John D McEachran

John D McEachran
Texas A&M University | TAMU · Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

Professor College of William and Mary 1973

About

92
Publications
15,336
Reads
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2,867
Citations
Additional affiliations
February 1986 - March 1986
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
Position
  • Visiting Professor
Description
  • worked on catalogue of type fish specimens in the collection (skates and rays)
March 1973 - August 2007
Texas A&M University
Position
  • Research Assistant
Description
  • currently retired

Publications

Publications (92)
Book
Full-text available
Executive Summary The greater Caribbean biogeographic region covered in this report (representing 38 countries and territories) encompasses an outstanding marine bony shorefish richness of approximately 1,360 species, with many (53%) being endemic. While information on the conservation status of greater Caribbean seagrasses, mangrove, reef-building...
Chapter
Full-text available
This multivolume field guide covers the species of interest to fisheries of the major resource groups exploited in the Eastern Central Atlantic. The area of coverage includes FAO ishing area 34 and part of 47. The marine resource groups included are bivalves, gastropods, chitons, cephalopods, stomatopods, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, hagfishes, sharks...
Article
Discovery of a new species of skate, Rhinoraja longi, from the outer Aleutian Islands led to a re-evaluation of the status and species composition of this genus. Rhinoraja is presently distinguished from Bathyraja primarily by its basally segmented rostral shaft and slightly longer tail. The genus contains five species plus the new species, and is...
Article
The diatom species Pseudonitzschia australis Frenguelli has been implicated as the source of the domoic acid that contaminated anchovy species in Monterey Bay, California, during 1991. In other geographic areas, as well as in laboratory cultures of isolates obtained from various geographic areas, other Pseudonitzschia species have been shown to pro...
Article
Full-text available
A new species of poeciliid fish, Heterandria tuxtlaensis sp. n., is described from Lake Catemaco in southern Veracruz, Mexico. Based on traditional and geometric morphometrics, H. tuxtlaensis differs most substantially from its likely sister species H. bimaculata in possessing short dorsal and caudal fins, a short dorsal fin base composed of fewer...
Article
A new species of poeciliid fish, Heterandria tuxtlaensis sp. n., is described from Lake Catemaco in southern Veracruz, Mexico. Based on traditional and geometric morphometrics, H. tuxtlaensis differs most substantially from its likely sister species H. bimaculata in possessing short dorsal and caudal fins, a short dorsal fin base composed of fewer...
Article
The ventral gill arch skeleton was examined in some representatives of batoid fishes. The homology of the components was elucidated by comparing similarities and differences among the components of the ventral gill arches in chondrichthyans, and attempts were made to justify the homology by giving causal mechanisms of chondrogenesis associated with...
Article
Full-text available
The rostral cartilages of batoid fishes were examined to elucidate their development, morphology and homology. Comparison of a variety of rostral cartilages among elasmobranchs with other groups of vertebrates shows that rostral cartilages originate embryologically from the trabecula and/or lamina orbitonasalis. Because different morphogenetic patt...
Article
Full-text available
Six years of bottom-trawl survey data, including over 6000 trawls covering over 200 km2 of bottom area throughout Alaska's subarctic marine waters, were analyzed for patterns in species richness, diversity, density, and distribution of skates. The Bering Sea continental shelf and slope, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska regions were stratified b...
Data
FIGURE 1. Radiograph negative of a male H. tuxtlaensis showing landmarks used for the body shape analysis. 1 — anterio-dorsal-most position on the snout; 2 — top of head where skull breaks away from the body outline; 3, 4 — origin and insertion of the dorsal fin, respectively; 5 — dorsal origin of the caudal fin (anterio-dorsal-most procurrent ray)...
Data
FIGURE 2. Shape difference between H. tuxtlaensis from Lake Catemaco and H. bimaculata from Sontecomapan. Transformation grids show the linear regression of shape on habitat controlling for allometry. A) Males. The shape gradient for males explained 29.6 % of total shape variance. B) Females. The gradient for females explained 30.5 % of total shape...
Data
FIGURE 3. Most extreme individuals on the species axis, for males, from our sample of 30 fish. Left: the new species, H. tuxtlaensis. Right: the presumed sister taxon H. bimaculata. Differences in size are incidental and are not responsible for the shape differences observed. The correlation between the species axis and the axis of allometry was r...
Data
FIGURE 4. Heterandria tuxtlaensis. A. Mature male (Holotype, UMMZ 248620, 44.0 mm SL). B. Mature female (Paratype, TCWC 762.03, 41.3 mm SL). C. Gonopodium tip of Holotype.
Article
Full-text available
A female 320 mm in TL and presumably immature is described here as the first specimen of legskate, genus Cruriraja Bigelow & Schroeder, 1948, collected in the western South Atlantic Ocean; the specimen was taken from the eastern Brazilian continental slope off the state of Bahia in a depth of 251 m. It is morphologically characterized and compared...
Article
Full-text available
Brochiraja, a new rajid genus, is defined for a group of softnose skates from the deep sea adjacent New Zealand. The group presently contains six species: Brochiraja asperula (Garrick & Paul), B. spinifera (Garrick & Paul), and four new taxa, B albilabiata sp. nov., B. aenigma sp. nov., B. leviveneta sp. nov., and B. microspinifera sp. nov. These s...
Article
Full-text available
Last P.R. and McEachran J.D. 2006. Notoraja hirticauda, a new species of skate (Chondrichthyes: Rajoidei) from the south-eastern Indian Ocean. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63(1): 65–75. A new skate, Notoraja hirticauda sp. nov., is described from off central Western Australia in the south-eastern Indian Ocean. It is distinguished from its congeners i...
Article
Full-text available
A new species of the skate genus Bathyraja, Bathyraja mariposa, is described from the Aleutian Islands and its geographic and bathymetric range documented. Bathyraja mariposa is similar to Bathyraja violacea and Rhinoraja taranetzi in its moderate maximum size and absence of thorns on the disc. However, it can be clearly distinguished from B. viola...
Chapter
3.1 Introduction Batoidea (electric rays, sawfishes, guitarfishes, skates, and stingrays), have been variously classified within the neoselachians (modern cartilaginous fishes) (Séret, 1986). Müller and Henle (1841) considered batoids sister to the sharks, as did Günther (1870), Regan (1906), Garman (1913), White (1937), Bigelow and Schroeder (1953...
Article
Full-text available
As a part of the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos (DGoMB) project, fishes were sampled in May and June 2000. Thirty-seven stations were occupied using a 40′ semi-balloon otter trawl along transects which ran from shallow to deep water and from northern Florida to off southern Texas. A total of 1 065 individuals in 119 demersal fish species were taken. C...
Article
Mitochondrial DNA sequences from the 12S rRNA gene, four tRNA genes, and a portion of two protein coding genes were used to investigate the relationship of myliobatoid genera. In addition, we conducted an investigation of the sister group to the freshwater stingrays by sampling additional DNA sequences from GenBank. Consequently, two datasets were...
Article
A new species of electric ray, Narcine oculifera, is described from four adult and three fetal specimens collected from the gulfs of Oman and Aden. Narcine oculifera is distinguished from all other species of the genus by its unique dorsal color pattern, composed of irregular light brown to reddish-brown reticulations over disc, pelvic fins and tai...
Article
Full-text available
As a part of the Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos (DGoMB) project, fishes were sampled in May and June 2000. Thirty-seven stations were occupied using a 40' semi-balloon otter trawl along transects which ran from shallow to deep water and from northern Florida to off southern Texas. A total of 1 065 individuals in 119 demersal fish species were taken. C...
Article
Galeus arae is currently classified as a complex of three subspecies (Galeus arae arae, Galeus arae antillensis, and Galeus arae cadenati). Morphometric and meristic analyses, size at maturity, and variation in color patterns, support the recognition of these taxa as distinct species. All species have well-developed nidamental glands and are ovipar...
Article
Full-text available
Skates (Rajidae) are unique among chondrichthyans for their high species diversity and morphological conservatism. To elucidate phylogenetic interrelationships within this taxon, we surveyed a wide range of morphological character complexes under the premise that characters within different character complexes are constrained in different ways and...
Article
A total of 62 species, representing 24 of the 28 supraspecific taxa of skates, was surveyed for the presence, distribution, and structure of alar and malar thorns. The survey revealed that alar thorns are almost universally present in mature male skates, and that malar thorns are of two types that may have separate origins. The location and orienta...
Article
We investigated the vertical and temporal distributions of portunid zoea andCallinectes megalopae in a tidal pass of the Texas coast. Zoea were equally abundant on ebb and flood tide but were more abundant during the day than at night. Megalopae were more abundant during flood tide and at night than during ebb tide or during the day. We examined th...
Article
A total of 63 species of skates (Chondrichthyes: Rajoidei) were surveyed, along with three species of the outgroup (Chondrichtyes: Rhinobatoidei) for electric organs along the sides of the tail. All skate specimens examined possessed what appeared to be functional electric organs, and the three species of the outgroup lacked evidence of electric or...
Article
A new species of skate, Notoraja ochroderma, is described from the coast of Queensland, Australia, in the western South Pacific Ocean. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the values of several proportional measurements, the presence of oronasal pits, coloration, and several skeletal structures. The new species is similar to both...
Article
The taxonomic status of Raja (Dipturus) floridana and R. (D.) teevani was investigated. Three geographic samples (southeastern United States Atlantic seaboard, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean) encompassing the known distributions of the two species were compared meristically and morphometrically. Comparisons revealed little difference among the three...
Article
Full-text available
During a study of digenean parasites of deep sea fishes from the Gulf of Mexico, 38% (5 of 13) of Coelorhynchus coelorhynchus Risso, 1810, (Macrouridae) were infected with a total of 33 specimens (6.6/infected fish) of an undescribed species of Fellodistomidae representing a new genus and subfamily. Other macrourids collected at the same time (Bath...
Article
Full-text available
Buticulotrema stenauchenus n. gen., n. sp. (Opecoelidae: Opecoelinae) is described from the macrourid fishes Malacocephalus occidentalis Goode and Bean, 1885, and Nezumia aequalis Günther, 1878, collected in June 1971 from the DeSoto Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico at a depth of 495 m. Eight of 25 (32%) M. occidentalis and 1 of 8 (13%) N. aequali...
Article
Prionotus species with emarginate pectoral fins constitute the P. alatus species complex and consist of P. alatus, P. beanii, and P. paralatus. Specimens of this complex collected off the coast of Mobile, Alabama, were intermediate and appeared to be hybrids of P. alatus and P. paralatus. A total of 87 specimens of P. alatus and P. paralatus, plus...
Article
A series of studies by Edgeworth demonstrated that cranial muscles of gnathostome fishes are embryologically of somitic origin, originating from the mandibular, hyoid, branchial, epibranchial, and hypobranchial muscle plates. Recent experimental studies using quail-chick chimeras support Edgeworth's view on the developmental origin of cranial muscl...
Article
The primitive nature of cartilaginous fishes is challenged. The five main groups of rays are distinguished by their body shape, lifestyle and habitat; they are sawfishes, guitarfishes, electric rays, skates and stingrays. The significance of their electric organs and their mating behaviour are discussed. -G.M.Sheail
Article
Variation in body size, shape and clasper structure of specimens of Raja miraletus from the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Guinea led to a study of the morphological variation of this species over its entire known range: the Mediterranean, and western and southern Africa. A total of 124 specimens were examined from five areas (Mediterranean, Maurita...
Article
A new species of skate, Raga cortezensis, is described from nine specimens captured in the Gulf of California. The new species is most similar to R. inornata, which occurs in the Gulf of California and along the western coast of the United States and northern Baja California, Mexico. The new species is distinguished from R. inornata in maturing at...
Article
Full-text available
Three new species of the stingray genus Urotrygon are described from the topical eastern Pacific. Urotrygon nana occurs from the west coast of Mexico and Costa Rica and is distinguished by its small eyes, dense covering of denticles on snout and margin of the disc and small size at maturity. U. reliculata occurs off the Pacific coast of Panama and...
Article
Breviraja marklei sp. is described from five specimens captured off Nova Scotia. The new species is distinguished from the five other species of Breviraja in several morphometric and meristic characters, coloration, and in possessing a slender, straight and unsegmented rostral shaft rather than a filamentous, undulated and segmented one as in the o...
Article
Preliminary examination revealed that the highly variable species, Breviraja spinosa, consists of four distinct color morphs. Principal components analyses based on morphometric characters, univariate analyses of meristic characters and morphology of neurocrania, scapulocoracoids and claspers distinguished among all of the color morphs and, thus, s...
Article
The external morphologies of members of the Eucinostomus argenteus complex from one locality and in one restricted size range are compared in order to test the hypothesis that this complex is composed of three species and to redefine each species. Both multivariate and univariate comparisons indicate four distinct morphotypes within this complex. H...
Article
Full-text available
We examined the morphological characters and internal anatomical features of the electric ray genus Diplobatis (Torpediniformes, Narcinidae) in order to determine the taxonomic status of the various forms. All specimens from the northern coast of South America (Colombia to Brazil) were found to be very variable in most morphological characteristics...
Article
Neurocranium, scapulocoracoids, and claspers of Bathyraja asperula, and the former two structures of B. spinifera are described and compared with those of all other supraspecific taxa (genera and subgenera) of Rajoidei. Comparisons revealed that B. asperula and B. spinifera share apomorphic character states in the above and other structures with Ra...
Article
Comparison of the holotypes and only known specimens of Psammobatis asper, P. brevicaudatus, P. caudispina, P. chilcae and P. maculatus with each other and with 31 similar specimens from the same area, Ecuador to northern Chile, failed to reveal more variation than could be explained by sexual dimorphism and intraspecific variation, indicating that...
Article
Claspers, neurocrania, scapulocoracoids and vertebral numbers of 11 of the 12 species currently classified in Breviraja were compared with each other and with those of Raja subgenera thought to be related to Breviraja. On its rostral morphology, B. yucatanensis was reallocated to the genus Raja. The remainder of Breviraja consists of three morpholo...
Article
Urolophus tumbesensis, n. sp. is described and compared with the five other species of Urolophus from the Western Hemisphere. The new species is distinguished by color pattern of the dorsal surface, by several proportional measurements and by possessing denticles and thorns on the dorsal disc and tail in large adolescent and probably in adult speci...
Article
Additional specimens of Gurgesiella furvescens are used to supplement the original description which was based solely on the holotype. The clasper, neurocranium, pectoral girdle, and pelvic girdle of this species are described and compared with those of the only known congener, G. atlantiea, and with Pseudoraja fischeri. Comparisons support Hulley'...
Article
Claspers, neurocrania and pelvic girdles of Raja erinacea and R. ocellata were compared with those of skates from the Gulf of St. Lawrence (identified as R. erinacea by several authors) which appear intermediate in several characters. Comparison revealed that skates from the Gulf are R. ocellata rather than R. erinacea. R. erinacea and R. ocellata...
Article
Raja erinacea and R. ocellata are sibling species which are positively correlated with each other by occurrence and numerical abundance. In sympatry the species undergo interactive segregation; R. erinacea feeds on a higher percentage of epifauna and R. ocellata feeds on a higher percentage of infauna.An isolated allopatric population of R. ocellat...
Article
Specimens of Raja garmani and R. lentiginosa were examined throughout their respective ranges and, based on the anatomy of their claspers, it is concluded that they are not specifically different. R. garmani consists of four subspecies, each of which can be distinguished by a combination of characters. R. garmani virginica which occurs off the east...
Article
The external morphology and internal anatomy of the clasper of R. bathyphila are described, along with the structure of the neurocranium and pelvic girdle. Based on these components R. bathyphila closely resembles the subgenera Leucoraja and Rajella. Raja bathyphila is placed within Rajella because it lacks a promontory and roll and possesses a pen...
Article
Food habits of two sympatric species-pairs of skates (Raja erinacea-R. ocellata and R. radiata-R. senta), which occur off the east coast of North America were investigated. Stomachs from over 1600 specimens of the 4 species were collected during winter, summer, and autumn of 1969 and the winter of 1970. Diets of R. erinacea and R. ocellata consiste...
Article
Full-text available
Data collected during eight groundfish surveys of the area from Nova Scotia to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and during five seasonal surveys of Chesapeake Bight were used to define the distribution and relative abundance of Raja eglanteria, R. garmani, R. laeuis, R. erinacea, R. ocellata, R. senta, and R. radiata. Ancillary distributional data fo...
Article
Age, rate of growth and the length-weight relationship of the butterfish,Peprilus triacanthus, were determined. The age of specimens collected in September, 1969 from the lower York River, Virginia was determined by counting rings in the otoliths. Four age groups were represented in the sample: young-of-the-year fish (91–95 mm), year-old fish (98–1...
Article
Fourteen meristic and morphometric measurements were taken on 51 R. ocellata and 355 R. erinacea. Observations of sexual maturity and development of secondary sexual characters were made on an additional 275 R. ocellata and 680 R. erinacea. Vertebrae and fin rays were counted on 10 R. ocellata and 9 R. erinacea. Number of tooth rows in the upper ja...
Article
Autumn and winter collections of decapod crustaceans in Chesapeake Bight suggest that the region may be divided into three zoogeographical zones: The Gulf Stream with its attendant tropical and southern fauna; the environmentally stable outer continental shelf and upper slope where C. irroratus, H. americanus, and M. iris are abundant; and the seas...
Article
Age, rate of growth, spawning, and weight-length relationship of the striped searobin, Prionotus evolans, were studied. The fish were collected from Chesapeake Bight and Chesapeake Bay during 1966 and 1967. Age was determined from otoliths which had been cross-sectioned, polished, and heated. Age groups 0 to VII were represented in the sample of 80...
Article
Typescript. Thesis (M.A.)--College of William and Mary. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-48).

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