230 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Genus 106. LACHNOLAIMUS Cuvier & Valenciennes. 
Body strongly compressed, back sharp and elevated, profile long and steep. Snout sharp; mouth 
low, horizontal, jaws narrow; premaxillary slipping under membranaceous edge of the very broad 
preorbital, which is twice depth of eye. Teeth in front prominent, canine-like, in a single series; no 
posterior canines. Cheek and opercles with imbricate scales; scales of moderate size, thin, adherent; 
lateral line complete. Dorsal with 14 spines, first 3 strong, falcate, produced in long streamers in 
adult, membranes between these spines very low, filamentous tips longer than head; other spines all 
low, gradually shorter to the eleventh; second dorsal and anal much produced; caudal lobes falcate; 
third anal spine strong; pectoral and ventrals short. 
This genus contains a single species, a large, showy fish of tropical America, remarkable for the 
long, streamer-like filaments on the dorsal spines. 
184. Laclinolaimus maximus (Walbaum). “ Capitan”; Perro Perm; Hog-fish. 
Head 3; depth 2.2; eye 5.4; snout 2.4; maxillary 2.1; mandible 2; interorbital 4.1; preorbital 4.4; 
D. xiv, 11; A. ni, 10; pectoral 1.6; ventral 1.6; caudal 1; scales 8-38-14. Body deep and compressed, 
back elevated, anterior profile long and steep, nearly straight, slightly concave before eye; scales rather 
large and thin; premaxillaries very protractile; 4 strong canines in front of upper jaw, 1 pair in front of 
lower with 2 smaller conical teeth between them; sides of jaws with small, uniserial, bluntly conical 
teeth; first 3 dorsal spines produced in long filaments, reaching to end of fin, rest of spines low; soft 
dorsal with anterior rays somewhat elevated, nearly as long as head; caudal deeply lunate. 
Color in life, brick-red, scales edged with reddish-yellow thus giving a cross-hatched appearance; 
a large black spot on last 4 dorsal rays and body at their base; caudal red, with 2 pale-brown crossbars 
and 2 spots of same on each tip, anal similar to caudal; ventral dark purplish-red; pectoral lemon; 
purplish lines radiating downward and forward from eye. In spirits, grayish, snout blackish; caudal 
with 2 faint vertical dark bars near base; base of last rays of soft dorsal with deep black spot extending 
upon body. The sexes differ in color and in size of mouth, and individuals vary much with age, but 
the species may be known at once from the long dorsal streamers. 
“El Capitan” is found throughout the West Indies and north to Key West and the Bermudas, 
abundant about reefs and rocks. It has been recorded from various places in southern Florida, the 
Tortugas, Bahamas, St. Bartholomew, Cuba, Martinique, St. Thomas, Santo Domingo, Porto Rico, and 
Jamaica. Examples, 6 to 13 inches long, were obtained at Ensenada del Boqueron, Arroyo, and Isabel 
Segunda. Others were seen in the fishermen’s boats at each of these places and also at Culebra Island. 
This is a large and showy fish, reaching a weight of 10 to 15 pounds, or even 20 pounds in the 
Bermudas. It changes much in appearance in the course of its growth, which accounts for the many 
specific names it has received. The large adult male is remarkable on account of a heavy black blotch 
