1936] Schtdta: Keys to Fishes 141 



3b. Vomerine canine moderate, inserted at front of vomerine arch (often 

 flanked on one side by a smaller tooth, other teeth of moderate 

 strength). 



4a. Teeth larger and stronger ; never deciduous ; head sharply pointed as 

 seen above ; pelvic fins inserted under or barely in advance of origin 

 of dorsal fin; opercles weakly striate; gill rakers longer 10 or 11 

 +22 to 26 in number on the first arch ; anal fin of moderate length, 

 with 15 to 17 rays; probably spawning in the ocean; pigmentation 

 on top of head and chin very fine stippling in the young. Range : 

 Str. Juan de Fuca to San Francisco Bay. Marine. Common. 

 Whitebait 51. Allosmerus attemiatus (Lockington) 



4b. Teeth smaller and weaker ; deciduous at spawning, the breeding fish 

 are almost completely endentulous ; head bluntly rounded anteriorly, 

 as seen above ; pelvic fins inserted much in advance of origin of dor- 

 sal fin ; opercles strongly striate concentrically ; gill rakers much re- 

 duced in size and number, only 4 to 6+13 to 16 on first arch; anal 

 fin elongate with 17 to 22 rays (usually 20 or 21) ; spawning in 

 freshwater streams. Range: Bering Sea to Klamath River, Califor- 

 nia. Marine and freshwater. Common. 



Columbia River Smelt. Eulachon. Oolachan. Candle Fish 



52. Thaleichthys pacificus (Richardson) 



2b. Teeth on the vomer not canine-like, rather numerous and forming a con- 

 vex series along the entire head of the bone ; teeth not deciduous, all 

 small, or scarcely canine-like. Fig. 18. 



5a* Mouth large (as in all preceding genera and species) 1.8 to 2.2 

 times in the head ; the maxillary reaching at least to posterior edge 

 of the pupil, its upper surface concave; teeth larger, always evenly 

 uniserial on vomer and palatine bones. 



6a. Fins less elongate, the pectoral not longer than the head, and not 

 reaching pelvic insertion; pectoral fin, 1.25 to 1.4 in head; gill 

 rakers 11 to 13+23 to 28; upper jaw, 1.8 to 1.9 in head; eye 

 3.6 to 4.4 in head ; head in length to caudal 4.0 to 4.2 ; pigmenta- 

 tion on top of head and under chin rather coarse and scattered in 

 the young ; spawning at night in ocean surf. Range : La Push, 

 Washington, to Monterey Bay, California. Marine. Abundant. 

 Night Surf Smelt 53. Spirinchiis starksi (Fisk) 



6b. Fins much enlarged, the pectoral almost as long or longer than 

 the head, and often extending beyond the pelvic insertion ; pec- 

 toral fin 1.0 to 1.25 in head; gill rakers 11 to 13+28 to 31 ; upper 

 jaw 2.0 to 2.15 in head; eye 4.4 to 4.8 in head; head in standard 

 length 4.35 to 4.6; spawning in freshwater, the breeding males 

 have the rows of scales along the lateral line greatly dilated. 

 Range : British Columbia to Tillamook Head, Oregon. Marine 

 and freshwater. Common. 



Long-finned Smelt. Puget Sound Smelt 



54. Spirinchiis dilatus Schultz and Chapman 



5b. Mouth much smaller, about 2.5 to 3.0 in the head, the maxillary 

 not reaching beyond the middle of the pupil, its upper edge con- 

 vex ; teeth minute, in biserial arrangement or nearly so, on vomer 

 and palatine bones 



7a. Scales larger than in pretiosus, 54 to 62 along lateral line; 

 pelvic fins usually inserted a little before origin of dorsal ; fins 

 all larger than in pretiosus, the pectoral reaching more than 



