Table 2.— Collection data for Ptilichthys goodei from Oregon waters. 



iFrom USC&GS Charts No. 5702 and No. 5802. 



The larval and transforming specimens report- 

 ed here are the only representatives of P. goodei 

 found in 847 small-mouth (0.2 m) bongo and 413 

 large-mouth (0.7 m) bongo samples analyzed to 

 date from waters off Oregon. The samples are part 

 of an ongoing project to study seasonal and annual 

 variations in distribution and abundance of larval 

 fishes. Other studies of larval fishes off Oregon 

 (Richardson 1973; Pearcy and Myers 1974) yielded 

 no P. goodei. 



The two adult specimens are the only ones 

 recovered from 23 trawl samples taken during the 

 summer of 1973 in conjunction with an ecological 

 baseline study of the nearshore region of the mid- 

 Oregon coast in the vicinity of Yaquina Head. 

 Although they were taken with a bottom trawl, it 

 is possible that the specimens entered the net 

 shortly before it was brought on board. Thus, they 

 may have been in near surface water rather than 

 on the bottom as their presence in trawl samples 

 would suggest. 



Discussion 



Vertebral counts, (53 to 55) -I- (172 to 174) = 227, 

 of the transforming and adult Oregon specimens 

 are lower than those, (58 to 59) + (179 to 182) = 

 238 to 240, reported by Makushok (1958), 

 presumably for Bering Sea specimens. The counts 

 are also lower than those, 236 to 240, given by Hart 

 (1973), presumably for British Columbia 

 specimens. This could indicate clinal variation 

 with the southern specimens having fewer ver- 

 tebrae. On the other hand, the lower number of 

 both abdominal and caudal vertebrae of the 

 Oregon specimens could indicate the presence of 

 an undescribed species. Additional Oregon 

 specimens are needed to determine the range of 



variation in vertebral number and to compare with 

 northern specimens to see if they are actually the 

 same species. 



Reasons why quillfish have not previously been 

 reported from Oregon waters are speculative. A 

 partial explanation may be the lack of major 

 sampling efforts in Oregon's coastal zone until 

 recent years. Rarity (Makushok 1958; Hart 1973), 

 inaccessibility, avoidance, and escapement also 

 offer explanations. It is possible the adults bury 

 themselves in the bottom (Makushok 1958) and are 

 thus inaccessible to conventional types of gear. 

 Behavior exhibited by one of the adults taken off 

 Oregon suggests the quillfish may readily avoid 

 and/or escape from trawl gear. Immediately after 

 the trawl was brought aboard, the slender fish 

 wriggled through the meshes of the net onto the 

 deck of the vessel. It demonstrated great agility 

 with snakelike undulations. The larvae may 

 remain on or near the bottom, or they may spend 

 all or part of the time in the neuston. Either sit- 

 uation would make them inaccessible to most 

 plankton gear. The large size of the larvae in- 

 dicates good avoidance capabilities. 



Acknowledgments 



Thanks are extended to Sharon Roe, David 

 Stein, and Elbert H. Ahlstrom for corroboration of 

 the larval identification; to April G. McLean for 

 preparing the radiographs; and to Carl Bond for 

 reviewing and commenting on the manuscript. 

 This research was supported by NO A A Institu- 

 tional Sea Grant 04-3-158-4 and by the Eugene 

 Water and Electric Board, Pacific Power and Light 

 Company, and Portland General Electric Com- 

 pany. 



684 



