56 
Fred C. Rohde et al. 
May 1984; UF 41246 (1, 113 mm SL), 28°29.8'N, 79°50.1'W in 366 
m, 31 May 1984. 
In addition to the above S. spinosus from Silver Bay station 
1283, Bullis and Thompson (1965) listed eight other collections (not 
cited previously) of this species between South Carolina and Cape 
Canaveral, Florida (82-366 m). Wenner et al. (1979fr, c; 1980) also 
listed several collections of S. spinosus from northern Florida to South 
Carolina (128-338 m). The keelcheek bass seems to be common on 
the outer continental shelf and upper slope from North Carolina through 
the Gulf of Mexico and western Caribbean. Many previous records 
were probably confused with the co-occurring congener S. bellus (Goode 
and Bean). Both species are often collected together, and the most 
obvious differences between them are the serrations on the anterior 
edges of the pelvic spines and the second spines of the first dorsal 
and anal fins of S. spinosus. The genus Synagrops has been variously 
placed in the families Apogonidae (Cheilodipteridae) and Percichthyidae 
(Fraser 1972), but is currently placed in the “oceanic percichthyids,” 
family Acropomatidae (Johnson 1984). 
Serranidae 
Centropristis fuscula (Poey 1861) 
Four individuals (UF 44997, 50 mm SL, 68 mm SL, 107 mm 
SL gravid female, 117 mm SL gravid female) of the rare twospot 
sea bass were taken in a single trawl catch at 33°16'N, 77°13AV (Delaware 
II 82-04, station 153) at a depth of 97-126 m on 9 July 1982. This 
trawl appeared to have been pulled mostly over very rough bottom 
as evidenced by severe net damage and captures of reef organisms 
(e.g., soft corals). An additional specimen, the largest yet reported, 
(UF 100391, 168 mm SL gravid female) was captured by hook and 
line at 32°47"N, 78°11'W at a depth of 165 m on 15 July 1995. These 
five specimens significantly increase the total known specimens and 
extend the range northward. Previous records of C. fuscula were from 
Cuba (holotype MCZ 10015, 138 mm SL (Poey 1861); ANSP 94422, 
135 mm (Robins and Starck 1961)), Puerto Rico in 183 m (ANSP 
144592, 155 mm SL), Gulf of Mexico (1 specimen, G. D. Johnson, 
United States National Museum, personal communication), and South 
Carolina (2 collections, listed as Centropristis sp. by Wenner et al. 
(1979a)). The general rarity of specimens and the bottom type of 
our collection suggest that this species is a cryptic reef fish. 
Gonioplectrus hispanus (Cuvier 1828) 
The Spanish flag, usually considered a Caribbean insular species, 
