Ophidion holbrookii Putnam, 1874

Rotundo, Matheus Marcos, Caires, Rodrigo Antunes, Oliveira, Claudio, Kuranaka, Mariana, Figueiredo-Filho, Jessé Miranda De & Marceniuk, Alexandre Pires, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Ophidion holbrookii Putnam, 1874 (Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae) species complex, with description of a new species from Brazil, Zootaxa 5318 (2), pp. 237-252 : 240-244

Ophidion holbrookii Putnam, 1874

Figs. 1–4 and Table 3

Ophidium holbrookii Putnam, 1874: 340 (original description; United States, Florida, Key West ; holotype unknown).

Ophidion holbrookii . — Jordan & Gilbert, 1883: 793 (fish synopsis; listed).— Rose 1961: 280–308 (anatomy of swim bladder and vertebrae; sexual dimorphism).— Cohen & Nielsen 1978: 16 (NOAA Technical Reports: listed).— Robins & Ray, 1986: 99 (Atlantic coast fishes; plate 16; short description).—Valdez & Aguillera, 1987: 62 (Fishes of Venezuela; short description and illustration; perla).–Gomez-Soto & Contreras—Balderas, 1988: 12 (fauna del laguna Madre de Tamaulipas, Mexico, first record; listed).– Smith, 1997: 361 (short description; distribution).— McEachran & Fechhelm, 1998: 748 (Fishes of Gulf of Mexico; description; drawing).— Castro-Aguirre et al. (1999): 164 (fishes of Mexico; listed).— Nielsen et al., 1999: 41 (FAO Fisheries Synopses; short description; illustration; senior synonymy of O. beani Jordan & Gilbert, 1883).— Leopold, 2004: 87 (Fishes of Guyana; brotule de banc; short description).— Nielsen & Robins, 2002: 972 (FAO Species Identification Guide, Living Marine Species of Western Central Atlantic; diagnosis; short description; drawing; senior synonymy of O. beani Jordan & Gilbert, 1883).— Lea & Robins, 2003: 7 (description of four new western Atlantic Ophidion species; comparison).—Garrido-Linares, & Acero. 2006: 297 ( Ophidiiformes of Colombian Caribbean; listed).— Caires et al. in Marceniuk et al., 2021: 198 (Fishes of Northern Brazilian coast; description; photograph).

Ophidium graellsi (not of Poey, 1861).— Jordan & Gilbert, 1882: 301 (fishes from Pensacola).— Jordan & Gilbert 1883: 953 (fish synopsis; listed).

Ophidium beani Jordan & Gilbert, 1883: 143 (original description; type locality, United States, Florida, off Pensacola; Syntypes: USNM 30868).— Jordan, 1885: 126 (Catalog of fishes on North America; listed).— Jordan & Evermann, 1898: 2487 (fishes of North and Middle America; description).

Ophidion sp. —Arai in Uyeno et al., 1983: 223 (Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana; description; photograph).— Lea & Robins, 2003: 7 (comment of Arai’s image; re-identified as O. holbrookii ).

Holotype: MCZ 34010 , formerly BSNH 1117 , (138 mm SL), Key West, Florida, U.S.A., 1872, coll. C.J. Maynard.

Non type specimens. United States: UF 124058 (1, 188.6 mm SL, female), 34°6’0.000” N / 77°46’12.000” W, North Carolina, 02 Sep. 1959, coll. R / V Silver Bay ; UF 28320 (1, 200.2 mm SL), 33°27’36.000” N / 78°6’36.000” W, North Carolina, 22 Jun. 1968, coll. J. Gillikin et al.; UF 180111 (1, 159.0 mm SL, female), 31°10’48.000” N / 81°20’60.000” W, Georgia, 30 May 1961, coll. F. Blossoms; UF 37849 (7, 269.3, 247.2, 243.4 mm SL, all male, 229.3, 222.9, 199.2, 205.6 mm SL, all female), 29°32’24.000” N / 87°39’36.000” W, Alabama, 30 Jun. 1983, coll. G. Burgess; CAS 216613 (4), 30°15’57.600” N / 81°15’0.000” W, Florida, 29 Oct. 1973, coll. R / V Dolphin; UF 37487 (1, 131 mm SL), 24°37’60.000” N / 82°28’0.000” W, Florida, 18 Apr 1980, coll. G. Burgess; UF 185151 (1, 207.4 mm SL, female), Gulf of Mexico, Florida , 29 Jan. 1963, no collection data. Mexico: UF 232191 (1, 246.4 mm SL, male), 22°15’36.000” N / 89°2’60.000” W, Yucatan, 13 Dec. 1952, coll. R / V Oregon. Puerto Rico: UF 221855 (1, 214.7 mm SL, male), 18°6’0.000” N / 67°22’48.000” W. Colombia: UF 221832 (9, 218.4 mm SL, male, 192.5, 193.8, 160.8, 171.5, 190.8 mm SL, all female, 186.7, 173.9, 177.3, unsexed), 11°57’36.000” N / 72°28’48.000” W. Guyana: UF 205082 (1, 191.5 mm SL, female), 7°39’36.000” N / 57°33’36.000” W, 31 Aug. 1958, coll. R / V Oregon. Suriname: UF 167743 (1, 198.8 mm SL, male), 6°57’36.000” N / 55°52’48.000” W, 26 Jun. 1972, coll. R / V Oregon II; UF 232193 (1, 205.1 mm SL, male), 6°55’48.000” N / 56°18’36.000” W, 29 Jan. 1974, coll. R / V Oregon II .

Diagnosis. Ophidion holbrookii is distinguished from its western Atlantic congeners as follows: from O. antipholus by the rear of skull not outlined in dark pigment ( Fig. 2 ) (vs. rear of skull broadly outlined in dark pigment), the absence of a dark streak along the lateral line ( Fig. 2 ) (vs. may have a dark streak along the lateral line); from O. dromio by having 59–66 vertebrae (vs. 67–69, Table 3 ); from O. grayi by the absence of irregular rows on body (vs. 2 irregular rows of dark brown spots, upper row from top of the body to lateral line, lower row from lateral line down, Fig. 2 ), the absence of dark brown spots on head and dorsal fin (vs. top of head and dorsal fin with scattered dark brown spots; from O. guianense by rocker bone present (vs. absent); 97–107 anal-fin rays, rarely 96 (vs. 91–96, Table 3 ), 4 rakers on lower gill arch (vs. 5–6, Table 3 ); from O. josephi by having 116–137 dorsal-fin rays (vs. 138–146, Table 3 ), 96–107 anal-fin rays (vs. 114–121, Table 2 ), without dark spots on body ( Fig. 2 ) (vs. 3 rows of dark spots along body); from O. lagochila by having 2 rudiments on upper gill arch (vs. 3), rear of top of the head not outlined in black ( Fig. 2 ) (vs. outlined in black), juvenile without a dark streak along the lateral line (vs. with a dark streak along the lateral line); from O. marginatum by having 116–137 dorsal-fin rays (vs. 147–158, Table 3 ), 96–107 anal-fin rays (vs. 118–124, Table 3 ), body and lateral line without dark stripes ( Fig. 2 ) (vs. with 2–3 dark stripes along its body and one at lateral line); from O. puck by having 59–66 vertebrae (vs. 70, Table 3 ), 13–16 preanal vertebrae (vs. 17–18, Table 3 ); from O. robinsi by lacking dark brown spots ( Fig. 2 ) (vs. with dark brown spots); from O. selenops by having 96–107 anal-fin rays (vs. 123–129, Table 3 ), the absence of a dark line along top of back before dorsal fin ( Fig. 2 ) (vs. with a dark line along top of back before dorsal fin); from O. zavalai n. sp. by caudal-fin length 2.9–7.7 (vs. 0.7–2.8, Table 3 ); and 11.7–15.3 of postorbital length (vs. 8.4–11.2, Table 3 ) in specimens less than 230 mm SL.

Description. Meristic and morphometric characters given in Table 3 . Body moderately compressed, elongate with tapering tail. Head moderately broad, not depressed, bones firm in touch. Scales elongate, not overlapping, present on flanks and belly, about 30 to 40 scales transversely across trunk above beginning of anal fin, about 150 to 170 scales in transversal rows from pectoral base to caudal fin base. Pectoral fin variably long and pointed, usually shorter than postorbital distance; pelvic-fin origin below orbit anterior margin, longest ray not reaching pectoral-fin base. Head without scales, except on predorsal region to supratemporal canal. Anterior nostril as small tube over upper lip, posterior nostril slender, oval, over horizontal imaginary line through mid-eye. Snout triangular, slightly shorter than eye diameter. Eye large, oval, slightly elongated, lens well developed. Upper jaw ends just below mid-eye to posterior margin of orbit, rear upper jaw border partially covered by infraorbital regions in young specimens, exposed in adults; 3–4 rows of villiform teeth on jaws, larger on outer series, 3–4 rows of villiform teeth on vomer, palatines long with 3 rows of villiform teeth. Opercular and nasal spines absent. Upper branch of first gill arch with 2 knob-like rakers, lower branch with 4–7 short rakers. Head canals: supraorbital 2, infraorbital 3, supratemporal 4, preopercle to lower jaw 5.

Rocker bone with sickle to semicircular, half-doughnut shape, dorsal profile semicircular, ventral profile with anterior arm triangular or with ventral margin slightly blunt, rear arm with ventral margin rounded to truncate or slightly indented. Concavity between arms gentle to semicircular, more so on largest specimens. Swim bladder carrot-like, pointed on rear portion, with two small, fringed anterior horns, sulcus present on ventral portion. Rocker bone abuts anterior portion of the bladder.

Color in preserved specimens. Tan to brownish on upper third and head, beige to light tan elsewhere, paler on belly, sometimes darker along lateral line and anal fin base; eye lens dark, cornea dusky, darker on upper margin. Pectoral fin dusky or yellow, pelvic fin dirty whitish or dusky, dorsal and anal fins dusky with slender black distal margins, sometimes with dark area following distal lines in caudal fin base. Young specimens lighter in color, with dark areas less evident. Specimens may be light tan due to preservation.

Morphological variation. No significant variation was found in the development of Ophidion holbrookii from 131 to 269 mm SL ( Table 3 ).

Sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism has been observed in the dorsal profile of the head in adult males and females of O. holbrookii . Males exhibit a straight, strongly inclined dorsal profile, whereas in females this profile is slightly rounded (see Fig. 2 ). Radiographs of examined specimens show variation for the rocker bone and parapophyses of anterior vertebrae described for males and females of O. zavalai n. sp. (see Zavala-Camin & Rotundo 2011), as described by Rose (1961) in specimens captured by shrimp trawlers in the Dry Tortugas west of Key West, Florida ( USA).

Distribution and habitat. Ophidion holbrookii is found in soft bottom associated coastal marine habitats. It can be found from the east coast of the United States to Suriname, including throughout Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea ( Fig. 4 ).

Remarks. Until recently, Catalog of Fishes stated that whereabouts of the holotype of O. holbrookii were unknown ( Fricke et al. 2022). The confusion regarding the status of holotype arose from the fact that Putnam deposited the type specimen in Boston Society of Natural History (catalog number 1117), but this collection was later merged to Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (MCZ), a condition confirmed by A. Wilkinson, MCZ. The catalog number of the holotype of O. holbrookii is MCZ 34010, and the type specimen is in good condition ( Fig. 2a ), although its swim bladder and rocker bone were extracted by Putnam and later included with the specimen.

Ophidion holbrookii has been diagnosed by being tan without markings, except for a dark edge to edge to the dorsal and anal fins, by the presence of the rocker bone, the form the gas bladder, 4 developed rakers on the lower gill arch and long pelvic rays, the longer of the two extending to a point under or nearly under the pectoral-fin base, however, some of the characters listed may apply to more than one species sensu Arai (1983) and Lea & Robins (2003). Additionally, Lea & Robins (2003) diagnosed O. holbrookii with dorsal profile from the tip of snout to tip of nape straight rather than convex, however, this trait shows sexual variation, common in adult males ( Fig. 2 ). The synonymy of Ophidion holbrookii and Ophidion beani Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 is supported by the shape of a long gas bladder ( Lea & Robins 2003).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Best maximum likelihood tree of aligned COI sequences with node labels representing bootstrap support values after 1000 pseudoreplicates.

FIGURE 2. Lateral view of Ophidion holbrookii. A. Holotype, MCZ 34010, 138 mm SL, Key West, Florida, U.S.A. B. UF 232191, male, 246.4 mm SL, Yucatan, México. C. UF 185151, female, 207.4 mm SL, Florida, USA.

FIGURE 3. Meristic and morphometric indices (percentages of standard length, y-axis) and standard length (x-axis) of Ophidion holbrookii (red, circle with black dot = male, square with white dot = female, diamond = unsexed) and O. zavalai n. sp. (yellow, circle with black dot = male, square with white dot = female, diamond = unsexed). A. Gill rakers on lower limb. B. Pectoral-fin rays. C. Caudal-fin length. D. Pectoral-fin length. E. Postorbital length. F. Outer pelvic ray length. G. Internal pelvic ray length. H. Body height at dorsal origin. I. Body height at anal origin.

FIGURE 4. Sampling localities of Ophidion holbrookii (red) and Ophidion zavalai (yellow), based on material examined in the present study. Some symbols represent more than one locality or a large number of specimens.