416 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



N. Y., on July 12, 1921, in 60 fathoms (record 7); July 4, 1921, 7 miles off 

 Braddock Point Light, N. Y., in 65 fathoms (record 8); June 23, 1921, 3 miles north 

 of Wilson, N. Y., in 30 fathoms, and on July 19, 1921, 6% miles N. by W. 3^ W. of that 

 port in 65 fathoms (records 9 and 10). Occasional specimens were taken in the 

 special lift made on August 30, 1923, 14 miles west of Sandy Pond, N. Y., in 60 fathoms 

 (record 4), and in the lifts of the commercial nets of 3-inch mesh made on July 11, 

 1921, 5 miles NNW. of Nine-Mile Point, N. Y., in 25 to 35 fathoms (record 5) and on 

 August 24, 1923, 9 miles west of Sandy Pond, N. Y., in 25 to 30 fathoms (record 3). 

 Reighardi occurred commonly in the lifts of the special nets made on June 10 and 16, 

 1921, 20 miles S. by W. of Presque Isle Light, Ontario, in 40 to 50 fathoms (records 

 1 and 2), on July 21, 1921, 2 miles north of Wilson, N. Y., in 20 fathoms (record 11), 

 and also in the commercial 3-inch nets lifted on September 1, 1923, off Nine-Mile 

 Point, N. Y., from 30 fathoms (record 6). (The occurrence of numerous examples 

 of the species in the 3-inch nets is of particular significance, as only individuals of 

 extreme size can be gilled in nets of such large mesh.) 



The data from these source? thus indicate that the. species is found most commonly 

 at depths of 20 to 50 fathoms. 



BREEDING HABITS 



No breeding grounds of reighardi are known, nor can the time of spawning be 

 established definitely. Of 6 female specimens sent me by Andrew Pritchard, of the 

 University of Toronto, taken on February 12, 1926, off Port Credit, Ontario, 3 were 

 spent, 2 were nearly ripe, and 1 was apparently a nonspawner. Mr. Pritchard, in a 

 letter of January 8, 1927, says that in his experience spent fish are not common so 

 early in the year. In April, 1926, most of the fish were nearly ripe, and a few started 

 to spawn toward the end of the month. The main run, however, was in the first two 

 weeks in May, when, according to the fishermen at Port Credit, the decks of their 

 boats often were covered with spawn from the captured fish. 



All but one of the fish taken at Brighton, Ontario, on June 10 and 16, 1921 

 (records 1 and 2), were either spent females or males from which milt could be 

 squeezed. The exception was a female with loose eggs in the body cavity. Males 

 taken at other ports later in that season not infrequently emitted milt or exhibited 

 traces of pearls. The female showed eggs of the next season developing in the ovaries. 

 The fish from Lake Ontario listed under Leucichthys prognathus as ripe or nearly ripe 

 in May and June by Evermann and Smith (1896, p. 317) undoubtedly are of this 

 species. 



It appears, thus, that the spawning season for the species is probably in early 

 May, certainly before June 10. 



LEUCICHTHYS NIGRIPINNIS Gill 



The Blackfin (Figs. 19, 20, and 21) 

 Argyrosomus nigripinnis Gill, in Hoy, 1872, p. 99, Lake Michigan off Racine; Evermann and Smith 



1896, pp. 317-320, pi. 27, Lake Michigan (probably not "lakes of Wisconsin and Minnesota"). 

 Leucichthys nigripinnis Jordan and Evermann, 1911, pp. 26-27, PI. IV, Lake Michigan (probably not 



"lakes of Wisconsin"); Dymond, 1926, pp. 62-63, PI. Ill, Lake Nipigon. 

 Coregonus prognathus Smith, 1894, pp. 4-13, pl. 1, Lake Ontario. 



Argyrosomus prognathus Evermann and Smith, 1896, pp. 314-317, pl. 26, Lake Ontario. 



Leucichthys prognathus Jordan and Evermann, 1911, pp. 23-24, Lake Ontario. 



Leucichthys cyanopterus Jordan and Evermann, 1911, pp. 27-28, fig. 13, Lake Superior off Marquette. 



