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Fishery Bulletin 111(2) 
In preservative (Fig. 5D) Trunk dark orange-tan to 
brown dorsally, paler ventrally; dark markings in small 
specimens faded; lines on trunk faded or no longer vis- 
ible; dark pigmentation on jaw and adipose fin visible; 
dark caudal-fin pigmentation less distinct in larger 
specimens (>280 mm SL). 
Distribution 
The holotype and paratype of S. bondi were collected 
off Kingston, Jamaica. Additional specimens of S. bondi, 
previously identified as S. foetens, are known from Ja- 
maica, Haiti, Belize, Honduras, Panama, Trinidad and 
Tobago, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Venezuela. 
On the basis of the material examined, the distribution 
of this species is concentrated in the southern portions 
of the Caribbean (Fig. 6). No specimens currently are 
known from the United States, Mexico, Bahamas, or 
Bermuda. 
Comparisons of Synodus foetens, S. bondi, and congeners 
Synodus bondi was synonymized with S. foetens under 
the reasoning that “comparison of the type and para- 
type with specimens of S. foetens removes all doubt 
that S. bondi is identical to S. foetens ” (Anderson et al., 
1966: 73). The S. foetens discussed by Anderson et a!. 
(1966) is undoubtedly the lineage we have identified 
as S. foetens because a majority of the specimens they 
examined possess 12-13 anal-fin rays and are from 
the United States and northern Caribbean. Anderson 
et al. (1966) noted that the apparent differences in 
counts between S. foetens and S. bondi for lateral-line 
scales and scale rows above the lateral line recorded 
by Fowler (1939) are incorrect. Their re-examination 
of the paratype of S. bondi revealed the presence of 
60 (as opposed to Fowler’s 54) lateral-line scales and 
5 (instead of Fowler’s 6) rows of scales above the lat- 
eral line. However, those counts were non-diagnostic in 
Fowler’s species description, and additional reasoning 
for the synonymy was not provided. 
Synodus bondi is, in fact, morphologically distinct 
from S. foetens. The snout of S. bondi ends in a sharper 
point than does the snout of S. foetens (Fig. 5) and 
is significantly longer (mean 29.0% HL in S. bondi, 
compared with 27.1% HL in S. foetens ). The anterior- 
nostril flap in S. bondi, on average, is slightly longer 
than that flap in S. foetens (3.4% and 3.0% HL, re- 
spectively); however, the flap in S. bondi is narrow 
and tapers to a filament distally but in S. foetens is 
broad and triangular (Fig. 2, C and D). The upper jaw 
is longer in S. bondi than in S. foetens, 58.0-70.0% 
HL (63.0%) versus 55.0-65.2% HL (61.1%). The adi- 
pose lids surrounding the dorsal and ventral margins 
of the orbit are wider in S. bondi (mean 4.8% HL) than 
in S. foetens (mean 3.5% HL), making the orbit look 
superficially smaller in S. bondi. Synodus bondi usu- 
ally possesses fewer anal-fin rays than does S. foetens 
(10-12, usually 10 or 11, versus 12 or 13); as a result, 
the dorsal-fin base is usually longer than the anal-fin 
base in S. bondi (the opposite is true in S. foetens). In 
addition, the configuration of caudal-fin rays in S. bon- 
di is consistently 12+10+9+11 in specimens examined, 
but it is more variable in S. foetens and other Syno- 
dus species. Finally, although the geographic ranges of 
these 2 species overlap in a swath across the central 
Caribbean, S. bondi otherwise has a more southern 
Caribbean distribution relative to S. foetens, which oc- 
curs northward to New York (Fig. 6). 
Synodus bondi and S. foetens are distinguished from 
S. synodus by having a sharply pointed snout, pectoral 
fins that do not extend beyond the base of the pelvic 
fins, higher numbers of predorsal scales (20-30 versus 
15-18), and no dark spot on the upper jaw. Synodus 
bondi and S. foetens differ from S. saurus by having 5 
or 6 complete scale rows above the lateral line versus 
3 and a snout that is longer than the diameter of the 
orbit. Finally, S. bondi and S. foetens are differentiated 
from S. poeyi, S. intermedius, and S. macrostigmus by 
having more than 55 lateral-line scales. 
In the original description of S. bondi, Fowler (1939) 
noted that the type specimens have dark pigment on 
the isthmus and posterior margins of the branchioste- 
gals. We did not observe this pigment in the ANSP 
types or additional material, but it may have faded 
in preservative. We have not examined fresh material 
beyond photographs. 
Remarks 
Although numerous synonyms exist for Synodus foe- 
tens, S. bondi is the only name that can be defini- 
tively associated with the additional genetic lineage 
of “S. foetens ” in our material. Two nominal species, 
Osmerus albidus (Lacepede, 1803) and Coregonus 
ruber (Lacepede, 1803), were described only in brief 
paragraphs and lack known type material. The only 
diagnostic feature given in the original description 
for C. ruber is that it has a rounded snout. Based on 
the snout shape and lack of information of type ma- 
terial, neither name is applicable to specimens rec- 
ognized herein as S. bondi. Mitchill (1815) described 
Esox salmoneus from New York without designating 
any type material. On the basis of the type locality, 
it is clear that this name also is not applicable to our 
S. bondi material. Cuvier (1829) described Saurus 
mexicanus from small, transparent specimens from 
the Gulf of Mexico without designating type materi- 
al. These specimens were most likely larvae or small 
juveniles, but there is not enough detail in the origi- 
nal description to identify them to species. Agassiz 
(in Spix and Agassiz 1829) briefly described Saurus 
longirostris on the basis of 2 specimens from Brazil 
(deposited at ZSM) that have a short anal fin that 
comprises 12 rays and a very pointed snout. Kottelat 
(1988) was unable to find the type material of Saurus 
longirostris at ZSM or MHNN, and their whereabouts 
