740 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Family ACIPENSERID^. 



Acipenser sturio Linnaeus. Common sturgeon. 



Baird, 1873 (Acipenser oxyrhynchus and A. bre- 

 virostris); Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 105; 

 H. M. Smith, 1898, p. 90 (A. sturio and A. bre- 

 virostris); Bumpus, i8g8b, p. 851 (Acipenser 

 brevirostris); Linton, 1901, p. 435 (A. sturio 

 and A. brevirostris); Sharp and Fowler, 1904, 

 p. 506; Kendall, 1908, p. 16 (A. sturio and A. 

 brevirostrum ?). 



Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay, occasional; 

 at times common, half a dozen having been 

 seen at once. Nan tucket. Sharp and Fowler. 

 Most numerous in June and July. Smith. 

 As late as last of September. Edwards. Taken 

 in traps. 



Females carrying large eggs noted in June and 

 July. Edwards. 



Parasites: Acanthocephala (Linton) Echinor- 

 hynchus attenuatus (listed for "Acipenser bre- 

 virostris"). Nematodes (Linton) Dacnitis 

 sphasrocephala. Cestodes: cysts. Trematodes 

 (Linton) Nitzschia elongata. Copepods (C. B. 

 Wilson) Caligus rapax. 



Family SILURID,E. 



Felichthys marinus (Mitchill). Sea catfish, gaff- 

 topsail. 



Baird, 1873 (JElurichthys marinus); Jordan and 

 Evermann, 1896, p. 118; H. M. Smith, 1898, 

 p. 90; Kendall, 1908, p. 18. 



One at Menemsha in 1871. Baird. Reported 

 from New Bedford in 1879 (Goode); from 

 Menemsha in 1886 (Smith). Another taken at 

 same place September n, 1906. 



Galeichthys felis (Linnaeus). Sea catfish. 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 128 (Hexane- 

 matichthys felis); H. M. Smith, 1898, p. 90; 

 Kendall, 1908, p. 18. 



Vineyard Sound, very rare, none being recorded 

 since 1887; formerly reported common. 

 Smith. 



Family ANGUILLID^. 



Anguilla rostrata (Le Sueur). Eel. 



Storer, 1867, p. 215 (Anguilla bostoniensis); 

 Baird, 1873 (Anguilla bostoniensis); Jordan 

 and Evermann, 1896, p.^48(Anguillachrysypa) 

 Bumpus, 1898, p.486(Anguillachrysypa);'H.. M. 

 Smith, 1898, p. 90 (Anguilla ckrysypa); Lin- 

 ton, 1901, p. 435 (Anguilla chrysypa); Sharp 

 and Fowler, 1904, p. 506 (Anguilla chrysypa); 

 Kendall, 1908, p. 32 (Anguilla chrysypa); 

 B. Bean, 1909. 



Anguilla rostrata Continued. 



Abundant and generally distributed along shores 

 everywhere, particularly in weedy places; 

 taken throughout the year. Three hundred 

 and fifty barrels were caught in one trap in two 

 weeks in October, 1896. Smith. In winter 

 they are speared through the ice. 



Young 2 to 2^2 inches long taken in March. 

 Bumpus. Fishes of that length taken in tow 

 in April and May. Edwards. 



Food: Shrimps, crabs, annelids, mollusks, small 

 fish. Linton. 



Parasites: Acanthocephala (Linton) Echinorhyn- 

 chus clavceceps, E. globulosus. Nematodes 

 (Linton) Agamonema capsularia, Lecano- 

 ccphalus annulatus, immature nematodes. 

 Cestodes (Linton) Dibothrium crassiceps, 

 Rhynchobothrium bulbifer, R. hetero spine, R. 

 imparispine, R. sp. (cysts), Scolex polymorphus, 

 Tcenia dilatata, T. sp. Trematodes (Linton) 

 Distomum grandiporum, D. ocreatum, D. xitel- 

 losum, D. sp. Copepods (C. B. Wilson) 

 Argulus laticauda. 



Family LEPTOCEPHALID^. 



Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus). Conger eel. 



Baird, 1873 (Conger oceanica); Bean, 1884 (Con- 

 ger niger); Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 

 354; H. M. Smith, 1898, p. 90; Linton, 1901, 

 p. 436; Kendall, 1908, p. 33. 



Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, Great Harbor; 

 very common for several years, but rather rare 

 formerly; quite abundant in 1902, when 124 

 were taken in one fyke net at head of Great 

 Harbor, in October. Edwards. Appears in 

 July and remains till fall. Taken in traps, 

 lobster pots, and fyke nets and on lines. 



Largest recorded local specimen, caught at Fal- 

 mouth, weighed 12 pounds. Smith. 



Food: Fish (herring, butter-fish, eel;, annelid 

 (Nereis) . Linton. 



Parasites (Linton) : Acanthocephala Echino- 

 rhynchus acus. Nematodes Dacnitis hians. 

 immature nematodes. Cestodes Rhynchoboth- 

 rium imparispine, larval cestodes (Scolex poly- 

 morphus). Trematodes Distomum simplex, D. 

 vitellosum. 



Family MUR^ENID^. 



MurcEna retifera Goode & Bean. Moray. 



Jordan and Evermann, 1896, p. 401; H. M. 



Smith, 1900; Kendall, 1908, p. 34. 

 One specimen (6 feet 2 inches long, weighing 39 



pounds) taken in a lobster pot at Tuckernuck 



Island, July 25, 1899. Smith. 



a The various records for "Acipenser bre-i'irustri*" (-- 

 common sturgeon." H. M. Smith. 



brevirostrum) probably refer to "blunt-nosed individuals of the 



