796 



Fishery Bulletin 88(4), 1990 



(spermiogenesis; offshore in 45.7 and 53.0 m); 

 Knaggs et al. 1975:56-57 (taken off central Baja 

 California; southern range extended from Cedros I. 

 to Pt. San Pablo); McMillan and Wisner 1984:255 

 (lateral line described and figured); Wisner and 

 McMillan 1988:231 (the term "head grooves" sug- 

 gested to replace that for lateral lines. 



Weotype SI068-426, male, 530 mm TL, taken about 

 2 miles southwest of the whistler buoy at entrance to 

 Humboldt Bay, California, in a trap on bottom at 38-44 

 m, on 27 August 1963. 



Additional material, northernmost collections SIO 



68-426, 34(291-527), taken with the neotype. BCPM 

 60-1, 2(474-580), taken at about 49°33'N, 126°38'W, 

 outside Nootka Bay, Vancouver I.; no other data; 

 BCPM50-3, 2(192-420), taken off west coast of Van- 

 couver I.; no other data; BCPM98-2, 1(506). taken off 

 west coast of Vancouver I.; no other data; UW-15869, 

 4(144-400), taken at 48°51.8'N, 124°35.8'W, in Strait 

 of Juan de Fuca, in a trawl; depth not recorded; 27 

 March 1956; UW-18161, 6(437-512), taken "8 mi out" 

 from Depoe Bay, Oregon at 79 m; method of capture 

 not recorded, 30 August 1964; CAS 19191, 1(403), 

 taken at Holmes Harbor, Puget Sound; no other data; 

 OSU-OTB-180, 1(435), taken at 44°43.5'N, 124° 18.1' 

 W, in a bottom trawl at 96 m, 24 July 1967. 



Twelve collections in the California Academy of Sci- 

 ences, comprising one or two specimens each, and with 

 very incomplete or absent capture data, were taken 

 between Cape Mendocino and San Diego, California 

 (CAS 6832, 7353, 11115, 12751, 12881, 20290, 26491, 

 "Ace. 1954:XI:23," lU 1006, 1069, 1086, 1613 (the lU 

 collections are now at CAS). Similarly, three collections 

 (MCZ 28802, 28803, and 32782), totaling five speci- 

 mens, with very limited data, were taken in Monterey 

 Bay, California. 



Material was taken in 1963 by David Jensen, then 

 of Scripps, in collaboration with the University of 

 Washington Atomic Energy Program. Most specimens 

 were sacrificed to that program. A total of si.x collec- 

 tions were made between Cape Disappointment, at 

 mouth of Columbia River, off Depoe Bay, Oregon, off 

 Humboldt Bay, and Fort Bragg, California. Numbers 

 of specimens ranged between 6 and 152, and were 

 taken at depths of 38-132 m in bottom traps. 



More than 40 collections, comprising nearly 1500 

 specimens, taken in the southern California area (Pt. 

 Conception to Islas Todos Santos, Baja California, Mex- 

 ico) were used for certain counts but are not listed 

 among the study material. In addition, hundreds of 

 specimens in the Scripps Marine Vertebrate Collection 

 taken off San Diego were examined for certain char- 

 acters only and are not listed. However, all collections 



from outside the Southern California area are listed. 



Southernmost collections SI059-92, 1 (345), 28°23' 

 N, 115°21'W, 280 m; SI062-91, 3(164-207), 28°11'N, 

 115°23W; SI064-951, 1(363), 31°08'N, 116°35'W, 137 

 m; SI071-114, 30(300-465), 28°21'N, 115°43'W, 384 

 m; SI071-121, 7(283-384), 28°18'N, 115°29'W, 311- 

 330 m; SI071-126, 83(195-460), 30°22'N, 116°07'W, 

 201 m; SI073-373, 2(320-395), 28°50'N, 114°48'W, 

 92-95 m. 



Distribution Nootka Bay, west side of Vancouver Is- 

 land, British Columbia, Canada, to Pt. San Pablo, Baja 

 California (about 27°14'N, 114°30'W). Although E. 

 sfoutii has been reported from southeastern Alaska, 

 we have found no valid records of capture north of 

 Nootka Bay (about 49°33'N, 126°38'W). Despite this 

 extensive range of about 2200 miles, no significant 

 variation in counts or measurements with latitude was 

 demonstrated. 



Carl L. Hubbs, at USNM, 28 June 1972 (personal 

 notes), examined collections from southeastern Alaska, 

 labeled as E. stoNtii. and found them to be either mis- 

 identified oi' with the capture data indicating localities 

 far from Alaska, as follows: USNM 53963, listed as 

 from southeastern Alaska, but with coordinates indi- 

 cating the vicinity of Monterey, California; USNM 

 53964, listed as from Alaska, but with coordinates 

 given as 33°08'N, 118°40'W, the vicinity of Santa Bar- 

 bara, California. Hubbs recorded this specimen as E. 

 dcdni "without (juestion;" USNM 73737, Albatross 

 Station 3077, east of Sitka, Alaska, labeled as E. Htautii 

 but referrable to E. deani. based on the skin being jet 

 lilack and eggs to 38 mm length— a length much greater 

 than found in E. stout ii (28 mm); in addition, a collec- 

 tion. UW 02738, four, 332-390 mm TL, was recorded 

 simply as "S.E. Alaska; International P^ish Commis- 

 sion, 1931." 



Depths of capture range between 16 m off the San 

 (_)nofre Nuclear Power Plant, near San Clemente, 

 southern California, and 633 m at 31 °47'N, 116°50'W, 

 south of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. 



Latitude may be of limited significance in depths of 

 capture (habitat), as the farthest-north least depth is 

 44 m, off Humboldt Bay, and the farthest south the 

 16 m capture off the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. 

 The species has been taken by scuba divers between 

 18 and 21 m near La Jolla. California. 



Diagnosis Body slender, only slightly deeper than 

 wide. Prebranchial length greater than branchial 

 length. Branchial apertures 12(10-14). Ventral finfold 

 prominent, the distal margin pale. Eyespots small, 

 prominent, the margins well defined. Color a light 

 brown with pale spotting and small blotches common. 



