THE FISHES OF THE LAHONTAN SYSTEM OF NEVADA AND 

 NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA. 



By JOHN OTTERBEIN SNYDER. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The fishes of the Great Basin of North America are of unusual interest, as they 

 occupy basins which are without exterior drainage, and are consequently in much the 

 same position as animals on oceanic islands; and, furthermore, this isolation eliminates 

 from the question of distribution one possible means of dispersal, namely, the open 

 ocean. The islandlike systems which these fishes occupy are completely surrounded 

 by greater and more extensive river systems which have oceanic drainage. To the island 

 systems these bear a continental relation. The situation attracts further attention 

 when it is recalled that each of the greater systems contains a distinct and characteristic 

 fish fauna of which many genera are not found elsewhere. 



The various drainage areas of the Great Basin are separable into three distinct 

 groups: First, those included within the State of Utah and which were at one time 

 tributary to the ancient Lake Bonneville; second, those of northern Nevada and north- 

 eastern California, which formed a part of the Quartemary Lake Lahontan; and, third, 

 a number of detached basins in southeastern Oregon that were once more extensive than 

 now. These latter were lately examined by agents of the Bureau of Fisheries, and their 

 species are fairly well known." 



The present paper deals with the fishes of the second group, the Lahontan system. 

 It includes a systematic account of the species, a discussion of their economic importance, 

 and their distribution and relationships. Some attention is also given to the possible 

 bearing of distribution and relationships on the geological history of the region.* 



o Bulletin, Bureau Fisheries, vol. XXVII, 1907. p. 69. 



b Specimens were collected and field observations made by the writer while serving as a temporary assistant of the United 

 States Bureau of Fisheries. Mr. C. H. Richardson, a student of Stanford University, aided during the summer of 1911. and a 

 recent report by him (Proceedings U. S. National Museum, vol. 48, p. 403) embodies an account of the reptiles which were 

 seen, officers of the State Fish Commissions of both Nevada and California have shown an interest in the work, and acknowl- 

 edgments for direct assistance are specially due to Hon. George T. Mills, Messrs. Ernest Schaeffie, E. W. Hunt, George E. 

 West, and Frank P. Cady. Prof. S. B. Doten, of the University of Nevada, an enthusiastic angler, and Dr. Maxwell Adams, of 

 the same institution, have furnished valuable information regarding the fishes and the region in general. Work in the vicinity 

 of Pyramid Lake was made possible through the courtesy of Mr. Joseph D. Ohver, superintendent of the Indian agency. A 

 collection of fishes made by Dr. C. H. Gilbert in the headwaters of Carson and Walker Rivers has been consulted, and all the 

 material from the system, including the type specimens, which are preserved in the National Museiun, were examined. Types 

 and paratypes of the species here described and a large representative collection have been deposited in the National Museiun. 

 A collection was also retained at Stanford University. The drawings are by Mr. W. S. Atkinson. 



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