Catalufas

Carnivorous fishes

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BODY oblong or ovate, compressed, covered with small, firm, rough scales, all parts of the body, head, snout, and maxillaries being densely scaled, each scale with a more or less developed plate on its posterior border; mouth large, very oblique, the lower jaw prominent; villiform teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines, none on tongue; pre-maxillaries protractile; maxillary broad, without supplemental bone, not slipping under the very narrow preorbital, which is usually serrate; eye very large; posterior nostril long, slit-like, close to the eye; preopercle more or less serrate, one or more spines at its angle; opercle very short, ending in 2 or 3 points; no barbels; gill-membranes separate, free from the isthmus; pseudobranchiae very large, extending along whole length of opercle; postorbital part of head very short, the opercle small; lateral line continuous, not extending on caudal; dorsal fin continuous, the spines depressible in a groove; anal spines strong, the soft part of fin long, similar to soft dorsal; caudal truncate or lunate; air-bladder large.

Carnivorous fishes of tropical seas, chiefly in deep water; mostly rose-coloured in life. The family contains 2 genera (Priacanthus and Pseudopriacanthus) and about 10 species, only 1 or 2 of which are of any food-value.

Priacanthus arenatus, the catalufa or toro, is a beautiful fish found in the West Indies south to Brazil, and occasionally north in the Gulf Stream to Woods Hole. It has also been reported from Madeira. On our Southern coast it has been recorded only from Key West. It is not uncommon about Porto Rico, where it is known as toro or comico. Its usual length is a foot to 15 inches, and it is used as food, its flesh being firm and flaky and of good flavour. We know nothing of it as a game-fish. The brilliant red colour and large eye make it a very striking fish.

Head 2 3/4 to 3 1/4; depth 2 4/5; eye 2 2/3; snout 3; maxillary 2; mandible 1 2/3; interobital 4 2/3; D. X, 14, rarely 13; A. III, 15, rarely 16; pectoral, 1 9/10; ventral 1 1/10; caudal 1 1/5; scales about 94.

Body oblong-ovate; eye very large; mouth extremely oblique; lower jaw strong and prominent; maxillary very broad posteriorly, reaching beyond front of eye; opercle and angle of preopercle each with a flat weak spine; dorsal spines slightly roughened; caudal slightly lunate.

Colour, body and fins nearly everywhere bright red, deepest on ventrals and caudal; base of pectoral yellow; ventral spine pale blue, the rays black-tipped, the membranes mostly dusky; caudal dark edged; a series of about 12 indistinct dark round blotches just above lateral line; mouth red inside; iris chiefly bright red, a narrow yellow circle about the pupil.

The only other species deserving mention here is the ojudo or big-eye, P. cruentatus.

This fish ranges from the West Indies to St. Helena and the Canaries. It is known from Cuba, Jamaica, and Porto Rico, but is not recorded from any point on our Atlantic coast. It reaches a foot in length, and is a good food-fish. It resembles the preceding species, but the body is deeper, the preopercular spine stronger, and the colour different. Colour, silvery, washed with rosy; back with 5 or 6 rosy saddle-like blotches extending on sides to below lateral line; under parts rosy; vertical fins pale at the base, brighter distally; caudal black-edged; pectorals and ventrals rosy, the latter black-tipped.