FISHES 



LEPIDOSTEIDAE (LEPISOSTEIDAE) Gars 



Lepisosteus spatula (Lacepede) Alligator Gar 



A single specimen, approximately 70 cm. in length, was observed in waters 

 of the lagoon mouth near the culverts on May 14, 1958, ostensibly feeding on dense 

 schools of juvenile menhaden. 



ELOPIDAE Tenpounders 



Klops saurus Linnaeus Tenpounder, Skipjack 



Adult tenpounders were caught occasionally by anglers during summer and 

 early autunnn, but as would be expected of so active a fish, not even juveniles 

 were taken by our collection methods. However, tenpounder larvae (leptocephali) 

 from 41.0 to 28.0 cm. in length, or in early metamorphic stages (Gehringer 1959), 

 were taken in numbers varying from one to several hundred, and occurred from 

 early March to mid-April in 1 954, from early March to mid-May in 1959 and 1957, 

 throughout March and April in 1956, and from early April to mid -May in 1958. 

 The initial seasonal appearance of these leptocephali agrees closely with 

 Gehringer's findings, but their duration is evidently much less as he found some 

 occurring in late October. It appears that spawning of K. saurus in local waters 

 is limited to a 6 - to 8 -week period, beginning about the last week in February. 



Leptocephali of the tenpounder were identified by raising specinnens in 

 aquaria to the easily recognizable juvenile stage. One such specimen lived for 

 Zj years, and reached a fork -length of 25.0 cm. Another specimen, held for 13 

 nnonths, attained a length of 29.0 cm. The difference in growth may be due to the 

 fact that the former was held in a 25 -gallon aquarium for 5 months before being 

 transferred to a 75 -gallon aquarium, while the latter spent its entire life in the 

 larger tank. 



CLUPEIDAE Herrings 



Harengula pensacolae Goode and Bean Big -Eyed Sardine 



Larvae of this species appeared in May 1956 but not until June in 1954, 1955, 

 and 1957. Juveniles were present until mid-November in 1954 and 1956 but were 

 not found after September in 1955 and 1957. Spawning is probably extensive as 

 larvae were commonly taken as late as August. The big -eyed sardine is the most 

 abundant clupeid in the area during late summer and early autumn, occurring in 

 small, discrete schools of 20 to several hundred fish. 



Opisthonema oglinum (Le Sueur) Thread Herring 



During the period of collecting, only one thread herring appeared in the 

 catches. This specimen, a juvenile measuring 7,2 cnn. in length, was taken in a 

 plankton tow on December 9, 1957. 



Brevoortia patronus Goode Gulf Menhaden 



Two species of menhaden are known to occur along the Texas coast, B. patronus, 

 the Gulf nnenhaden, and B . gunteri Hildebrand, t h e fine-scale menhaden. Adults, 

 young, and juveniles of these species can be separated readily by differences in 



