208 
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF FISHEBIES 
Family L. — TRiCHRJRID/E. The cutlass fishes 
Body elongate, strongly compressed, band-shaped, the tail tapering to a point; head long, 
compressed; snout more or less beaklike; mouth large; lower jaw projecting; premaxillaries not pro- 
tractile; pseudobranchije present; gills 4, a slit behind the fourth; gill membranes separate, free 
from the isthmus; teeth on the jaws strong, unequal; lateral line continuous; scales wanting; dorsal 
fin very long and low, beginning on head and extending over the entire length of body; anal long 
and very low, composed of separate spines; ventrals rudimentary and thoracic when present, 
sometimes wanting; air bladder present. 
This genus is distinguished from others of the family by the absence of ventral fins. A single 
species of wide distribution is known. 
107. Trichiurus lepturus Linnoeus. Silverfish; Cutlass fish; Hairtail. 
Trichiurus lepturus Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. X, 1758, p. 246; America. Bean, 1891, p. 87; Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, 
p. 889, PI. CXXXVII, fig. 375. 
Head 7.2 to 8.2 in total length; depth 13 to 14.5; D. 133 to 140; A. XCVII to CVIII. Body 
extremely elongate, strongly compressed, bandlike; tail very slender, tapering to a point; head 
long, compressed; snout long, pointed, its length 2.75 to 2.9 in head; eye 6.1 to 7.45; interorbital 
7.05 to 7.8; mouth large; lower jaw strongly projecting; maxillary concealed under preorbital, 
reaching about to anterior margin of pupil, 2.2 to 2.7 in head; teeth in the jaws strong and unequal, 
comq>ressed, the largest ones with distinct barbs on posterior edges; gill rakers poorly developed 
and of unequal length, from 5 to 15 more or less developed on the lower limb of first arch; dorsal 
fin extremely long, beginning over the preopercular margin and occupying the whole length of the 
back; caudal and ventral fins wanting; anal fin consisting of very short spines, the anterior ones 
directed backward and the posterior ones forward; pectoral fins small, 3.3 in head. 
Color plain silvery; tips of jaws blackish; dorsal plain, with dusky margin; pectorals plain, 
with dusky punctulations, at least on distal parts. 
This species is represented by four specimens, ranging in length from 550 to 965 millimeters 
(2124 to 38 inches). The fish is unique in the long, ribbon-shaped, silvery body, with the long, 
tapering, filamentous tail, large mouth, and very large, barbed teeth. 
The cutlass fish, with its large mouth and formidable teeth, probably is a terror among small 
fish. Four stomachs examined contained only the remains of fish that gave the appearance of 
having been bitten into pieces before being swallowed. In one stomach the remains were recognized 
as those of anchovies; in the others maceration had proceeded too far to permit of identification. 
The ovary in this fish is single, and specimens taken during May have the sexual organs well 
distended with eggs and milt, showing that their spawning time was near at hand. 
This fish is not common in Chesapeake Bay and it is not used there for food. In some other 
localities it is eaten, although it is not regarded as a choice food fish. It is said to attain a length 
81. Genus TRICHIURUS Linnaeus 
Fig. 118. — Trichiurus lepturus 
