172 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
broad, 4.33 in head; mouth rather large, jaws subequal; maxillary reaching front of orbit; upper jaw 
with a narrow band of villiform teeth, outside of which is a single series of larger teeth; 4 canines in 
front of upper jaw, 2 of them very large, almost equaling in length diameter of pupil; low'er jaw with 
a narrow villiform band in front only, and a series of larger teeth outside, largest on side of jaw almost 
canine-like; tongue with a single large oval patch of teeth, its length more than twice its width; teeth 
on vomer forming a broadly arrow-shaped patch with backward prolongation on median line twice 
length of width of anterior part. Gillrakers rather short and thick, longest about one-fourth diameter 
of eye, about 9 on lower part of arch, with no rudiments in front of them. Preopercle with its posterior 
margin slanting obliquely downward and forward, emargination very broad and shallow'; preopercle 
finely serrate above, teeth coarser at angle, which is not salient. Scales moderate, smaller than in 
N. griseus or N. apodus, in nearly horizontal series below', and obliquely upward and backward above 
lateral line; about 7 or 8 rows of scales on cheek; 1 row on interopercle, 1 on subopercle, and 7 on 
opercle; about 3 rows of large scales on temporal region; top of head, snout, and jaw's naked; tubes of 
lateral line branched; bases of soft dorsal and anal scaly; dorsal spines rather strong, outline of fin 
evenly curved, fourth and fifth spines longest, 2.6 in head; tenth spine 4 in head; margin of soft dorsal 
convex, middle rays longest, 2.83 in head; caudal little forked, upper lobe longest, 1.4 length of middle 
rays, 1.6 in head; margin of anal well rounded, middle rays about twice length of last ray; first ray 
reaching nearly to tip of last ray when fin is depressed; pectoral slightly falcate, reaching almost to 
front of anal, 1.33 in head; anal spines strong, second rather longest and strongest, not ahvays reaching 
past tip of third, 3.4 in head. 
Color cf adult in life: Olivaceous above, paler below, much flushed, so that the general hue is 
everywhere coppery-red; sides of body with numerous narrow crossbars, rather faint, the light and 
dark of about equal width, or the pale narrower; scales of upper parts mesially bronzed; head coppery; 
especially above; broad whitish area from eye to angle of mouth, becoming rosy in spirits; an irregular 
line of small round. or oblong spots below the eye, from snout to angle of opercle; soft fins all plain 
light brick-red, anal somewhat orange, caudal more or less yellowish; spinous dorsal with a light 
orange band at base and edge, middle pearly; blue stripe below eye persisting longer than in any of the 
other species which possess it. Young, in life: Greenish-olive, head and breast flushed with bright 
coppery-red; base cf each scale bright orange-yellow, this color more extensive than dark ground-color, 
so that the general hue cf body,, especially below and posteriorly, is rich golden-yellow'; dusky spot 
on top of head; temporal region with a dusky shade; an undulating blue stripe below eye from snout to 
angle of opercle; a similar fainter streak below it; pectoral pale-red or light-orange; ventrals orange; 
other fins rich golden-yellow, front of anal and edge of spinous dorsal rich, clear, bright-orange. 
The above description based upon specimens 10 and 12 inches long. The dog snapper bears 
some resemblance to the gray snapper, but is not quite so trim a fish, as may be seen by comparing 
plates 17 and 18. The body color is similar, but the fins are colored very differently. 
This excellent food-fish is known from the West Indies south to Bahia and north to Florida 
Keys, occasionally straying north in the Gulf Stream to Woods Hole. It attains a weight of about 20 
pounds, though the individuals usually seen are much smaller. At Key West it occurs in greatest 
numbers during fall and winter, but is not very common at any time; nor does it seem to be abundant 
in Porto Rico. A good many were seen in the market at San Juan where four, from 10 to 15 inches 
long, were obtained. Specimens were secured also at Palo Seco and Vieques Island. Our notes make 
no mention of it as having been seen elsewhere about the island. 
Jocu, Parra, Descr. Dif. Piezas, Hist. Nat., I, pi. 25, fig. 2, 1787, Cuba. 
Anthias jocu Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 310, 1801, Cuba; after Parra. 
Mesoprion Ulura Cuvier & Valenciennes Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 467, 1828, Cayenne; St. Thomas. 
Neomxnis jocu, Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1257, 1898. 
126. Neomsenis apodus (Walbaum). 11 Par go Amarillo,” ; Schoolmaster; Caji. 
(Plate 19.) 
Head 2.5; depth 2.83; eye 4.33; snout 2.67; maxillary 2.67; interorbital 4.83: preorbital 4.83; 
D. x, 14; A. hi, 8; scales 5-42 to 45-13, about 36 pores. Body comparatively deep, moderately 
compressed, back considerably elevated; profile almost straight front snout to nape, nuchal region 
rather convex; snout unusually long and pointed, its outline before eye a little depressed, its length 
2.71 in head; eye moderate, 4.33 in head; interorbital space flattish or gently convex. 5.5 in head; 
