94 WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW TO CATCH FISH 



Illustration. Page. 



85. "NEOMiENIS SYNAGRIS." No illustration. 1270 



Snapper; " Head 2 f > de P th 2 f- D - X, 12; A. Ill, 



Lane Snapper; 8 ; scales (7) 8-60-15; 50 pores. Body oblong, 



Biajaiba ; compressed, the back moderately elevated, pro- 



Red-tail Snapper. ^j e a i most straight from snout to nape ; snout 

 rather pointed, 3 in head ; eye moderate, 5 in head ; interorbital 

 space gently convex, 5^ in head ; occipital keel little prominent; 

 preorbital rather broad, 4^ in head ; maxillary reaching front of 

 orbit, 2?/| in head ; upper jaw with a narrow band of villiform teeth, 

 outside of which is a single series of enlarged teeth ; 4 rather small 

 canines in front, 2 of them larger ; lower jaw with villiform band in 

 front only, the single row of larger teeth nearly equal in size, none 

 of them canines ; tongue with a single oval patch, its length more 

 than twice its width ; vomer with a /\ or /^-shaped patch of teeth, 

 without backward prolongation on median line, or with only a very 

 slight one. Gill rakers rather long, their length slightly more than y 2 

 diameter of eye, about 5 + 9, and no rudiments before them. Pre- 

 opercle with its posterior margin slanting downward and forward, the 

 emargination broad and moderately deep ; preopercle rather finely 

 serrate above, with coarser teeth at the angle. Scales rather small, the 

 rows almost horizontal below the lateral line, above somewhat undu- 

 late, running upward and backward ; tubes of lateral line simple ; 6 

 rows of scales on the cheek, 1 row on the interopercle, 1 on the 

 subopercle, and 6 on the opercle ; temporal region with a broad 

 band of scales, arranged in several series ; base of soft dorsal and 

 anal scaly ; dorsal spines rather weak and slender, the outline of the 

 fin gently convex, the fourth spine longest, 2^ in head, the tenth 

 spine 3f in head ; soft dorsal short, its margin somewhat angulated, 

 the eighth ray longest, twice the length of last ray and \y 2 first, 2J- 

 in head; caudal moderately forked, the upper lobe the longer, 1^ 

 length of middle rays, which are 2 in head ; anal rather high, rounded 

 in outline, its middle rays longest, 1^3 length of last ray, 24 in head, 

 first ray reaching middle of last ray when the fin is depressed, second 

 anal spine stronger than third and of equal length, %-/z in head ; 

 pectorals reaching front of anal, 1 ^ in head. Color in life, rose- 

 colored, silvery tinged below, slightly olivaceous but not dark above; 

 a large, round, maroon blotch, larger than eye, just above lateral line 

 and below front of soft dorsal, always present ; series of stripes of 



