Albino Sculpin from Cave 145 



Two atypical fin ray counts were observed in the albino. The low dor- 

 sal spine count (6) is unusual for species of the Cottus bairdi or C. carolinae 

 complex. Three pelvic rays in the albino are atypical for the C. carolinae 

 complex, but is not unusual for, and can be characteristic of, some species 

 of the C. bairdi complex. All fin rays except caudal rays were unbranched, 

 which is the usual condition in the genus. Relyea and Sutton (1973) 

 reported a cave population of Yellow bullheads, Ictalurus natalis, in which 

 some individuals had no pelvic fins while others had a deformed caudal 

 fin and a deformed, reduced or absent adipose fin. These bullheads were 

 somewhat depigmented but not albinistic. 



The preopercular armature of the albino sculpin consists of one 

 moderate-to-large upturned spine with two smaller spines below it. The 

 dentition is well developed, with the palatine patch almost touching the 

 vomerine patch. In length the palatine patch is about equal to the width 

 of the vomerine patch. The preopercular armature and dentition are 

 typical for C. carolinae. 



Body proportions of the albino fall within the range of variation of both 

 C. carolinae and C. bairdi as reported by Robins (1954). Body proportions, 

 expressed as thousandths of standard length, are: head length/346; eye 

 length/82; lateral line length/845; body depth/224; caudal peduncle 

 depth/82; caudal fin length/228; pelvic fin length/ 187; pectoral fin 

 length/262. 



There have been numerous reports of albinism in fishes (see Dawson 

 1964, 1966, 1971), most of which reported the albinistic condition but did 

 not note any unusual or atypical morphological features associated with 

 albinism. Bridges and Limbach (1972) demonstrated through breeding 

 tests that albinism in Rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, is a simple auto- 

 somal recessive character. They found no significant pleiotropic effect of 

 the mutant gene. 



Speciation can be expected to be greater in the folded limestones of the 

 Appalachians than in the flat-bedded limestones of, say, the Interior Low 

 Plateaus because dispersal routes are more likely to be disrupted and 

 populations isolated. Examples of several invertebrates which evolved in 

 isolated cave systems in the Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia were 

 mentioned by Culver et al. (1974). Besharse and Holsinger (1977) 

 described a new species of subterranean salamander from a cave in this 

 valley. We recognize that this albino may represent a "stray" from a true 

 cave-adapted population which is specifically distinct. However, the atyp- 

 ical features of the specimen, i.e., presence of a frenum, unusual dorsal 

 and pelvic fin ray counts, and enlarged cephalic canal pores, may be en- 

 vironmentally induced. We feel that the assignment of a specific name is 



