On new Genera and Species of California Fishes—No. I.
BY J. G. COOPER, M.D.
The fishes described in the following articles were collected by me for the State Geological Survey, along the Southern Coast of this State and among the adjoining islands. While it is possible that some of them may have been described in works not now accessible to us, the probabilities are entirely in favor of their being new, as we have very recent lists of all the species described as inhabitants of this Coast since the report on fishes collected by the Pacific Rail Road Surveys.
For much information and assistance in their determination, I am indebted to Dr. W. O. Ayres, and also to Dr. George Hewston, for the use of books not contained in any public library in the city.
The outline illustrations, reduced from accurate measurements, were electrotyped and presented by our industrious collaborator, Dr. Kellogg.
The colors described are in all cases those of the living fish.
Dekaya, n. g.[6]
Generic characters.—General shape elongated and fusiform, head small and short, premaxillaries slightly protractile, eye large, situated above the level of mouth, profile moderately sloping, snout broad and obtuse.
Preoperculum serrated behind, operculum with one obtuse spine; branchiostegal rays five on each side. Opercular openings connected below.
Front rows of teeth on premaxillaries small, conical, acute, and slightly recurved; those of upper jaw largest, their size decreasing from the middle towards each angle, where there are one or two large canines; those below hidden by the upper jaw. Behind this row in both jaws, a band of velvet teeth in about six irregular rows near the symphysis, but ending entirely near the middle of each ramus. Tongue and vomer toothless. Pharyngeal bones and branchial arches densely crowded with large velvet teeth.
Infraorbital bone short, curving up under posterior border of orbit, and not connected with the operculum.
Nostrils double, anterior opening smaller, lips rather thick and fleshy.
Scales small, numerous, oblong, subquadrangular, finely pectinated, covering the whole body and head as far as front of orbit, but leaving a bare space around the eye.
Fins scaleless, as well as caudal rays. Dorsal and anal fins very long at base; spinous rays few. Lateral line normal.
Dekaya anomala, Cooper, n. sp., State coll. No. 618. [[Fig. 17.]]
Fig. 17.
Specific characters.—Length of head contained five times in total length. Distance from end of snout to orbit one-third the length of head, and greater than width of orbit. Height of head just behind orbit about equal to distance from tip of snout to edge of preoperculum; breadth one-third to one-half of its length. Skin on occiput elevated from the bone by a thick layer of fat, not by any bony expansions.
Height of pectoral fin less than length of head; its width about one-third of its height, middle rays longest.
Dorsal arising above pectoral joint, its length one-third that of the fish; first spine one-ninth the length of the fin; the other spines lengthening to the commencement of the soft portion, of which the longest ray is one-fifth the length of the fin, and the last ray one-fifteenth; the entire fin having a gradually arching outline.
Caudal moderately broad, deeply forked, and acutely pointed; the upper lobe slightly the largest.
Anal similar in form to dorsal, arising opposite its eighth soft ray and prolonged a little farther back. It is three-fifths as long as dorsal, its height about one-fourth its length, the first (spinous) ray and the last each half as long as the longest.
Ventrals four-fifths the height of pectorals, arising immediately behind them; their width one-third of their length.
D. VII, 23-2, C 3-1-6-6-1-3, A I-2-21-2, P 6-1-11, V, I-1-1-3. Scales 175, 13/32-10/10.
Colors.—Pale silvery brown, white below; an obscure row of brown spots and mottlings on sides; fins and tail olive near base; iris dark brown and gilt.
Remarks.—This fish seems to be a very aberrant form of the Percoid family, having many of the characters of other orders. Its general form and dentition are those of some Sciaenoids, while its entire dorsal, opercular armature and only five branchiostegals separate it both from them and the Percoids. The very long anal is another character found in few if any members of these families. I can find nothing in the pharyngeal bones to indicate its affinities, these being closely like those of both the above families as shown in Seriphus politus and Paralabrax clathratus, which on comparison have them almost exactly similar.
The genus Heterognathodon, of Bleeker, has several of the most peculiar characters of this one; but not having a full description of it, I cannot compare them. There are generic differences at least, and the habitat is widely different, being the East Indies. Richardson places it with other aberrant genera in the family Theraponidae—(Datninae, of Swainson,) which is probably a mixture of several.
The outline figure represents the fish one-third the natural size; 22 inches.
This fish is caught rather plentifully in autumn at Catalina Island, where I obtained the one here described, in October, 1861. During my late visit there, in June and July, none would bite, and I have not yet obtained any duplicates. It is called by the very vague name of “White-fish.”
The figure being made from a skin may be a little inaccurate in proportions; but I hope to be able to present a better one in the Report of the Geological Survey.
This white-fish is not remarkable for excellence as food.
Ayresia, n. g.[7]
Generic characters.—Form elongated, suboval; the outline more curved above than below. Scales large, finely pectinated, completely covering the body and head, except in front of orbit; smaller on head, and becoming very small where they extend over parts of the fins and tail.
Teeth numerous, acute, entire, the anterior row largest; those below larger than above, and flattened posteriorly. A few smaller ones crowded behind these near symphysis. Pharyngeals villiform.
Premaxillars protractile, the upper arched, twice as high as wide, the lower shutting within it.
Preoperculum entire, a very small obtuse spine at angle of operculum.
Pectorals rather long and pointed. Caudal deeply forked, the lobes acute. Dorsal long, anal moderate.
Differs from Pomacentrus (Lacepede) chiefly in a more arched dorsal outline, armed operculum and unarmed preoperculum, pointed fins and tail, proportions of fins.
The dorsal outline appears to become much more convex with age, chiefly from deposit of fat on the occiput, as is the case in some Labroids, as for instance, L. pulcher (Ayres) and Julis modestus (Girard), the latter also growing higher in proportion to its length throughout. The dotted line represents the dorsal outline of a specimen one-fourth larger than that figured, but otherwise closely like it.
Ayresia punctipinnis, Cooper, n. sp., State coll. No. 596. [[Fig. 18.]]
Fig. 18.
Specific characters.—Head forming less than a fourth of total length (0.18), eyes less than one-third the length of head, and less than its own diameter from end of snout, height of head behind orbit about equal to its length. Greatest thickness of body about one-eighth of total length.
Height of pectoral equal to one-fourth the distance from snout to fork of tail (0.21). Dorsal commencing above pectoral joint, its spinous portion nearly one-third of its total length, and one-sixth of its height, the first spine shortest. Soft rays becoming three times as high, forming an obtuse point behind; the last ray about as long as the spines (the first dorsal spine should be one-fourth longer than in the figure). Caudal peduncle slightly contracted, shorter than caudal rays. Fork of tail extending half-way to its base, the upper lobe longest, being one-fifth of the total length. Anal commencing beneath the tenth dorsal spine, and ending a little anterior to end of soft dorsal, its base less than one-sixth of total length (0.17).
Br. V-V D.XIII, 6-1-6, C. 3-1-6 6-1-3, A.II-11, V. I-8, P-19. Scales 30 3/8 4/9 3/3 lat. line ant. 19.
Color.—Bluish or greenish-black; sides, paler, sometimes coppery, fins smoky, the dorsal and caudal spotted with black, iris bronzed brown. Beneath whitish in young, all the hues darker in the old fish. Some are also spotted on the body posteriorly.
In the winter of 1861-2, I caught several in San Diego Bay, which bit freely at the usual baits. I did not hear any peculiar name applied, but they are confounded with “Perch,” which they little resemble. Also found at San Pedro.
A larger one, taken in a net at Santa Barbara Island, in May, 1863, has the different characters supposed to indicate an older fish, and is much fatter; its head is also shorter in proportion, but as I find a similar difference in specimens of Girella nigricans Ayres, as well as in the Labroids before mentioned, I must consider these as sexual differences, or in part depending on age and condition. They do not differ more than some specimens of Embiotoca jacksoni from each other, and agree closely in the number of spines and rays of their fins.
Orcynus, Cuvier, 1819.
Orcynus pacificus, Cooper, n. sp., State collection, species 1033. [[Fig. 19.]]
Fig. 19.
Specific characters.—General profile elliptical, height of body nearly one-quarter its length, breadth about half the height.
Head laterally compressed, somewhat flattened on top, the nose horizontally rounded, but laterally pointed. Base of tail vertically compressed, one-third broader than it is high. Head half the length of body, its height behind orbit equal to half its length. Diameter of orbit one-sixth the length of head, its form obliquely oval. Jaws equal, gape of mouth one-third the length of head.
Pectoral fin, arising at middle of vertical of side, nearly half the total length, its width at base one-eighth of its length, but suddenly narrowing to one-fifteenth, which width it retains nearly to the end, its outer third curving gradually downward, and becoming pointed. First dorsal commencing directly above pectoral, its length nearly one-fourth of total length, and its height in front two-fifths of its length. Spines rapidly decreasing in length from the first to the eighth, the next six about equal, and a third of the first, the last one very short. Second dorsal immediately behind the first and a little higher, triangular, nearly one-third higher than long, its base lengthened posteriorly, and one-third the length of the first dorsal. Finlets eight above and eight below, acutely triangular, those near the middle a little larger.
Caudal large, its lobes equal, their length three times their width, and one-third that of the pectoral; posterior outline arcuately concave, with slightly widened lobes near the middle.
Anal opposite end of second dorsal, similar to it in form, but smaller, and about twice as high as long, its position half way between the ventrals and caudal. Its first spine is only about one-third as long as the second, which is two-thirds the height of fin; both concealed by the skin.
Ventrals arising opposite second dorsal spine, about twice as high as wide, their inner margin with a small pointed lobe.
Cartilaginous ridge on side of caudal peduncle moderate, highest anteriorly, its length half that of caudal lobe. Two slight oblique ridges behind the median ridge.
Lateral line imperceptible in front of fourth dorsal spine, parallel with outline of back. No scales on head. Thoracic corselet of very large consolidated scales above pectoral, bordered by six rows of large distinct scales, which grow smaller from before backwards. Scales underneath ventrals and around other fins, similarly consolidated, and depressed under pectoral and ventral. Rest of scales nearly uniform in size.
Teeth numerous, very small, in one row, the palatine dense and velvety. Rays of second dorsal and anal fins nearly hidden by adipose skin.
Br. VI-VI D.XIV-12-|-8, P 32, V, I-8 A.II-8,-|-8 C.11-1-6-6-1-12.
Colors.—Above blackish, sides steel-blue, below silvery white, fins smoky, iris brown, finlets yellow edged with blue.
The largest I saw measured thirty-three inches to fork of tail, and weighed twenty-five pounds.
Numerous in summer among the islands off the southern coast of this State, and is said to occur as far north as San Luis Obispo. It affords excellent sport, being caught by trolling while sailing very rapidly, biting voraciously at a white rag. It is in my opinion the best fish for the table that is caught on this coast, but it is said to be sometimes poisonous.
It belongs to the typical Orcynus of Cuvier, distinguished from Thynnus, by the very long pectoral, eight pairs of finlets, small corselet, etc. The type of Orcynus (Scomber alatunga, Linn., or O. alalonga, Duhamel), is called “Ala longa” (Long-wing) in the Mediterranean and resembles this species closely, but is figured as less high and with a smaller pectoral fin.
This species is one of several confounded by sailors under the Spanish names of Albicore and Bonito. The English name Tunny is applied to an allied species on the coast of Europe, the Thynnus vulgaris, Cuv., and to its near representative the T. secundi-dorsalis, Storer, of the eastern American coast. These, however, are evidently of a different genus, and as Thynnus is preoccupied in insects, the name Orcynus, applied by Gill to the same type, may perhaps be retained, although founded on a mistake. O. coretta, Cuv. and Val., probably represents our species in the Gulf of Mexico.
[6] Named in memory of the distinguished author of the Zoological portions of the “Natural History of New York,” Dr. James E. Dekay.
[7] The name of Dr. W. O. Ayres, is well known in connection with Ichthyology, especially that of California.