Symphurus pelicanus
Longtail Tonguefish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Pleuronectfiormes (Flatfishes)
Cynoglossidae (Tonguefishes)
Symphurus
Symphurus pelicanus (Longtail Tonguefish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
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Characters
12 caudal fin rays, ocular side uniformly pigmented, no pupillary operculum. Anterior naris on ocular side terminates as a short tube that fails to reach anterior margin of lower eye. Posterior margin of maxilla extends to midpoint of lower eye. Lower jaw on ocular side lacks a fleshy ridge near posterior margin. Jaw teeth are well developed on blind side but are limited to a single row along jaws of ocular side. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 21.1%–25.4%, head width 21%–25.9%, body depth 23.5%–31.5%; and as percent of head length: snout length 13.6%–22.6%, upper jaw length 19.3%–25%, eye diameter 9.3%–15.8%. Dorsal fin originates between midlength and posterior margin of upper eye and has 77 to 85 (usually 80 to 83) rays. Pelvic fin is long, and posteriormost ray is connected to body or anal fin by a membrane. Anal fin has 64 to 70 rays. Caudal fin is long. Both sides of body and head are covered with large ctenoid scales. Scales are absent on blind side of dorsal and anal fins. Scales in longitudinal series range from 62 to 70. Small scales also occur on snout. Dermal papillae are well developed on both sides of snout. Vertebrae number 43 to 46.
Ocular side is light brown or yellowish, with irregularly arranged dusky markings and spots. Occasionally lightly shaded marks or streaks occur on body. Inner surfaces of opercular cavity and isthmus are unpigmented or lightly pigmented. Dorsal and anal fins are pigmented like body. Blind side is lightly pigmented, with melanophores most concentrated along bases of dorsal and anal fins. Peritoneum is black.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from the Florida Straits to Guyana, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Lesser Antilles.
In the Gulf of Mexico it has been captured from Louisiana to southern Texas and the Gulf of Campeche.
Habitat Associations
Between 24 and 133 m depth
Biology
Maximum known size is 69 mm SL
Inhabits bays and shallow coastal waters (Ref. 7251); mainly on silt and soft mud substrates (Ref. 26268). Little is known of its ecology (Ref. 26268).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-08-20. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Ginsburg 1951
Hildebrand 1954
Topp and Hoff 1972
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Boschung 1992
Munroe 1992
Munroe 1998
Munroe 2002f
Smith 1997
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Munroe, T.A. (1998) Systematics and ecology of tonguefishes of the genus Symphurus (Cynoglossidae: Pleuronectiformes) from the western Atlantic Ocean. Fish. Bull. 96(1):1-182.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
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