Frable et al Description of a new species of Synodus in the western Atlantic Ocean 
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Neotype 
USNM 405413, 205 mm SL, South Carolina, 
32°47'34.80'N, 79°39'46.80'W, 10 m, Sta. 20110526, 17 
October 2011, Coll: P. Webster. 
Neotype COI sequence 
GenBank sequence JX519368, USNM 405413 (neotype), 
DNA number SC 11001 
Additional material 
(DNA numbers for specimens that are vouchers are 
given in parentheses following catalog numbers). Ala- 
bama: USNM 398343 (FDA 170: JX5 19375), 1; USNM 
358612, 6; Georgia: UF 143583, 1; Florida: KU 29686 
(KUIT 3949: JX519400, KUIT 3950: JX519401), 2; UF 
177024, 1; UF 177327, 3; UF 177249, 1; USNM 160462, 
3; USNM 57123, 1; USNM 38710, 1; USNM 405452, 
15; USNM 405450 (SMS 7502: JQ842743), 1; USNM 
40545KFCC 8070: JQ841978), 1; Louisiana: UF 99242, 
2; USNM 185713, 2; Mississippi: UF 137002, 3; Mary- 
land: USNM 125789, 1; New Jersey: USNM 399108, 1; 
USNM 395747, 1; North Carolina: KU 27009 (KUIT 
1127: JX519409, KUIT 1128: JX519410), 2; UF 5239, 3; 
UF 77354, 2; UF 178337, 9; South Carolina: UF 44476, 
2; UF 39667, 1; UF 39650, 6; USNM 25998, 2; USNM 
405414 (SC11002: JX519369, SC11003: JX519370), 2; 
USNM 405475 (SC11004: JX519371), 1; USNM 405449, 
2; Texas: KU 30177 (KUIT 5069: JX519411), 1; UF 
54575, 10; Bahamas Islands: UF 200425, 1; Belize: 
BLZ 6429: JQ841024 (tissue only), 1; Bermuda: USNM 
337726, 3; Cuba: MCZ 6884, 1; USNM 331820, 1; Ja- 
maica: UF 123664, 1; St. Martin, Leeward Islands: UF 
205900, 1; Mexico: UF 125765, 1; UF 123640, 1; UF 
7108, 1; UF 123660, 1; Puerto Rico: UF 137023, 1. 
Diagnosis 
A species of Synodus distinguished from all congeners 
by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin 
rays 10-12, rarely 10; anal-fin rays 11-13, rarely 11; 
pectoral-fin rays 11-13; total caudal-fin rays 40-41; 
dorsal segmented caudal rays 9-10; ventral segmented 
caudal rays 9; dorsal procurrent caudal rays 11-12; 
ventral procurrent caudal rays 11; vertebrae 59-62; 
lateral-line scales 59-63, modally 60; predorsal scales 
20-30; scale rows above the lateral line to dorsal-fin 
base 5. 5-6. 5; HL 23.5-28.0% SL; snout long and trian- 
gular (length 6. 0-8. 3% SL, mean 6.8%, and 24.5-31.9% 
HL, mean 27.1%), tip slightly rounded; anterior-nostril 
flap broad and triangular, length 1.7-3. 9% HL (3.0%); 
orbit diameter 3. 3-5. 3% SL (3.9%) and 11.6-20.1% HL 
(15.6%); interorbital area wide (width 9.2-18.5% HL, 
mean 14.6%); adipose lid around orbit narrow (width 
1.9-5. 2% HL, mean 3.5%); dorsal-fin base 9.2-12.7% 
SL, mean 11.3%, equal in length to or shorter than 
anal-fin base (9.6-14.7% SL, mean 12.1%); posterior 
tip of pectoral fin not extending to pelvic-fin origin; 
color in preservation: trunk dark tan to brown dorsally, 
paler ventrally; 6-8 dark, vertical cross-shaped mark- 
ings along trunk in specimens <100 mm SL, crosses 
disappearing or becoming indistinct dark patches in 
larger specimens; dark pigment present along posterior 
margin of ventral portion of upper caudal-fin lobe and 
along entire posterior margin of lower lobe, sometimes 
extending onto main portion of ventral lobe; dorsal half 
of adipose fin dark; in life, adults olive to tan. 
Description 
Description based on 52 specimens, 58.7-380.0 mm SL. 
Counts and measurements of neotype given in Table 4. 
Frequency distribution of anal-fin rays given in Table 5. 
Dorsal-fin rays 10-12, rarely 10; anal-fin rays 11-13, 
rarely 11; total caudal-fin rays 40-41; dorsal segment- 
ed caudal rays 9-10; ventral segmented caudal rays 9; 
dorsal procurrent caudal rays 11-12; ventral procur- 
rent caudal rays 11; pectoral-fin rays 11-13, pelvic- 
fin rays 8; total vertebrae 59-62; predorsal vertebrae 
17-19; scales ctenoid; pored lateral-line scales 59-63, 
modally 60; median predorsal scales 20-30; scale rows 
above the lateral line to dorsal-fin base 5. 5-6. 5; scales 
below lateral line to anal-fin base 6.5. 
Body cylindrical and elongate; depth at pelvic-fin 
origin 7.5-14.2% SL (11.8%); depth at anal-fin origin 
6.2-10.5% SL (8.4%); caudal-peduncle depth 4. 5-5. 7% 
SL (5.1%); body width at dorsal-fin origin 8.7-14.2% SL 
(11.3%); HL 23.5-28.0%- SL (25.2%); snout length 6.0- 
8.3% SL (6.8%) and 24.5-31.9%. HL (27.1%), snout long 
and pointed, tip rounded in dorsal view; orbit diam- 
eter 3. 3-5. 3% SL ( 3.9 %) and 11.6-20. 1% HL (15.6%), 
orbit with bony ridge extending over anterodorsal mar- 
gin and with narrow adipose lid on its posterior edge, 
adipose lid width 0.5-1. 3% SL (0.9%) and 1.9-5. 2%. HL 
(3.5%); interorbital region wide, width 2. 3-5. 2% SL 
(3.7%) and 9.2-18.5% HL (14.6%). 
Predorsal length 41.2-48.7% SL (44.6%); prepelvic 
length 32.1-40.3% SL (37.1%); preanal length 71.9- 
80.1% SL (76.0%); preadipose length 77.3-86.1% SL 
(81.5%); dorsal-fin base 9.2-12.7%- SL (11.3%), longest 
dorsal-fin ray, usually third, 13.0-16.5%- SL (15.0%); 
anal-fin base 9.6-14.7% SL (12.1%), longest anal-fin 
ray, usually third, 6. 7-9. 9% SL (8.3%); pectoral-fin 
length 10.9-13.7% SL (12.0%); pelvic-fin length 17.7— 
22.6% SL (20.1%); caudal-peduncle length 8.8-14.0% 
SL (10.8%), caudal-fin length (only measured in 27 
specimens because many specimens had damaged cau- 
dal fins) 14.1-19.5% SL (17.1%), caudal lobes generally 
same length. 
Mouth terminal, upper jaw slightly oblique, form- 
ing a 10° angle with the horizontal body axis, upper 
jaw extending anterior to lower jaw; upper-jaw length 
13.3-17.2% SL (15.5%)) and 55.0-65.2%- HL (61.1%). 
Teeth needlelike; upper jaw with 2 rows of teeth, teeth 
in inner row longer than teeth in outer row; lower jaw 
with 3 rows of teeth, size of teeth increasing medially, 
