A dozen species of flyingfish, family exocoetidae, live in the warm waters of the
Western Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. The illustrated fish cannot be identified to
species, although as Mark Catesby didn't show the pelvic fins, the fish illustrated is
probably one of three species that have small pelvic fins. The largest flyingfish grow
to a length of 20 inches. They cannot fly but they can glide over the surface of the
water for several hundred metres at a time.

The rudderfishes, known as sea chubs in the USA, are in the family, kyphosidae,
which has about 40 species. Two species live in the warm waters of the Western
Atlantic and the Caribbean sea. These species are found also in the Eastern
Atlantic. Sea chubs are stocky, herbivorous fishes that grow to a length of about 12
to 14 inches.

The fish illustrated is not a freshwater perch at all but a pumpkinseed sunfish,
Lepomis gibbosus, in the family centrarchidae. This family of fishes has 30
members that are native to North America. The pumpkinseed sunfish is related to
the freshwater largemouth bass of angling fame. It has been distributed throughout
North America. It has even been found in the Central Park Lake in Manhattan, New
York City. It is naturally found in lakes, ponds and quiet pools of rivers and streams.

(Fish notes by Richard Lord, Guernsey)