (8 species), the snappers (4 species), the hogfish, king- 

 fish, Spanish mackerel, the carangoids (8 species), and the mullets (3 species). Besides 

 these there are some 60 or 70 species which for one reason or another are less important 

 but are nevertheless handled to some extent. A great many, perhaps a majority, of 

 the food- fishes at Key West occur also about Cuba and may be seen in the Havana 

 market. 



