138 
Fishery Bulletin 96(1 ), 1998 
Table 38 
Morphometries for neotype (ANSP 132030) and 14 non- 
type specimens of Symphurus plagusia. (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 
Neotype 
n 
Range 
Mean 
SD 
1. SL 
103.2 
14 
57.4-130.3 
98.8 
22.29 
2. BD 
304 
14 
278-319 
292.1 
13.05 
3. PDL 
30 
14 
23-50 
32.9 
6.87 
4. PAL 
222 
14 
166-244 
209.3 
18.60 
5. DBL 
970 
14 
950-977 
967.1 
6.87 
6. ABL 
776 
14 
758-802 
785.6 
15.38 
7. PL 
64 
14 
51-73 
63.6 
5.76 
8. PA 
48 
14 
38-60 
50.0 
7.00 
9. CFL 
98 
14 
88-111 
100.3 
7.13 
10. HL 
196 
14 
174-216 
189.6 
11.98 
11. HW 
239 
14 
218-256 
236.4 
13.25 
12. POL 
130 
14 
110-143 
125.9 
9.26 
13. UHL 
142 
14 
125-186 
160.1 
15.93 
14. LHL 
107 
14 
81-115 
96.8 
10.22 
15. POL 
663 
14 
630-714 
665.8 
25.18 
16. SNL 
228 
14 
205-250 
229.1 
15.62 
17. UJL 
213 
14 
200-250 
227.6 
14.99 
18. ED 
79 
14 
64-95 
81.9 
9.57 
19. CD 
213 
14 
222-374 
275.1 
40.32 
20. OPLL 
272 
14 
250-346 
296.9 
29.10 
21. OPUL 
223 
14 
169-272 
211.9 
27.24 
maxilla on ocular side usually with small, single, 
mostly incomplete row of slender teeth on margin 
anterior to vertical equal with anterior nostril. Chin 
depth slightly larger than snout length. Lower eye 
small, spherical; eyes slightly subequal in position 
with upper usually slightly in advance of lower eye. 
Anterior and medial surfaces of eyes not covered with 
scales; usually 1-2 small ctenoid scales in narrow 
interorbital region. Pupillary operculum absent. 
Dorsal-fin origin far forward (Fig. 3D), usually at 
vertical through anterior margin of upper eye, or with 
first and sometimes second dorsal-fin rays inserting 
anterior to vertical through anterior margin of up- 
per eye. Scales absent on blind sides of dorsal- and 
anal-fin rays. Pelvic-fin short; longest pelvic-fin ray 
reaching base of first, or occasionally second, anal- 
fin ray. Posteriormost pelvic-fin ray connected to body 
by delicate membrane terminating immediately an- 
terior to anus or occasionally extending posteriorly 
almost to anal-fin origin (membrane torn in many 
specimens). Caudal-fin length moderate. Scales large, 
ctenoid on both sides of body. 
sal and anal fins; mostly complete in anterior trunk 
region; on rest of body obvious only as vertical mark- 
ings at body margin along dorsal- and anal-fin bases. 
Blind side creamy white. Peritoneum unpigmented. 
Pigmentation of outer surface of ocular-side opercle 
usually same as that of body; occasionally with dusky 
blotch on upper opercular lobe due to pigment on 
inner lining of ocular-side opercle showing through 
to outer surface. Inner lining of opercle and isthmus 
on ocular side usually dusky; some specimens with 
dark brown pigmentation on inner opercular lining; 
inner opercle and isthmus on blind side usually un- 
pigmented or occasionally with small patch of 
pepper-dot pigmentation on ventral margin. Usually 
with slight pigment band on ocular-side upper lip 
and diffuse pattern of melanophores on lower lip. 
Dorsal and anal fins dusky throughout their 
lengths; fin rays streaked with pigment darker brown 
than that of connecting membrane, thereby clearly 
outlining each fin ray; sometimes with alternating 
series of darker pigmented rays (usually 2-3 in suc- 
cession) separated by about 4-5 successive, lighter 
pigmented rays. Basal half (scale-covered) of caudal 
fin dark brown; fin rays in distal one-half of caudal 
fin streaked with darker pigment than connecting 
membrane. 
Size and sexual maturity (Fig. 8GJ Symphurus 
plagusia is a medium-size species attaining sizes of 
about 130 mm. Males and females attain similar 
sizes. The largest of five males examined in this study 
was 130 mm; the largest of 24 females was only 
slightly smaller (127 mm). Sexual maturity occurs 
at a relatively large size in this species. All females 
larger than 80 mm were mature. All but two females 
smaller than 80 mm were immature with gonads 
undergoing elongation without ripening ova or with 
ovaries barely elongating. 
Geographic distribution (Fig. 61 J Widely distrib- 
uted in shallow waters of the tropical western At- 
lantic. In the northern portion of its range, this spe- 
cies occurs in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Hispaniola but 
is unknown from the Bahamas (Bdhlke and Chaplin, 
1968). Along the continental margin of Central 
America, S. plagusia has been collected at Belize, 
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, whereas far- 
ther south it ranges along the Atlantic coast of Co- 
lombia, and coastal regions of Guyana, Suriname, 
Tobago, and Brazil as far south as Rio de Janeiro. 
Pigmentation (Fig. 60J Body coloration similar for Bathymetric distribution Symphurus plagusia is a 
both sexes. Ocular surface usually uniformly light shallow-water species (1-51 m) most commonly in- 
brown or yellowish, occasionally with 8-14, narrow, habiting mud substrates between the shoreline and 
faint crossbands. Crossbands not continued onto dor- 10 m (Table 10), where 21/26 (81%) of specimens ex- 
