A KEY TO THE PIPEFISHES OF THE PACIFIC AMERICAN 



COASTS WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW 



GENERA AND SPECIES 



Earl Stannard Herald 



Natural History Museum 

 Stanford University, California 



This paper, the first of a series which will deal with the American 

 pipefishes, was originally to be limited to descriptions of new genera and 

 species, but, because of the confusion regarding the taxonomic status of 

 the M^estern American species of this group, it was thought advisable to 

 include a key. It is hoped that, as soon as additional material becomes 

 available, a complete monograph of the Pacific American pipefishes, now 

 under preparation, may be published. One other paper, "A Systematic 

 Analysis of Variation in the Western American Pipefish, Syngnathus 

 calif orniensis" is now in press (Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin). 



PSEUDOPHALLUS, new genus 



Type species. — Siphostoma starksi Jordan and Culver 

 Diagnosis. — (1) On sexually mature females, the presence of a 

 phallic-like anal papilla used in oviposition (structure measures 2, 2.4 

 mm. long, in two specimens 110, 160 mm., respectively); (2) median 

 lateral trunk cristae continuous over anus and connecting with superior 

 tail cristae; (3) superior trunk and tail cristae raised and very distinct; 

 median and inferior trunk and tail cristae rounded and indistinct; (4) 

 free end of each dermal flap of filled brood pouch extending midventrally 

 to middorsally so that pouch is completely divided in center by double 

 membranes; and (5) absence of anal fin. 



Discussion. — Pseudophallus starksi is unique among pipefishes in the 

 development by the female of a much elongated anal papilla. To the au- 

 thor's knowledge no other pipefish has this structure elongated to such an 

 extent. Two other species of Pacific American pipefishes, Syngnathus 

 elcapitanensis and S. acus (as represented by the paratypes of S. carinatus 

 (Gilbert), SNHM 240), have the eggs in the brood pouch separated 

 into two sections by a median double membranous partition formed of 

 the free ends of the pouch flaps. An Atlantic pipefish, S. mackayi, has the 

 same type of division of the filled pouch, but in this species the median 



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