Gobies of the Genus Gillichthys, with Comments on the Sensory Canals as a Taxonomic Tool

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Abstract
The genus Gillichthys is restricted to the species mirabilis Cooper and seta (Ginsburg); detrusus Gilbert and Scofield is placed in the synonymy of mirabilis. Adult and young stages of both spp. are described and figured. Gillichthys mirabilis occurs in coastal sloughs on the Pacific Coast from San Francisco Bay south to Bahia Magdalena, and in the Gulf of California in sloughs north of Mulege on the west coast and north of Bahia Agiabampo on the east coast. It has been introduced into the Salton Sea. Gillichthys seta is restricted to rocky areas of the high intertidal zone in the northern part of the Gulf of California. Evidently seta has been derived paedo-morphically from mirabilis. At maturity seta is roughly half the size of mirabilis. At the same size, the spp. are strikingly alike, although seta has a flatter head and higher median fins. Gillichthys seta from protected reefs were found to have longer fins and more slender bodies, as well as more numerous cephalic epipores, when compared to specimens from exposed sites. The system of cephalic sensory canals and epipores elaborate actively coincident with the transition of the post-larva from a nektonic to a benthonic way of life. These changes continue even long after sexual maturity. Classifications of gobies based on these characters must take into consideration the profound changes associated with ontogeny, as well as the relative size achieved by the adult, way of life, and environmental modification.

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