FISHERY EESOURCES OF THE PHILIPPINES, I. 517 



THE POMPANOS. 

 Family Caranyidw. (PI. VII.) . . 



Tliere are thirty-six different species of the pompano famil}' linown in 

 the Philippines. All of them are valuable commercial fishes. The 

 cavallas (Caranx) are the most important branch of the familj'. They 

 are termed talahitoh in Tagalog and daingputi in Moro. These fish are 

 very abundant in almost all markets. They range from 33 to 36 centi- 

 meters in length. As a I'ule they are caught in corrals. 



Another abundant species is the Uson \_Gamnx ignohilis (Forskal)]. 

 These fish are dried in large numbers by the Moros. The ballangoan. 

 termed cuhal-cuhal {Megalaspis cordyla Linn.)^ is another very abundant 

 food fish of fine flavor, belonging to this family. These are reported to 

 reach the length of 155 centimeters; ordinarily those in the market 

 measure about 45 centimeters. They are caught in corrals. 



THE SEA BASSES. 

 Family Serranidce. (PI. VIII.) 



There are thirty-three Sf)ecies of this important family of food fish 

 reported from the Philippines. One of the most familiar is the apahap 

 (tapog in Moro) [Latcs calcarifer (Bloch)], one of our largest sea 

 basses. Specimens weighing from 25 to 35 kilos are frecpiently brought 

 into the niarket. This fish would afford good sport for local anglers. 

 The largest branch of the family is constituted by the groupers {Epine- 

 phelus) , called lapo-lapo in Tagalog, garopa in Visayan, and kukkut in 

 Moro. (PI. VIII.) Ordinarily this name is given to the most common 

 species, Epincphelus mcrra Bloch, Ijut it is also a23plied to at least three 

 others which closely resemble E. menu. These fish bring a high price 

 in the Manila market; they are a favorite sea food for many Americans. 



Another rather common species is the blue-spotted grouper [Cephalo- 

 pJiolis stiginatopomus (Richardson)], which is especially abundant in 

 the Zamboanga market. The fishes of this family are usually caught 

 with hook and line in water of considerable depth; sometimes they are 

 taken by net or corral. Gill-nets set in about 50 feet of water frequently 

 nuike good catches. 



THE MULLETS. 

 Family MugUidw. (PI. IX.) 



There are ten different species of mullet recorded from the Philippines, 

 the most abundant being the banalc (Mugil cephalus Linn.). This fish 

 can always be found in the market and when quite fresh and properly 

 cooked is most delicious. It is very common throughout the entire 

 Archipelago. The mullet is a strictly vegetable feedei-, and is usually 



