126 
Fishery Bulletin 96( 1 ), 1 998 
Alvarez-Guillen et al., 1985:132 (Carmen Inlet, 
Terminos Lagoon, Mexico; occurrence). Yanez- 
Arancibia et al., 1985:155 (cyclic visitor, Carmen 
Inlet, Terminos Lagoon, Mexico). Yanez-Arancibia 
and Sanchez-Gil, 1986:128 (captures, southern 
Gulf of Mexico; review of biology). Warlen and 
Burke, 1990:455 (uncommon occurrence in fall and 
winter samples, Newport River estuary, North 
Carolina). Hettler and Barker, 1993:168 (North 
Carolina; seasonal distribution and abundance of 
larvae at barrier island inlets). 
Symphurus civitatium. Munroe, 1991:263 (Cape 
Hatteras, North Carolina, to Yucatan Peninsula, 
Mexico; emendation of trivial name; redescription; 
diagnosis; synonymy; counts, measurements, pho- 
tograph; in key; bathymetric distribution; size and 
sexual maturity). Munroe, 1992:371, 382 (ID pat- 
tern; geographic, bathymetric distributions). Allen 
and Baltz, 1997:91 (Barataria Bay, Louisiana; sea- 
sonal distribution and abundance). 
Diagnosis Symphurus civitatium is identified by 
the combination of predominant 1-4-3 ID pattern; 12 
caudal-fin rays; 4 hypurals; 86-93 dorsal-fin rays; 
70-78 anal-fin rays; 46-50, usually 47-49, total ver- 
tebrae; 66-83, usually 74-82, scales in longitudinal 
series; unpigmented peritoneum; absence of pupil- 
lary operculum; relatively small eye (70-110 HL, 
ic =88); fleshy ridge on ocular-side lower jaw; rela- 
tively short jaws usually extending posteriorly to 
vertical through middle of pupil of lower eye, or some- 
times extending to vertical through posterior mar- 
gin of pupil of lower eye; only anterior regions of ocu- 
lar-side dentary and premaxilla with teeth along mar- 
gins (premaxilla on ocular side occasionally lacking 
teeth); dorsal-fin origin usually situated at vertical 
anterior to front margin of upper eye, or occasionally 
only reaching vertical through anterior margin of pu- 
pil of upper eye; scales usually absent on blind sides of 
dorsal- and anal-fin rays (occasionally with 1-3 small 
scales at bases of fin rays, but without scales distally 
on fin rays); ocular surface pigmentation usually light 
to dark brown, occasionally with 6—14, narrow, dark 
brown crossbands, but without caudal blotch; outer 
surface of ocular-side opercle without black blotch, pig- 
mentation usually same as on body (some specimens 
with dusky blotch on upper opercular lobe as conse- 
quence of pigment on inner lining of ocular-side opercle 
showing through to outer surface); inner lining of ocu- 
lar-side opercle and isthmus usually heavily pigmented, 
that of blind side usually unpigmented; blind side with- 
out pepper-dot pigmentation; dorsal and anal fins con- 
siderably darker posteriorly, without spots and with- 
out alternating series of pigmented blotches and un- 
pigmented areas; caudal fin without spots or blotches. 
Description A relatively large species reaching 
maximum lengths of ca. 152 mm SL. ID pattern usu- 
ally 1-4-3 (128/171 specimens), less frequently 1-4-2 
(19/171), or 1-5-2 (7/171) (Table 2). Caudal-fin rays 
usually 12 (164/172), infrequently 11 (Table 3). Dor- 
sal-fin rays 86-93 (Table 4). Anal-fin rays 70-78 
(Table 5). Total vertebrae 46-50, usually 47-49 (171/ 
175) (Table 6). Hypurals 4 (171/171). Longitudinal 
scale rows 66-83, usually 74-82 (Table 7). Scale rows 
on head posterior to lower orbit 16-20, usually 17- 
19 (Table 8). Transverse scales 26-39, usually 31-38 
(Table 9). 
Proportions of morphometric features presented in 
Table 35. Body relatively deep; with greatest depth 
in anterior one-third; body depth tapering gradually 
posterior to midpoint. Preanal length shorter than 
body depth. Head wide, width somewhat less than 
body depth. Head length shorter than head width 
(HW:HL 1.0-1. 5, x =1.2). Lower head lobe width less 
than postorbital length; considerably narrower than 
upper head lobe. Ocular-side lower opercular lobe 
considerably wider than upper opercular lobe on ocu- 
lar side. Snout short; somewhat square (Fig. 56); cov- 
ered with small ctenoid scales. Dermal papillae well 
developed on snout and chin regions of blind side of 
body. Anterior nostril on ocular side, when depressed 
Table 35 
Morphometries for holotype (USNM 155227) and 29 addi- 
tional specimens of Symphurus civitatium. (Abbreviations 
defined in methods section; SL is expressed in mm; char- 
acters 2 to 14 are expressed in thousandths of SL; 15 to 21 
in thousandths of HL; n = no. of specimens measured.) 
Character 
Holotype 
n 
Range 
Mean 
SD 
1. SL 
110.3 
30 
48.8-149.3 
108.6 
24.96 
2. BD 
304 
30 
247-328 
306.9 
16.42 
3. PDL 
43 
29 
22-46 
34.5 
6.78 
4. PAL 
210 
30 
147-238 
202.4 
19.75 
5. DBL 
957 
30 
925-982 
963.0 
13.22 
6. ABL 
787 
30 
745-891 
797.9 
31.36 
7. PL 
68 
30 
49-85 
63.0 
8.83 
8. PA 
39 
26 
33-74 
44.7 
10.23 
9. CFL 
124 
29 
87-124 
108.6 
9.32 
10. HL 
200 
30 
170-219 
191.3 
11.55 
11. HW 
240 
30 
212-271 
238.3 
14.42 
12. POL 
134 
30 
117-187 
134.3 
13.64 
13. UHL 
159 
30 
139-184 
158.9 
11.60 
14. LHL 
103 
30 
87-118 
103.9 
6.86 
15. POL 
670 
30 
645-740 
692.0 
27.45 
16. SNL 
204 
30 
169-231 
206.4 
13.84 
17. UJL 
272 
30 
181-289 
227.7 
24.14 
18. ED 
81 
30 
70-110 
87.8 
10.26 
19. CD 
308 
29 
225-331 
267.9 
30.55 
20. OPLL 
371 
29 
253-388 
321.3 
34.80 
21. OPUL 
217 
29 
178-329 
230.0 
34.86 
