SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF
ICHTHYOLOGICAL TAXONOMISTS AND ECOLOGISTS
03 June 2013, SCCWRP
Attendance: Julianne Passarelli (CMA); Bill Power, Terra Petry (LACSD); Mike Mengel, Ernest Ruckman (OCSD); Craig Cambell (CLA - Hyperion); Robin Gartman, Adriano Feit, Geoff Daly (CSD); Dario Diehl (SCCWRP); Jim Mann (ABC Labs); Rick Feeney (LACM); Wayne Dossett, Eric Miller (MBC); Jonathan Williams (Occidental College); Lawrence Honma (Merkel & Associates); Ray Wilson, Suellen Jacob (CSULB).
Meeting Summary:
Dr. Juli Passarelli opened the meeting with announcements regarding upcoming events and SCAITE business.
1. Upcoming meetings:
Visit the SCAITE website at www.scaite.org for the latest meeting announcements. It was decided that starting in February 2014, meetings will occur every other month in order to review more of the revised Miller and Lea keys.
2. Miller and Lea revision:
We need to complete the review on the Cottidae, Zoarcidae, and Gobiidae keys, while the key for Macrouridae is now ready to begin the review process.
The remainder of the meeting was dedicated to Bight ’13 trawl topics:
Dario started the discussion with a PowerPoint presentation entitled Difficult Species That Have Occurred over the Previous Bight Surveys. A brief history of Bight QC program and how it has evolved over the years was given. In 1994 (SCBPP) there was a post survey data check that revealed the taxonomy wasn’t consistent among participants. In 1998 pre-survey training on difficult species and species that were likely to be encountered, an intercalibration cruise was organized, audits were initiated, FIDs were submitted to SCCWRP, and anomalies were vouchered. In 2003 audits were done on the taxonomist, pressure-temperature sensors were used, species identification vouchers were collected, FID submittal remained, limited submittal of photo vouchers, and an informal Bight fish group helped identified the vouchers. In 2008 a more formalized group was established to review fish vouchers and FID submittals. This year, 2013, pressure-temperature data will be submitted, vouchers for DNA analysis will be collected, and SCAITE will review vouchers and FIDs.
Typical errors that have occurred over previous Bight surveys were nomenclature (be aware of name changes), spelling of names, and misidentification of species (SCAITE will address the fish and SCAMIT will address the invertebrates). Below are groups containing some examples of voucher fishes that have been submitted with errors.
Sharks/Skates/Rays:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Swell Shark Horn Shark
Filetail Cat Shark Northern Lampfish
Big Skate Longnose Skate
California Skate Big Skate
Longnose Skate Big Skate
Longnose Skate California Skate
*California Skate – “3-point contact” along a straight edge from tip of snout to wing, stiff snout
*Longnose Skate – “2-point contact” along a straight edge with smooth curvatures, flexible snout
*Big Skate – nearly a straight line from tip of snout to wing
Duckbill Eels:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Dogface Witch Eel Smallhead Duckbill Eel
Dogface Witch Eel Kelp Pipefish
*Dogface Witch Eel – deep waters, very smooth body, no proboscis (the only other species that we could encounter has a proboscis)
Cusk-eels/Toadfishes/Eelpouts:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
2 Rubynose Brotula Bigfin Eelpout
Spotted Cusk-eel Blackbelly Eelpout
Spotted Cusk-eel Basketweave Cusk-eel
Specklefin Midshipman Plainfin Midshipman
Bearded Eelpout Blackbelly eelpout
Blackbelly Eelpout Black Eelpout
Bigfin Eelpout Blackbelly Eelpout
*Handed out key to Eelpout teeth patterns
*Blackbelly Eelpout – no palatine teeth, no volmer teeth
*Bigfin Eelpout – has palatine teeth, no volmer teeth
*Black Eelpout – has palatine teeth, has volmer teeth
*Bearded Eelpout – look for dark pattern on sides of body
Pipefishes:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Barcheek Pipefish Kelp Pipefish
Barcheek Pipefish Chocolate Pipefish
Bay Pipefish Barred Pipefish
*Handed out M. James Allen’s key to Pipefishes
*Barcheek Pipefish – 2 bars on operculum (underside of fish not by eye, difficult to see, this is different than what has previously been used by many in the SC Bight and the above mentioned key) per Dr. Kristy Forsgren’s presentation on pipefishes at the 04 June 2012 SCAITE meeting
Rockfishes:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Kelp Rockfish Quillback Rockfish
Splitnose Rockfish Stripetail Rockfish
3 Greenstriped Rockfish Greenblotched Rockfish
Pink Rockfish Greenblotched Rockfish
Vermilion Rockfish Darkblotch Rockfish
Halfbanded Rockfish Calico Rockfish
Aurora Rockfish Splitnose Rockfish
Longspine Thornyhead Shortspine Thornyhead
*Handed out M. James Allen’s key to trawl-caught juvenile Rockfishes
*Pink Rockfish – short stubby gill rakers, 18 pectoral rays, without coronal spines
*Greenblotched Rockfish – long slender gill rakers, 17 pectoral rays, with coronal spines
*Aurora Rockfish – deep waters 300+ meters, with supraocular spines, generally large in size
*Sunset Rockfish – similar characteristics to Vermilion Rockfish (1-2 gill raker count difference), adults tend to be deeper than adult Vermilions, young fish can co-occur.
*Longspine Thornyhead – 450m, black/dark inside of mouth
*Shortspine Thornyhead – 300m, white/clear inside of mouth
*Stripetail Rockfish (juvenile) – stripe in caudal fin
*Splitnose Rockfish (juvenile) – no stripe on caudal fin
*Darkblotched Rockfish (juvenile) – dark area on both fins
*Cowcod (juvenile) – dark bars on side
Greenlings/Sculpins/Poachers:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Painted Greenling Kelp Greenling
Roughback Sculpin Yellowchin Sculpin
Pit-head Sculpin Spotfin Sculpin
Southern Spearnose Pygmy Poacher
Blackedge Poacher Bigeye Poacher
*Handed out key to Poachers
4 *Pit-head Sculpin – males with elongated dorsal filament at first two rays, pit on head, orange coloration on underside of throat area
*Spotfin Sculpin – elongated dorsal filament at first two rays, without pit on head
*Southern Spearnose – this is the only Spearnose we could encounter
*Bigeye Poacher – deep waters, huge eyes; three or more spines on tip of snout
*Blackedge Poacher – small eyes, one spine on tip of snout
*Pygmy Poacher – one spine on tip of snout, pit behind head
Miscellaneous Group
Correct Name Incorrect Name
White Seaperch Shiner Perch
Black Perch Rubberlip Seaperch
Blackbelly Snailfish Blacktail Snailfish
Ronquils/Kelpfishes/Blennies/Gobies:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Rough Ronquil Stripefin Ronquil
Mussel Blenny Rockpool Blenny
Bay Goby Blackeye Goby
Crevice Kelpfish Spotted Kelpfish
*Rough Ronquil – infraorbital pore absent anterior to midorbit, anal fin with bright blue stripe running parallel to body axis
*Stripefin Ronquil – infraorbital pore present anterior to midorbit, anal fin with bright blue bands running parallel to fin rays
*Bay Goby & Blackeye Goby – common in offshore waters
*Yellowfin Goby – common in bays and harbors
*Crevice Kelpfish – not common south Point Conception
5 *Spotted Kelpfish – relative size ranges from small to large, spot with ocellus, scales on caudal fin
*Striped Kelpfish – relative size is small, spot without ocellus, angled stripe through eye
*Scarlet Kelpfish – synonymous with Crevice Kelpfish
Flatfishes:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Gulf Sanddab Pacific Sanddab
Petrale Sole Pacific Halibut
Curlfin Turbot Spotted Turbot
Spotted Turbot Diamond Turbot
Whitetail Tonguefish Ink Spot Tonguefish
*Gulf Sanddab – bump on snout, sharp angle of jaw, large scales, both eyes can be seen through the body when viewing the underside of fish
*Pacific Sanddab – small scales, only one eye can be seen through the body when viewing underside of fish (other eye appears fuzzy; can’t clearly be seen)
*Whitetail Tonguefish – three stripes toward caudal end
Others:
Correct Name Incorrect Name
Slough Anchovy Deepbody Anchovy
CA Smoothtongue Argentine
Pacific Sardine Herring
Slender Hatchetfish Silver Hatchetfish
Smallhead Flyingfish CA Flyingfish
Northern Lampfish Filetail Cat Shark
*Slough Anchovy – black inside of mouth, shorter anal fin
*Deepbody Anchovy – orange inside of mouth, longer anal fin
6 *Cortez Bonefish – have been collected recently within the Port of Los Angeles, silver in color with lots of scales and a forked tail (juvenile adult stage), transparent resembles a rubber band or ribbon with tiny eyes and mouth (leptocephalus larvae)
Requests for Fishes:
• live seahorses – Cabrillo Marine Aquarium • frozen pipefishes – Kristy Forsgren • Microstomus bathybius (Dover Sole replacement species found at depths from 500 to 1,000 m; resembles Dover Sole yet wider across and with flabbier tissue) – Ray Wilson
Juli then led a discussion on parasites. Several specimens were brought for examination:
Copepod eye parasite – found on the eye(s) of Pacific Sanddab, Bay Goby, Longfin Sanddab, Rex Sole, English Sole, and Arrowtooth Flounder. If found on any additional species, Juli is asking for that animal be brought back for additional analysis. This is the only parasite that won’t detach from the host and thus the only parasite that can accurately be accounted for. It was suggested that when encountered, record not only the count but also which eye the parasite(s) was located.
Leeches – found on California Halibut, Hornyhead Turbot, Bigmouth Sole, CA Scorpionfish, and Elasmobranchs. This parasite can easily be removed from the host and thus cannot accurately be accounted for.
Isopods – found on most species. These parasites can easily fall or crawl off of original host and reattach to a new host or remain unattached and thus cannot accurately be accounted for. There are two possible Elthusa species, vulgaris and californica, it has been suggested not to try to distinguish between the two species and leave as Elthusa sp.
Monogenes (flatworms) – found on the blind side of California Halibut and California skate, and within the gill cavity of Bigmouth Sole. This parasite can fall off the host and thus cannot accurately be accounted for.
*It was recommended that these four parasite types be accounted for during the Bight survey and expand the current categories of E (eye parasite) and P (all other parasites) to E (eye parasite), I (isopod), L (leech), and M (monogene).
Dario then led a discussion on anomalies, defined as any abnormality natural or unnatural:
Fin erosion – seen on Dover Sole, California Tonguefish, and Calico Rockfish.
Tumor – seen on Dover Sole and English Sole. These are noncancerous tumors generally caused by a parasitic amoeba that burrows into the skin and causes the fish to grow tissue around it.
7 Ambicoloration – seen on many flatfish species.
Albinism – seen on bass and rockfish species; fairly rare occurrence.
Skeletal deformity – seen on skates and sanddabs.
Lesions – seen on California Tonguefish; anything that is not a tumor and not fin erosion.
Other – an example would be a rubber band around a sanddab where the tissue has started to grow around the rubber band.
*It was recommended that fish displaying any anomalies be brought back or a photo be taken of the animal.
The latter portion of the meeting was used to look at several specimens brought by various agencies.
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