A KEY TO SOME ADULT MARINE FISHES OF CALIFORNIA 



This key is designed only as an aid in identifying the more common 

 marine fishes found in the sport and commercial catch of California. It 

 is by no means complete, though it does include a few species not dis- 

 cussed in the text. 



The characters used are those of adult fish, and colors, when men- 

 tioned, refer to those evident in freshly -caught specimens. 



Terms are defined in the Glossary (page 14) and anatomical parts 

 are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 (pages 16-17). 



SECTION A 



la. Mouth a sucking disc, no jaws. Hagfish or lamprey.' 

 lb. Mouth normal, jaws well-developed. 



2a. External sill openings 5 to 7. Shark or ray.' 

 2b. External gill opening single. 

 3a. Eye on each side of head. 

 4a. Ventral fins present. 



oa. Ventral fins abdominal (attached back of the middle of the pectoral fins 



with the pectoral fins lying against the side. Section R (page 18). 

 5b. Ventral fins thoracic (attached in front of the middle of the pectorals). 

 Section C (page 19). 

 4b. Ventral fins absent. Section D (page 23). 

 3b. Both eyes on same side of head. Section E (page 24). 



SECTION B 



Fish With the Ventral Fins Attached Back of the Middle of the Pectoral Fins 



and With an Eye on Each Side of the Head 



la. Gill cover fleshy; no hard bones. Ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei (not illustrated).' 

 lb. Gill cover and body with hard bones. 

 2a. No adipose fin. 

 3a. Dorsal fin single. 



4a. Dorsal followed by finlets. Saury, Cololahis saira (page 38). 



4b. Dorsal not followed by finlets. 



5a. Pectoral fin enlarged to form an organ of flight. 



California flying fish, Cypselurus californicus (page 40). 

 5b. Pectoral fin not so enlarged. 



6a. Both jaws greatly prolonged to form a snipe-like beak. 



California needlefish, Tylosurus exilis (page 39). 

 6b. Jaws not so prolonged. 



7a. Lateral line present (do not coafuse with a silvery or colored stripe) . 

 8a. Throat with a bony plate. 



Tenpounder, Elops affinis (Not illustrated. Not found 

 in the Pacific off California but does occur in the lower 

 Colorado River and in the Salton Sea) . 

 8b. No such bony plate. Bonefish, Albula vulpes (not illustrated). 

 7b. No lateral line. 



9a. Mouth very large ; maxillary extends almost to edge of gill cover. 

 10a. Head length greater than depth of body. 



Northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax (page 32). 

 10b. Head length little if any greater than depth of body. 

 11a. Length of anal base scarcely greater than head length. 



Slough anchovy, Anchoa delicatissima (not illustrated). 



ifiee Walford, L,. A. The Sha7-ks and Rays of California. Calif. Div. Fish and 

 Game, Fish Bull. 45, 1935. 



(18) 



