Schoolmaster; Caji 



much flushed so that the general hue is coppery reci; side with very 

 narrow light cross-bars; a line of small round bluish spots below eye 

 and across opercle; dorsal and caudal fins bricl<:-red, the soft dorsal 

 dusky at base; anal and ventrals yellowish. 



Schoolmaster; Caji 



Liitianus apodiis (Walbaum) 



The schoolmaster is one of the most richly coloured and beautiful 

 of the snappers, and is withal a very interesting and attractive fish, 

 it is known from Bahia northward through the West Indies to 

 southern Florida. It sometimes strays in the Gulf Stream to Woods 

 Hole. It is found at Key West and in Indian River, but is not com- 

 mon in either place. It is one of the most abundant snappers about 

 Porto Rico, where it is known as pargo amarilla. The species attains 

 a weight of 7 or 8 pounds, though the average is 3 pounds or less. It 

 takes the hook readily and with vigor, and good sport may be had 

 with it " down the bay " near Key West. 



Colour of adult, reddish brown on back and top of head, becom- 

 ing brighter orange-red on side, more orange below; side with about 

 9 broad greenish white vertical bars from back to lower part of side; 

 top of caudal peduncle with a large blackish blotch ; a series of small 

 round dark spots below eye; fins all greenish yellow, the caudal with 

 some orange; young with a sharply defined blue stripe below eye 

 from snout to angle of opercle. 



Ltitiatnts argentiventris, the pargo amarilla, is found on our 

 Pacific coast from Mazatlan southward. It resembles the schoolmas- 

 ter, the dog snapper, and the gray snapper, but is apparently distinct 

 from all of these, the chief difference being that the scales above the 

 lateral line are in series parallel with it. 



It reaches a length of 2 feet, is generally common, and is a good 

 food-fish. 



Black-fin Snapper 



Liitmniis buccanella (Cuvier & Valenciennes) 



This is a small and strongly marked species, occurring in the 

 West Indies and common in deep water about Havana, in the market 

 of which it is known as sesi or sesi de lo alto. 



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