Synodus poeyi Jordan 1887

Synodus poeyi Jordan, 1887.

Offshore Lizardfish (English), Lagarto-do-Fundo (Brazilian Portuguese). (FIG 3)

Material examined: Synodus poeyi: MZUSP 95441 (1 ex.: 72.7 mm SL), Brazil, 14o49´12”S and 39 o 0 0´14 ”W, Bahia, Ilhéus, Projeto AFAPESCA, ponto 0 2, collectors L.E. M orais, R.M. Romero & R. O'Reilly Vasques, depth 16 m, February 2004. MZUSP 95442 (1 ex.: 58.9 mm SL), Brazil, 14o49´01”S and 39o00´14”W, Bahia, Ilhéus, Projeto AFAPESCA, ponto 0 1, collectors L.E. Morais, R.M. Romero & R. O'Reilly Vasques, depth 16 m, January 2005.

Synodus foetens: MZUSP 896 (1 ex.: 155.2 mm SL), Brazil, São Paulo, Santos, Largo do Canéu, collector Luederwaldt, June 1914; MZUSP 90800 (2 ex: 120.0– 135.3 mm SL), Brazil, 20o47´59”S and 40o35’00”W, Espírito Santo, Anchieta, collectors C. Moreira & L. Souza, 11 April 2006; MNHN 1975-117 (1 ex.: 86,2 mm SL), Brazil, station 122, 23o26´S, 44o36´W, 36 m, rubble bottom, previously identified by Roux (1973) as Synodus saurus.

Synodus intermedius: MZUSP 43484 (1 ex.: 171.2 mm SL), Brazil, São Paulo, Laje de Santos island, collector R.L. Moura, depth 18 m, 25 August 1991. MZUSP 60547 (2 ex.: 62.7–155.8 mm SL), Brazil, Bahia, 17o57´50”S and 38o42’00”W Abrolhos Arquipelago, Santa Barbara island, collectors Moura, Francini-Filho, Flesch, Leite & Sazima, depth 7 m, 19 March 1999.

Synodus synodus: MZUSP 66784 (1 ex.: 89.9 mm SL), Brazil, 22o52´S and 41o56´W, Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, collector Moura, Francini-Filho, Flesh et al. March 2000. MZUSP 75284 (1 ex.: 58.5 mm SL), Brazil, Bahia, Itaparica island, collector A. Carvalho-Filho, October 1984 1977.

Trachinocephalus myops: MZUSP 17796 (1 ex.: 101.5 mm SL), Brazil, 19o28´S and 39o35´W, N. Oc. Prof. W. Besnard, 15 m, 11 August 1969. MZUSP 75285 (1 ex.: 192.2 mm SL), Brazil, São Paulo, Guarujá, collector A. Carvalho-Filho, January 1979.

Examining the Synodontidae specimens deposited at the MZUSP collection, we found a Synodus species yet to be properly reported from Brazilian waters, S. poeyi. Despite already reported from Brazil by several authors (Uyeno & Aizawa, 1983; Eskinazi & Lima, 1968; Roux, 1973; Carvalho-Filho, 1999; and Costa et al., 2007), only Moraes et al. (2009) records this species based on voucher specimens.

Diagnostic characters: Based on the examined specimens and literature data (Poey, 1883 - as S. intermedius; Jordan & Evermann, 1896; Anderson et al. 1966; Walls, 1975; Uyeno & Aizawa, 1983; Cervigón, 1991; McEachran & Fechhelm, 1998; Carvalho-Filho, 1999; Russell, 2002; Ditty et al., 2006). (Table 3.A–B).

Body cylindrical, moderately elongate and slender; head depressed, the top only slightly rugose; snout wide, sub-conical and moderately acute, shorter than eye in individuals to about 100 mm SL and equal to larger in adults; interorbital space moderately concave; lower jaw extends beyond upper jaw and its tip has a fleshy knob, more prominent in adults; dorsal fin origin anterior to mid-body, with 10–12 rays, the tips of the anterior, when depressed, extend to or usually beyond tips of some succeeding rays; anal fin with 9–12 rays, its base shorter than dorsal fin base; pelvic fin has 8 rays, the 6th,7th or even 8th inner rays the longest; pectoral fin with 10–12 rays and extends beyond pelvic fin origin; scales large, the lateral line with 43–48, not enlarged but slightly keeled on caudal peduncle; pre-dorsal scales, 13–16; 3 rows of complete scales between lateral line and origin do dorsal fin; enlarged axillary scales on pectoral and pelvic fins bases; large supraorbital scale, smooth. The color on head and body above lateral line is greenish or grayish brown, with several longitudinal yellowish lines; white to yellowish or flesh-colored (mainly on chest) below the lateral line; about eight obscure dark, diamond-shaped blotches, on sides along lateral line, not reaching the dorsum and more conspicuous in the young; fins pale to dusky; no black patch on shoulder girdle under opercle; adipose fin and fleshy knob on tip of lower jaw are darkened to almost black, more conspicuous in large specimens; iris reddish; post-larvae up to 30 mm with 6 large ovoid peritoneal spots along gut about equal to eye diameter, the last two more closely spaced than others. A small species of Synodus, its maximum known size is about 200 mm SL.

TABLE 3 A. Synodus poeyi. Meristic data of selected papers.

Head Length 22.1–28.3 26.8–27.1 27.7–28.6 Snout Length 2.6–6.5 6.3–6.9 5.9–6.6

Eye horizontal diameter 5.0–12.4 6.6–8.1 7.0–7.4

Interorbital 3.4–5.1 No data 4.8–5.3

Body depth (pelvic fin or.) 8.8–18.5 13.6–15.4 11.0–13.2 Predorsal length 37.1–43.0 No data 43.3–43.8 Preanal length 71.4–77.4 No data 74.0–75.2 Pectoral fin longest ray 11.5–15.8 13.0–14.1 12.5–12.9 Ventral fin longest ray 14.2–20.4 18.3–21.1 20.1–22.2 Anal fin base 8.3–13.0 No data 11.0–11.7 Dorsal fin base 13.2–16.6 No data 13.8–14.9 Range: Western Atlantic, from North Carolina, USA to Bahia, Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (McEachran & Fechhelm, 1998; Carvalho-Filho, 1999; Russell, 2002; Costa et al., 2007, Moraes et al., 2009)

Proposed Brazilian name: “Lagarto do fundo” meaning “lizardfish from offshore”.

Depth of occurrence: Both examined specimens were collected at 16 m depth, the shallowest depth ever reported for the species. They were also collected relatively close to shore, an uncommon occurrence for this mainly offshore fish. The range of depth from literature is between 27 and 315 m (Russell, 2002; Froese & Pauly, 2008). Apparently replaces the common Synodus foetens in waters up to 50 m deep.

Behavior: The examined specimens were collected from sandy bottoms. Eskinazi & Lima (1968) reported the collection of four specimens between 45 and 69 m deep and from sandy, rubble and calcareous algae bottoms; Cervigón (1991) included muddy bottoms for adults and surface reef waters for postlarvae. Nothing is yet known about its diet and reproduction, but mature females were collected from Venezuela in February (Cervigón, 1991).