notes on ranzania makua jenkins and other

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NOTES ON RANZANIA MAKUA JENKINS AND OTHER

SPECIES OF FISHES OF RARE OCCURRENCE ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST.

John Otterbein

Snyder, OfStanfordUniversity, California.

This paper contains

some

observations thathave been

made

from timetotimeoncertain fisheswhicharerarelyseenontheCalifornia coast.

The

first part is a record of the appearance in this region ofRanzania

mdkua

Jenkins,while thesecondpartdealswithspecies living inMonterey Bay.

The

type of Ranzania malcua and specimensof the otherspecies are

m

^the^National

^Museum.

PART

^1.

RANZANIA

MAKUA

Jenkins.

Plate63.

The

appearancein the easternPacific of an example ofRanzania malcuaisofconsiderableinterest,siace thespecieshas beenrecorded only from Hawaii

and

Japan.

The

Hawaiian record is based on two specimens, the type^ and a smaller example,- and also on a paititing

by

a local artist.^

The

Japanese record rests entirely on anoldpaintinginthecollection ofCountDate.*

The

Californiaspecimenwas found dead on thebeach at Oceano, San LuisObispo County,in August, 1909,

by

Mr.

John

P. Latronel.

It

was

rather well preserved, although it

had

been washed about inthe breakersuntilthesilvercolor

was

almostcompletely

removed

from thebody. Itmeasures 460 millimeters inlength.

The

upper surface ofthe

body

^is dark, theedgesof thehexagonalscales being very light in comparison.

The

sides

show

traces of silver here and there, but not evena suggestion of dark bands or reticulations appears.

When

compared directly with the type of the species

1OliverP. Jenkins,Descriptionofanewspecies ofRanzaniafrom theHawaiianIslands,Proc.Cal.Acad.

Sci.,ser. 2,vol.5,1895,pp.780 to 784,coloredplate.

2JordanandEvermann,t'ishesHawaiianIslands, Bull.U.S.FishCommission, No.23, pt.1,p. 440.

3Jenlcins,Proc. Cal.Acad.Sci.,ser.2,vol.5,1895,p. 783.

<JordanandSnyder,AreviewoftheGymnodontfishes ofJapan;Proc.U.S.Nat. Mus.,vol. 24, p. 262.

ProceedingsU.S.NationalMuseum,Vol.44—No.1961

.

455

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456 PR0CEEDIX08 OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

the California example is seen to be

somewhat more

slender, the caudal peduncle is narrower, the head and snout are shorter, the eye smaller,thefinsshorter, and the color different,lackingentirely thepeculiar curved bands so conspicuous on the

body

of thetype specimen.

The

measurable differences are

shown

in the appended table.

Hawaiian specimens.

Lengthofbodyinmilliinoters Lengthhead,inhundredthsoflength Depth body

Depthcaudalpeduncle Lengthsnout Diameter eye Interorbitalwidth

Distancebetweeneyeandtopofhead.. .

Betweengill-openingandback Betweengill-openingandventralsurface Betweengill-openingandeye Heightdorsal

Height anal Lengthpectoral Lengthcaudal Dorsal rays Analrays Pectoral rays

Fully developed caudal rays

470 .37 .515

101 .35 .32 .15 .13

.0(15

.09 .045 .115 .18 .15 .215 .20 .15 .08 17 18 13 18

The

second Hawaiian example was obtained in the Honolulu market

by

DoctorJordan,andis

now

inthecollection of theBureau of Fisheries. (PI. 63, fig.2.) It is a

young

individual, measuring about 108 millimetersin length, ar^dconsequentlyof especial value, as it aids in illustrating

some

of thestructural changes thatoccur withadvancingage. It is

much more

elongatethantheolder specimens,thenarrowness ofthe

body

being moste"\ddent inthecaudal region.

The

baseofthe caudalfinisa straightobliqueline;notcon- vexas inolderexamples.

The

caudal raysarenot fan-shaped,^but arebranchedintheordinaryway,thedivisionappearingfartherfrom the base than is usual

among

fishes.

The

length of the caudal fin is relatively greater, while that of the other fins is less.

The

body ^is eveiywheie silveiy, very dark on the back.

On

the

body

behind the pectoral are about 15

more

or less distinct darkspots, which are nearly equalin size to theeye. There areno bands on thehead.

The

Japanese figure^{^} is a splendid painting, and although it

omits certain slight details of structure, there can be no doubt as to the species which it represents. It delineates a form similar tothatoftheothers,butofadifferent color.

The

platesarebroadly outlined in white, except

m

certain restricted areaswhere they are narrowly bordered

by

brown, the centers being everywhere dark.

>Jenkins,Proc. Cal.Acad.Sci.,ser.2,vol.5,1895,p. 780,fig. 3.

2Throughthecoiu-tesy ofCountDate,whopresented Doctor Jordan with a copyofthepainting,a photographishere reproduced. (PI. 63,flg. 1.)

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NO.1961.

NOTES ON RARE CALIFORNIAN FISHES—

SNYDER.

457

Silvery pigment covers the dorsal surface, and appears irregularly on thesides, cheeks, and on thecaudal regionbetween the vertical

ffins. There is a mass of

brown

color on the

body

below the pec-

toral, on the snout, and also in the region between eye and gill

opening.

The

latter region is bordered above

by

a broad pink stripe with dusky borders, and there is a spot of the

same

color on the snout.

The

verticalfins are blackish; the rays of pectoral and caudal white. Unmistakable traces of curved vertical bands similar tothoseofthe typeappearonthe head.

In the opinion of the writer the differences exhibited

by

the specimens before

him

and

by

the Japanese drawing are of such a nature that they

may

be attributed largely to individual variation andage,andthey shouldnot, atthepresenttimeatleast,be regarded as characters distinguishingdifferent species.

Some

oftheapparent differences in color are clearly due to accident, as in the California example, wherethethinepidermishasbeenalmostentirelyscrubbed

offby thesandandthebreakers, a gentletouchwithabluntinstru-

ment

beingsufficient toremovethesilverypigmentorthedarkcolor from the plates. It is not probable that the Japanese painting was

made

fromalivingindividual; theHawaiian specimen

had

been keptonicefora long time beforeit

was

described, andconsequently

we

only

know

stages ofthefadingcolor unlessitisnotsoevanescent afterdeathas inmostotherfishes.

Thisspeciesisclosely related toRanzaniatruncata oftheAtlantic, and a careful survey of the data at

hand

compels one to hesitate in distinguishing between them. For

when

the variation

m

^color

and form exhibited

by

^the Pacific specimens is considered along with the information to be derived from the rather brief descrip- tions^{^} and poorfigures of Atlantic examples, one

must

admit that there islittleorno ground forthe recognitionoftwo speciesexcept the presumption that they inhabit different and widely separated geographicregions.^ Molamola,anotherspecies of the

same

family, which udiabits both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, has been described under 30 or

more

specific

names

and placed in

upward

of adozennominalgenera.

1AlbertGunther; Catalogue FishesBritishMuseum,vol._8,p. 319. FrancisDay; Fishes Great Britain andIreland, p. 270, pi. 149. Jonathan Couch; Annals Natural History,vol._6,p. 144;andother accounts referred to intheabove volumes.

•Toolate forincorporationinthe above,the writer has seen a paperbyDr.JacquesPellegrinona specimenofRanzaniatruncatafromMartinique(Pellegrin,Doctor Jacques; SurlePresenced'unBanc deRanzania truncata Retzius alaMartinique; Bulletindela Soci6teZoologique de France,tome 37,1912,p.228). Anexaminationof the descriptionandthefigurethere given leavesno doubtas totheIdentity ofR.truncataandR.makua. InthisconnectionDoctorPellegrin says:"Lacoloration deeesindividusserapproche tout afaitdecelledonn6epar Jenkins, pouruneespeeedesillesHawai, qu'il d6critcommanouvellesouslenomde Ranzania makua. EnI'absencedutypeetnepouvantcon- tr61er lesautrescaractcres,11estdifficiledeseprononcer d'une fagon categorique, maiscetteresemblance decoloration inciteH penserqueI'especedesliesHawain'estprobablementpasdistinctedecelledela Martinique."

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458 PROCEEDINGS OF THE XATIOXAL MUSEUM.

vol.44.

PART

2.

SPECIES

FROM MONTEREY

BAY.

It is largely through the kindly interest of Dr. Harold Heath, Messrs. Walter

Weymouth,

and William F. Allen that the writer hasbeen enabledtoobtainspecimensofthespecieshere noted. Most of

them

weretaken while dredgingintheshallowwaternear shorein Monterey Bay.

Family

BRANCHIOSTOMID^.

BRANCmOSTOMA

CALIFORNIENSEGill.

Threespecimensof thisspecieswere dredgedfromthesandy bottom oppositeMontereyatadepthofabout5fathoms.

They

measure65 to76millimeters.

The myocommata number

as follows:

45-16-10:71 44-17- 9:70 44-16- 9:69 Family

ICOSTEID^.

ICOSTEUS iENIGMATICUSLockington.

A young

exampleof thisform

was

foundonthebeachnearPacific Grove. Itmeasures about80millimeters. Spiculesarepresentalong thelateral lineand on theraysof thedorsal, anal, and caudalfins.

The

color differsfrom that ofthe adult, there being 7 dark vertical bands onthe body. Theseare confined tothe region extending between theinterneurals andinterhaemals,which areplainly visible in the translucentbody. Before theanterior

band

andjustbehindthe occiput is a round spot.

The

posterior band ^is at the base of the caudalfin.

The

bands are

somewhat

narrowerthan the light inter- spaces.

The

third band, countingfromthecaudal, unitesaboveand belowwithlarge,darkspots. Similar spotsareaboveand belowthe fifthband fromthe caudal, andthereisanelongate spotatthe base of theanterior third ofthe dorsalfin.

The

bands and spotson the opposite (left) side ofthe

body

differ

somewhat

in theirrelations to eachother.

The

caudal and anal are broadly edgedwith blackish;

the pectoralnarrowly bordered with black; ventrals black.

When

fresh, the head and

body

were translucent, with a light strawtint.

Thereare 53 raysinthedorsalfin,38inthe anal.

Family

COTTIDiE.

ICELINUSQUADRISERIATUS(Lockington).

A

specimen havingtheventralsdeepblackwastakenatadepthof 10 or 12fathomsnearPacificGrove.

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Ko.1&61.

NOTES ON RARE CALTFORNIAN FISHES—

SNYDER.

459

Family

AGONID^.

ODONTOPYXIS TRISPINOSUSLockington.

Eight examplesfromadepthof5 to10fathomsnearPacificGrove.

STELLERINAXYOSTERNA(JordanandGilbert).

One

specimenfrom about 10fathomsnearMontere5^

AVERRUNCUSEMMELANEJordanandStarks.

Three individuals measuring 53 to 65 millimeters, from 10 to 15 fathomsnearPacificGrove.

Family

PLEURONECTID^.

PLEUROmCHTHYS DECURRENS^JordanandGilbert.

The young

of thisspecies(measuring35to60millimeters), ofwhich a considerable

number

were secured atdepths of 10 or 15 fathoms, exhibitabrillianttypeofcolorationnot seenintheadult.

The body

is variously spotted and clouded with black and brownish black, reticulations and ocelli also appearing without anyparticular order.

A

black spot or ocellus is usually present on the lateral line near middleofbody.

The

dorsalhasabout12,theanal usually11 vertical black barsorelongatespots,mostofwhichinvolvetwoor three rays and extend from basetoneartipoffins;

some

brokeninthemiddle or only represented

by

a comparatively small distal spot.

Both

dorsal

and

analarebordered with white.

The

caudalisdusky, with white edges and a white bar across the base.

The

dusky central portion is often broken

by

whitelinesparallel with the rays.

The

blindsideisoftenfinelyspeckled.

Family

GOBIIDyE.

RmNOGOBIUSNICHOLS!(Bean).

Examples

from depthsof 10 or 15fathomsnearPacificGrove were pale bluegrayinlife, tinted withlightyellowonthehead;chin and throat yellow; sideswithfiveindistinctly defined,duskyverticalbars

;

scales with narrow orange borders; dorsals and caudal yellow, the rays and spines dotted with bright orange; spinous dorsal broadly edged with deep black; anal suffused with yellow; pectorals light;

ventralsblack.

Some

specimens werelessbrightlycolored,theven- tralsbeing almostimmaculate.

Family

BATHYMASTERID^.

RATHBUNELLAALLENIGilbert.

An

example measuring125 millimeters

was

takenin apoolnear the water's edgeatverylowtide.

The

dorsalfinhasanelongate,black-

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460 PROCEEDiyGS OF THE XATIOWAL MUSEUM.

vol.44.

ishspoton theupperanterior edge.

The

headiscontained4.5times inthelengthtobaseofcaudal. Dorsal 44; anal 33; pectoral17.

Family

BLENNIID^.

NEOCLINUSBLANCHARDIGirard.

The young

of^tliisspecies,measuringabout44millimeters,have 12 or 13 conspicuouscrossbandsonthebody andarowof 11spotsjust belowthe baseofdorsalfin,

some

ofthe spots coincidinginposition withthebands.

The

anteriorocularcirrusis butlittlelonger than theposterior ones.

The

maxillary reachesbeyondthe eyebut^isnot quite equal in length to half the head.

Found

in the pools near PacificGrove.

NEOCLINUSSATIRICUSGirard.

A

specimen100 millimetersⁱⁿlength,fromapoolnearPacificGrove, has the maxillary veryshort, not quite reaching the edgeofthepre- opercle.

The

filamentsoftheheadare short.

An

ocellusispresent betweenthe sixth

and

ninthspines.

Family

OPHIDIID^.

CmiARATAYLORIGirard.

In

young

individuals thebody, excepting the abdomen, iscovered with minute

brown

specks,the spotscharacteristic of largerexamples being absent.

Taken

at depths of 10 or 12 fathoms near Pacific Grove.

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U.S.NATIONALMUSEUM PROCEEDINGS,VOL. 44 PL.63

RanzaniamakuaJenkins.

Fordescriptionof specimens see page455.

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