52 
Fishery Bulletin 96(1 ). 1998 
without pronounced band of pigment. Blind side uni- 
formly off-white to yellowish, except faded specimens 
that have lost scales with median series (Fig. 5B, 
number 9) of conspicuous dermal melanophores along 
axis of vertebral column (visible on both sides of 
body); melanophores especially prominent along ver- 
tebrae in anterior two-thirds of body. Peritoneum 
black, showing through abdominal wall on both sides. 
Dorsal and anal fins lightly pigmented anteriorly. 
Basal portions of dorsal and anal fins darken poste- 
rior to region of anteriormost crossband on body, 
forming continuous or nearly continuous narrow 
stripe along length of fins but not extending onto 
caudal fin. Basal stripe in some specimens promi- 
nent, especially on proximal portions of fin rays; oth- 
ers with basal stripe rather inconspicuous, with 
darker pigment concentrated only on anterior sur- 
faces of basal part of fin rays with little or no pig- 
ment on connecting membranes, and darkest in re- 
gions corresponding to crossbands on body. Caudal 
fin usually with small, nonocellated, dark brown pig- 
ment spot on scale-covered base (proximal one-third) 
of fin. Distal two-thirds of caudal fin unpigmented. 
Size and sexua! maturity (Fig. 7BJ Symphurus 
ginsburgi is a diminutive species attaining maximum 
lengths of only 90 mm (Menezes and Benvegnu, 
1976), but of 62 fish examined in the present study, 
only six were larger than 65 mm. The largest, a male 
(81.0 mm), was only slightly larger than the largest 
female (78.9 mm). Among 54 specimens for which 
sexual maturity was determined, 25 (30.8—81.0 mm) 
were males, 23 were females (31.6-78.9 mm), and six 
were immature fish (30.9-36.3 mm) for which sex was 
indeterminate. 
Based on reproductive stages of females (Fig. 7B), 
S. ginsburgi matures around 50 mm. Of 23 females, 
16 (44.3-78.9 mm) were mature, of which eight (51.6- 
78.9 mm), including five smaller than 60 mm (51.6— 
57.5 mm), were gravid. Two others (44.3-46.4 mm) 
with elongate ovaries were not gravid. Seven imma- 
ture females, with gonads just undergoing posterior 
elongation, were 31.6-39.8 mm. Menezes and 
Benvegnu (1976) also noted the small size at matu- 
rity for this species, with gravid females in their study 
ranging from 58-79 mm. 
Geographic distribution (Fig. 25) On the continen- 
tal shelf in the western South Atlantic from south- 
eastern Brazil (21°31'S) to ca. Maldonado, Uruguay 
(35°18’S) (Menezes and Benvegnu, 1976; Seret and 
Andreata, 1992). 
Bathymetric distribution Symphurus ginsburgi 
occurs on mud substrates at moderate depths (103- 
Figure 25 
Geographic distribution of Symphurus ginsburgi based on 
material examined (discussion of geographic distribution 
appears in species account). 
300 m) on the continental shelf (Table 10). Of the 
specimens reported by Menezes and Benvegnu 
(1976), 94% (86/91) were collected between 135 and 
200 m, whereas an additional five specimens were 
taken between 103 and 111m. Seret and Andreata 
(1992) captured three specimens between 200 and 
300 m on the continental shelf off southeastern Bra- 
zil. Other than depth of capture information and brief 
observations on sexual maturation, little else is 
known concerning the ecology of this species. 
Comparisons Of species of Symphurus, S. ginsburgi 
is most similar to the deepwater, western North At- 
lantic S. billykrietei and S. stigmosus. Differences 
between these species are highlighted in Figs. 18- 
21 and Table 15, and discussed in the “Comparisons” 
sections for S. billykrietei and S. stigmosus. 
Among other Atlantic species characterized by a 
1-3-2 ID pattern and black peritoneum, some meris- 
tic features of S. ginsburgi overlap partially with 
those of the western Atlantic S. marginatus, S. 
pusillus, and S. piger, and the eastern Atlantic S. 
nigrescens. From S. marginatus, S. ginsburgi can be 
distinguished by its pattern of crossbanding on the 
ocular surface (vs. lacking in S. marginatus) and its 
lack of the dark brown blotch on the caudal region of 
the ocular side of the body that characterizes S. 
marginatus. Symphurus ginsburgi differs further 
from S. marginatus in its lower, and mostly 
nonoverlapping, meristic features (dorsal-fin rays 
87-95 vs. 93-104 in S. marginatus, anal-fin rays 74- 
81 vs. 80-89, and 50—52 total vertebrae vs. 51-56, 
