2704 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



1057. SYMPHURUS,* Rafinesque. 

 (TONGUE-FISHES. ) 



Symphurus, RAFIXESQUE, Indice d'lttiologia Siciliana, 52, 1810 (nigrescent). 



Bibronia, Cocco, Alcuni Pesci del mare di Messina, 15, 1844 (ligulata; larval form). 



Plagusia, CUVIER, Regne Animal, Ed. 2, n, 344, 1829 (based on Plagusia of BROWN); 

 name preoccupied in Crustaceans, Latreille, 1806. 



Plagiusa, BONAPARTE, Catalogo Metodico, 51, 1846 (lactea) ; substitute for Flagutia pre- 

 occupied. 



Aphoristia, KAUP, Archiv fur Naturgesch. 1858, 106 (ornata). 



Glossichthys, GILL, Cat. Fish. E. Coast N. A., 51, 1861 (plagiusa). 



Ammopleurops, GUNTHER, Cat., IV, 490, 1862 (lacteus = nigrescens) . 



?Bascanius, SCHIODTE, Naturhist. Tydsskr., v, 269, 1867 (tcedifer; larval form). 



Acedia, JORDAN, in JORDAN & Goss, Review Flounders and Soles, 321, 1889 (nebulosus). 



Body elongate, more or less lanceolate in outline, with the eyes and 

 color on the left side; eyes small, very close together, with no distinct 

 interorbital ridge between them ; mouth small, twisted toward the blind 

 side; teeth little developed, in villiform bands; edge of preopercle cov- 

 ered by the scales ; gill openings narrow, the gill membranes adnate to 

 the shoulder girdle above, joined together and free from the isthmus 

 below; pectoral fins wanting (in the adult); vertical fins more or less 

 confluent; scales ctenoid; lateral line wanting. Ventral fin of eyed side 

 only present, free from the anal; head without fringes. (<5vv, together; 

 <J>VGO, to grow; ovpd, tail; from the united vertical fins.) 

 SYMPHURUS : 

 a. Scales not minute, ctenoid, 65 to 105 in number; dorsal rays 86 to 100; anal rays 70 



to 87. 

 b. Scales rather large, about 65 ; head4i; depth 4; color, clouded brown. 



PIGER, 3078. 

 bb. Scales small, moderately ctenoid, 75 to 105 in a longitudinal series. 



c. Dorsal and anal pale anteriorly, becoming more or less abruptly black 



posteriorly. 

 d. Caudal fin abruptly pale, at least at tip. 



e. Body elongate, depth 4J in length ; head 5J. D. 96 to 100 ; A. 86 or 

 87 ; scales 88 to 90. Color, grayish, speckled with brown ; dor- 

 sal and anal fins black on last tenth, the caudal abruptly pale ; 

 tips of fin rays vermilion. MARGINATUS, 3079. 



ee. Body deeper, the depth 3 to 3f in length. 



/. Color, light brown, irregularly barred and marbled with 

 darker ; dorsal and anal with 3 to 6 inky blotches poste- 

 riorly. D. 92 to 95; A. 75 to 78. ATRAMENTATUS, 3080. 



* We follow Jordan & Goss in using the name Symphurus instead of Aphoristia, as the 

 so-called Ammopleurops lacteus is a genuine member of the latter genus, and as it seems 

 to be evident that the latter species is the original of Symphurus nigrescens of Rann- 

 esque. The following is Rafinesque's description : "III. Gen. Symphurut. Ala caudale 

 acuta, e riunita all' ale dorsali, ed anali, occhj alia sinistra. Osserv. Si dovranno raggu- 

 agliare in questo genere duo specie del genere Achirus di Lacepede, cioe gli A. bilineatus, 

 e A. ornatus. Sp. no. 44. Symphurus nigrescent. Nerastro senza fascie, allungato, una 

 sola 1 i urn laterale da ogni lato." 



This single lateral line assumed to distinguish Ammopleurops from Aphoristia is not a 

 real lateral line, but a depression along the median line produced by the junction of the 

 muscles. The species ot Symphurus are somewhat numerous and A*ery closely allied. 

 With the exception of the European Symphurus nigrescens, all of them are American. 

 The development of the species is imperfectly known. According to Giglioli, the larva? 

 called Bibronia, may belong to this genus, and so possibly may Charybdia. The name 

 Plagutda belongsproperly to the present genus rather than to the type of Plagusia bilineata, 

 to which it has been restricted by Kaup and Gitnther. It is. 'however, preoccupied in 

 crustaceans, and in any case, both Plagusia and the substitute name Plagiusa are ante- 

 dated by the name Symphurus. 



