THE FISHES OF PORTO RICO. 127 
mm. Teeth of jaws equally small or wanting, forming villiform bands if present; maxillary broad; body compressed; 
spinous dorsal weak, usually disappearing with age. 
o. Soft dorsal lobe very high, filamentous Alectis 
oo. Soft dorsal lobe low Hynnis 
ll. Body broad-ovate, very strongly compressed, its outlines everywhere trenchant, anterior profile nearly vertical; 
scutes almost obsolete ' Vomer, 58 
jjj. Lateral line without any scutes; body short and elevated, strongly compressed Selene, 59 
t'KLOROSCOMBRINJE : 
hh. Dorsal outline less strongly curved than ventral; body much compressed, its outlines everywhere trenchant; arma- 
ture of lateral line obsolete, or nearly so Chloroscombrus, 60 
rRACHINOTINJS : 
gg. Maxillary without supplemental bone; anal fin similar to soft dorsal, its base much longer than abdomen; tail 
unarmed; pectoral short, not falcate. 
p. Forehead convex; teeth small or deciduous Trachinotus, (il 
Genus 53. OLIGOPLITES Gill. Leather-jackets. 
Body compressed, oblong or lanceolate. Caudal peduncle slender, not keeled. Head short, 
compressed, acute. Occipital keel sharp. Mouth rather large, with small sharp teeth in bauds on jaws, 
tongue, vomer, and palatines, none on pterygoids. Jaws about equal, upper not protractile, except 
in very young, in which it is movable as in other Carangidx; maxillary very narrow, without distinct 
supplemental bone. Gillrakers rather long. Scales small, linear, and extremely narrow, embedded in 
skin at different angles. Lateral line unarmed. Dorsal spines rather strong, 3 to 5 in number, nearly 
free in adult; second dorsal very long, its posterior rays pencillated and nearly or quite disconnected, 
forming finlets; anal rather longer than soft dorsal, much longer than abdomen, its last rays forming 
similar finlets; anal spines strong; ventral fins depressible in a groove; pectoral fins very short. 
Species few, occurring in the tropical seas of America. 
a. Maxillary not reaching posterior border of eye; lowest infraorbital bone usually narrower than one above it. 
saurus , S4 
aa. Maxillary reaching beyond posterior border of eye; lowest infraorbital bone usually broader than one next above it. 
saliens 
84. Oligoplites saurus (Bloch & Schneider). “ Zapatero” ; Quiebra; Runner; Leather-jack. 
(Plate 7.) 
Head 4.8; depth 3.75; eye 3.6; snout 3.25; maxillary 1.9; mandible 1.7; interorbital 3; D. v-i, 
20; A. ii-i-, 20; pectoral 1.7; ventral 1.9; caudal 1. 
Body elongate, lanceolate, and much compressed; back gently elevated; caudal peduncle very 
slender, somewhat higher than thick; head small and pointed; anterior profile slightly concave in 
occipital region; mouth wide, maxillary reaching nearly to posterior "border of eye, jaws subequal or 
lower very slightly projecting; villiform teeth on vomer, palatines, and tongue; bands of larger teeth 
in jaws; head naked, body covered with very narrow, linear, embedded scales, placed at various angles, 
making a tough leathery integument; fins small, dorsal spines nearly free, soft dorsal and anal long 
and low, anterior rays somewhat elevated, others expanded and nearly disconnected from each other, 
forming finlets, as in the mackerel; ventrals depressible in a groove; caudal widely forked. 
Color, blue above, silvery below, the demarcation fairly abrupt, corresponding with a line from 
anterior end of lateral line to base of upper caudal lobe; fins yellow. 
The zapatero inhabits both coasts of tropical America, extends north to New York and Lower 
California, and is very common in the West Indies and along the coast of Florida. It is a very 
graceful and handsome species, very common, often leaping from the water. It is not much valued 
as food, being dry and bony. Forty-two, from 2.25 to 10.5 inches in length, were taken at Palo Seco, 
Mayaguez, Ponce, Hucares, and Fajardo; one at San Geronimo. 
Scomber saurus Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 321, 1801, Jamaica. 
Centronotus arc/cnteus Laedpede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., Ill, 316, 1802, Equatorial America. 
IAchia quiebra Quoy & Gaimard, Voyage Freycinet, Zool., 365, 1824, Equatorial America. 
Chorinemus saltans Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., VIII, 393, 1831 , Martinique, Brazil, and Santo Domingo. 
Ologop/ltcs inornatus Gill, Proe. Ac. Nat. Sei. Phila. 1863, 166, Panama. 
Oligoplites occidentalism Poey, Fauna Puerto-Riquena, 332, 1881; Stahl, 1. c., 7 7 and 163, 1883. 
Oligoplites saurus , Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 898, 1896. 
