i6 
BULLETIN of the bureau of FISHERIES. 
Leucichthys alascanus (Scofield) . A retie Lake Herring. 
Argyrosomus alascanus Scofield, in Jordan & Evermann, Fishes North and Mid. Amer., pt. hi, p. 2817, Nov. 28. 
1898. and in Jordan, Report Fur-Seal Invest., pt. hi, p. 495, pi. xm, 1898, Point Hope. Grantley Harbor, Arctic Sea. 
Habitat: Arctic Alaska, entering the sea. 
This species is allied to Leucichthys sisco, but has the body less elongate and the caudal peduncle 
stouter. The pectoral, as in L. artedi, reaches more than halfway to the ventrals. The adipose fin is 
said to be large, but in Scofield’s type and as shown in his figure, it is slender and moderately long, 
midway in size between sisco and harengus. The ventrals are short, but they reach more than halfway 
to the anal, a character which will probably separate the species from harengus. 
It is not certain that this species differs from Leucichthys laurettce of the same region. The body 
in the latter is deeper and the head smaller, but these may not be trustworthy characters. 
The species is known only from the specimens taken by Scofield & Seale. It is described as 
follows by Scofield : 
Head 4.25; depth about 4; dorsal 12; anal 12; scales 10-85-9; eye a little shorter than snout, 
5 in head, 1.33 in interorbital space; head wedge-shaped, the upper and lower profiles straight and 
meeting with a sharp angle at the snout. Viewed from above the snout is blunt, almost square, the 
narrow, pale, rounded tip of the lower jaw slightly projecting; mouth oblique, the distance from tip 
of snout to tip of maxillary equal to distance from tip of snout to center of pupil; the maxillary 
from its anterior articulation is contained 3.5 in the head, its width 3 in its length, its upper anterior 
edge closing under maxillary ; mandible 2.33 in head, its articulation with the quadrate bone beneath the 
posterior edge of the eye ; width of supplemental bone a little more than .5 width of maxillary ; preorbital 
broad, its greatest width equaling .37 of its length, or diameter of pupil; width of supraorbital equaling 
.28 of its length; gillrakers 12 to 14+21 to 23, long and slender, the longest .66 diameter of the eye; 
tongue, vomer, and palatine without teeth; distance from tip of snout to nape equaling .5 distance from 
nape to front of dorsal, or .66 length of head; adipose fin large, ventral scale .5 length of fin; longest 
dorsal ray 1.5 in head; longest anal ray 2 in head; pectoral reaching more than halfway to ventrals; 
ventrals reaching .66 distance to vent; caudal forked for a little more than .5 its length. Color dusky 
above, silvery beneath; the dorsal, adipose fin, tips of caudal rays, and upper side of anterior pectoral 
rays dusky; fins otherwise pale. But three specimens of this fish were obtained — one in salt water at 
Point Hope, the other two in brackish water at Grantley Harbor. The largest one is 10.5 inches in length. 
Leucichthys pusillus (Bean). Least Lake Herring. 
Coregonus pusillus Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. xi, 1888, p. 526. Kobuk River. Alaska, type, 38366: coll. 
Chas. H. Townsend. 
Argyrosomus pusillus, Jordan & Evermann, Fishes North and Mid. Amer., pt. 1, p. 470, 1898, after Bean. Ever- 
mann & Smith, Rept. U. S. Fish Comm. 1894, p. 312. pi. 23 (1896). Scofield. Fur-Seal Invest., pt. hi, p. 494, 
1898, Grantley Harbor. Barter Island, Naknek River, Nushagak River. Evermann & Goldsborough, Bull. 
Bureau Fisheries, vol. xxvi, 1906 (1907), p. 235, Lake Bennett at Caribou Crossing; coll. Jordan & Ever- 
mann, with description. 
Habitat: Lakes of Yukon basin and Alaska generally. 
This is one of the smallest of the American species, rarely reaching a foot in length, and the flesh, 
which is said to be bony, is mainly used as food for dogs. The fish is said to be widely distributed 
throughout northern and western Alaska. Our specimens are from Grantley Harbor. Scofield & Seale 
found it in the Arctic Sea and about Bristol Bay. It is a slender species with long lower jaw, large 
adipose fin, the pectoral reaching more than halfway to the ventrals, and usually the dorsal fin is spotted 
and the fins are all high. It is a well-marked species, probably nearest L. alascanus. 
The following is the substance of Doctor Bean’s account: 
Head 5; depth 5; eye 3.75 in head; dorsal 10; anal 12; ventral 11; scales 10-91-9 Body rather 
elongate, compressed. Form of mouth as in L. artedi, the lower jaw considerably projecting; maxil- 
lary broad, with rather broad supplemental bone, three times as long as wide, extending not quite to 
middle of the very large eye, its length 3.33 in head; preorbital extremely narrow; mandible 2.33 in 
head. Teeth none, or reduced to minute asperities on the tongue. Gillrakers numerous, very long and 
slender, 49 in all. Dorsal very high, much higher than long, its last rays rapidly shortened, the first 
rays twice length of base of fin; caudal large, well forked; anal small, ventral inserted under middle of 
dorsal, very long, .83 length of head; pectoral the same length. Scales as in L. artedi. Steel-bluish 
