The intertidal fish collections of Ed Ricketts at Tofino, British Columbia, Canada, 1945 and 1946

Abstract

Few studies exist on the intertidal fish fauna of the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The earliest known regional insights into intertidal fish diversity for the Tofino area were made by iconic marine ecologist Edward Flanders Ricketts. We reviewed his 1945 and 1946 collection cards, now available online. He made 111 collections of 20 species and 294 specimens. Most of these species were cottids (nine species) or pricklebacks (three species), with flatfish, greenlings, poachers, snailfish, gunnels, sand lance, and clingfishes each represented by one or two species. We briefly compare the data with contemporary studies and suggest opportunities for using his museum-curated physical specimens for further analyses.