Ernest A. Lachner

The Parasitic Copepod Diet and Life History of Diskfishes (Echeneidae)

Stomach contents from 401 individuals representing six species of echeneids were examined. Parasitic copepods are an important part of the diet of echeneid fishes. Parasitic copepods were present in 70% of the stomachs of Remora remora containing food and in four other species to a lesser, but significant extent. The growth stage of the life history of the echeneid during which it feeds on parasites varies among species. In R. remora the younger individuals are more active as parasite pickers whereas in R. osteochir older specimens are more active. Life history information resulting from extensive collection data is included in the discussion of each of the six species considered.

Studies on the Biology of Some Percid Fishes from Western Pennsylvania

Within recent years considerable work has been concentrated upon the study of the life histories of our larger percid fishes that provide both sport and food for man. The life histories of most of our smaller Percidae, the darters, are still not completely known. Several studies have revealed some of their spawning habits, such as those of Adams and Hankinson (1928), Atz (1940), Hankinson (1932), Jaffa (1917), Lake (1936), J. J. Petravicz (1936), W. P. Petravicz (1938), Reeves (1907), Reighard (1913) and Seal (1892). In this study we have attempted to make known several of the main features of the life history of three species of darters, mainly by scale analysis. These species, the variegated darter, Poecilichthys variatus (Kirtland), the eastern banded darter, Poecilichthys zonalis zonalis Cope, and the northern grecnside darter, Etieostoma blennoides blennoides Rafinesque, are quite common in the upper Allegheny River system of western Pennsylvania. Their ranges are given by Hubbs and Black (1940: 7) and Hubbs and Lagler (1947: 88, 89). These darters have remained in such obscurity that even brief generalizations of their life histories are not available. Such discussions of blennoides by Evermann and Clark (1920: 440-442, colored plate) and Forbes and Richardson (1920: 292-294, colored plate) and of zonalis by Forbes and Richardson (1920: 304306, fig. 73) are mainly descriptional. Their habitat and associates, abundance and density, sexual dimorphism, sex ratio, longevity and comparative rates of growth are discussed and tabulated, herein.

Observations on the Life History of the Spotted Darter, Poecilichthys maculatus (Kirtland)

of digestion, should not affect the ratio of the rates for the different organisms. This should be tested experimentally. It is acknowledged that the data submitted above only indicate that a difference in the rate of digestion of different kinds of organisms does occur; and they are not sufficient for the actual determination of evaluation factors. The latter should be determined with larger samples according to the method outlined above.

Studies of the Biology of the Cyprinid Fishes of the Chub Genus Nocomis of Northeastern United States

The life histories of only a few North American Cyprinidae are well understood. Atthough their economic importanc1e as food or game fishes is of little value, many do serve as important forage fishes and others are used as bait by sportsmen seeking game fishes. Certain species exhibit interesting breeding behavior patterns and interrelationships and provide much scientific interest. The many species vary in distribution, growth, food habits, and mode of reproduction. Pertinent knowledge acquired from life history studies leads to intelligent mianagement of populations of forage fishes and their effective utilization and maintenance. This study concerns three species of Nocomis found in the waters of northeastern United States, namely the hornyhead chub, Nocomis biguttatus (Kirtland), the river chub, N. micropogon (Cope), and the eastern Piedmont chub, N. leptocephalus (Girard). The salient characters differentiating these species have been presented by Lachner (1946).

Systematics, Distribution, and Evolution of the Chub Genus Nocomis (Cyprinidae) in the Southwestern Ohio River Basin, with the Description of a New Species

pelamis) in the eastern and central Pacific control of transferrins in humans. Biochem. Ocean. U. S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Spec. Sci. Rep., J. 72:121-126. Fish. No. 512, 20 pp. TSUYUKI, H., E. ROBERTS, R. H. KERR, AND A. P. SCHAEFER, M. B. 1959. Report on the investiRONALD. 1966. Micro starch gel electrophogations of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna resis. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada 23(6):929-933. Commission for the year 1958, pp. 34-74. Inter-Am. Trop. Tuna Comm., Ann. Rep. for INTER-AERICAN TROPICAL TUNA COMMIS1958. La Jolla, Calif. INTER-AMERICAN TROPICAL TUNA COMMIS1958. La Jolla, Calif. , B. M. CHATWIN, AND G. C. BROADHEAD. SION, LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA 92038 AND 1961. Tagging and recovery of tropical tunas, FISHERIES RESEARCH BOARD OF CANADA, 1955-1959. Ibid., Bull. 5(5):341-455. [In EnTCHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY, glish and Spanish.] SMITHIES, O. AND 0. HILLER. 1959. The genetic VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Age, Growth, and Habits of the Hog Sucker, Hypentelium nigricans (LeSueur), in New York

The hog sucker, Hypentelium nigricans (LeSueur), is a well known fish of the riffles and adjacent areas of warm, clear, shallow streams with rubble bottom. Its extensive range includes Minnesota and Lake of the Woods, the entire upper Mississippi River system, eastward to southern Ontario and New York; south to Georgia in the East, the Gulf slope of Mississippi, southwestern Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma (Hubbs and Lagler, 1941: 42). Although it is sometimes caught by fishermen in the spring on hook and line, it is not oftern eaten because of its small average size and the presence of many small bones. It is also called hammerhead, hog molly, hog mullet, crawl-abottom, stone lugger, and stone toter. The bulk of its diet consists of insect larvae, crustaceans, diatoms and other minute forms of vegetation. When feeding it scrapes off the upper surface of rubble, turns over stones on the bottom, and sucks up the ooze, which includes a host of small organisms. Reighard (1920: 21) and Greeley (1935: 92) both report an interesting relationship between the feeding hog sucker and other fishes such as shiners, Notropis, and nothern smallmouth bass, Micropterus d. dolomieu. These fishes take a position downstream and feed on the aquatic insects and other forms dislodged as the hog sucker turns over rocks. As every boy who frequents small streams knows, hog suckers may easily be caught on worms or snared with a loop or hook as they lie quietly in shallow water. It is most commonly found in warm streams where it is generally associated with the northern smallmouth bass, in whose stomach it has been found. Large hog suckers are sometimes used as bait for muskellunge, northern pike and other large game fishes. It is occasionally found in lakes, usually near the mouths of streams, and apparently thrives in this habitat for the few that we have aged have grown much faster than stream specimens.

Summer Food of Chrysemys picta marginata, in Chautauqua Lake, New York

N INETY specimens of the central painted turtle, Chrysemys picta marginata (Agassiz), were captured during the period from August 17 to 29, 1941, in three trap nets of the New York Conservation Department, located just north of Stow and at Prendergast Point, Chautauqua Lake, Chautauqua County, New York. The nets were set in water from 5 to 8 feet deep over weed beds consisting largely of waterweed, Anacharis canadensis, yellow water lily, Nuphar variegatum, and several species of Potamogeton. These nets were lifted and reset daily at 8 to 10 A.M. The turtles were killed immediately and after the plastrons were removed they were preserved in 10 per cent formalin. All 90 specimens were adults (62 males and 28 females) and ranged in length of carapace from 106 to 175 mm., with a mean of 135.6 (standard deviation 14.7). The stomachs of 76 (55 males and 21 females) contained food, while 14 were empty. Each stomach was considered as a unit in the estimates of the percentage by volume occupied by each food item. An exploratory attempt at estimating the relative volume of the different organisms in the intestines indicated that large errors would result because of more rapid digestion of certain animal tissues, such as large soft-bodied insects. Furthermore, since no organisms were found in the intestines which were not found in at least one of the stomachs, only the stomach contents were considered. These data on stomach contents are analyzed in Table I. They supplement the studies of Surface (1908), Pearse, Lepkovsky and Hintze (1925), and Lagler (1941), made in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan on Chrysemys picta marginata, C. picta picta, C. picta belli, or intergrades of these subspecies. When percentage by volume is considered, the food items were about equally divided between plants and animals. However, 15 more stomachs contained animal material than plants, and only one of the 76 stomachs held no animal food. Of the animals eaten, snails were most abundant (16 per cent). The most common species were Amnicola limosa, Physa heterostropha, Valvata tricarinata, and Heliosoma campanulatus. An occasional snail was undoubtedly engulfed incidentally with plants, but in many stomachs the snails occupied a much greater volume than the plants. Even when plants were present, they were usually separated from the snails in a manner which suggested that they were probably eaten at different times. About 14 per cent of the volume was fishes. Of the four individual game and pan fishes that were eaten, three were yellow perch, Perca flavescens, and one was a young largemouth bass, Huro salmoides. These were swallowed whole. Two of the three forage fish taken were the spottail shiner, Notropis h. hudsonius, while the third was also a cyprinid. Considerable fish carrion was engulfed and was easily recognized in the stomach by the semi-solid irregular mixture of flesh and bone. Insects occupied 11.6 per cent by volume. The only three

Food, Growth and Habits of Fingerling Northern Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu dolomieu Lacepede, in Trout Waters of Western New York

favor of a more desired species of trout. Undoubtedly, competition arises where these species are found together. However, the extent of this competition requires considerable additional study before any but tentative conclusions can be drawn. The smallmouth bass is commonly found with brown trout, Salmo trutta fario, in certain central Pennsylvania waters. The New York Conservation Department continued its ecological and population studies of trout streams in the West-Central Fish Management District in 1941. Fish populations were determined by the use of the electric shocker in several sample stream sections. Young (fingerling) smallmouth bass from two of these sections were

Autumn Food of Recently Planted Young Brown Trout in Small Streams of Central New York

Abstract Populations of young brown trout, Salmo trutta L., (from 66 to 111 millimeters in total length) were sampled during late August to November at known intervals after they had been planted in two streams. The stomach contents of 75 were analyzed. Two days after planting, 16 out of 26 stomachs contained some food; 82 per cent by volume was of aquatic origin. Only insects were eaten, and of these Ephemeroptera and Diptera were most important. After 16 days each of 20 stomachs contained food. Aquatic food still predominated (86 per cent), and a large part (93 per cent) was insect. Ephemeroptera and Diptera were still most important, although beetles (Coleoptera) were present to the extent of 21 per cent by volume. Earthworms, Arachnida, and isopods also were eaten. After 42 days, 10 trout were obtained. Aquatic organisms still made up a large part (79 per cent) of the stomach contents. Insects still predominated (86 per cent), and, while mayflies (Ephemeroptera) were still most important, Diptera, Ort...

Studies on the Growth of Tagged Toads (Bufo terrestris americanus Holbrook)

TUDIES on the migrations, growth, homing, and other phases of the life histories of the toads and frogs of the Ithaca, New York, region were begun in 1940. The early report of Wright (1914) furnishes a background for our investigations, in which we have attempted to obtain more detailed information by observations of marked individuals throughout the warmer months and from year to year. Some recoveries were made and additional specimens were marked in 1941 and 1942. The tagging was resumed in 1946, but, although several toads marked sometime between 1940 and 1942 were observed by others, none were captured and measured by us. The toads, all Bufo terrestris americanus Holbrook, the only Bufo found in the Ithaca area, were marked by the use of metal tags locked securely around the lower jaw. This method was successfully used by the senior author (1940) for marking frogs. In 1940 and 1941 only a medium sized tag of satisfactory thickness was available but in 1942 a smaller one, called a fingerling tag,1 was used. It is a much better size for toads and smaller frogs. The toads often pulled at the tags when first inserted but after a few days they appeared to ignore them. Most toads carried the tag in the mouth along side or under the tongue. The growth and behavior of some individuals, especially those marked with the larger tags, are probably affected. Some error is involved in making measurements on living toads. In our practice they are first placed in a sitting position and then pushed downward so that the back is straight and parallel to the steel rule upon which they rest. The length is then taken from the tip of the snout to the posteriormost point between the hind legs. This method was always used in our studies and the same individual made all measurements. In order to check the degree of accuracy of measurement a test was run on 10 tagged toads in which each was taken at random and was measured ten times. The length of small males was repeatedly measured to within ?1 mm. The larger turgid females and biggest males could not be remeasured with as great accuracy and varied ?2 mm. In a recaptured individual this error in measurement may be such as to completely annul the growth increment. However, in dealing with large numbers this error probably tends to average out.