Table of Contents
The lumps are characterized among Gulf of Maine fishes by their short, thick, high-arched bodies; by having a bony sucking disc on the chest with the very much reduced ventral fins at its center; and by the fact that the skin is set with tubercles.
| KEY TO GULF OF MAINE LUMPFISHES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The body is roughly triangular in end view; the large tubercles on each side are in widely separated rows; the lower end of each gill opening is below the level of the upper edge of the base of the corresponding pectoral fin; the head (measured to the upper edge of the bases of the pectoral fins) occupies only about one-fourth of the length of the trunk; the first dorsal fin is entirely concealed within the skin after the fish is 2-3 inches long | — | Common Lump Fish, p. 459 |
| 2. | The body is nearly round in end view; the large tubercles on each side are close set, in irregular pattern; the lower end of each gill opening is considerably above the level of the upper edge of the base of the corresponding pectoral fin; the head (measured to the upper edge of the bases of the pectoral fins) occupies about one-third of the length of the trunk; the first dorsal fin (though more or less fleshy) continues exposed throughout life | — | Spiny Lumpfish, p. 463 |