Fishes of the IV es tern North Atlantic 75 



Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, and from western Florida to central Texas along the 

 Gulf coast. It does not invade brackish or marine waters as much as either the Longnose 

 or Alligator Gars. In the Lake Pontchartrain area, L. oculatus is found most often 

 along the marshy shore, and seldom very far out in the lake. 



Specimens in the Tulane University collection were obtained from the tidewater 

 section of Deer River on the west side of Mobile Bay, Alabama, and from Choctawhat- 

 chee River in Florida. Bailey, et al. reported the Spotted Gar for the tidewater sec- 

 tion of the Escambia River, Florida (5: 1 17). Gunter reported the capture of two from 

 Copano Bay, Texas (27: 23), and Reid gave records of it for East Bay, Texas i^o: 

 [1955]: 431). All records cited above indicate that, of the four Gar considered, this spe- 

 cies and the Florida Gar {L.flatyrhincus) are the least tolerant of saline conditions. 



Synonyms, with References to Occurrence in Brackish or Salt Water: 



Lepisosteus oculatus Winchell, Proc. Acad. nat. Sci. Philad., l6, 1864: 183 (Huron R., Michigan); Gunter, 



Publ. Inst. mar. Sci. Texas, I (i), 1945 : 23 (Copano Bay, Texas); Bailey, Winn, and Smith, Proc. Acad. 



nat. Sci. Philad., I06, 1954: 117 (in tidewater, Florida); Reid, Texas Sci., 7 (4), 1955: 431 (East Bay, 



Texas). 

 Cylindrosteus productus Cope, Proc. Acad. nat. Sci. Philad., ly, 1865 : 86 (San Antonio, Texas). 

 Cy/i ndrosteus agassizii DumerU, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 2, 1870: 347-348, 351 (St. Louis, Missouri). 

 Cylindrosteus bartonii Dumeril, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 2, 1870: 347-348, 356 (New Orleans, Louisiana). 



Lepisosteus osseus (Linnaeus) 1758 

 Longnose Gar 

 Figures 13, 15 



Study Material. Many specimens, including 42, 139-779 mm TL, used for the 

 Descriptions from tributaries of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Mexico; from the 

 Mississippi River drainage, Louisiana to Indiana; in USNM, CNHM, UMMZ, 

 UI, UL, UT, and TU collections; also, the head only of the type of Lepidosteus lepto- 

 rhynchus Girard 1858, USNM 1002. 



Distinctive Characters. Lepisosteus osseus is distinguishable from L. spatula, L. 

 oculatus, and L. platyrhincus at a glance by its long narrow snout. 



Description. Proportional dimensions in per cent of length, based on 42 speci- 

 mens, 1 14-695 mm length, as listed under Study Material. Although the variability of 

 most dimensions for a limited size range is not very great, the following figures never- 

 theless include allometric variation. 



Body, depth 7.0-10; width 5.9-9.5. Snout: length 21.4-28.9; least width 

 Caudal peduncle: length 9.4-13.0; least 1.1-2.1; width 2.6-3.7; very nar- 



depth 3.7-5.1. row. 



Head: mid-dorsal length 29.4-38.8; Or*^//: length 2.2-3.7. 



length 3 1. 8 -4 1. 2; depth 5.4-7.2; Interorbital: least bony distance 3.8- 



width 5.3-7.6. 5.2. 



