Kumataro Ito Illustrations

Fish Illustrations by Kumataro Ito

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words, in science as well as art. A good illustration can convey morphological features, proportions, scale patterns, and color far more simply and directly than a written description. Colors of specimens fade quickly in preservative, and if not captured in an illustration are lost forever. Today, photography offers a quick and accurate way of recording the appearance of a live or fresh specimen, but hand-drawn illustrations may still provide details that are not captured in conventional photography. The expeditions of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries all carried artists assigned to record the appearance of animals and plants as they were collected. The successful scientific illustrator needed a meticulous eye for detail and the discipline to put accuracy and faithful reproduction above all else. That the work of these artists strikes such a responsive chord in us is a tribute to both their skill and the inherent beauty of their subjects.

The principal scientific illustrator on the Philippine Expedition was the Japanese artist Kumataro Ito. We know little about Ito, only that he was probably born sometime around 1860 and lived into his 70's. He remains a shadowy figure during the expedition, leaving the ship and returning several times. There seems to have been some strained relations between Ito and Frederick Chamberlain, the resident Naturalist, but Hugh Smith, the Director of the expedition, remained strongly supportive throughout the enterprise. At Smith's invitation, Ito came to Washington in 1912, where he stayed for an undetermined period and completed more illustrations. Through his hundreds of beautiful illustrations, Kumataro Ito has left a timeless gift to our generation and has become an important part of the history of the Division of Fishes. We are pleased to be able to present some of Ito's illustrations here, as an example of the convergence of science and art.

Annotated List of Fish Illustrations

Click on the small image to access the full view of the fish. USNM numbers refer to the catalog numbers in the fish collection of the United States National Musem, now the National Museum of Natural History. The fifteen images presented here are only a small part of over two hundred original illustrations by Ito, deposited in the Division of Fishes. The annotations have been provided by David G. Smith.

Sargocentron tiere(Cuvier, 1829); squirrelfish. Collected at Palumbanes Islands, east coast of Luzon, Philippines, 1 June 1909. The specimen on which this painting was based cannot be located. Squirrelfishes are nocturnal reef dwellers, and they hide in caves and crevices during the day. Most species are brilliant red in life, sometimes with patterns of lines or spots.

Cephalopholis sexmaculata (Rüppel, 1830); sixblotch hind. USNM 122262, collected at Malapascua Island, Philippines, 16 March 1909. The groupers are among the most important of the coral-reef fishes. Many of them are used as food by humans. This species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and South Africa to French Polynesia. It lives in caves and crevices on the outer reef slope, at depths of 10-150 meters.

Plectropomus laevis (Lacepède, 1801); black-saddled coral grouper. USNM 146935, collected at Talisse Island, Suluwesi, Indonesia. This species is a common and conspicuous inhabitant of coral reefs throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific, in depths of 4-90 meters. There are two color phases: a pale form with distinct black saddles, like the one illustrated here; and a dark, brown to black form in which the saddles are faint or absent. The dark form is often confused with a related species, Plectropomus maculatus.

Liopropoma swalesi (Fowler and Bean, 1930); basslet. USNM 089983, collected at Togian Island, Suluwesi, Indonesia, 19 November 1909. This is a rare species, known only from four specimens, three from Indonesia and one from the island of New Britain. Two of the specimens were collected by the Albatross around Suluwesi. The specimen illustrated is the holotype of the species. This illustration is one of the very few by Ito that have ever been published in color (by Randall and Taylor, 1988, Indo-Pacific Fishes, No. 16), and represents our only knowledge of the fresh color of the species.

Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus Cuvier, 1828; five-lined cardinalfish. USNM 171254, collected at Tataan Pass, Philippines, 21 February 1908. Cardinalfishes, family Apogonidae, are common and diverse inhabitants of coral reefs world wide. Most are nocturnal, hiding under ledges and in caves and crevices during the day. The genus Cheilodipterus differs from most other cardinalfishes in having relatively large, fanglike teeth. This species is common and widely distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific.

Caesio caerulaurea Lacepède, 1801; gold-banded fuselier. USNM 191778, collected at Guntao Island in the Palawan Passage, Philippines, 20 December 1908. Fuseliers are close relatives of the snappers. They congregate in schools in open water between the reef top and the surface, where they feed on small planktonic organisms. The specific name means "blue-gold," in reference to the yellow stripe embedded in an irridescent blue background. Compare Ito's painting with the specimen as it appears today.

Parupeneus bifasciatus Lacepède, 1801; doublebar goatfish. USNM 160580, collected at Linacapan Island, off the northern tip of Palawan, Philippines, 19 December 1908. Goatfishes are so named because of the two beard-like barbels on the bottom of the lower jaw. The fish uses these to probe in the sediment for food. The doublebar goatfish is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific.

Epibulus insidiator (Pallas, 1770); slingjaw wrasse. USNM 112256, collected at Pitago Anchorage, Luzon, Philippines, 3 March 1909. The wrasses, family Labridae, are among the most abundant and diverse of the fishes living on coral reefs. The slingjaw wrasse is named for its extremely protrusible jaws, which can be shot forward to capture small prey. It is found throughout the Indo-West Pacific.

Cheilinus undulatus Rüppel, 1835; humphead wrasse. Collected at Malampaya sound, Palawan, Philippines, 23 December 1908. The specimen on which this painting was based cannot be found. The humphead or maori wrasse is the largest member of the family Labridae, reaching a length of two meters and a weight of nearly 200 kilograms. Adults develop a prominent hump on the forehead, giving rise to the common name.

Xyrichtys pentadactylus (Linnaeus, 1758); five-finger razorfish. USNM 153405, collected at Nogas Point, Panay, Philippines, 4 February 1908. Members of the wrasse family, the razorfishes are named for the deep and highly compressed forehead, which resembles a cutting edge. Razorfishes live in sandy habitats; when threatened, they burrow rapidly into the sand headfirst. Xyrichtys pentadactylus occurs widely in the Indo-West Pacific.

Chaetodon auripes Jordan and Snyder, 1901; golden butterfly fish. Collected at Nan Wan, Taiwan, 25 January 1910. This species is found in the western Pacific from southern Japan to Indonesia.

Heniochus singularius Smith and Radcliffe, 1911; singular bannerfish. USNM 182419, collected at Ulugan Bay, Palawan, 29 December 1908. Bannerfishes, genus Heniochus, are members of the butterflyfish family, Chaetodontidae. They are characterized by the greatly elongated fourth dorsal spine. This species was described from specimens collected by the Albatross. The holotype was illustrated in black and white, but this color painting is based on another specimen.

Pomacanthus semicirculatus Cuvier, 1831; semicircle angelfish, young. USNM 182573, collected at Puerto Princessa Bay, Palawan, Philippines, 5 April 1909. The specific name refers to the semicircular markings of the juvenile. These markings disappear in the adult, which becomes brown shading into blue on the posterior part of the body and fins. Comparing the young with the adult, one would never suspect that they belong to the same species.

Pomacanthus semicirculatus(Cuvier, 1831); semicircle angelfish, adult. USNM 170539, collected at Atylayan Island, Lagonoy Gulf, Luzon, Philippines, 18 June 1909. Like many fishes, this species changes color markedly as it grows. The pale semicircular markings of the young fish disappear completely when it matures.

Alepocephalus bicolor Wood-Mason and Alcock, 1891; slickhead. USNM 138120, trawled off the east coast of Mindoro, Philippines, at a depth of about 400 meters, 2 February 1908. Alepocephalids live in relatively deep water and are seen only when they are caught in nets. Like most deep-sea fishes, they are fragile and usually come up in damaged condition. The artist did an excellent job of reconstructing the fish as it would have appeared when alive.

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Reproduction of Images

	Sargocentron tiere(Cuvier, 1829); squirrelfish. Collected at Palumbanes Islands, east coast of Luzon, Philippines, 1 June 1909. The specimen on which this painting was based cannot be located. Squirrelfishes are nocturnal reef dwellers, and they hide in caves and crevices during the day. Most species are brilliant red in life, sometimes with patterns of lines or spots.
	Cephalopholis sexmaculata (Rüppel, 1830); sixblotch hind. USNM 122262, collected at Malapascua Island, Philippines, 16 March 1909. The groupers are among the most important of the coral-reef fishes. Many of them are used as food by humans. This species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and South Africa to French Polynesia. It lives in caves and crevices on the outer reef slope, at depths of 10-150 meters.
	Plectropomus laevis (Lacepède, 1801); black-saddled coral grouper. USNM 146935, collected at Talisse Island, Suluwesi, Indonesia. This species is a common and conspicuous inhabitant of coral reefs throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific, in depths of 4-90 meters. There are two color phases: a pale form with distinct black saddles, like the one illustrated here; and a dark, brown to black form in which the saddles are faint or absent. The dark form is often confused with a related species, Plectropomus maculatus.
	Liopropoma swalesi (Fowler and Bean, 1930); basslet. USNM 089983, collected at Togian Island, Suluwesi, Indonesia, 19 November 1909. This is a rare species, known only from four specimens, three from Indonesia and one from the island of New Britain. Two of the specimens were collected by the Albatross around Suluwesi. The specimen illustrated is the holotype of the species. This illustration is one of the very few by Ito that have ever been published in color (by Randall and Taylor, 1988, Indo-Pacific Fishes, No. 16), and represents our only knowledge of the fresh color of the species.
	Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus Cuvier, 1828; five-lined cardinalfish. USNM 171254, collected at Tataan Pass, Philippines, 21 February 1908. Cardinalfishes, family Apogonidae, are common and diverse inhabitants of coral reefs world wide. Most are nocturnal, hiding under ledges and in caves and crevices during the day. The genus Cheilodipterus differs from most other cardinalfishes in having relatively large, fanglike teeth. This species is common and widely distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific.
	Caesio caerulaurea Lacepède, 1801; gold-banded fuselier. USNM 191778, collected at Guntao Island in the Palawan Passage, Philippines, 20 December 1908. Fuseliers are close relatives of the snappers. They congregate in schools in open water between the reef top and the surface, where they feed on small planktonic organisms. The specific name means "blue-gold," in reference to the yellow stripe embedded in an irridescent blue background. Compare Ito's painting with the specimen as it appears today.
	Parupeneus bifasciatus Lacepède, 1801; doublebar goatfish. USNM 160580, collected at Linacapan Island, off the northern tip of Palawan, Philippines, 19 December 1908. Goatfishes are so named because of the two beard-like barbels on the bottom of the lower jaw. The fish uses these to probe in the sediment for food. The doublebar goatfish is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific.
	Epibulus insidiator (Pallas, 1770); slingjaw wrasse. USNM 112256, collected at Pitago Anchorage, Luzon, Philippines, 3 March 1909. The wrasses, family Labridae, are among the most abundant and diverse of the fishes living on coral reefs. The slingjaw wrasse is named for its extremely protrusible jaws, which can be shot forward to capture small prey. It is found throughout the Indo-West Pacific.
	Cheilinus undulatus Rüppel, 1835; humphead wrasse. Collected at Malampaya sound, Palawan, Philippines, 23 December 1908. The specimen on which this painting was based cannot be found. The humphead or maori wrasse is the largest member of the family Labridae, reaching a length of two meters and a weight of nearly 200 kilograms. Adults develop a prominent hump on the forehead, giving rise to the common name.
	Xyrichtys pentadactylus (Linnaeus, 1758); five-finger razorfish. USNM 153405, collected at Nogas Point, Panay, Philippines, 4 February 1908. Members of the wrasse family, the razorfishes are named for the deep and highly compressed forehead, which resembles a cutting edge. Razorfishes live in sandy habitats; when threatened, they burrow rapidly into the sand headfirst. Xyrichtys pentadactylus occurs widely in the Indo-West Pacific.
	Chaetodon auripes Jordan and Snyder, 1901; golden butterfly fish. Collected at Nan Wan, Taiwan, 25 January 1910. This species is found in the western Pacific from southern Japan to Indonesia.
	Heniochus singularius Smith and Radcliffe, 1911; singular bannerfish. USNM 182419, collected at Ulugan Bay, Palawan, 29 December 1908. Bannerfishes, genus Heniochus, are members of the butterflyfish family, Chaetodontidae. They are characterized by the greatly elongated fourth dorsal spine. This species was described from specimens collected by the Albatross. The holotype was illustrated in black and white, but this color painting is based on another specimen.
	Pomacanthus semicirculatus Cuvier, 1831; semicircle angelfish, young. USNM 182573, collected at Puerto Princessa Bay, Palawan, Philippines, 5 April 1909. The specific name refers to the semicircular markings of the juvenile. These markings disappear in the adult, which becomes brown shading into blue on the posterior part of the body and fins. Comparing the young with the adult, one would never suspect that they belong to the same species.
	Pomacanthus semicirculatus(Cuvier, 1831); semicircle angelfish, adult. USNM 170539, collected at Atylayan Island, Lagonoy Gulf, Luzon, Philippines, 18 June 1909. Like many fishes, this species changes color markedly as it grows. The pale semicircular markings of the young fish disappear completely when it matures.
	Alepocephalus bicolor Wood-Mason and Alcock, 1891; slickhead. USNM 138120, trawled off the east coast of Mindoro, Philippines, at a depth of about 400 meters, 2 February 1908. Alepocephalids live in relatively deep water and are seen only when they are caught in nets. Like most deep-sea fishes, they are fragile and usually come up in damaged condition. The artist did an excellent job of reconstructing the fish as it would have appeared when alive.