Dillenbeck1

RenaDillenbeck
JoshBrower
SeniorInternship
17December2015
DISCOVERINGANDDESCRIBINGANEWMARINESPECIES
Ihavealwaysbeeninterestedintheoceanandscience.Infourthgrade,therewasa
sciencebusthatcametomyelementaryschoolforaweekandweallgotrolesinthisbus,each
havingadutyfortheday.Igotresearcherandfromthenon,Iknewthatscienceissomething
thatIwantedtogointo.IhavewatchedDiscoveryChannelsSharkWeekwithmymotherand
sistersandevenmygrandmother,everyyearsinceIwaslittle,ithasbecomeanunofficial
traditionofours.WhenIlearnedinJuneaboutmyinternshipopportunity,Iimmediatelythought
towritedownthenamesofthescientistsasIwatchSharkWeek,andIonlygottoreachoutto
twoofthemthefirstnight,andtomysurprise,myatthetimesoontobeinternshipmentor
emailedmebackthenextafternoonaskingformoredetailsandendeduptakingmeonasan
intern!
Myinternshipplayedavitalroleinmyresearch,astheyprovidedmewithvital
informationregardingmyproject.Theobjectiveofmyresearchwasto
learnaboutthefactorsat
playwhendiscoveringanddescribingnewspeciesofsharksaswellashowthesefactorscan
potentiallybemanipulatedortakenadvantageofbyscientistshopingtodiscoverandformally
describethesenewlyfoundspecies.
Background:

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IfyouweretosimplysearchthewordsharksonGoogle,youwillcomeacrossalotof
informationonmostlygreatwhitesharks.Well,Ihatetobreakittoyou,thosearenottheonly
sharksknowntoday,thereareactuallymanymorespeciesthathavebeendiscoveredand
described.
Therehasalsobeenoverwhelmingamountsofdatareadilyavailableregarding
generalinformationofsharks.Thereisinformationaboutwhennewspeciesofsharksare
discoveredanddescribed,butlittletononeabouthowtheyarediscovered,creatingaholeinmy
knowledgethatIcanhopefullyfillwithresearch.
Methods:
MyinternshipwaswiththePacificSharkResearchCenterofMossLandingMarine
LaboratoriesunderthegraduateresearcherPaulClerkin.Paulhasfirsthandexperiencewith
sharkdiscoveries,seeingashehasdiscoveredfifteennewspeciesofsharksandisintheprocess
ofdescribingthem.IhavealsoreachedouttoH.J.WalkerandAndrewNosalwhoarelocateda
littlemorelocallyatScripps.Ihavesecuredinterviewswithbothofthem.
Tocollectmydata,Ihaveinterviewedfiveaveragepeople.Ihavealsointerviewedmy
mentor(PaulClerkin)andH.J.WalkeroftheScrippsInstituteofOceanography.(Youcanfind
theseintheappendixsectionofmypaper).Interviewshowever,arenotsufficientsourcesofdata
fortheprojectIamworkingon,soitrequiredsomeextraresearch.Tofindmoredata,Iused
websourcesrecommendedtomebymymentor(youcanfindthoseintheWorksCitedsection).
Thesemethodsofdatacollectionareappropriatebecauseknowledgeispower,yetsomany
peopleseemtolacktheknowledge,soitwasagoalofminetoexpandtheknowledgeofthe
averageperson.Interviewingexpertsinthefield,ofcourseaddscredibilitytomyarguments,as
wellasgivingmemoreinsighttopotentialanswers.

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Analysis/Discussion:
Onebigfactorthatcomestoplaywhendiscoveringanewspeciesislocationanddepth.
Thereneedstobeastrategywhenlookingforsomethingessentiallyunknowntoman.When
interviewingtheaverageperson,themostcommonresponseamongstthefiveintervieweeswas
thelocationanddepthsscientistsareabletoreach.Ifscientistsareabletogotoadeeper,
unexploredareaofthesea.Theresultsshowthattheaveragepersonknowsaboutthisgapin
knowledge,yetnoneofthemreallyseemedliketheywouldwanttogodiscoveranewspecies,
unlikePaul.Whencommunicatingwithhim,heagreedthatlocationisabigfactor,butan
importantpieceofinformationheprovidedwasthatpriortogoingouttolookforanewspecies,
thepersonneedssomepriorknowledgearoundwhatspeciesareoutthere,howtoidentifythem,
andsoon.Thisisbecauseitiscommonforsomeonetobelievetheyhavediscoveredanew
specieswhenreallytheyhavenot.Therefore,therehasbeenaseeminglyobviousconsensus
amongbothaprofessionalinthefieldandwhatsomeonewhohasneverstudiessharksindepth,
thisconsensusbeingthatpeopleneedtobelookingintherightplaces,thedepthsoftheocean.
Withtheproperresearch,anythingispossible.Whenreadingthroughdatabases,it
becameaprominentthemethattheareasinwhichnewspeciesoffisharediscovered,are,or
wereatthetime,previouslynotthoroughlyexploredandwhatwasoutintheseawasacomplete
mystery.Thisbringsusbacktothetopicofgapsinknowledge,Somuchoftheoceanis
unexplored,totheinabilityofahumantodivedowntothedepthswheretheseanimalsare
hiding.Withidentifiedgapsinknowledge(suchastheareasthathavenotbeenexplored),there
isasparkofcuriosity.AfterinterviewingbothPaulandH.J.,itbecameapparentthatinorderto
discoveranewspecies,youdontevenneedadegreeinscience,youofcoursewillneedatool

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suchasaslurpgunorevenafishingnet,tocapturethefishaswellassomebackground
informationaboutwhatcouldbeexpectedsoaspeciesalreadyknownisnotcaptured.Oncea
newspeciesiscaptured,thenyoushouldstartreachingouttothescientificcommunitysothey
canhelpyouout,oratleastpointyouandyournewspecimentotherightplace.Thistiesbackto
theideaofwiththeproperresearch,anythingispossible.Thus,donotfeeldiscouragedifthisis
somethingthatcouldpotentiallybeinyourfutureandyouwenttoschoolforsomething
completelyunrelated.
Thereisalargequantityofelementsandknowledgeneededinordertodescribeanew
species.WheninterviewingH.J.,hementionedseveralfactors,includingtheprocessofreceiving
feedbackfromreviewersandmakingthosechanges.Thisisactuallysimilartowhateven
elementaryschoolsdotoday,butinsteadofjustforcheckingforthecommonEnglishmistakes,
theyarelookingforcontentregardingtheclaim.Thisprocessissomethingthatcanattimesbe
tedious,astherearemultipleroundsofthis,sometimesevenforafewmonthsbeforetheeditor
willacceptit.Doingyourhomeworkbeforelookingfortheunknowncanmakeorbreakthe
project.Inordertowriteapaper,ofcourseyoumustbewelleducatedonthesubject,itwouldbe
nearlyimpossibleforaU.S.Historyprofessortowriteaboutacomplexbiologicalaspect,such
asanewspecies,withoutdoingtheirresearchprior.Onecanclearlyseethatdiscoveringanew
speciesanddescribingitmaybetedious,butnotimpossibleifthewillanddriveisthereto
supplementthejourney.

ActionPlan:

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Theresultsandconclusionsdrawnfromtheaboveinformationcanconcludethatthere
aredefinitelymoreanimalsandspeciesthathaveyettobediscovered,iftheresearcherknows
wheretolook.Thissaidresearcher,doesnotalwayshavetobeascientist,butshouldbeableto
presenttheirfindingstoascientistwhenready.Theprocessmaybetedious,andoftentimes
tediousiscorrelatedwithpainful,butisnotimpossibleforsomeonejuststartingoutandgetting
interestedinanareasimilartothis.
Theoriginalpromptwastoessentiallypredictwhatwillhappeninthefuture.Ofcourse,
ithasshiftedtotheprocessofdiscoveringanddescribingthespecies,whichleavesmetofurther
pondertheoriginalessentialquestion.Withonlytwentytwodaystotalthough,itendedupbeing
shifted.Givenmoretime,itispossibleforthisresearchertoansweraquestionasbigasthat.
Explore!Thereisnothingbetteryoucandothanventureintotheopenoceanandtest
yourluckwithfindinganewspecies.Ofcourse,educateyourselfpriortodoingso,becausethat
wayyouhavesomedirectionandarenotlookingforsomethingthathasbeendiscoveredand
describedpriortoyourexpedition.

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Appendix:
PleaseNote:ThisinterviewwasconductedviaemailwithmymentorPaulClerkin,therefore
therewasnotranscribinginvolved.

Whichsharkspecieshaveyoudiscoveredsofar?
Sofar,Ihavediscoveredacoupledeepseasharks,mostlydemoncatsharks(genus
Apristurus
),
ghostsharks(
Chimaera
and
Hydrolagus
),andlanternsharks(
Etmopterus
).

Howmanyhaveyoubeenabletodescribesofar?
NotasmanyasIwouldlike!SofarIhaveonlyofficiallydescribedoneofthenewspecies
(genus
Bythaelurus
)theDuskySnoutCatshark.Iamcurrentlyworkingwithagroupto
describeanother
Bythaelurus
species(
Bythaelurusbachi
,namedafterthecomposer).Iamalso
intheprocessofdescribing4speciesofghostsharkwhichIhopetosubmitinthenextfew
weeks.Sohopefullywewillhave5newspeciesinthenextfewmonths.However,therearestill
quiteafewthatneeddescriptions.

WhenIwasinterviewingH.J.(SeniorMuseumScientistatScripps),hetoldmeabouthow
peoplereachouttoscientiststohelpthemidentifyanewspecies,hasanyonecometoyou?
Ifso,whathappenedwiththatspecies?
Yes,thathappensquitealotactually.Therearemanygroupsthatencountersharksbutcannot
identifythemtospecies.AlotofsharkscientistshavedifficultydiscerningsharkspeciessoIget

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emailsfromIndia,Africa,Mauritius,andotherlocations.Mostofthesharkscanbeidentified
fromphotographs,butthereareacouplethatareprobablynewspecies.

H.J.alsotoldmealittleaboutdescribinganewspeciesandthatinorderforittobe
recognizedanewspecies,ithastopassallthegenetictestssayingthatitis,butforthe
publictoknowitwouldbesubmittedtoascientificjournal.Whichoneareyouorareyou
planningtosubmittheonesyoudescribedto?
Iplantodoboth!Geneticsarenotnecessaryforthevalidityofanewspecies.Ifyouthinkabout
it,taxonomyandformallynamedspeciesfarpredateourunderstandingofgenetics.However,
geneticsisaverypowerfultoolindiscerninganewspecies.AllthespeciesIhavediscovered
havebeengeneticallydistinctfromallknownspecies.However,forthisinformationtobeuseful
Ihavetowriteadescriptionofthespeciesforpublication.

Alotofpeoplecreditthetechnologicaladvancestowardsnewdiscovery,wouldyouagree
withthem?
Ido.Ithinkitisacombinationofthingsincludingtechnology.Technologyandtheexpansionof
fisherieshaveresultedintheexplorationofareasofouroceansthatwerepreviouslyunexplored.
Asaresult,weareencounterednewspeciesatanoutstandingrate.

Whatotherfactorswouldyousayplayedaroleinyoufindingfifteennewspeciesononeof
yourlatesttrips?

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Thatisagoodquestion.IthinkthebiggestfactoristheareaIwasstudyingwaspractically
unexploredbyscience.Itsstrangetothinkthatinourmoderntimetherearestillpartsofour
worldthatweknowsolittleabout.Thepeoplefishingoutthereareprettymuchontheonly
groupexploringthearea.Thereareactuallyplentyofunderstudiedareasaroundtheworld,you
justhavetoknowwheretolook

Whatadvicewouldyougivetosomeonewhowantstofindanewspeciesofsharks?
Ithinkinordertofindnewspeciesyouhavetobefamiliarwiththespeciesthatarealready
known.Therearealotofsharkspeciesoutthereandmostpeoplearenotfamiliarwiththe
differentgroups.Ifyouareinterestedinsharksandnewspecies,Iwoulddefinitelysuggest
learningaboutsharktaxonomy.

Arethereanyotherthingsyouwanttotellmeoraskme?
IhopeIwasabletoaddressallyourquestionshere,Rena.Pleaseletmeknowifanythingneeds
clarification.Iamveryimpressedwithhowindependentyouhavebeenonthisproject.Iamsure
youwillsucceedinyourfutureendeavors.

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PleaseNote:Thefollowinginterviewshavetranscribedbaseduponnotestheinterviewertook,
soitmaynotbeexact.

Howarespeciescommonlydescribed?
Wellfirsttheyhavetobediscovered,soletsstartthere.Todiscoveranewspecies,youare
commonlyonboardashipandfishingforsomethingnew,orusingarivernettobringthemto
thesurface.Peopleusuallygoouttofindnewspeciesinanareathatdoesnthavemuchresearch
conductedinit,orwhentheyareabletogodeeperthantheyhavebeforewithasubmarine,and
usingaslurpguntocaptureit.ButlikeIsaidbefore,theyareusuallydiscoveredinamore
remoteareaoftheocean,oreveninariverorstreamandcastingoutfromtheland.Onceyou
haveone,andseeanythingthatlooksabnormalfromwhatyouwouldexpect,youwould
researchwhatitcouldbe,andifyoudontknowwhatitcouldbe,thatiswhenyoureachoutto
anexpert.Someoneactuallycontactedmeoncewithanewspeciesoffishthattheyfoundinthe
deepseaofGuam,butIonlyknewuptothegenuslevel,soIsentitofftosomeoneelsewho
knewbetterthanIdo.Butagain,thetwomainpointsarethatitlooksdifferentandfoundina
remotearea.ThecollectionhereatScrippscontainsabouttwomillionspecimens,whichisgood
fordescribingordisprovinganewspecies.Oftentimesthough,thingsgetoverlookedsoitisthe
detailsthatareimportant.
Wesometimesobservevariationinspecimensalreadyinourlarge
Collectionandtheseoccasionallyturnouttobenewspecies.
Afteranewspeciesisdiscovered,
thingssuchastheproportionsonthefish,thecountoffinsandgillstructures,thattypeofstuff,
andsometimesevenxraysaretakeninordertohelpdescribethefish.Becausefisharentable

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tobreathewhenoutsideofthewater,itisbesttokeepthemalive,oruseafreshlydeceasedone
whentakingthesethingsintoaccountbecausethatwaythecoloringismoreaccuratetoo.

Youmentionedsometechniquesusedtohelpidentifyfish,whatotheronesareinvolved?
Recently,therehasbeenariseingenetictesting.TestingtheDNAofnewspeciesisrightmost
ofthetime,butitcanalsobemoredifficulttodobecauseinordertotestthegeneticsofafish
youneedittobefreshlydead,stillalive,orfrozen.ThereisawebsitewhereoncetheDNAis
processedyoucancheckifitisanewspeciesbygoingtothegenbankwebsitewhereDNA
informationaboutfishisavailableandthenyoucanproceedtodotheanalysisyourself.

Onceyouhavediscovereditisanewspecies,howdoyougetthewordout?
Todothat,youwriteitupandsubmitittoascientificjournal.Ifyouhavecolleaguesyoutrust,
itwouldbeadvisabletohavethemlookatthearticlebeforeyousubmitittothejournal.Onceit
issubmitted,theeditorofthatjournalsubmitsittooutsidereviewers,whichyoumayknow.The
editormightaskyouifyouwantanyonespecifictolookatit,atwhichpointyoucouldsayyes,
andinthatcaseyoucanknowthereviewers.Afterthereviewersmaketheirsuggestededits,you
haveachoiceofmakingthemornot.Ifyouchoosenottothough,youshouldexplainwhyyou
thinkyoushouldnt.Aftermakingtheseedits,youresubmitandthentheprocessstartsover
again.Attheendoftheprocess,theeditordecidestoacceptorrejectthearticle.Alotofthetime
though,nearlynothingisperfectonthefirstsubmission.Onceitisaccepted,theyeitherpublish
itelectronicallyorasahardcopy.Theprocesscouldtakeafewweekstoafewmonths,atmost,a
year.

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Canyoufindanewspeciespostextinction?
Yes,thathashappened.Manynewspecieshavebeenidentifiedthroughfossils.Inorderto
identifyanewspeciesthatwaythough,youneedmajorityofthebonestherestillsoyoucanbe
asaccurateaspossible.Ionlyworkonfishrelevanttodayanditisveryrareforpeoplewhodo
thingssimilartowhatIdotoworkwithpalaeontologistsdescribingextinctspecies,eventhough
theworkwedoissimilar,wehavedifferentwaysofcollectingdataandtechniquesforusingthe
data.

Iforgottoaskyouaboutyourcredentials,eventhoughtheyareavailableonline,wouldyou
mindtellingme?
Ihavedescribed1011differentspeciesinmycareer.Iveworkedforover33yearsinthisfield
andmycurrentpositionisSeniorMuseumScientistatScripps.IhaveretiredthoughandIam
trainingmyreplacement.Hopefullywewillbedonewithinthenextmonth.

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Pleasestateanypriorknowledgeorexperienceyouhavewithsharks.
Person1:
TheonlyexperienceIhavehadiswatchingSharkWeekonDiscoveryChannel.
Aresharksimportanttotheoceansecosystem?Howorhownot?
Person1:
Ibelieveso,Imjustnottoosureastohoworwhytheyare.
Aretheremorespeciesofsharkstobediscovered?
Person1:
Yes,Ithinktheyarehidinginthedepthsoftheoceanslurkingfortherighttimeto
showthemselves.
Doyouthinkwewouldfindnewspeciespostextinction?Howlikelyisthattohappen?
Person1:
Imnottoosure.Thereisalwaysapossibility.
Scientificadvancements?
Person1:
Maybesomedaydowntheroad.Theyshouldalsobeabletohelpusfindextinct
species.
Whatfactorswouldyouguessplayaroleinsharkdiscoveries?
Person1:
Well,obviouslyhumanbeingsbeingouttheresearching,scubadiving,andsoon.
Whatelse?
Person1:
Idontknow..
Doyouhaveideasformanipulationof/orusingtoouradvantagethesefactors?
Person1:
Goodquestion.Ithinkthereis,thebesttimeofdaywouldprobablybestbeearlyin
themorning.

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Pleasestateanypriorknowledgeorexperienceyouhavewithsharks.
Person2:
Idonothaveanypriorknowledgeaboutsharksexcepttheykillyou,theybiteyou,
youcanloseanarmandalegandmaybeevenyourlife.OhandIsawJawsonce.
Aresharksimportanttotheoceansecosystem?Howorhownot?
Person2:
Arethey?Imsuretheyareimportant,I'mnotsurehowbutIknowthateverythingin
thisearthhasapurpose
Aretheremorespeciesofsharkstobediscovered?
Person2:
Absolutely.Becausetheyarecontinuouslydiscoveringnewspeciesofalltypesof
animals.
Doyouthinkwewouldfindanewspeciespostextinction?Howlikelyisthattohappen?
Person2:
Itprobablyislikely.Iftheyarediscoveringdeadspeciesofotheranimalswhatmakes
sharksdifferent?
Whatfactorswouldyouguessplayaroleinsharkdiscoveries?
Person2:
LikeDiscoveryChannel?
Nolikeactuallydiscoveringtheseunknownsharks...
Person2:
Oh...maybethetimeofdayofdaybecausetheyhuntinthenight.Potentiallythetype
ofbaitusedtolureasharkin.
Doyouhaveideasformanipulationof/orusingtoouradvantagethesefactors?
Person2:
AsIsaidbefore,tryduringthedarkhoursofthenightandusebaitthatwouldseem
yummytoashark.

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Pleasestateyournameandanypriorknowledgeorexperienceyouhavewithsharks.
Person3:
Ihavenopriorknowledgeofexperiencewithsharks
Aresharksimportanttotheoceansecosystem?Howorhownot?
Person3:
Yeah.Theymaintainbalanceinthefishpopulation.
Aretheremorespeciesofsharkstobediscovered?
Person3:
Yeah.Noonehasbeentothebottomoftheocean.
Doyouthinkwewouldfindanewspeciespostextinction?Howlikelyisthattohappen?
Person3:
Possiblywithfossilsofwecanexploretheocean.
Whatfactorswouldyouguessplayaroleinsharkdiscoveries?
Person3:
Exploration,technology,andwillingnesstolook.
Doyouhaveideasformanipulationof/orusingtoouradvantagethesefactors?
Person3:
No.

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Pleasestateyournameandanypriorknowledgeorexperienceyouhavewithsharks.
Person4:
I'vecaughtacouplewhilefishingonaboat,littlebabyones.MajorityoftheonesI
havecaughtthoughweresandsharks
Aresharksimportanttotheoceansecosystem?Howorhownot?
Person4:
Ofcourse.Theykeepthebalanceofpowermeaningeveryoneisintimidatedbythe
sharksandtheyeattheweak.Keeppopulationcontrol.
Aretheremorespeciesofsharkstobediscovered?
Person4:
Sure.There'sareasoftheoceanwehaveyettothoroughlyinvestigatehidingindeeper
depthsoftheocean.Globalwarmingcanhelpusliftthemoutoftheocean.Globalwarminghas
alargeeffectontheearth.Forexample,thoseredthingsthatwasheduponthebeachthis
summer.Ithinkitwasshrimpandthosecomefromthebottomoftheocean.
Doyouthinkwewouldfindanewspeciespostextinction?Howlikelyisthattohappen?
Person4:
Yeahwecouldfindthecarcusesbutitwouldbehardtoidentifyanewspecies
howeverit'spossible.Wecontinuetofindextinctspeciesofanimalsthatonceroamedtheearth.
Iftheoceaneverdriedupitispossible.
Whatfactorswouldyouguessplayaroleinsharkdiscoveries?
Person4:
abilitytogodeeperinanunmannedwatercraftbecausemancanonlygosodeep
withoutexperiencingnegativethings.
Doyouhaveideasformanipulationof/orusingtoouradvantagethesefactors?
Person4:
Essentiallyaroboticsubmarine

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Pleasestateanypriorknowledgeorexperienceyouhavewithsharks.
Person5:
Ihavezero,nothing,nada.I'vekissedajellyfishandmajoredinenvironmentalstudies
incollegeifthatcounts.BythewayIampregnantandhavealittlecaseofpregnancybrain.
Aresharksimportanttotheoceansecosystem?Howorhownot?
Person5:
yeah.Becausedifferentsharktypesliveindifferentareassodifferentsharksneedto
dopopulationcontrol.Probablygoodforthefoodchain.
Aretheremorespeciesofsharkstobediscovered?
Person5:
100%they'restillfindingnewspeciesofdinosaurssoit'sgonnagoonandonforever.
Doyouthinkwewouldfindanewspeciespostextinction?Howlikelyisthattohappen?
Person5:
Idon'tthinkso.Idon'tknowifthereisthere'sprobablygonnabelessofavolume
becausewearefindingthemnow.Iftheydotheyprobablyjustmisseditonaccidentorthey
founditdeepdeepinthesandintheocean.
Whatfactorswouldyouguessplayaroleinsharkdiscoveries?
Person5:
Idon'tknow.Imeantechnologywehavenowcomparedtoyearsago.I'veneverfound
anewsharkspecies.Howmanypeoplehavebeentotheremotearea.
Doyouhaveideasformanipulationof/orusingtoouradvantagethesefactors?
Person5:
Technologicaladvancesandexploringnewareasordepths.

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JeffersonCountySchools,TN
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Eschmeyer,W.N.andR.Fricke(eds).CATALOGOFFISHES:GENERA,SPECIES,
REFERENCES.
(
http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp
).
Electronicversionaccessed23October2015.
[ThisversionwaseditedbyBill
Eschmeyer.]
Fricke,R.&Eschmeyer,W.N.JOURNALS.
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http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/journals.asp
).
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[Includesalljournalsappearinginthe
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Eschmeyer,W.N.&Fong,J.D.SPECIESBYFAMILY/SUBFAMILY.
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http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/SpeciesByFamily.as
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