Marine Fishes From Carolinas 67 



1973) through the northern Gulf of Mexico, Cayman Islands, and Ber- 

 muda (Dawson 1969). Two specimens were collected in the lower Cape 

 Fear River, North Carolina: one from the BSEP traveling screens (237 

 mm; UF 30596) on 23 March 1977, and the other from an unknown 

 locality in the lower Cape Fear River (67 mm; UF 30671). A third spec- 

 imen from the lower Cape Fear, unavailable for study, is deposited in 

 the UNC collections. Our collections represent the first records of 

 microdesmids in North Carolina. 



Triglidae 



Prionotus ophryas Jordan and Swain. The bandtail searobin was 

 first reported from North Carolina waters by Bullis and Thompson 

 (1965): 34°00.5'N, 76 2TW, 54-60 m, 5 September 1979, and subse- 

 quently by Wilk and Silverman (1976): 34°20'N, 76°52'W, 25 m, 17 

 November 1971 (200 mm TL); 34° 11.5*N, 76°47'W, 31 m, 16 November 

 1971 (140 mm TL); 33° 27.5'N, 77° 24'W, 32 m, 24 May 1972 (190 mm 

 TL). We have compiled a number of additional records from R/V Dan 

 Moore surveys and other collections (Table 2), which include the north- 

 ernmost record (DM 3754) of this species. Most P. ophryas were col- 

 lected over sand bottoms; however, they are known to occur near live 

 bottoms (S. W. Ross, pers. obs.) and calico scallop beds (Schwartz and 

 Porter 1977; pers. obs.). Although not one of the most common of the 

 offshore searobins, this species is regularly encountered in a depth range 

 of 24 to 60 m (Table 2). 



Prionotus stearnsi Jordan and Swain. Fourteen shortwing searob- 

 ins were collected by trawl on three occasions: 33 41'N, 76°42'W, 152 

 m, 19 May 1978 (63 mm; UF 30601); 33°02'N, 77°53'W, 113 m, 27 

 June 1978 (76-105 mm; UF 30602); and 34°29'N, 75°58'W, 57 m, 13 

 December 1978 (92 mm; UF 30600). The June collection contained six 

 females with ripe gonads, data for which are included in Table 3. Very 

 ripe females (125 and 130 mm) were reported in August near the Tortu- 

 gas by Longley and Hildebrand (1941). Lewis and Yerger (1976) sug- 

 gested that both sexes reach maturity by 60 mm and found well devel- 

 oped ova (0.6 mm diameter) in October and December. The large 

 gonads and eggs from the June specimens (Table 3) indicated that these 

 fish were probably near spawning. Shortwing searobins had previously 

 been reported from off Cape Fear, North Carolina (Bullis and Thomp- 

 son 1965; Wenner et al. 1979a, 1979b), although Roberts-Goodwin 

 (1981) had listed them as far north as South Carolina and Hoese and 

 Moore (1977) only north to Georgia. 



