Symphurus urospilus
Spottail Tonguefish
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Pleuronectfiormes (Flatfishes)
Cynoglossidae (Tonguefishes)
Symphurus
Symphurus urospilus (Spottail 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.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Well-developed pupillary operculum, 11 caudal fin rays, 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 middle of lower eye, lower jaw on ocular side has a fleshy ridge near posterior margin, jaw teeth well developed on blind side but limited to an incomplete row along lower jaw on ocular side, head length 15.5%–21.3% SL, head width 22.4%–30.8% SL, body depth 28.5%–36.6% SL, snout length 13.8%–25.5% HL, upper jaw length 18.8%–26.1% HL, eye diameter 10.2%–17% HL, dorsal fin originates above anterior margin of upper eye with 82 to 90 rays, pelvic fin moderately long with posteriormost ray connected to body or anal fin by a membrane, anal fin has 64 to 74 rays, body and head covered with large ctenoid scales, scales absent on blind side of dorsal and anal fin rays, 67 to 82 scales in longitudinal series, small scales on snout, dermal papillae well developed on blind side of snout, vertebrae number 44 to 48
Ocular side dark brown with 4 to 11 dark brown bands on head and body, dorsal and anal fins dark brown, distal half of caudal fin with a round, dark ocellated spot surrounded by unpigmented area, blind side white, peritoneum unpigmented
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Cape Hatteras to southern Florida and the Florida Keys, including the Gulf of Mexico and Cuba
Occurs off Texas in the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Occurs between 5 and 324 m, usually shallower than 50 m
Biology
Maximum known size is 166 mm SL
Inhabits bays and shallow coastal waters.
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 1955
Springer and Bullis 1956
Bullis and Thompson 1965
Topp and Hoff 1972
Dennis and Bright 1988a
Boschung 1992
Munroe 1992
Munroe 1998
Munroe 2002f
Smith 1997
Hoese and Moore 1998
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 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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