﻿NO. 
  1961. 
  NOTES 
  ON 
  RARE 
  CALIFORNIAN 
  FISHES— 
  SNYDER. 
  457 
  

  

  Silvery 
  pigment 
  covers 
  the 
  dorsal 
  surface, 
  and 
  appears 
  irregularly 
  

   on 
  the 
  sides, 
  cheeks, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  caudal 
  region 
  between 
  the 
  vertical 
  

   ffins. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  brown 
  color 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  below 
  the 
  pec- 
  

   toral, 
  on 
  the 
  snout, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  between 
  eye 
  and 
  gill 
  

   opening. 
  The 
  latter 
  region 
  is 
  bordered 
  above 
  by 
  a 
  broad 
  pink 
  

   stripe 
  with 
  dusky 
  borders, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  spot 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  color 
  

   on 
  the 
  snout. 
  The 
  vertical 
  fins 
  are 
  blackish; 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  pectoral 
  

   and 
  caudal 
  white. 
  Unmistakable 
  traces 
  of 
  curved 
  vertical 
  bands 
  

   similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  type 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  head. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  writer 
  the 
  differences 
  exhibited 
  by 
  the 
  

   specimens 
  before 
  him 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  Japanese 
  drawing 
  are 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  

   nature 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  attributed 
  largely 
  to 
  individual 
  variation 
  

   and 
  age, 
  and 
  they 
  should 
  not, 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  at 
  least, 
  be 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  characters 
  distinguishing 
  different 
  species. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  apparent 
  

   differences 
  in 
  color 
  are 
  clearly 
  due 
  to 
  accident, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  California 
  

   example, 
  where 
  the 
  thin 
  epidermis 
  has 
  been 
  almost 
  entirely 
  scrubbed 
  

   off 
  by 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  the 
  breakers, 
  a 
  gentle 
  touch 
  with 
  a 
  blunt 
  instru- 
  

   ment 
  being 
  sufficient 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  silvery 
  pigment 
  or 
  the 
  dark 
  color 
  

   from 
  the 
  plates. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  Japanese 
  painting 
  

   was 
  made 
  from 
  a 
  living 
  individual; 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  specimen 
  had 
  been 
  

   kept 
  on 
  ice 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  described, 
  and 
  consequently 
  

   we 
  only 
  know 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  fading 
  color 
  unless 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  evanescent 
  

   after 
  death 
  as 
  in 
  most 
  other 
  fishes. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  closely 
  related 
  to 
  Ranzania 
  truncata 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  

   and 
  a 
  careful 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  data 
  at 
  hand 
  compels 
  one 
  to 
  hesitate 
  

   in 
  distinguishing 
  between 
  them. 
  For 
  when 
  the 
  variation 
  m 
  color 
  

   and 
  form 
  exhibited 
  by 
  the 
  Pacific 
  specimens 
  is 
  considered 
  along 
  

   with 
  the 
  information 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  rather 
  brief 
  descrip- 
  

   tions 
  ^ 
  and 
  poor 
  figures 
  of 
  Atlantic 
  examples, 
  one 
  must 
  admit 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  ground 
  for 
  the 
  recognition 
  of 
  two 
  species 
  except 
  

   the 
  presumption 
  that 
  they 
  inhabit 
  different 
  and 
  widely 
  separated 
  

   geographic 
  regions.^ 
  Mola 
  mola, 
  another 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  family, 
  

   which 
  udiabits 
  both 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  Pacific 
  Oceans, 
  has 
  been 
  

   described 
  under 
  30 
  or 
  more 
  specific 
  names 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  upward 
  

   of 
  a 
  dozen 
  nominal 
  genera. 
  

  

  1 
  Albert 
  Gunther; 
  Catalogue 
  Fishes 
  British 
  Museum, 
  vol. 
  8, 
  p. 
  319. 
  Francis 
  Day; 
  Fishes 
  Great 
  Britain 
  

   and 
  Ireland, 
  p. 
  270, 
  pi. 
  149. 
  Jonathan 
  Couch; 
  Annals 
  Natural 
  History, 
  vol. 
  6, 
  p. 
  144; 
  and 
  other 
  accounts 
  

   referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  above 
  volumes. 
  

  

  • 
  Too 
  late 
  for 
  incorporation 
  in 
  the 
  above, 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  seen 
  a 
  paper 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Jacques 
  Pellegrin 
  on 
  a 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  Ranzania 
  truncata 
  from 
  Martinique 
  (Pellegrin, 
  Doctor 
  Jacques; 
  Sur 
  le 
  Presence 
  d'un 
  Banc 
  

   de 
  Ranzania 
  truncata 
  Retzius 
  a 
  la 
  Martinique; 
  Bulletin 
  de 
  la 
  Soci6te 
  Zoologique 
  de 
  France, 
  tome 
  

   37, 
  1912, 
  p. 
  228). 
  An 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  description 
  and 
  the 
  figure 
  there 
  given 
  leaves 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  Identity 
  of 
  R. 
  truncata 
  and 
  R. 
  makua. 
  In 
  this 
  connection 
  Doctor 
  Pellegrin 
  says: 
  " 
  La 
  coloration 
  

   de 
  ees 
  individus 
  se 
  rapproche 
  tout 
  a 
  fait 
  de 
  celle 
  donn6e 
  par 
  Jenkins, 
  pour 
  une 
  espeee 
  des 
  illes 
  Hawai, 
  

   qu'il 
  d6crit 
  comma 
  nouvelle 
  sous 
  le 
  nom 
  de 
  Ranzania 
  makua. 
  En 
  I'absence 
  du 
  type 
  et 
  ne 
  pouvant 
  con- 
  

   tr61er 
  les 
  autres 
  caractcres, 
  11 
  est 
  difficile 
  de 
  se 
  prononcer 
  d'une 
  fagon 
  categorique, 
  mais 
  cette 
  resemblance 
  

   de 
  coloration 
  incite 
  H 
  penser 
  que 
  I'espece 
  des 
  lies 
  Hawai 
  n'est 
  probablement 
  pas 
  distincte 
  de 
  celle 
  de 
  la 
  

   Martinique." 
  

  

  