BREEDING TUBERCLES IN FISHES — COLLETTE 605 



velopment from March 25 to May 29. Tubercles are present on more 

 specimens for a longer period of time and are also better developed in 

 the southern subspecies. I have found a similar type of geographic 

 variation in Percina (Percina) caprodes and Etheostoma (Oligocephalus) 

 spectabile. Egami (1954) also found a north-south difference in the de- 

 velopment of dermal contact organs on the cyprinodontid Oryzias 

 latipes (Temminck and Schlegel). Hubbs and Cannon (1935) found 

 tubercles on the anal and pelvic fins of E. f. barratti, but only on the 

 anal fin of E. /. fusiforme. 



E. f. fusiform e is the only form that I have watched courting. The 

 male mounts the female and ''beats" her nape with the tuberculate 

 undersides of his pelvic fins. At the same time, his tuberculate anal 

 fin is in contact with the posterior part of her caudal peduncle. Thus 

 the tubercles on the pelvic fins of males of E. f. fusiforme may serve 

 to stimulate the female while the anal fin tubercles aid in maintaining 

 contact. Fletcher (1957) has presented a photograph of a spawning 

 pair. 



The presence of breeding tubercles on the pelvic and anal fins of 

 Hololepis and Microperca, and their absence from Villora, is one of 

 the reasons I feel the first two subgenera are closely related to each 

 other and not to Villora (Collette, 1962). 



Subgenus Microperca Putnam 



This most specialized subgenus of Etheostoma, contains three 

 closely related species: fonticola (Jordan and Gilbert), microperca 

 Jordan and Gilbert, and proeliare (Hay). Males of all three species 

 have breeding tubercles on the anal rays and on the ventral surfaces 

 of the pelvic fin rays as m the subgenus Hololepis. The fins of the 

 males are all much darker than those of the females, especially the 

 fu'st dorsal, pelvic, and anal. Winn's description (1958b, p. 172) of 

 the other sexually dimorphic features of E. microperca will serve 

 equally well for the other two members of the subgenus: females 

 larger than males; males with larger pectoral and pelvic fins; genital 

 papillae of females elongate and tubelike; pelvic fins of males extremely 

 long, with the outer ridge of thickened skin forming a cup (Petravicz, 

 1936, figs. 1, 2). The cuplike pelvic fins are furnished with tubercles 

 which probably function in stimulation of the female or in maintenance 

 of the spawnmg position (Petravicz, 1936, figs. 3, 4; Winn, 1958b, 

 fig. 4). 



Moderate sized conical tubercles are present on males of E. fonticola 

 taken April 12 (USNM 166101, TU 4746, TU 5024, Texas, San 

 Marcos R.). Tubercles are located on the distal tip of the first pelvic 

 soft ray, on the entire length of pelvic soft rays 2-4, and on the distal 



