258 
BULLETIN OF THE BUBEAU OF FISHERIES 
KEY TO THE GENERA 
a. Mouth small; maxillary not nearly reaching eye; anal fin long, with III, 10 to 13 rays; soft 
dorsal and anal scaleless Orthopristis, p. 258 
aa. Mouth large; maxillary reaching under eye; anal fin short, with III, 7 or 8 rays; soft dorsal and 
anal densely scaled. 
b. Dorsal normally with 12 spines; body rather deep; back elevated Htemulon, p. 260 
bb. Dorsal normally with 13 spines; body more elongate; back little elevated- _Bathystoma, p. 260 
110. Genus ORTHOPRISTIS Girard. Pigfishes 
Body moderately elongate, compressed; back elevated; head rather deep; snout usually long; 
mouth small, low; teeth in the jaws small, pointed, in bands; preopercle usually finely serrate; scales 
small, series above lateral line not parallel with it; dorsal fin long, not deeply notched, the spines 
rather slender, usual number of rays XII or XIII, 12 to 15; caudal fin not deeply forked, lunate; 
anal spines 3, notably shorter than those of dorsal. A single species is included in the fauna of 
Chesapeake Bay. 
141. Orthopristis chrysopterus (Linmeus). Pigfish; Hogfish. 
Perea chrysoptera Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. XII, 1766, p. 485; Charleston. 
Onhopristis fulvomaculatus Uhler and Lugger, 1876, ed. I, p. 124; ed. II, p. 100. 
Orthopristis chrysopterus Bean, 1891, p. 90; Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 1338, PI. CCX, fig. 541; Smith and Bean, 
1899, p. 187; Evermann and Hildebrand, 1910, p. 161; Eowler, 1918, p. 18, and 1923, pp. 7 and 34. 
Head 2.7 to 3.05; depth 2.3 to 2.65; D. XIII, 15 to 17; A. Ill, 12 or 13; scales 71 to 77. Body 
elongate, compressed; back elevated; head moderate; snout long, tapering, 2.2 to 3 in head; eye 
3.6 to 5; interorbital 3.85 to 4.7; mouth moderate, terminal, a little oblique; maxillary reaching 
vertical from first nostril, 3 to 3.4 in head; teeth in the jaws small, pointed, in broad bands; gill 
rakers short, 12 on lower limb of first arch; scales rather small, ctenoid, firm, in oblique rows above 
lateral line and horizontal rows below it, extending on base of caudal, ventrals, and pectorals, also 
forming a low sheath on base of dorsal and anal; dorsal fin continuous, rather low, the spines rather 
slender, pungent, origin of fin over or slightly in advance of base of pectorals; caudal fin deeply 
concave, the upper lobe longest; anal fin with three rather strong, graduated spines, the soft part 
similar to that of dorsal; ventral fins moderate, inserted a little behind base of pectorals; pectoral 
fins rather long, 1.2 to 1.55 in head. 
Color of fresh specimen bluish with purplish reflections above, becoming paler to silvery below; 
sides of head and back with golden or brassy markings, variable, forming more or less distinct 
lines; dorsal clear, with bronze spots; caudal and pectorals plain translucent; anal whitish to dusky, 
base and middle parts sometimes tinged with yellow; ventrals white to slightly dusky. Color in 
alcohol largely brownish, the purplish reflections frequently remaining; small specimens paler in 
color than large ones. Stripes are visible only in the young among the preserved specimens. 
Many specimens of the pigfish, ranging from 60 to 285 millimeters ( 2 % to \\}/i inches) in 
length, were preserved. This fish is recognized by the rather deep, compressed body, the long, 
pointed snout, and the bluish-purplish ground color of the back, with more or less distinct lighter 
to yellowish stripes. The young are proportionately deeper than the adults and the snout is less 
strongly produced. The differences in color, due to age, has been mentioned in the description. 
The food of this fish in Chesapeake Bay, according to the contents of 43 stomachs, consists 
mainly of annelids, with crustaceans, mollusks, insect larvie, fish, and vegetable d6bris entering in 
minor quantities. 
Spawning takes place in the spring. Fish examined late in May had their sexual organs well 
developed, and during June spawning fish were observed. The extent of the spawning season is 
not known, for adult fish were absent from our collections during the summer. By early fall, when 
large fish were again caught, all were found to be spent. 
During 1920, the hogfish ranked eighteenth among the various fishes from Chesapeake Bay, 
both in quantity and value, the catch being 31,725 pounds, worth $2,348. 
The entire catch is credited to Virginia, where the hogfish ranked seventeenth in both quantity 
and value. Of the entire amount, 50 per cent were caught with hand lines, 26 per cent in pound 
