350 



Fishery Bulletin 97(2), 1999 



of life history parameters, then, with values derived 

 from other, more centrally located, populations of this 

 species, as well as with those from populations in- 

 habiting subtropical environments in northern 

 Mexico and Cuba (Munroe, 1998), would prove in- 

 teresting from the perspective of discovering the 

 range of variability in life history features that has 

 evolved within this species of flatfish. 



Sizes of blackcheek tonguefishes collected within 

 Chesapeake Bay during the present study represent 

 almost the complete size range known for the spe- 

 cies (Munroe, 1998). The largest female (202 mm TL) 

 and largest male ( 190 mm TL) taken within the Bay 



miOmiotOlOlDlT) 



Q. 



< 



o 



z 



Date 



Figure 8 



Plot of monthly mean marginal increments for blackcheek tonguefish, 

 Symphurus plagiusa. ages 1-5, collected in lower Chesapeake Bay and ma- 

 jor lower tributaries. Vertical bars represent ±1 standard error Numbers 

 above bars represent monthly sample sizes. 



approach the largest sizes known for this species (ca. 

 210 mm TL; Wenner and Sedberry, 1989). However, 

 most blackcheek tonguefishes occurring within this 

 system were smaller, with total lengths usually rang- 

 ing between 35 and 150 mm. The size range for 

 blackcheek tonguefishes occurring in Chesapeake 

 Bay is not unlike those reported for other estuarine 

 populations located throughout the species' range. 

 For example, Shealy et al. ( 1974) reported that, dur- 

 ing a year-long survey offish assemblages in South 

 Carolina estuaries, blackcheek tonguefishes ranged 

 in size from 53 to 156 mm TL. However, modal 

 lengths for this species were never greater than 140 

 mm TL, and fish were usually much 

 smaller (monthly mean size 97—124 

 mm TL). In fact, of the blackcheek 

 tonguefishes taken during that study, 

 only 8 of 362 (2.2%) were 150 mm TL 

 or larger. 



Although many studies (summa- 

 rized in Munroe, 1998) have reported 

 catching large blackcheek tonguefish 

 from neritic habitats on the inner con- 

 tinental shelf throughout the species' 

 range, size ranges for these fishes were 

 not unlike those observed for black- 

 cheek tonguefishes collected within 

 Chesapeake Bay. For example, black- 

 cheek tonguefishes (n=439) collected at 

 the mouth of Chesapeake Bay and on 

 the inner continental shelf off south- 

 ern Virginia and northern North Caro- 

 lina (VIMS'^) during a series of cruises 

 conducted during 1987-89 ranged 

 from 68 to 203 mm TL (mean size= 

 154.5 mm TL; Fig. 2C ); and most fishes 



li 



•' VIMS, Department of Fisheries, Gloucester 

 Point, VA 23062. Unpubl. data. 



