sign in sign up
<<
Home , Fishes of the World, Ichthyology, Subgenus

Potential levels in taxonomic hierarchies (Nelson 2005; Ross 1974) Potential levels in taxonomic hierarchies (Nelson 2005; Ross 1974)

Phylum Superorder - 1 Superorder (ending = iformes) Subphylum Order (ending = iformes) - 62 Superclass Suborder (ending = oidei) Superclass Suborder (ending = oidei) Grade Infraorder (ending = oidea) Grade Infraorder (ending = oidea) Subgrade Superfamily (ending = oidea) Subgrade Superfamily (ending = oidea) (ending = idae) Class - 5 Family (ending = idae) - 515 132 not monophyletic Subclass (ending = inae) Subclass Subfamily (ending = inae) Infraclass (ending = ini) Infraclass Tribe (ending = ini) Division Genus – 4,494 Subdivision Subgenus Subdivision Subgenus Infradivision Superspecies Infradivision Superspecies Cohort Cohort Species – >30,000 Subspecies

Need to be able to Science of identify 101 families • Alpha Grad students – know – What’s there? order also – How many are there? • – How are they related? • – Where did they come from? • – What are their roles in the ecosystem? – …numerous ecological questions…

1 History of Ichthyology (world) (1705 – 1734) and Carolus Linneaus (1707-1778) • Guillaum Rondelet (1507-1566) • Artedi • French physician and naturalist – Swedish naturalist • Compiled the first work marine in the Mediterranian – “Father of Ichthyology” “Libri de piscibus marinis in quibus verae piscium – Colleague of Carolus Linnaeus, who inherited effigies expressae sunt” his manuscripts • De Piscibus Marinum; 244 species, 2nd publication – Published (after death) Bibliotheca Ichthyologica and Philosophia Ichthyologica • Linneaus – Swedish naturalist – Formed binomail nomenclature, classification system used in Systema

History of Ichthyology (World) (1769 – 1832) • French Zoologist, helped found comparative • Marc Elieser Bloch (1723 – 1799) and fields. – German medical doctor • Published Naturelle des Poissons (1828) – contained – Published “Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der descriptions of 5,000 . Published along with Fische ”, illustrated 12 volumes of European Valenciennes (below). fishes. • First ever attempt at a list of the • Worked with a of other taxa

• B.G.E. Lacépède (1756 – 1826) – French naturalist – Colleague of Buffon, another Frenchman who was the first to propose human – primate common ancestor (long before Origin of Species)

2 Albert Gunther (1830 – 1914) American Ichthyology • German born, British Zoologist • Gonzalo Fernandex de Oviedo: 1500’s (Spaniard) • Moved to the British museum in 1856, focused on – Naturalist and explorer ichthyology – Documented in freshwater lakes of Nicaragua • Second and last attempt to list all species of fishes in • Thomas Harriot: 1585 the world – 1st English in the US – Roanoke, NC; drew gar figures • George Marcgrave: 1600’s – German scientist – Documented natural history of Brazil, Historia naturalis Braziliae • Mark Catesby: 1730’s, English – The Natural History of Carolina, – Florida and Bahama Islands – Last definitive natural history in US for almost 100 years

The Academy and N.A. Ichthyology Charles Girard (1822-1895) and Spence Fullerton Baird (1923-1897) • Philladelphia Academy of Natural Sciences • Girard was a French , moved to – Opened in 1812, goal was to expand knowledge US and studied under Agassiz of the natural world • Baird was an American ornithologist – Organized expeditions… • Both worked at Smithsonian, worked on Pacific Railroad Surveys • Constantine Samuel Rafinesque – Ichthyologia – Plotted out western land looking for Ohiensis transcontinental railroad routes • Charles LeSueur – Wabash River – Resulted in 12 volume natural • Samuel Latham Mitchell – Fishes of New York history work

Notropis bairdi Notropis girardi

3 Excerpts from Baird and Girard Railroad Survey S. C. Rafinesque (1783-1840) • French Zoologist, botanist, geologist • Erratic genius • Moved to US (Kentucky) • Described thousands of species (mostly plants) • Proposed new classification systems • Described a number of prominent genera: – Notropis – Pomoxis – Noturus – Hypentelium – Aplodinotus – Lepomis

Notropis rafinesque

Louis Agassiz (1851-1931) • Swiss born, American zoologist. • Would describe himself as North Americas greatest ichthyologist • First to propose ice ages • President of U of Indiana, Stanford • Last prominent creationist zoologist • 1372 publications, 645 ichthyological • Ironically, published volumes on fossil fishes thus • Published “Guide to the study of fishes”, “Days of a man” and paving the way for evolutionary studies of fishes. “Fishes of North and Middle America” 4 volume set • Moved to the US in 1850’s after publishing Nomenclator Zoologicus, a list of all known genera. • Harvard professor of and Geology • Founded Ponikese Marine Lab (precursor to Woods Hole) • Founded Museum of Comparative Zoology (Harvard) • Student of Cuvier, Adviser to David Star Jordan

Apistogramma agassizi Etheostoma jordani

4 American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Carl Hubs • Last collaborator of Jordan • Founded in 1916, named in honor of Edward • Refined Jordan’s North America work Drinker Cope, colleague of Jordan • 707 publications • Publisher of journal Copeia since 1913 – Fishes of the Great Lakes Region • Developed standard for morphological measurements of fishes • Faculty at Scripts Institute of Oceanography • Arguably the greatest ichthyologist of the century. • Father of – current faculty member at U. Texas

Nichols, J. T. "Notes on Fishes near New York." Copeia 1 (1913): 4 Pteronotropis hubbsi Gambusia clarkhubbsi

Benjamin Leonard Covington Wailes (1797-1862) Report on the Agriculture & Geology of Mississippi 1854 • Educated at Jefferson College • Checklist included 51 marine and freshwater • First serious studies of Mississippi fishes species, plus 12 listed by genus (24 taxa of freshwater fishes) • Large collection of fossil mollusks (now • List in diary indicates he recognized more species at LSU) than were listed • Sent most of his collections to Agassiz at • Work done by Wailes, report published by Harvard Agassiz

5 Revealing A Fauna Mississippi in 1860 Oliver Perry Hay (1846 – 1930) • Replaced Jordan at Butler University • Collecting expeditions to MS - in 1880 & 1881 300 • First to describe new species from Mississippi since Wailes - 11 still 250 recognized • Many years before any other surveys of 200 MS took place

150 Wailes 100 Cumulative Fish Species Cumulative 50

0

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Collection Year Freshwater/diadromous All fishes Hybognathus hayi

Frances Adine Cook (1889-1964) Revealing A Fauna • 1927 – left graduate studies in & position at Mississippi in 1880’s Smithsonian to return to Mississippi • Established Mississippi Association for the Conservation of 300 Wildlife, Served as Executive Secretary • 1933-1958 – Director and Curator of State Museum 250 • 1933- invited Samuel F. Hildebrand to work on Mississippi fishes 200

150 Hay

100 Cumulative Fish Species Cumulative 50

0

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Collection Year Freshwater/diadromous All fishes

6 Cook & WPA Revealing A Fauna • 1935: State Works Project Mississippi in 1930’s funded statewide biological survey. 300 • Resulted in 1959 publication of the first state-wide treatise on 250 Hildebrand Mississippi Fishes

200 – 154 species

150

100 Cumulative Fish Species Cumulative 50

0

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Collection Year Freshwater/diadromous All fishes

Stephen T. Ross Revealing A Fauna Mississippi in 1950’s • Descendant of Agassiz and Jordan • Trained at U. South Florida

300 • Compiled second work documenting fishes of Mississippi (Inland Fishes of

250 Mississippi) Cook & WPA • Initiated cataloging his own collections

200 into the USM Museum of Ichthyology

150

100 Cumulative Fish Species Cumulative 50

0

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Collection Year Freshwater/diadromous All fishes

7 USM Museum of Ichthyology Growth Revealing A Fauna 1600000 Species Lots Mississippi in 1970-2004 50000 Specimens 1400000

300 1200000 Ross 40000 250 1000000

30000 200 800000

150 Specimens

Species LotsSpecies Inland Fishes of 20000 600000 100 Mississippi 400000 2000 Cumulative Fish Species Cumulative 10000 50 200000

0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 0 91 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 01 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 98 98 98 99 9 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 00 0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Collection Year Freshwater/diadromous All fishes

Ichthyological Collections Curation Procedures

• Large collections in the Southeastern US • Fixation – coagulate cell contents into insoluble substances – Tulane, Northeastern Louisiana U, U of Tennessee, USM, U of Florida – Maintain tissue integrity, prevents autolysis • Why keep ichthyological collections? – Fragments DNA (bad) • Specialist resource: – Decalcifies bone – reaction with formic acid – archival storage – Preserves colors – Formalin: – revision studies (library) • 40% formaldehyde in water = 100% formalin – genetic analysis? • 10% formaldehyde solution = formalin solution

– distribution analysis • Use of anesthetics - MS-222, CO2 or ice • Ecologist & scientist resource: • ~ 1 week in fixative – life histories • Toxicity – Large doses bad – ageing – Some allergic reactions – vouchering specimens – Will fix your tissues! • Teaching resource • Large specimens – Inject into abdominal cavity – Slit open belly

8 Curation Procedures

• Rinse: 3-5 days in water to remove most formalin • Preservation: maintains state of tissues – Isopropyl alcohol: 45% – Ethanol: 70% – Too much alcohol will desiccate specimen – Pigments slowly broken down – Alcohol preservation w/out fixing first = jar of sludge after 1 year • DNA preservation – Place tissue sample in alcohol (100% Ethanol) – Place rest of fish in fixative • Catalog specimens – Database with locality information

9