HUBBS and WISNER REVISION OF THE SAURIES 



value is 1.025, a value approaching subspecific 

 distinctness (as interpreted by Mayr et al.), in that 

 it indicates a joint nonoverlap of about 85%. Of 

 even greater significance, perhaps, is the differ- 

 ence in means (7.93 rakers) between populations 

 from the southwestern-central Atlantic and the 

 combined northeastern Atlantic-Mediterranean 

 areas (46.29 vs. 38.36 rakers); the graphed data 

 (Figure 6, lines 1 and 3) indicate again probable 

 odds (untested ) of billions to one that the two popu- 

 lations are not homogeneous; in addition, the CD. 

 value of 1.88 indicates about 99% joint nonoverlap 

 in numbers of rakers — virtually that of separation 

 at the species level. 



As sampled (Table 7, Figure 6). the total popula- 

 tion of S. s. saurus appears to be relatively homo- 

 geneous, but that of S. s. scombroides may be less 

 so. Heterogeneity of populations in the Southern 

 Hemisphere is indicated by a difference of 3.28 

 rakers between the areas of southwestern-central 

 South Atlantic and the entire South Pacific (new 

 data) (46.29 vs. 43.01 ); this may indicate that little 

 or no intermingling occurs around the tip of South 

 America. Conversely, the close agreement in 

 means for rakers between specimens from the 

 South Atlantic near South Africa and from the 

 Indian Ocean (45.13 vs. 45.28) may indicate that 

 considerable, if not complete, intermingling oc- 

 curs around South Africa. The entire South Pacific 

 area (as sampled) appears to contain a homoge- 

 neous population; a difference of only 0.21 rakers 

 was found between samples of about 50 specimens 

 each from the Peru-Chile, central, and 

 Australia-New Zealand areas. 



DESCRIPTION OF GENERA AND 

 COMPARISONS 



Inasmuch as we treat each of the four obviously 

 distinct saury species as constituting a monotypic 

 genus, the comparisons of these genera, as previ- 

 ously discussed, and epitomized in Table 1, pro- 

 vides a comparison oi Nanichthys simulans with 

 each of the three other scomberesocid species. It 

 certainly ranks as one of the two dwarfed species. 

 The largest specimens of this species examined by 

 us were taken in Funchal Harbor, Madeira ( 126.2 

 mm SL, Museo do Funchal No. 2866, shown in 

 Figure 1, and 121.2 mm SL, BMNH 1953  3  13  

 7). No other specimens >101 mm SL (USNM 

 204257 ) have come to our attention and none other 

 among hundreds examined by ushave exceeded 90 

 mm. Parin (1968a) recorded 90 mm SL as the 



largest of his material. Dudnik (1975b) reported 

 that the longest of about 200 specimens of "Scom- 

 beresox sp" was 1 12 mm. The occurrence of the two 

 "giants" in Funchal Harbor leaves us to wonder if 

 the inshore habitat may have led to increased or 

 sustained growth. G. E. Maul''* has told us that the 

 genus is rare near Funchal. 



Nanichthys simulans, unlike Elassichthys ado- 

 cetus, has retained the lateral line; it extends to 

 about midway between the origins of the pelvic 

 and anal fins, but not, as in Sconiberesox and Col- 

 olabis , to opposite some one of the anal finlets. The 

 upper and lower jaws, instead of remaining short 

 and pointed as they do in Cololabis. or short and 

 rounded (in the upper) asin Elassichthys (Figures 

 5, 6), become definitely elongated as beaks, but 

 remain shorter than in Scomberesox; the upper is 

 about half as long and produced as the lower, and 

 much less slender and fragile than they are in 

 Scomberesox. 



Counts for N. simulans are given in Table 2 (gill 

 rakers), Table 3 (fin rays), and Tables 4 and 5 

 (vertebrae), and are contrasted with similar data 

 for E. adocetus and for the larger forms, C. saira 

 and Scomberesox; numbers of gill rakers are given 

 for both subspecies oi Scomberesox in Table 7. 



The pectoral rays ofN. simulans, numbering 10 

 or 11, average more than in Elassichthys (8-11, 

 usually 9 or 10), but fewer than in Cololabis and 

 Scomberesox (12-15 in each). The procurrent 

 caudal rays number 4, rarely 3 or 5, vs. 2 or 3 in 

 Elassichthys or 5-7 in Cololabis and Scomberesox. 

 The vertebral counts are 58-62, mean 60.68, con- 

 trasting with 54-59, mean 56.37, in Elassichthys, 

 62-69 in 3,160 specimens of Cololabis, with means 

 of 66.05 for 248 counts for the northwestern Pacific 

 and of 65.03 for 2,812 counts for the northeastern 

 Pacific, and 66-70, mean 66.13, for 338 counts for 

 Scomberesox (both subspecies). 



Scale counts (lateral midline rows) number 

 77-91 vs. 70-88 in the other dwarf species, E. 

 adocetus, as mutually contrasting with counts of 

 128-148 in Cololabis and of 107-128 in Scom- 

 beresox. Counts of gill rakers in Nanichthys (19- 

 26, mean 22.80) average higher than for Elas- 

 sichthys { 15-21, mean 17.64), but much lower than 

 in either Cololabis (32-43, mean 37.53) or S. s. 

 saurus (34-45, mean 39.19) and 39-51 (mean 

 44. 1 1 ) for S. s. scombroides (Table 7 ). The ovary, as 

 in Elassichthys, is single instead of paired (as 



'^G. E. Maul. Curator of Fishes. Museu Municipal do Funchal, 

 Madeira, pers. commun. 5 May 1978. 



541 



