8CIENIDJE. 211 



ACANTHOFTERYGII. SOIENIDiE. 



THE SILVERY CORVINA. 



COEVINA ARGYROLEUCA. 

 Silvery Pearch. Bodianua Argyroleucos ; Mitchil. 



This fish, which greatly resembles the Pearch both in shape am? 

 habits, is well known to the fishermen of New York as the Silvery 

 Pearch. It is properly a native of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of 

 Mexico, but ranges during the summer so far north as the waters of 

 New York. 



It is a free biter, and a moderately good fish. 



It is of a lustrous silvery white on the upper parts of the body, and 

 opaque white below. Its dorsals, pectorals and caudal are pale 

 yellow ; its ventrals and anals orange yellow. 



Its body is compressed, its dorsal outline arched and gibbous, its 

 lateral line concurrent with the back ; eyes large, mouth deeply cut, 

 teeth small and disposed in bands ; the preoporculum has two small 

 spines, and a serrated margin ; the operculum terminates in two flat 

 spines. 



The first dorsal fin has eleven spines, the second dorsal two spines 

 and twenty-two soft rays, the pectorals seventeen soft rays, the ventrals 

 one spine and five soft rays, the anal two spines and nine soft rays, the 

 caudal is slightly rounded, as i has seventeen soft rays. 



