256 



Fishery Bulletin 89(2), 1991 



Systematics 



Symphurus plagusia 



(Schneider, in Bloch and Schneider 1801) 



Figures \a, 2, 3, 4a 



Synonymy 



Plagusia Browne 1756 (Jamaica; non-binomial; sup- 

 pressed (Opinion 89 [Hemming and Noakes 1958:9], 

 Plenary Powers for nomenclatorial purposes, Direc- 

 tion 32. Published 17 May 1956). 



Pleuronectes plagusia Browne 1789:445 (Jamaica; 

 non-binomial; suppressed (Opinion 89 [Hemming and 

 Noakes 1958:9], Plenary Powers for nomenclatorial 

 purposes, Direction 32. Published 17 May 1956). 

 Cuvier 1816:224 (listed). Cuvier 1829:344 (listed). 



Pleuronectes plagusia Schneider, in Bloch and Schnei- 

 der 1801:162 (after Browne; no original material ex- 

 amined, based strictly on description provided by 

 Browne). 



lAchirus ornata (nomen dubium) Lacepede 1802:659, 

 663 (vague description of a tonguefish donated to 

 France by Holland but of uncertain identity and 

 geographic origin). 



Aphoristia ornata. Kaup 1858:107 (in part) (new com- 

 bination; synonymized with Plagusia tessellata Quoy 

 and Gaimard 1824). Giinther 1862:490 (in part) (syn- 

 onymy; meristics; synonymized with Plagusia tessel- 

 lata Quoy and Gaimard 1824). Poey 1868:409 (in 

 part) (synonymy; listed, Cuba). Poey 1876:182 (in 

 part) (synonymy; listed, Cuba). Goode and Bean 

 1885:196 (in part) (substitute name for Pleuronectes 

 plagiusa Linnaeus 1766). Jordan 1885:395 (in part) 

 (possible synonymy of A. ornata Lacepede 1802 with 

 Pleuronectes plagiusa Linnaeus 1766; Aphoristia or- 

 nata Lacepede 1802 from Jamaica distinct from A. 

 fasciata [ = Plagusia fasciata] Holbrook in DeKay 

 1842). 



Aphoristia plagiusa (not of Linnaeus). Jordan 1886a: 

 31 (Cuba; equals A. ornata of Poey). Jordan 1886b: 

 603 (in part) (West Indies; equals A. ornata of Poey). 



Symphurus plagusia. Jordan and Goss 1889:100 (in 

 part) (synonymy, nomenclature review; West Indies 

 to Brazil; comparison with S. plagiusa; synonymized 

 with Plagusia tessellata Quoy and Gaimard 1824). 

 Jordan and Evermann 1898:2709 (in part) (synony- 

 my, counts, measurements, description; after Jordan 

 and Goss). Meek and Hildebrand 1928:1005 (in part) 

 (synonymy; counts, measurements, description; sum- 

 mary of distribution records; listed, Panama). Cha- 

 banaud 1939:26 (listed, Antilles). Chabanaud 1940: 

 182 (descriptive osteology). Chabanaud 1949:82 

 (synonymy; description including counts, measure- 

 ments, description of scales; figures; radiograph; 

 mouth of Amazon, Brazil). Duarte-Bello and Buesa 



1973:234 (in part) (synonymy; listed, Cuba). Mene- 

 zes and Benvegnu 1976:142 (in part) (recommended 

 reexamination of Ginsburg's diagnoses of two sub- 

 species). Rosa 1980:222 (in part) (listed, nearshore 

 and estuarine habitats, Paraiba, Brazil). Lema et al. 

 1980:44 (in part) (synonymy; listed, southern Brazil). 

 Symphurus plagusia plagusia. Ginsburg 1951:199 (in 

 part) (synonymized with Plagusia tessellata Quoy and 

 Gaimard 1824; description and diagnoses of two 

 subspecies; four species included in material studied). 

 Carvalho et al. 1968:22 (in part) (brief description; 

 in key; Antilles, Central America to Brazil). Palacio 

 1974:87 (in part) (counts; suggested reexamination 

 of subspecies status; listed, Colombia). Lema and 

 Oliveira 1977:6 (in key; suggested synonymy of 

 Pleuronectes plagusia, Plagusia tessellata, and Sym- 

 phurus civitatium). Soares 1978:23 (in part) (listed, 

 northern Brazil). 



Diagnosis A Symphurus with the following combina- 

 tion of characters: predominant ID pattern 1-4-3; 12 

 caudal fin rays; unpigmented peritoneum; fleshy ridge 

 on ocular-side lower jaw; no pupillary operculum; 

 relatively small, spherical eye (64-95 HL, x 82); 89-97 

 dorsal fin rays; 73-81 anal fin rays; 47-51, usually 

 49-50, total vertebrae; 79-89 scales in longitudinal 

 series; moderately long jaws, usually extending pos- 

 teriorly to vertical line through posterior margin of 

 lower eye, less frequently to vertical through rear 

 margin of pupil or slightly posterior to rear margin of 

 lower eye; dorsal fin origin placed far forward, usual- 

 ly at vertical through anterior margin of upper eye, or 

 with first and sometimes second rays inserting anterior 

 to vertical through anterior margin of upper eye; scales 

 absent on blind sides of dorsal and anal fin rays; ocular 

 surface usually uniformly light-brown or yellowish, oc- 

 casionally with 8-14 narrow, faint crossbands; outer 

 surface of ocular-side opercle without black blotch, 

 pigmentation usually same as that of body (some speci- 

 mens with dusky blotch on upper opercular lobe as a 

 consequence of pigment on inner lining of ocular-side 

 opercle showing through to outer surface); inner lining 

 of ocular-side opercle and isthmus dusky- to dark- 

 brown, that of blind side usually unpigmented or occa- 

 sionally with small patch of pepper-dot pigmentation 

 on ventral margin. Dorsal and anal fins uniformly 

 pigmented, without progressive darkening or alter- 

 nating series of pigmented blotches and unpigmented 

 areas posteriorly. 



Description A medium-sized tonguefish attaining 

 maximum known body sizes of approximately 130 mm 

 SL. ID pattern usually 1-4-3 (32/42 individuals), less 

 frequently 1-3-3 (4), 1-4-2 (2), or 1-3-4 (1) (Table 1). 

 Caudal fin rays 12(39/42), infrequently 11 or 13 (Table 



