BREEDING TUBERCLES IN FISHES — COLLETTE 591 



further corroborated by similarities in the distribution of breeding 

 tubercles. With reservations, Hubbs and Black included E. hlennius 

 in their variatum group; I would tentatively remove it since it appears 

 to be nontuberculate. They considered the possibility that E. 

 sellare might belong to the variatum group; I feel this is highly unlikely. 



Tubercle distribution in the inscriptum group is similar to that in 

 the variatum group, but the tubercles are not on as many areas nor 

 are they present in females. Tubercles are present on males of E. 

 inscriptum in the Savannah Drainage at least from March 25 (CU 

 19548, 19755) until June 3 (CU 37935). At maximum development 

 (USNM 165732, Georgia, Altamaha Dr., April 5), tubercles start 

 one-fourth of the way posteriorly from the pelvic fin origin to the anal 

 origin and extend onto 4 rows of scales per side just anterior to the 

 genital papilla, 3 rows above the anal fin base and 5 ventral caudal 

 peduncle rows. Males are much darker than females, especially 

 the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins, and the breast and the belly. There 

 are two concentrations of pigment on the membranes of the fu'st 

 dorsal fin of males, anteriorly between the first 3 spines and posteriorly 

 between the last 2 spines. The tips of the pelvic spine and, to a lesser 

 extent, the lower pelvic rays are swollen in males. The general 

 banded pattern of females is obscured by the increased body pig- 

 mentation of breeding males. The genital papilla of the breedmg 

 female is a very long thin tube. 



E. thalassinum from the Santee Drainage of North and South 

 Carolina has virtually the same tubercle pattern as E. inscriptum. 

 Tubercles are present at least during the period March 23 (USNM 

 187567, 187580; CU 10113, 19662; UMMZ 138494) until April 20 

 (USNM 187578, 187582). Four females collected on February 27 

 (USNM 187576) are filled with large eggs and I believe males are 

 probably tuberculate at this time. The maximum development of 

 tubercles observed is on a 57 mm. male taken on April 19 (USNM 

 187573). Tubercles start posteriorly one-fourth of the way from the 

 pelvic fin origin to the anal origin and extend onto 4 rows of scales per 

 side just anterior to the genital papilla, 3 rows above the anal fin base, 

 and a total of 5 ventral caudal peduncle rows. Tubercles are less 

 well developed in the earlier part of April. Tubercles are absent from 

 males taken June 25 to November 6. All females lack tubercles. 

 Males are darker than females, especially the pelvic and anal fins, 

 which in females are immaculate. 



Males of E. swannanoa taken between April 1 (UMMZ 138521, 

 Virginia, Holston R.) and June 7 (CU 37886, North Carolina, French 

 Broad R.) have tubercles on the ventral scales. At maximum de- 

 velopment (UMMZ 138482, North CaroHna, Swannanoa R.), the 

 tubercles begin one-third of the way posteriorly from the pelvic fins to 



