Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission
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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EARLY LIFE HISTORIES OF SIXTY TWO SPECIES OF FISHES FROM LAKE ERIE AND ITS TRIBUTARY WATERSl By MARIE POLAND FISH CONTENTS Page Development of species-Continued. ' Introduction _ Page 294 Family Cyprinidre, minnows-Con. Collection of materiaL _ 295 18. NotropiB heterolepiB _ 331 Laboratory technique '_ -_ 295 19. Notropis deliciosus strami- Very small specimens with cartilagi- neus ~ _ 332 nous skeletons - - _ 296 20. NotropiB hudsonius _ 334 Large specimens with bony skeletons_ 296 21. NotropiB atherinoideB _ 335 Additional methods of study _ 297 22. NotropiB rubrifrons _ 338 Explanations _ 298 23. Notropis cornutus chryso- Acknowledgments _ 298 cephalus _ 339 Numerical synopsis of specimens exam- ined _ 24. N otemigonus crysoleucas 305 crysoleuc~s _ 342 Development of species _ 305 25. HyborhynchuB notatuB _ 343 Family Lcpisosteidre, gar-pikes _ 305 26. Pimephales promelfl,s pro- 1. Lepisostcus osseus _ 305 melas _ 347 Family Hiodontidre, mooneyes _ 306 27. Campostoma anomalum _ 348 2. Hiodon tergisus _ 306 Family Ameiuridre, catfishes _ 349 Family Coregonidre, whitefishes _ 308 28. Ictalurus punctatus _ 349 3. Leucichthys artedL _ 308 29. Ameiurus nebulosus _ 350 4. Coregonus clupeaformis _ 310 30. Ameiurus natalis _ Family Salmonidre, trouts _ 350 315 31. Noturus flavus _ 351 5. Cristivomer namaycush na- maycush _ Family Umbridre, mudminnows _ 352 315 32. Umbra limL _ 6. Carpiodes cyprinus _ 316 352 Family Esocidre, pickerels _ Family Catostomidre, suckers _ 317 352 33. Esox lucius _ 7. Catostomus commersonii _ 317 352 34. Esox masquinongy _ 8. I-Iypentelium nigricans _ 319 353 9. Moxostoma aureolum _ 320 Family Cyprinodl:mtidre, killifishes __ 356 10. Moxostoma anisurum _ 321 35. Fundulus diaphanus menona 356 Family Cyprinidre, minnows _ 322 Family Percopsidre, trout-perches _ 357 11. Cyprinus carpio _ 322 36. Percopsis omiscomaycuB _ 357 12. Nocomis micropogon _ 323 Family Serranidre, sea basses _ 359 13. Erinemus storerianus_ --- -- 324 37. Lepibema chrysops _ 359 14. Rhinichthys atronasus luna- Family Percidre, perches _ 362 tus _ 327 38. Perca flavescens _ 362 15. RhinichthYB cataractre_ -- -- 328 39. Stizostedion canadense gri- seuDl _ 16. SemotiluB atromaculatuB 365 atromaculatus - ------ 329 40. Stizostedion vitreuDl _ 368 17. ClinoBtomus elongatuB '__ 330 41. Hadropterus maculatus _ 371 1Approved for publlClltloD Sept. 24, 1931. 293 294 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES Development of species-Continued. Page Development of species-Continued. Page Family Percidre, perches-Contd. Family Sciaenidre, drumfishes _ 383 42. Percina caprodes zebra _ 371 53. Aplodinotus grunniens _ 383 43. Rheocrypta copelandL _ 373 Family Cottidro, sculpins -_ 385 44. Boleosoma nigrum nigrum__ 374 54. Triglopsis thompsonL -_ 385 45. Poecilichthys coeruleus coe- 55. Cottus bairdii kumlienL _ 387 ruleus _ 376 56. Cottus bairdii bairdiL _ 389 46. Poecilichthys exilis _ 377 57. Cottus cognatus _ 390 47. Catonotus flabellaris _ 377 58. Cottus ricei _ 391 Family Centrarchidre, sunfishes _ 378 Family Gasterosteidro, sticklebacks__ 392 48. Micropterus dolomieu _ 378 59. Eu~alia inconstans _ 392 49. Aplites salmoides _ 380 60. Gasterosteus aculeatus _ 392 50. Eupomotis gibbosus _ 381 Family Gadidre, codfishes _ '393 51. Ambloplites rupestris _ 382 61. Lota maculosa _ 393 Family Atherinidre, silversides _ 383 62. Species A _ 396 52. Labidesthes sicculus _ 383 Bibliography _ 397 INTRODUCTION That tremendous mortality among fishes must occur is evident from the fact that theindividuals of many species spawn thousandsand often millions of eggs yearly without an appreciable increase in the numbers of adult fish. Undoubtedly a high percentage of destruction is normal and necessary in suppressing overproduction and providing food for other organisms. Sometimes, however, this mortality becomes abnormally large, due either to unfavorable environmental conditions or the inroads of man, and the stock is seriously depleted. It is generally believed that the greatest losses at such periods take place during the egg stage or soon after the free-swimming larva emerges; hence the need for studying earlylife histories is apparent. Although much has been done on marine fishes, practically nothing beyond frag mentary notes for a few species has been available on the developmental stages of their fresh-water relatives. Noone has previously considered this embryonic, larval, and postlarval community as a whole. The study of early life histories, dovetailed with an investigation of biological, physical, and chemical conditions of the environment, is necessary in order to understand problems of production, abundance, and depletion in fish fauna, to determme the causes of yearly class fluctuations and their ultimate effect upon commercial fishing, or to solve other problems ofreal economic importance. Such a comprehensive survey has been attempted in Lake Erie, and the present paper is one of a series which will result from that study.2 The first step in the fish problem had necessarily to be the identification of the young of each species in various developmental stages. Thus, the following text deals, for the most part, with descriptions of specimens taken in net hauls. Because of this manner of collection the life history series are seldom as complete as desired, but all young fish taken by the cooperative survey of Lake Erie in 1928 and 1929 are included in the distribution tables, and whatever developmental stages were found are described and figured under the various species heads. Statistics compiled recently by the United States Bureau of Fisheries show the annual value of the Great Lakes fisheries to total nearly nine millions of dollars. In Lake Erie alone in 1927 the catch brought $1,831,284 to American fishermen. Such an industry can not be disregarded, and when it declines noticeably, the need of I Preliminary reports bave appeared In Vol. XIV, No.3, and Vol. XV, No.1, Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, and in"A Biological Survey oC the Erie-Niagara System," Supplemental to the Eighteenth Annual Report, 1928, New York State Oonservatlon Department. Further reports wlll be pUbllshed In forthcoming Bulletins of the U. S. Bureau or Flsber12s. SIXTY-TWO SPECIES OF FISHES FROM LAKE ERIE 295 remedialmeasures or, at anyrate, anunderstandingof contributing factors toward these losses, is urgently indicated. Because an alarming decrease has occurred during late years in the numbers of commercial fish available from Lake Erie, this survey under the direction of Dr. Charles J. Fish was inaugurated in the spring of 1928 to attempt an explanation of the causes and, if possible, to suggest methods of remedy. Pooling resources, equipment, and workers, the United States Bureau of Fisheries, the New York State Conservation Department, the Ontario Department of Gameand Fisheries, the health department of the city of Buffalo, and the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences launched upon an intensive investigation of these waters. A steam vessel, the U. S. F. S. Shearwater, was used constantly throughout the spring and summer of 1928 in eastern Lake Erie to the westward boundflxy of New York State and to Long Point on the Canadian shore. Between June 15 and July 26 the New York State gasoline launch Navette made observations and collections in shallow water around the margin of the lake. In 1929 the investigations were continued in similar manner aboard the Shear water. The region surveyed, however, was increased to include the whole of Lake Erie. The State of Ohio joined forces with the previously cooperating institutions, and the waters of the lake were combed for young fish. In 1930 no active collecting was done, but over 20,000 young fishes which had been taken by the Ohio Division of Fish and Game in the previous year were examined, identified, charted, and described in an attempt to locate formerly undescribed young and further stages of fishes already recorded by the cooperative survey. COLLECTION OF MATERIAL Petersen young-fish trawls of quarter-inch square mesh at all depths, silk Helgo land trawls on the bottom, and meter nets at the surface and deeper levels were used during 1928 for the collection of young fish material. The only collecting gear used in the following year were meter nets and occasional dip nets. At each station investi gated a typical plankton net of No. O"and No.2 silk with a ring 1 meter in diameter was towed for 5 minutes at the surface, and another simultaneously at about 1 meter above thebottom. The sampleswere preserved inweak formalin at once and examined later in the laboratory. Because of the greater area covered by the survey in 1929 and the large number of observations necessary, the towing of Petersen and Helgo land trawls was omitted, but the use of these specially constructed YOlmg-fish nets is strongly recommended for the capture of such material. Additional specimens studied were collected by members of the staff and reared at the Buffalo Museum of Science. Others were kindly loaned by various State and Federal hatcheries. LABORATORY TECHNIQUE When theplankton bottles arrived in the laboratory theywere carefully examined, and all young fish and eggs removed. Specimens were preserved in 2 per cent forma lin in distilled water, thus preparing them for later staining and clearing if desired. There is only one character remaining comparatively constant throughout the life of the individual, and that is the vertebral count. Thus in the earliest stages, before the fin rays and other diagnostic characters of the adult are distinguishable, the number of vertebrLB is the most valuable hint of identification, and it is with this count that much of the work must be done. There are certain peculiarities for each 296 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES species, especially shape and pigment marking, which make them easily distinguished subsequently, but the first attempt at identification of field collections is possible only by counting the vertebral.