﻿WEST 
  INDIAN 
  FISHES 
  OF 
  GENUS 
  FUNDULUS 
  — 
  RIVAS 
  217 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  limiting 
  factor 
  has 
  almost 
  certainly 
  been 
  water 
  temperature. 
  It 
  seems 
  

   probable 
  that 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  numerous 
  overseas 
  colonizations 
  of 
  Fundulus 
  in 
  

   the 
  Antilles 
  from 
  North 
  America, 
  especially 
  during 
  the 
  colder 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pleistocene, 
  for 
  the 
  genus 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  abundant 
  along 
  the 
  continental 
  shores 
  

   of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  warmer 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  have 
  

   proved 
  to 
  be 
  unsuitable 
  to 
  these 
  northerly 
  fishes. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  

   know 
  whether 
  the 
  waters 
  where 
  Rivas' 
  new 
  Fundulus 
  occurs 
  is 
  in 
  general 
  cooler 
  

   than 
  in 
  other 
  similar 
  Cuban 
  habitats. 
  Cyprinodon 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  

   stand 
  warmer 
  water 
  than 
  Fundulus, 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  reached 
  the 
  southern 
  Caribbean 
  

   and 
  exists 
  in 
  desert 
  hot 
  springs 
  where 
  no 
  Fundulus 
  would 
  survive. 
  

  

  Throiigli 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Leonard 
  P. 
  Schultz, 
  detailed 
  

   measurements 
  and 
  counts 
  of 
  the 
  type 
  specimens 
  of 
  Fundulus 
  fonticola 
  

   were 
  kindly 
  sent 
  from 
  the 
  Paris 
  Museum 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Paul 
  Chabanaud. 
  

   These 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  seven 
  specimens 
  18.5 
  to 
  42 
  

   mm. 
  in 
  standard 
  length, 
  of 
  which 
  only 
  three 
  (22, 
  23, 
  and 
  42 
  mm.) 
  

   belong 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Fundulus. 
  These 
  three 
  specimens 
  have 
  12 
  or 
  13 
  

   dorsal 
  rays 
  and 
  34 
  transverse 
  rows 
  of 
  scales. 
  They 
  agree 
  in 
  these 
  and 
  

   other 
  counts 
  and 
  proportions 
  with 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  F. 
  heteroclitus 
  group 
  

   from 
  northern 
  Florida. 
  The 
  four 
  remaining 
  specimens 
  have 
  7 
  or 
  8 
  

   dorsal 
  rays 
  and 
  32 
  transverse 
  rows 
  of 
  scales, 
  and 
  they 
  could 
  very 
  well 
  

   be 
  poeciliids 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Gamhusia., 
  as 
  Jordan 
  (1887, 
  p. 
  526) 
  sug- 
  

   gested. 
  Dr. 
  Chabanaud 
  also 
  sent 
  a 
  photograph 
  (pi. 
  14) 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  

   specimen, 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  designated 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  as 
  the 
  lectotype 
  of 
  the 
  

   species. 
  This 
  photograph 
  has 
  been 
  examined 
  by 
  Doctors 
  Hubbs 
  and 
  

   Myers, 
  and 
  they 
  agree 
  that 
  it 
  represents 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Fundulus. 
  

  

  Fundulus 
  ant'dlai'uni, 
  known 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  two 
  type 
  specimens, 
  is 
  

   closely 
  related 
  to 
  F. 
  heteroclitus 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  same, 
  as 
  Fowler 
  (1916, 
  

   p. 
  420) 
  originally 
  indicated. 
  The 
  only 
  differences 
  he 
  described 
  are 
  

   those 
  of 
  minor 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  coloration, 
  the 
  variation 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  method 
  and 
  time 
  of 
  preservation. 
  Hubbs 
  ( 
  1926, 
  

   p. 
  7) 
  suggested 
  that 
  F. 
  antillar^m 
  is 
  a 
  synonym 
  of 
  F. 
  foiiticola, 
  which 
  

   he 
  provisionally 
  recognized 
  as 
  a 
  subspecies 
  of 
  F. 
  heteroclitus. 
  The 
  

   Cuban 
  Fundulus 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  only 
  subspecifically 
  distinct 
  from 
  

   F. 
  grandis 
  of 
  southern 
  Florida. 
  

  

  As 
  discussed 
  below 
  in 
  more 
  detail, 
  Fundulus 
  probably 
  reached 
  the 
  

   West 
  Indies 
  (Cuba) 
  from 
  southern 
  Florida, 
  during 
  the 
  Pleistocene, 
  

   via 
  Cay 
  Sal 
  Bank. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  expected 
  that 
  any 
  Fundulus 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  Puerto 
  Rico 
  {F. 
  fonticola) 
  or 
  St. 
  Martins 
  {F. 
  antillarum) 
  would 
  

   be 
  related 
  to 
  F. 
  grandis 
  saguanus 
  and 
  F. 
  grandis 
  grandis 
  from 
  north- 
  

   central 
  Cuba 
  and 
  southern 
  Florida, 
  respectively, 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  F. 
  

   heteroclitus^ 
  which 
  inhabits 
  the 
  northern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  peninsula 
  of 
  

   Florida. 
  

  

  The 
  "mountain 
  spring" 
  in 
  Puerto 
  Eico, 
  where 
  F. 
  fonticola 
  is 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  collected, 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  proper 
  habitat 
  for 
  

   a 
  Fundulus 
  of 
  the 
  heteroclitus 
  and 
  grandis 
  group. 
  These 
  forms 
  in- 
  

  

  