108 
Fishery Bulletin 96( I ), 1998 
females (85.0-157 mm), only six were smaller than 
90 mm and all females larger than 100 mm were 
mature. Twenty-four females (94.4-157 mm) were 
gravid, with all but three of these exceeding 110 mm. 
The smallest gravid females measured 94.4, 103.0, 
and 103.2 mm. Thirty-seven immature females 
ranged in size from 34.0 to 98. 1 mm. Most were smaller 
than 80 mm, whereas only five exceeded 85 mm. 
Geographic distribution (Fig. 51) Shallow neritic 
and estuarine waters of the Atlantic coast of the 
United States from New York Bight and Long Island 
Sound, south through the Florida Keys, through the 
northern Gulf of Mexico to Campeche Peninsula, 
Mexico (Ginsburg, 1951; Hildebrand, 1955; Topp and 
Hoff, 1972; Castro-Aguirre et al., 1986; Fuentas Mata 
et al., 1989; Kobelkowsky, 1991), the Bahamas 
(Bohlke and Chaplin, 1968), and Cuba (Sanson et 
al., 1978; this study). 
The geographic center of abundance for this spe- 
cies, based on frequency of capture and numerical 
abundance, occurs in estuarine and nearshore habi- 
tats from Chesapeake Bay to southern Florida, in- 
cluding Florida Bay, and throughout the northern 
Gulf of Mexico. Captures of S. plagiusa north of 
Chesapeake Bay have been sporadic. Ginsburg ( 1951) 
examined specimens from Long Island Sound; Wilk 
et al. (1977) and this study (see Appendix) noted 
specimens from the New York Bight. Wang and 
Kernehan (1979:317) listed the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
as the northernmost extension of the geographic 
range for S. plagiusa, purportedly on the basis of in- 
formation in Leim (1960). However, information 
in Wang and Kernehan ( 1979) appears to be in error. 
Figure 51 
Geographic distribution of Symphurus plagiusa based on mate- 
rial examined (discussion of geographic distribution appears in 
species account). 
Leim (1960) did not list S. plagiusa among unusual 
fishes recorded from Canadian waters, nor did Leim 
and Day (1959) report this species among fishes they 
had discussed in an earlier paper. Furthermore, sub- 
sequent compilations of information on marine fishes 
of Canada’s Atlantic coast (Leim and Scott, 1966; 
Scott and Scott, 1988) have not listed S. plagiusa as 
occurring in this region. 
This species was not listed among fishes occurring 
in New Jersey waters in studies conducted earlier 
this century (Fowler, 1905; 1920; 1952), and the first 
specimen of this species from estuarine waters of New 
Jersey was not reported until relatively recently 
(Dorfman et al., 1974). Able (1992) considered this 
species rare in marine waters of New Jersey. 
Symphurus plagiusa also occurs rarely in Delaware 
waters — only a single specimen was taken in the 
Delaware River by de Sylva et al. (1962), and Abbott 
(1878) and Fowler (1911) did not list this species for 
the Delaware River and Delaware Bay region. It was 
not listed among demersal fishes taken during sein- 
ing and trawling studies of seaside bays and Dela- 
ware coastal waters (Derickson and Price, 1973; 
Maurer and Tinsman, 1980), but Pacheco and Grant 
( 1965 ) and Campbell ( 1975) collected a few specimens 
in the Indian River estuary, and Wang and Kernehan 
(1979) reported collecting numerous young (16 mm 
and larger) on mud and mixed mud and sand sub- 
strates in the thermal plume of the Indian River 
Power Plant, with most specimens collected in fall, 
and winter samples. More recent information for the 
Delaware Bay region (Michels 5 ; Michels 6 ) indicates that 
a small number of S. plagiusa are taken each year dur- 
ing trawling studies (usually <1% of total number of 
fishes trawled), but the species is uncommon there. 
Farther south, Schwartz (1961; 1964) did not list 
this species among fishes recorded from seaside bays 
of southern Delaware, Maryland, and northern Vir- 
ginia. Cowan and Birdsong (1985) collected only a 
single specimen in Wachapreague Inlet, Virginia, 
during the course of a one-year study, and Hildebrand 
and Schroeder (1928) also considered this species to 
be rare in waters north of Cape Hatteras. Undoubt- 
edly, the relatively small size of <S. plagiusa and its 
inaccessibility to most commercial fishing gears used 
in Chesapeake Bay have accounted for this species 
seldomly being observed in historical commercial or 
recreational catches from this region, because more 
5 Michels, S. F. 1993. A: Coastal finfish assessment survey, April 1, 
1992-March 31, 1993, 18 p. B: Bottom trawl survey of juvenile 
fishes in the Delaware estuaries, 18 p. 1993 Annual Rep. for U.S. 
Fish Wild! Serv. Proj. F-42-R-4. Del. Div. Fish Wildl., Dover, DE. 
6 Michels, S. F. 1992. Division of Fish and Wildlife, Richardson/ 
Robbins Building, PO Box 1401, Dover, DE 19903. Personal 
commun. 
