FISHES OF NEW YORK 579 



Sciaenops ocellatus Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1897, New- 

 Jersey; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jordan & 

 EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1453, 1898, pi. CCXXII, fig. 567, 

 1900. 



Body elongate, robust, its greatest depth one fourth of total 

 length without caudal, least depth of caudal peduncle about one 

 third of greatest depth; back somewhat arched; profile of head 

 convex. Head rather long, three tenths of total length without 

 caudal; eye small, about one seventh as long as the head; snout 

 obtuse, two ninths as long as the head. Mouth large, nearly 

 horizontal, the lower jaw rather shorter than the upper; the 

 maxillary reaching to below the hind border of the orbit, its 

 length more than two fifths length of head; bands of villiform 

 teeth in both jaws, the outer teeth of the upper jaw much en- 

 larged; lower jaw with subequal teeth. Preopercle strongly 

 serrate on its bony margin in the young, entire in large indivi- 

 duals and with the edge of the bone covered by skin. Gill rakers 

 5+7 on first arch, shorter than the diameter of the pupil. Spin- 

 ous dorsal triangular, the first spine minute, the fourth, and 

 longest, four ninths as long as the head, the last two thirds as 

 long as the eye; base of soft dorsal twice as long as that of 

 spinous dorsal, the longest ray one third as long as the head. 

 Anal base short, one third as long as the head, two thirds as 

 long as longest anal ray; the end of the anal base is under the 

 17th ray of soft dorsal, second anal spine about three eighths 

 as long as the head; caudal nearly truncate, the middle rays one 

 half as long as the head. Pectoral equals postorbital part of 

 Lead, the fin extending to below the end of spinous dorsal. 

 Ventral equal to pectoral, and not reaching nearly to vent. 

 Scales of the breast embedded, cycloid; no scales on soft dorsal 

 except in a very narrow strip at its base. D. X, I, 24 to 25; A. 

 II, 8; scales 4-45 to 55-10 to 12. Color grayish silvery, irides- 

 cent; often washed with coppery red; each scale with a center of 

 dark points forming obscure undulating stripes along the rows 

 of scales; a jet black ocellated spot about as large as the eye 

 at base of caudal above; sometimes two or more such spots are 

 present; the body occasionally covered with ocelli. 



The red drum is one of the largest of the food fishes of the 

 southern waters, reaching the length of 5 feet and the weight 



