Munroe: Systematics of western Atlantic Symphurus 
13 
Table 7 
Frequency distributions of the numbers of longitudinal scale rows for western Atlantic Symphurus species. 
Number of scale rows 
Species 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 
arawak 1 — 1 3 4 6 3 7 7 3 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ___ 
pelicanus — — — — — — — 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 
p ig er 1 - 3 1 9 9 10 13 13 9 10 6 1 1 
trewavasae — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 1 2 4 3 5 12 1 5 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — 
minor 2 1 3 3 6 9 8 8 6 3 1 1 2 — — — — — — — — — — ______ — — — — _ — — 
ommaspilus — — — 4 1 2 1 8 4 2 — — — — — — ____ — — — — — — — _ — — — — — — — — 
parvus -2 2 3 1 5 4 45 2 12 3 2 - 1 4 1 1 
kyaropterygium — — —— — — — — — —— —— —— — — — 2 — 1 1 3 — — — 1 — — — — — —— _ — 
urospilus 1 22 3 5 6 3 5 5 11 5 4 5 4 2 1 
civitatium — — — — — — — — — — — 1 — — — 2 — — 1 4 8 11 5 14 8 7 3 3 1 — — — — — — — 
plagiusa — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 2 1 4 2 6 4 2 7 — 1 — — — — 
plagusia — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 3 2 3 2 2 1 3 — — 2 — 
caribbeanus — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ____ — — _ 3 — 411 4 3 6 2 2 1 1 3 — 
Number of scale rows 
Species 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 
billykrietei — 1 — — — — 3 — — 4 11 — 412 — — — 2 1 2 
ginsburgi ________ 2 2 — 2 1 — 2 2 — — — — — — 
stigmosus __________ _______ 2 1 3 
marginatus — — — — — — — 335 566 85653 1 1 2 — 
rhytisma — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 1 — 1 1 1 — — — 
diomedeanus 1 1 1 4 5 7 11 12 13 11 8 13 9 3 1 1 
tessellatus 2 2 8 10 10 11 21 31 21 21 14 5 4 2 - 1 
oculellus 1 3 1 7 5 26 4 2 - 1 1 
Number of scale rows 
Species 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 
jenynsi 1-32331213322521-1 
Number of scale rows 
Species 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 
nebulosus 1 — — 11 2 2—4 1 4 — 1—1 1 
Peritoneum pigmentation Relative intensity and 
coverage of pigmentation on the peritoneum is diag- 
nostic for species especially when used in combina- 
tion with other characters. Some species have an un- 
pigmented peritoneum; some have a spotted perito- 
neum; and others have a black peritoneum. 
Opercular pigmentation Degree of pigmentation 
on outer and inner surfaces of the opercle and isth- 
mus, in combination with other characters, is useful 
for identifying some species. Some species have a 
prominent opercular blotch (Fig. 5A, number 1). 
Ecological assessment 
Maturity was estimated by macroscopic examination 
of extent of posterior elongation of the ovary and pres- 
ence of developing ova in the ovaries (ovaries of ma- 
ture females are sometimes conspicuous through the 
body wall in transmitted light; in immature and large 
females, ovaries are best observed by dissection). Be- 
cause no obvious differences in sizes of testes between 
immature and mature males were apparent, esti- 
mates of maturity were based entirely on females 
(see Figs. 6-9). Immature females were those with 
