78 
Fishery Bulletin 96( 1 ), 1998 
Symphurus minor Ginsburg, 1 95 1 
fFigs. 6E, 40-41; Tables 1-10, 24) 
LargescaSe tonguefish 
Aphoristia pigra (not of Goode and Bean, 1886). 
Goode and Bean, 1886:154 (in part) (specimens 
from Albatross Station 2374 may be those included 
in original description of A. pigra). 
ISymphurus pusillus (not of Goode and Bean, 1885). 
Kyle, 1913:145 (description and figure of symmetri- 
cal larva possibly of this species). 
Symphurus minor Ginsburg, 1951:192 (original de- 
scription, photograph). Briggs, 1958:298 (listed, 
Florida). Topp and Hoff, 1972:83 (distribution, eco- 
logical information; west Florida shelf). Markle et 
al., 1980:59 (single larva, continental shelf off Nova 
Scotia). Miller and Jorgenson, 1973:305 (meristic 
features and vertebral counts for two specimens). 
Scott and Scott, 1988:560 (Canadian Atlantic; af- 
ter Markle et al., 1980, and Ginsburg, 1951). 
Munroe, 1992:370, 381 (ID pattern; geographic, 
bathymetric distributions). Darovec, 1995:88 (dis- 
tribution on west Florida Shelf). 
Diagnosis Symphurus minor differs from all con- 
geners by the combination of predominant 1-4-2 ID 
pattern; 10 caudal-fin rays; membrane ostia in dor- 
sal and anal fins; 4 hypurals; 69-81 dorsal-fin rays; 
55-64 anal-fin rays; 41-44 total vertebrae; 55-67 
scales in longitudinal series; well-developed pupil- 
lary operculum; unpigmented peritoneum; absence 
of scales on blind sides of dorsal- and anal-fin rays; 
absence of fleshy ridge on ocular-side lower jaw; teeth 
usually covering entire margin of ocular-side dentary 
(occasionally only on anterior three-fourths of 
dentary margin); teeth only on anterior one-half to 
three-fourths of ocular-side of premaxillary margin; 
ocular surface with dark brown blotch on caudal re- 
gion; blind side of body without pattern of pepper- 
dots; dorsal, anal, and caudal fins without spots or 
blotches; and small adult size (<78 mm). 
Description A dwarf species attaining maximum 
lengths of ca. 78 mm SL. ID pattern usually 1-4-2 
(74/78 specimens), rarely 1-3-2 or 1-4-3 (Table 2). 
Caudal-fin rays usually 10 (74/79), less frequently 8, 
9, or 11 (Table 3). Dorsal-fin rays 69-81, usually 72- 
77 (Table 4). Anal-fin rays 55-64 (Table 5). Total ver- 
tebrae 41-44, usually 41-43 (74/79) (Table 6). 
Hypurals 4 (77/77). Longitudinal scale rows 55-67, 
usually 57-64 (Table 7). Scale rows on head poste- 
rior to lower orbit 12-15, usually 13-15 (Table 8). 
Transverse scales 24-31, usually 28-31 (Table 9). 
Proportions of morphometric features presented in 
Table 24. Body moderately deep, maximum depth in 
anterior one-third of body; depth tapering rapidly in 
posterior two-thirds of body. Preanal length less than 
body depth. Head long and moderately wide, consid- 
erably narrower than body depth. Head length usu- 
ally shorter than head width (HW:HL 0.9-1. 2, 
3c =1.1). Lower head lobe width less than postorbital 
length; narrower than upper head lobe. Lower oper- 
cular lobe of ocular side wider than upper opercular 
lobe. Snout short and somewhat pointed, covered 
