Munroe: Western Atlantic tonguefishes of the Symphurus plagusia complex 



263 



From S. leei, S. plagusia is further distinguished in hav- 

 ing the head length considerably smaller than the head 

 width (versus head length usually equal to or greater 

 than head width in S. leei), in having a smaller eye 

 (12-18 SL vs. 22-27 SL in S. leei), and in having an 

 unpigmented peritoneum (versus black or heavily 

 spotted in S. leei). 



Material examined 45 specimens (19.5-130mm SL). 



Counted and measured (15 specimens, 57.4-130. 3mm SL) 

 Puerto Rico: ANSP 132030; Neotype; (102.9); Puerto Yabucoa, one- 

 half mile east of Playa de Guayanes, Municipio de Yabucoa; collected 

 by J.J. Loos, 24-27 Jul 1973. FMNH 3286; (83.1); Mayaguez; 20 

 Jan 1899. FMNH 61572; (117.0); Allasco Bay; 10 Jan 1954. UF 

 12059; (127.1); beach at Mani, just N of Mayaguez; 16 Apr 1964. 

 Costa Rica: UF 10762; (79.6); Tortuguero Lagoon, Limon Province; 

 Aug 1963. Panama: GCRL 15694; (57.4); Canal Zone; 8 Feb 1977. 

 Trinidad: UPRM 1828; (89.4); Icacos Bay; 4 May 1964. Brazil: 

 FMNH 88853; 2(120.0-130.3); 2°09'S, 42°44'W; 40m; 10 Mar 1963. 

 UFPB 884; (101.4); Praiade Jacare; 13 Nov 1981. UFPB 896; 

 3(79.3-87.5); Rio Paraiba do Norte; 30 Jul 1981. ANSP 121326; 

 2(112.9-118.3); Atafona (23°02'S, 44°01'W); Jul-Aug 1963. 



Counted (27 specimens, 17 lots) Puerto Rico: ANSP 118542; 

 (47.4); Puerto Yabucoa; 25 Jan 1971. ANSP 129952; (112.7); Puerto 

 Yabucoa; 21 Jul 1973. ANSP 129985; (98.2); Puerto Yabucoa; 25 

 Jul 1973. USNM 50178; 4(61.9-83.1); Ponce; 31 Jan 1899. Haiti: 

 UF 33896; 5(82.8-90.8); 2 km NW of Port Salut; sandy beach near 

 eelgrass bed; 7 Apr 1979. Belize: FMNH 97492; (49.3); Belizean 

 Beach, 4.5 mi on Western Highway; 16 Apr 1973. FMNH 97493; 

 2(52.1-68.2); Belizean Beach, 4.5 mi on Western Highway; 16 Apr 

 1973. FMNH 97494; (25.1); Belize City, St. John's College Beach; 

 16 Apr 1973. FMNH 97495; (36.4); Belize City, St. John's College 

 Beach, mangroves and beach; 3 Aug 1973. Honduras: FMNH 

 94818; (54.3); Brus Lagoon; 1 m; 10 May 1975. FMNH 94822; (34.8); 

 Roatan; 1 m; 1 May 1975. FMNH 97490; 3(19.5-61.3); Stann Creek 

 District, along Pelican Beach, 17-33 m N of Pelican Beach Motel; 

 30 Mar 1973. FMNH 97491; (40.0); Stann Creek District, along 

 Pelican Beach, 17-33 m N of Pelican Beach Motel; 15 Apr 

 1973. Panama: UMML 34347; (121.5); 7°42'N, 57°32'W; 27m; 15 

 Jul 1968. USNM 81654; (54.9); Colon; 5 Jan 1911. French Guiana: 

 USNM 236252; (110.5); 6°34'N, 54°28'W; 37m; 28 Jun 1972. USNM 

 291331; (79.4); 5°30'N, 52°10'W; 51m; 12 Sep 1958. 



Other material examined (3 specimens, 1 lot) Tobago: 

 USNM 313648; 3(19.5-20.3); Bloody Bay, 11°18'14"N, 60°37'46"W; 

 3m; 13 Sep 1990. 



Symphurus civitatium Ginsburg 1951 

 Figures 1 b-c, 2, 4b 



Synonymy 



Symphurus piger (not of Goode and Bean). Baughman 

 1950:137 (inner harbor, Freeport, Texas). 



Symphurus civitatum Ginsburg 1951:198 (counts, 

 figure, included in key; Gulf of Mexico and south- 

 eastern coasts of the United States; see "Remarks" 

 about emendation of specific name). Springer and 

 Bullis 1956:65 (Gulf of Mexico; list of Oregon sta- 

 tions at which this species was collected). Resen- 

 dez 1979:646 (occurrence in lagunas El Carmen, 

 La Machona, and Lagunade Terminos, northern 

 Mexico). 



Symphurus civitatus. Briggs 1958:297 (summary of 

 distribution records; North Carolina to Florida and 

 widespread in Gulf of Mexico; see "Remarks" about 

 emendation of specific name). Roithmayr 1965:22 

 (included in industrial bottomfish catch in north- 

 central Gulf of Mexico). Struhsaker 1969:298 (rare- 

 ly occurring [< 10% of the tows] in demersal fish com- 

 munity of continental shelf from North Carolina to 

 central Florida). Swingle 1971:65 (listed, offshore 

 waters of Alabama). Topp and Hoff 1972:78 (gen- 

 eral absence from west Florida shelf). Miller and 

 Jorgenson 1973:305 (meristic features reported for 

 four specimens). Chittenden and McEachran 1976: 

 93; 99 (abundance on continental shelf of northwest- 

 ern Gulf of Mexico). Walls 1976:390 (counts, fig- 

 ure, in key; suggested synonymy with S. plagiusa). 

 Schwartz et al. 1981:32 (Cape Fear River, North 

 Carolina). McCaffrey 1981:204 (in part) (abundance 

 and distribution in northeastern Gulf of Mexico). 

 Darcy and Gutherz 1984:104 (collected on west 

 Florida continental shelf). 



Diagnosis Symphurus civitatium is identified by the 

 combination of: a predominant 1-4-3 ID pattern; 12 

 caudal fin rays; an unpigmented peritoneum; absence 

 of a pupillary operculum; relatively small eye (70-110 

 HL, x 88); a fleshy ridge on the ocular-side lower jaw; 

 86-93 dorsal fin rays; 70-78 anal fin rays; 46-50, usu- 

 ally 47-49 total vertebrae; 66-83, usually 74-82, scales 

 in longitudinal series; relatively short jaws usually 

 extending posteriorly to a vertical line through the 

 middle of the pupil of the lower eye, or sometimes ex- 

 tending to the vertical line through the posterior 

 margin of the pupil of the lower eye; dorsal fin origin 

 usually situated at the vertical anterior to the front 

 margin of the upper eye, or occasionally only reaching 

 the vertical line through the front margin of the pupil 

 of the upper eye; scales usually absent on the blind sides 

 of the dorsal and anal fin rays (occasionally with 1-3 

 small scales at proximal bases of fin rays but without 

 scales on distal portions of fin rays); ocular surface 



