570 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



by the absence of canines in the lower jaw. All of them rank 

 high as food fishes; the flesh is rich, but in some species tender 

 and easily torn, hence the popular name weakfishes. 



Subgenus cynoscion 



278 Cynoscion regalis (Bloch & Schneider) 



Weakfish; Squeteague 



Johnius regalis Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichth. 75, 1801, New York. 



Boccus Comes Mitchill, Rep. Pish. N. Y. 26, 1814, New York. 



Labnis sqiieteague Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 396, pi. 2, 



fig. 6, 1815, New York. 

 Otolithus regalis Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 67, 1830; 



De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 71, pi. 8, fig. 24, 1842; Gunther, Cat. 



Pish. Brit. Mus. II, 307, 1860. 

 Cynoscion regale Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 18, 1862; Jordan & Gil- 

 bert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 581, 1883; Bean, Bull. U. S'. F. C. 



VII, 140, pi. II, fig. 6, 188«; 19th Rep. Gomm. Fish. N. Y. 257, pi. XIII, 



fig. 15, 1890. 

 Cynoscion regalis Goode &. Bean, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 17, 1879, Cape 



Ann; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1891; Jordan & Ever- 



MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1407, 1898, pi. CCXX, fig. 562, 1900; 

 H: M. Smith, Bull. U. S. P. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. 



N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1900; Sherwood & Edwards, Bull. U. S. P. C. 



1901, 29, 1901. 



Body elongate, little compressed, its greatest depth contained 

 four aud one fourth times in the total length without caudal; 

 the least depth of caudal peduncle one third length of head, 

 which is three tenths of total length without caudal. Eye 

 moderate, three fourths length of snout, and one fifth to one 

 seventh length of head. Maxillary reaching to below hind mar- 

 gin of eye, its length nearly two fifths length of head. Teeth 

 sharp, in narrow bands; canines large. Gill rakers long and 

 sharp, 5 above and 11 below the angle of the first arch. The 

 second and longest dorsal spine is two fifths as long as the head; 

 the first spine is one third as long as the head; the last two 

 spines are very short; the longest soft ray of the dorsal is one 

 third as long as the head. Caudal lunate behind, the longest 

 rays equal to the head without the snout. The anal base is as 

 long as the snout and eye combined; the longest ray slightly 

 exceeds the base of the fin. Pectoral about equal to postorbital 

 part of head and about one sixth of total length without caudal. 



