40 Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research 



{43: 106). Smith stated, "while it doubtless ascends all suitable streams in North 

 Carolina, actual records of its occurrence are rare" {Sy : 58). However, thanks to Dr. 

 Daniel M. Cohen, we had an opportunity to examine a female A. brevirostris (UF 5714) 

 735 mm TL taken on May 11, 1949, in Big Lake George of the St. Johns River 

 drainage, Putnam County, Florida. This is a proven record of the occurrence of the 

 Shortnose Sturgeon in Florida. Thus the geographic range of A. brevirostris is almost 

 as extensive as that of A. oxyrhynchus. 



It has been reported as being taken as far north as the St. Lawrence River (j2 : 

 70; ^g: 226; 57: 44), but these records seem to be based chiefly on A.fulvescens^ 

 in part on A. oxyrhynchus. The most northerly proven record of its occurrence is for 

 the St. John River, New Brunswick (47: 504). We also obtained some specimens from 

 this same area, thanks to the kindness of the late Dr. Leim. Collections taken at Gage- 

 town include three heads of adults caught in 1959 (collected by J. C. Medcof, Biolog- 

 ical Station, St. Andrews, New Brunswick); also, seven adult females (700-870 mm 

 TL) and three adult males (740—800 mm TL) were taken in May and early June i960 

 (obtained by Fishery Officer J. O. Jenkins). One female and one male of the latter 

 sample were almost ready to spawn. In the Connecticut River, near Hadley, Massa- 

 chusetts, four adults were caught in October 1951 and September 1952 (obtained by 

 Professor T. J. Andrews, University of Massachusetts). 



The breeding range of A. brevirostris is not clearly defined, but it is known to 

 include the Hudson River, where the spawning areas appear to be very restricted. 

 The Delaware River may still maintain a small local population, and it seems likely 

 that the St. John River, N. B., has a spawning population, judging by the near- 

 spawning condition of the above-noted male and female taken at Gagetown. If, 

 through increased pollution or habitat changes, the population is no longer able to 

 persist in these northern rivers, the species may become dangerously reduced. 



The Shortnose Sturgeon has no close relative in Europe. 



Synonyms and References:^* 



Acifenser brevirostris LeSueur, Trans. Amer. philos. Soc, j, 1818: 390 (descr., Delaware R.); DeKay, Zool. 

 N.Y., 4, 1842: 345 (descr., ident. from Virginia not certain); Ryder, Bull. U.S. Fish Comm. (1888), 

 8, i8go: 231 (descr., Delaware R.); Jordan and Evermann,* Bull. U.S. nat. Mus., 47 (i), 1896: 106 

 (descr., synon., Cape Cod to Florida, specimen from Charleston, S.Carolina); Smith,* N.C. geol. econ. 

 Surv., 2, 1907: 57 (genl. acct., doubtless occur. N.Carolina); Kendall,* Occ. Pap. Boston Soc. nat. Hist., 

 7 (8), 1908: 17 (New England); Fowler, Proc. Acad. nat. Sci. Philad., 1910: 604; Halkett,* Check List 

 Fish. Canad., 191 3: 44 (genl. range ofdistr.); Nichols and Breder,* Zoologica, N.Y., 9, 1927: 31 (genl. 

 acct.); Hildebrand and Schroeder,* Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish., .:/J, 1928: 76 (Provincetown, Massachusetts); 

 Breder,* Field Bk. Mar. Fish. Atl. Cst., 1929: 43 (genl. acct.); Truitt, Bean, and Fowler, Bull. Md. 

 Conserv. Dep., 3, 1929: 33 (genl. acct.); Jordan,* Manual Vert. Anim. NE U.S., 1929: 33 (distr., key, 

 and brief characteristics); Jordan, Evermann, and Clark, Rep. U.S. Comm. Fish. (1928), 2, 1930: 34 

 (in checklist); Jordan and Evermann, Amer. Food Game Fish., 1937: 12 (genl. acct., key); Greeley, 

 N.Y. Biol. Surv. Lower Hudson Watershed (1936), 11, 1937: 90 (size ranges, age determ., Hudson R.); 

 Schrenkeisen, Field Bk. Freshw. Fish. N. Amer., 1938: 14 (genl. acct.); Vladykov and Beaulieu, Nat. 



24. We follow the lead of Jordan, et at. (45 : 34) in calling this species brevirostris. The authors who used the spelling 

 bre'virostrum are marked by an asterisk (*) following their names. 



