ART. XXVI.-NOTES ON A COLLECTION OF FISHES FROM THE RIO GRANDE, AT BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS-CONTINUED.* BY D. S. JORDAN, M. D. A portion of the collection of fishes from the Rio Grande noticed on pp. 395-406 of this Bulletin were accidentally separated from the rest, and escaped attention until the preceding pages had gone to press. In this lot are the following additional species: Genus XENOTIS Jordan. XENOTIS BREVICEPS (Baird & Girard) Jordan. 1-53—Pomotis breviceps B. & G., Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. p. 390. Pomotis breviceps B. &. G., Marcy's Expl. Red River, Zool. p. 246, pl. 13, 1853. Ichthelis breviceps JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List Fishes N. A. p. 138, 1876. 1-54-Pomotis nefastus B. & G., Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. p. 24 (not Pomotis aquilensis B. & G.). 1:5-Pomotis popei GIRARD, Pac. R. R. Expl. Fishes, p. 26. Xenotis popii JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. x, p. 36, 1877. A single half-grown specimen, agreeing well with the descriptions of nefastus and popii, but not distinguishable by me from X. breviceps, which species seems to be generally distributed in Texas. The specimens in the National Museum labelled (by Dr. Girard?) Pomotis aquilensis include two species, the one a Xenotis, and probably identical with Xenotis breviceps, the other a Lepiopomus, probably identical with Lepiopomus pallidus. The original aquilensis belonged to the latter type, so the name may be provisionally treated as a probable synonym of pallidus. The other specimens are probably those originally called nefastus, and seem to be referable to Xenotis breviceps. X. breviceps is closely related to X. fallax, but appears to be distinct. Genus PCECILICHTHYS Agassiz. (Astalichthys Le Vaillant; Oligocephalus Girard.) PŒCILICHTHYS LEPIDUS (Baird & Girard) Girard. 1:53—Boleosoma lepida B. & G., Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. p. 388. Pæcilichthys lepidus GIRARD, Mex. Bound. Surv. Ich. p. 11, pl. 8, f. 14–17, 1859. *[From p. 406, anteà.-ED.] Boleosoma lepidum GÜNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. i, p. 77, 1859. Boleosoma lepidum LE VAILLANT, Recherches sur les Poissons des Eaux Douces de Pocilichthys lepidus JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List, p. 163, 1876. Pacilichthys lepidus JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. x, p. 16, 1877. Several small specimens agreeing closely with Girard's figure and de scription, excepting that the spinous dorsal is higher and the two dorsals more closely approximated than is represented by him. This species appears to be a typical Pacilicthys, related to P. variatus. The dusky transverse bars were doubtless blue in life. Girard's original types from Rio Leona, Texas, are still preserved in the museum. Genus FUNDULUS Lacépède. FUNDULUS ZEBRA (Girard) Günther. 1859—Hydrargyra zebra GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. p. 60. Fundulus zebra GÜNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. vi, p. 324, 1867. Fundulus zebra JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List Fishes N. A. p. 141, 1876. Numerous specimens, agreeing very well with Girard's account. This species has a much larger anal fin than Hydrargyra similis, with which it is associated in this collection. The specimens are also much shorter and more chubby than H. similis, and different in coloration. The general hue is dark olive, crossed by numerous irregular, whitish zones. about as wide as the darker interspaces. These bands are quite varia ble in number and position, some specimens having fully twice as many as others. The coloration is very similar to that of Fundulus menona Jordan and Copeland, from Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The specimens are not in good enough condition for me to be certain as to the number of branchiostegals. I, however, count five, and therefore refer the species to Fundulus rather than to Hydrargyra. Genus CAMPOSTOMA Agassiz. CAMPOSTOMA FORMOSULUM Girard. Further specimens of this species indicate that it differs from C. anomalum in the smaller and more pointed head, and in the much greater compression and elevation of the body in the adult. The scales are also rather smaller than in C. anomalum. Genus PIMEPHALES Rafinesque. (Pimephales Rafinesque; Hyborhynchus Agassiz.) PIMEPHALES NIGELLUS (Cope) Jordan. 1876-Hyborhynchus nigellus COPE, Rept. Lieut. Wheeler's Expedition W. 100th Meridian, p. 671. Hyborhynchus nigellus JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List Fishes N. A., p. 147, 1576. 1878-Pimephales promelas JORDAN, p. 402 of the present paper (not of Rafinesque). Examination of larger and better-preserved specimens of the species referred to on page 402 as Pimephales promelas shows that they do not truly belong to that species, but to Professor Cope's Hyborhynchus nigellus. In my opinion, the group called Pimephales and Hyborhynckus can no longer be regarded as distinct genera. The present species has entirely the appearance of Pimephales; in fact, it carries the peculiar form and coloration of that genus to an extreme. Its lateral line is, however, almost as complete as in Hyborhynchus. The tubes are, however, entirely wanting on the last four or five scales, and irregularly so on some of the scales along the sides. The description given by Professor Cope is entirely accurate. One of my specimens is, however, still blacker, the whole dorsal fin and nearly the whole head being jetblack. Genus CYPRINELLA Girard. CYPRINELLA COMPLANATA (Girard) Jordan. 1856— Moniana complanata GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. p. 200. Moniana complanata GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv. Ichthyol. p. 56, pl. 31, f. 17-20, 1859. Moniana complanata JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List Fishes, p. 153, 1876. 1956-Moniana couchi GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. p. 201. Moniana couchi GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv. Ichth. p. 57, pl. 30, f. 21-24. 1:56— Moniana gibbosa GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. p. 201. Moniana gibbosa GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv. Ichthyol. p. 57, pl. 30, f. 9–12. Moniana gibbosa JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List Fishes N. A. p. 153, 1856. 1578-Cyprinella bubalina JORDAN, present paper, p. 403. Examination of additional specimens has shown me that the dental formula, 1–4, 4–1, noticed on my first specimen, was probably accidental, and that the reference of most or all of these deep-bodied Cyprinella to C. bubalina is erroneous. Girard's types of his gibbosa and complanata were from Brownsville. My specimens agree fairly with the figures of both,-decidedly best with gibbosa, however. The descriptions of bothas of all his species of Moniana-are valueless. The younger specimens agree well with the figure of M. couchi, which, coming from the neighboring province of New Leon, is very likely the same. I therefore unite couchi, gibbosa, and complanata under the oldest name, complanata, although, as above stated, the figure of gibbosa is the most satisfactory. A characteristic color marking will probably usually distinguish what I call complanata from related species. The membrane between the branches of the lower jaw in most specimens bears a conspicuous black spot. In a very few, however, this is silvery. Cyprinella forbesi, lately described by me from Southern Illinois, is a closely related species, but wants this spot, and is somewhat different in form. These small fishes are exceedingly difficult, and until some one can study a large series of fresh specimens representing the different species, any arrangement of. them must be regarded as merely provisional. Dr. Girard's treatment of them is perhaps as unsatisfactory a piece of work as has yet been done in American ichthyology. Any one who doubts this may read the descriptions of Moniana couchi, Moniana rutila, and Moniana gracilis as given by Girard, and then, as suggested by Dr. Günther, compare with each other the two figures given of Moniana frigida. The descriptions are throughout worthless for purposes of identification, and the figures are executed by an artist who made in the same way all the fishes drawn "at one sitting". Moniana alburnellus, Cliola, Meda, Algoma, Dionda, or what not, the figures show the same physiognomy. Genus PHENACOBIUS Cope. (Phenacobius Cope; Sarcidium Cope.) PHENACOBIUS SCOPIFERUS (Cope) Jordan. 1-72-Sarcidium scopiferum COPE, Hayden Geol. Surv. Wyoming, 1870, p. 440. Sarcidium scopiferum JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List Fishes N. A. p. 146, 1876. Phenacobius scopiferus, JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2d, p. 299, 1878. 1876-Phenacobius teretulus var. liosternus NELSON, Bull. Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist. i, p. 46. 1876. Phenacobius liosternus JORDAN & COPELAND, Check List, p. 149, 1876. A single good specimen, apparently belonging to Professor Cope's species. The head is, however, shorter and thicker than in the types of scopiferus, and the body is stouter. The head is contained 43 times in the length, being thus about equal to the depth of the body. I am not. however, disposed to consider it a "new species", inasmuch as in other respects it agrees with scopiferus. P. mirabilis (Exoglossum mirabilis Grd.) has apparently a more slender body and smaller scales. These species have much narrower lips than the typical Phenacobii, teretulus, uranops, etc., but Sarcidium can hardly be considered as a distinct genus. Genus CARPIODES Rafinesque. CARPIODES CYPRINUS (Le Sueur) Agassiz. Since the remarks on this species, on page 405, were in press, I have examined a fine example of Carpiodes grayi Cope, collected in the Rio Grande by Dr. Loew. It is evidently identical with my specimens from Brownsville, and agrees in every respect with the figure of Ictiobus tumidus in the Mexican Boundary Survey. Moreover, it is not distinguishable from typical examples of Carpiodes damalis from the Platte River, which in turn cannot be at present separated from the Eastern Carpiodes cyprinus. Wherefore I propose to unite all these nominal species under the oldest name, as Carpiodes cyprinus (Le Sueur) Agassiz, until some positive difference is shown. The species as thus defined would range from the Delaware River to the Alabama east of the Alle ghanies, thence to the Rio Grande and the headwaters of the Kansas and the Platte. It is not yet known from the Great Lake Region nor from the Ohio. |