The Zoology of the Voyage of H.m.s. Beagle, [vol. 4 of 5]

Part 1

THE ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. BEAGLE, UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN FITZROY, R.N. DURING THE YEARS 1832 TO 1836.

PUBLISHED WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF HER MAJESTY’S TREASURY.

=Edited and Superintended by=

CHARLES DARWIN, ESQ. M.A. F.R.S. F.G.S., ETC.

NATURALIST TO THE EXPEDITION.

PART IV.

FISH,

THE REV. LEONARD JENYNS, M.A., F.L.S., &c.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY SMITH, ELDER, AND CO. 65, CORNHILL.

MDCCCXLII.

LONDON: PRINTED BY STEWART AND MURRAY, OLD BAILEY.

FISH,

=Described by=

THE REV. LEONARD JENYNS, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S., F.Z.S.

FELLOW OF THE CAMBRIDGE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY; HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND, AND OF THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY.

ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

The number of species of Fish described or noticed in the following Part of the Zoology of the Beagle, amount to 137. It is right to observe that, judging from Mr. Darwin’s manuscript notes, relating to what he obtained in this department, this is probably not more than half the entire number which he collected. Unfortunately a large portion of the valuable collection sent home by him arrived in this country in too bad condition for examination, and was necessarily rejected.

The localities visited by Mr. Darwin, and at every one of which more or fewer species of fish were obtained, were the Cape Verde Islands,—the coast of Brazil, including the mouth of the Plata, together with several inland rivers and streams in that district,—the coasts of Patagonia, and the Santa Cruz river,—Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands,—the Archipelago of Chiloe,—the coasts of Chile and Peru,—the Galapagos Archipelago,—Tahiti,—New Zealand, King George’s Sound in Australia,—and, lastly, the Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean. The great bulk of the species, however, are from the coasts, east and west, of South America.

The particular locality assigned to each species respectively in the following work may be relied upon as correct; pains having been taken by Mr. Darwin to affix a small ticket of tin, with a number stamped upon it, to each specimen, and to enter a note immediately in the manuscript catalogue, having the same number attached. In only three or four instances these tickets were found wanting, on the arrival of the collection in this country.

A considerable portion of the species examined and described are new to science, especially of those collected in South America, and the adjoining Islands and Archipelagos. The new ones are supposed to amount to seventy-five at least, constituting more than half the entire number; and amongst these are apparently seven new genera.

It may be interesting to state more particularly from what localities the new species principally come, and what proportion they bear to the entire number brought from each of those localities. Thus from Brazil about half are considered new;—from Patagonia at least half;—from Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and the Galapagos Archipelago, all are new, without exception; and nearly all from Chiloe, and the coasts of Chile and Peru. Of the species brought from Tahiti, New Holland, and the Indian Ocean, not above one-fourth are new. This might have been anticipated from the better knowledge which we have of the Ichthyology of that quarter of the globe, than of South America.

It is much to be regretted that the portion of the collection which has been lost to science, was obtained in localities most abounding in novelties, judging from that portion of it which has been saved. Thus, not above five or six species will be found noticed in the following work, from Tierra del Fuego, where Mr. Darwin took especial pains to collect all he could, and, judging from his manuscript catalogue, he must probably have obtained between thirty and forty. From the Falkland Islands again, there have been only saved two out of fifteen or sixteen,—from the coasts of Chile and Peru, not half the entire number obtained, and not above half from the coasts of Patagonia.

There is also described not above half the species brought from King George’s Sound, and the Keeling Islands; but as the Indian and Australian species, or at least the former, have been more frequently brought to Europe than the South American, they are less to be regretted than these last.

It is fortunate that the whole of the species obtained by Mr. Darwin in the Galapagos Archipelago, amounting to fifteen, have been preserved, and are described in the following pages.

It may now be useful to mention, to what groups principally—first, the entire number of described species belong, and, secondly, that portion of them which are considered new. Both these points will be best judged of from the following table, in which the whole collection is parcelled out according to the families.

ACANTHOPTERYGII.

Part 2

PERCIDÆ Entire No. of species 18 whereof new 11 MULLIDÆ 3 TRIGLIDÆ 3 1 COTTIDÆ 2 2 SCORPÆNIDÆ 4 2 SCIÆNIDÆ 10 5 SPARIDÆ 1 1 MÆNIDÆ 2 CHÆTODONTIDÆ 2 SCOMBRIDÆ 7 3 TEUTHYDIDÆ 2 ATHERINIDÆ 3 2 MUGILIDÆ 3 BLENNIDÆ 11 7 GOBIDÆ 3 2 LABRIDÆ 7 5 LOPHIDÆ 1 —— —— TOTAL 82 TOTAL, NEW 41

MALACOPTERYGII.

SILURIDÆ Entire No. of species 3 whereof new 2 CYPRINIDÆ 7 6 ESOCIDÆ 1 SALMONIDÆ 8 7 CLUPEIDÆ 5 5 PLEURONECTIDÆ 6 1 [probably more.] CYCLOPTERIDÆ 2 2 ECHENEIDIDÆ 1 ANGUILLIDÆ 6 2 [perhaps more.] —— —— TOTAL 39 TOTAL, NEW 25

LOPHOBRANCHII.

SYNGNATHIDÆ Entire No. of species 3 whereof new 3

PLECTOGNATHI.

TETRODONTIDÆ Entire No. of species 7 whereof new 4 BALISTIDÆ 5 1 —— —— TOTAL 12 TOTAL, NEW 5

CYCLOSTOMI.

PETROMYZONIDÆ Entire No. of species 1 whereof new 1

TOTAL IN THE SEVERAL ORDERS.

ACANTHOPTERYGII Entire No. of species 82 whereof new 41 MALACOPTERYGII 39 25 LOPHOBRANCHII 3 3 PLECTOGNATHI 12 5 CYCLOSTOMI 1 1 —— —— GRAND TOTAL 137 GRAND TOTAL, NEW 75

It appears from the above table that of the entire number of species, three-fifths belong to the Acanthopterygian fishes,—rather more than one-fourth to the Malacopterygian,—and about one-eighth to the remaining orders united.

In the Acanthopterygians, the new species amount to one-half; in the Malacopterygians, to about two-thirds; in the remaining orders together, to rather more than one-half.

Looking, therefore, to the entire number of species described, the Acanthopterygians prevail; and it is in the same order that there are most new ones: but looking to the proportion, which in each order the new ones bear to the entire number, it is among the Malacopterygians that this proportion will be found highest.

Restricting our view, it will be also seen, in the Malacopterygians, that the new species are relatively most numerous in the fresh-water groups, such as the Siluridæ, the Cyprinidæ, and Salmonidæ, in which three families taken together, they amount to five-sixths of the whole. The Clupeidæ are an exception, in which all the species are apparently new.

All the species described, belonging to the three families above mentioned, in which there are so many new, viz. the Siluridæ, the Cyprinidæ, and Salmonidæ, are from South America, and the Falkland Islands, excepting one from New Zealand.

Of the remaining fresh-water fishes in the collection, three out of five are presumed to be new. One of these is a species of Perca, from the Santa Cruz river, in South Patagonia; the second is a species of Dules, from the river Matavai, in Tahiti; the third a species of Atherina, from Valparaiso. Perhaps, however, this last is not strictly an inland species.

The entire number of fresh-water species in the collection is twenty-three, and the entire number of new ones amongst these is eighteen. The large proportion of these latter is a circumstance in confirmation of a remark which Cuvier has somewhere made, that the fresh-water fishes of foreign countries are much less known and understood than those found on the coasts. It may serve also as a hint to future travellers.

The seven new genera in the collection belong—one to the Sciænidæ, from the Galapagos Archipelago;—one to the Scombridæ, from North Patagonia;—three to the Blennidæ, whereof one is from the Archipelago of Chiloe, the second from the Falkland Islands, and the third from New Zealand;—one to the Cyprinidæ, embracing three species, from South Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and New Zealand; and, lastly, one to the Salmonidæ, embracing two species from the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego respectively.

It has been already mentioned, that all the species obtained by Mr. Darwin in the Galapagos Archipelago have been preserved. As they are likewise all new, and those islands appear to have been scarcely visited by any naturalist previously, it may be interesting to enumerate the several genera to which they belong, and the number of species in each genus respectively.

SERRANUS 3 species Fam. PERCIDÆ. ACANTHOPTERYGII. PRIONOTUS 1 „ —— TRIGLIDÆ. „ SCORPÆNA 1 „ —— SCORPÆNIDÆ. „ PRIONODES N.G. 1 „ —— SCIÆNIDÆ. „ PRISTIPOMA 1 „ „ „ „ LATILUS 1 „ „ „ „ CHRYSOPHRYS 1 „ —— SPARIDÆ. „ GOBIUS 1 „ —— GOBIDÆ. „ COSSYPHUS 1 „ —— LABRIDÆ. „ GOBIESOX 1 „ —— CYCLOPTERIDÆ. MALACOPTERYGII. MURÆNA 1 „ —— ANGUILLIDÆ. „ TETRODON 2 „ —— TETRODONTIDÆ. PLECTOGNATHI. —— 15

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