IDENTIFICATION 



Identification of ichthyoplankton species beyond those 

 separated during the sorting process was carried out by a 

 separate group of specialists. Ontogenetic stages of fishes are 

 inherently difficult to identify and this is further complicated 

 by the large number and diversity of species which contribute to 

 the ichthyoplankton of the California Current region. Most 

 identifications were accomplished by establishing ontogenetic 

 series on the basis of morphology, meristics, and pigmentation 

 and then identifying these series by relating them to known 

 metamorphic, juvenile, or adult stages with overlapping features 

 (Powles and Markle, 1984) . A total of 121 taxa was identified 

 for 1967, with 70 taken to species, 26 to genus, 20 to family, 

 and 5 to order or suborder. Beginning in 1961, larvae in the 

 families Paralepididae and Labridae were identified to genus or 

 species. 



The task of producing a reliable and equitable 

 ichthyoplankton data base required extensive procedures to 

 verify, correct, and edit the original identifications. The 

 primary data source was the original identification sheets (see 

 Kramer et al., 1972, for examples); however, a critical resource 

 used in all phases of this process was the CalCOFI 

 ichthyoplankton collection in which the samples are archived. 

 Throughout the course of CalCOFI ichthyoplankton studies, samples 

 have been identified to the lowest taxon possible. In reviewing 

 these identifications for the data base, our approach has been 

 conservative and we have preserved those identifications and 

 counts which we could confirm, while correcting as many of the 

 errors as possible. After computer entry of coded data, 

 taxonomic errors and inconsistencies in the data base were 

 corrected and the most obvious identification errors were 

 corrected. Our current knowledge of ichthyoplankton techniques 

 coupled with a precise understanding of the development of 

 identification competency in the program over the years allowed 

 us to critically judge the historical records. Identifications 

 were changed to different taxa, lumped to a higher taxonomic 

 category, or given a more precise taxonomic name. In some cases, 

 identifications of a taxon were inconsistent among cruises in a 

 year. These records were made equitable by lumping to the higher 

 taxonomic category to avoid biases that could result in 

 quantitative misinterpretations. 



Next, statistical, seasonal, and geographic outliers were 

 identified, employing a series of graphic summaries and listings. 

 Examination of geographic outliers proved to be especially 

 effective because of our accumulated knowledge of species 

 distributions. In the course of examining samples for these 

 outliers, other identification errors were discovered and 

 eventually all taxa were scrutinized to some extent. Lastly, 

 certain taxa were reexamined in all samples for the entire 

 CalCOFI time series. These taxa were selected because of their 

 commercial, ecological, phylogenetic, or zoogeographic importance 

 or because taxonomic confusion was at the ordinal level. The 



