Tomicodon reitzae Briggs 2001

Four pairs of trifid incisors in each jaw; very small canines; anus markedly closer to rear margin of disc than to origin of anal fin; disc measuring 5.0 in SL; margin of anterior nostril without dermal flap; externally visible anal fin rays 5; caudal rays 8 (Ref. 45765).

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 9; Analspines: 0; Analsoft rays: 7 - 10; Vertebrae: 34 - 38

Collected from the shallow surge zone (Ref. 50106). Feeds on small crustaceans (Ref. 50106).

Tomicodon reitzae Briggs, 2001

Tomicodon reitzi Briggs, 2001:745 [lapsus calami: see “Etymology;” type locality: corrected herein to Caribbean coast of Colombia, Isla Grande; holotype, USNM 363264].

DESCRIPTION (Table 1).—Dorsal-fin rays 7–9 (mode 8). Anal-fin rays 7–10 (mode 8). Pectoral-fin rays 19–23 (mode shifts from 22 in north to 20 in south). Caudal-fin segmented rays 10–12 (mode 11). Vertebrae 13–5+20–23=34–38 (mode 14+22=36); last rib on vertebra 13–16 (mode 15); last epineural on vertebra 21–28 (bi-modal at 23 and 24). Anal fin originating at vertical from base of dorsal-fin ray 1–4 (mode 2). Upper jaw with 2–4 canines (mode 2), 8 or 10 incisors. Lower jaw with 2–6 canines (mode 4), 6–9 incisors. Anterior margin of pelvic disk crenulate, with prominent flaps. Based upon two specimens, pelvic disk region A with 5–7 irregular rows of papillae; region B with 6 or 7 irregular rows. Anus usually near disk, sometimes midway. Anterior nostril usually with tiny dermal flap, often absent on one or both sides.

Body elongate (especially in caudal peduncle region), rounded in cross section. Head length 21.6%–35.5% SL (x = 25.9%). Head width 15.7%–21.2% SL (x = 19.0%). Pelvic disk small, length 18.5%–25.8% SL (x = 21.6%). Longest known specimen 35.0 mm SL.

Mature females with large, cigar-shaped ovaries extending most of length of body cavity. In three specimens (USNM 37414, 192160, 365846) with well-developed ovaries, right ovary with about 40–50+ eggs. Largest egg about 0.5 mm in diameter in two specimens of 27.0 and 31.1 mm SL (USNM 192160 and 365846, respectively), other specimens with egg diameters as follows: 32.0 mm SL (USNM 37414) with eggs of 0.4 mm, 24.6 mm SL (USNM 360611) with eggs of 0.3 mm, and 26.6 mm SL (USNM 319753) with eggs of 0.2 mm. Genital papilla of females short and conical with somewhat pointed tip; male papilla a slender, elongate tube.

ECOLOGICAL HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION.—Specimens examined ranged from 9.3 to 35.0 mm SL and were collected from depths of 0–3 m (field data records for some stations show a wide range of depths, such as 0–22 m for NAV 99–17, but all Tomicodon specimens were taken from the shallow surge zone in depths of 3 m or less). The known distribution of T. reitzae ranges from the Bahamas, throughout the Greater and Lesser Antilles to the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia and Isla de Providencia off the coast of Colombia. At Navassa Island, specimens were taken from porous, eroded rock and rubble in shallow, high-energy surge zones at the submerged bases of rocky cliffs. Small crustaceans were found in the gut of a 33.6 mm SL specimen.

PRESERVED COLOR PATTERN (Figure 10A).—Pigmentation is relatively well retained, but some subtleties of the pattern disappear after preservation.

Males: Head and body with dark brown bars on tan background. Head with six broad, dark bars radiating from eye: anteriormost bar radiating from eye to middle of upper lip, extending anteriorly and meeting similar bar from other side; bar beneath middle of eye bifurcating into anteriorly and posteriorly directed portions; remaining bars extending posteroventrally from eye to just below ventrolateral curvature of head; posterodorsalmost bar extending from eye to border of opercle. Underside of head pale, with dark brown spots on each side of lower lip, these being anterior extensions of anterior branch of bar beneath eye, posteriormost spots sometimes joining to form band across isthmus. About six squarish dark saddles along dorsal profile: anteriormost saddle on top of head, posteriormost saddle on top of caudal peduncle. Body laterally bearing approximately 8–13 dark bars separated by narrow pale interspaces, often restricted to ventral half of body; anteriormost bar behind pectoral-fin base, posteriormost bar on caudal peduncle. Dark lateral bars on body from anus to caudal-fin base reaching ventral midline; anterior bars not reaching ventral midline. Belly pale, with scattered melanophores usually present just anterior to anus. Dorsal fin with dark blotch covering basal one-half of fin; distal one-half of fin with melanophores extending along shaft of each ray, interradial membranes pale. Anal fin pale. Caudal fin with broad, dark basal bar, with melanophores joining midlaterally with last caudal peduncle bar, forming intervening pale dorsal and ventral saddles; large, rounded dark spot present or absent in about middle of fin. Pelvic disk either pale or with dark blotch on dorsal surface of anterior pelvic rays. Pectoral-fin base typically with large dark blotch covering most or all of surface and extending posteriorly about one-half length of pectoral rays; posterior margin of blotch irregularly indented with pale intrusions; ventralmost intrusion sometimes completely dividing blotch into large dorsal and smaller ventral portions, and sometimes forming pale spot within posteroventral field of dark blotch.

Females: Similar to males except lateral bars irregular, forming mottled pattern along sides of body; highly variable pigmentation on ventral surface of body: pigmentation varying among (1) pale, (2) slightly pigmented posteriorly from origin of anal fin, or (3) heavily pigmented from distal border of pelvic disk to caudal-fin base. One female with two parallel, longitudinally elongate clusters of melanophores in region C of pelvic disk.

FRESH COLORATION.—The following description is based upon a 35 mm Kodachrome photograph (presented in black and white in Figure 10B, lateral view) of a female specimen, 31.1 mm SL, from Navassa Island. Variations in the dorsal banding pattern are illustrated in Figure 10B,C.

Pale areas on sides of head and lips yellowish; iris yellowish with purplish area below pupil; background color of head pinkish tan with tiny bluish white speckling; underside of head with purplish brown mottling, dark brown bars, and yellowish spots; body with pinkish tan background, dark brown dorsal saddles and lateral bars; belly beneath disk white, densely mottled with gray posterior to disk; dorsal-, anal-, and caudal-fin rays reddish brown.

ETYMOLOGY.—The species was named in honor of Elizabeth J. Reitz, Georgia Museum of Natural History, but Briggs (2001) inadvertently applied the masculine ending (T. reitzi). We emend this lapsus calami to the feminine ending as T. reitzae.

GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION.—Our data indicate geographically associated modal shifts for several meristic characters. Dorsal-fin ray counts are modally higher (9) for Bahamian specimens than for those from more southerly localities (7 or 8). Anal-fin ray counts are modally higher (9) for Bahamian and Cuban specimens than for those from other Greater and Lesser Antilles localities (7 or 8); Barbados, Colombia, and Venezuela are represented by too few specimens to make definitive comment on modality. Pectoral-fin rays are very difficult to count accurately, but our data indicate a gradual shift from higher counts (22 or 23) in the north to lower counts in the south (19–21).

COMMENTS.—Briggs (2001) compared T. reitzae only with Tomicodon species treated in his 1955 monograph and in subsequent papers on Tomicodon of the eastern Pacific Ocean. He stated that T. reitzae was distinctive among all Tomicodon in having a combination of a proportionately smaller pelvic disk (disk length = 20% of SL compared with 22%–31% of SL in other Tomicodon) and a higher number of vertebrae than other Tomicodon species (34 in T. reitzae compared with 29–33 in others; we counted 13+22=35 vertebrae for the holotype of T. reitzae, which is one centrum more than Briggs recorded). As documented herein, the pelvic-disk length is highly variable (<20%–25% of SL) within several of the western Atlantic Tomicodon species, including T. reitzae.

Tomicodon reitzae, as diagnosed herein, has more vertebrae (34–38) than other western Atlantic species (28–33). Smith-Vaniz (1968) included five specimens with vertebral counts of 36–38 under the name of T.f.fasciatus (whereas 43 of his 48 specimens had 31–33 vertebrae); thus, we believe that Smith-Vaniz's high-vertebral-count specimens are T. reitzae.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—BAHAMAS. Andros Island: USNM 365852 (1: 34.3 mm SL); Fresh Creek, S side, rocky area 1.2 km, mid intertidal under rocks; 23°43.2′N, 77°46.7′W; sta 33; M.L. Jones; 2 Mar 1966. Cay Sal Bank: ANSP 178032 (1: 25.3 mm SL); Cay Sal, at and around point forming NW tip, eroded limestone and rock rock bottom with crevices and holes at point, flat sand bottom and patches of Thalassia off to sides of point; 0–3 m depth; sta 524; J.E. Böhlke, H.R. Roberts et al.; 2 May 1960. Exuma Cays: ANSP 81290 (15: 11.6–35.0 mm SL); rock-sided, sandy-beach baylet on SE edge of Warderick Wells Cay, bottom sandy with scattered boulders, rocks along either side; 0–2 m depth; sta 410; J.E. Böhlke, C.C.G. and G. Chaplin, H.R. and R.B. Roberts; 17 Jul 1957. BARBADOS. USNM 86752 (1: 20.8 mm SL); pools and shallows at Bethsheba; G.S. Miller; Feb 1924. CAYMAN ISLANDS. Grand Cayman: ANSP 102298 (1: 28.3 mm SL); S side of island, Prospect Point, just E of South Sound; 1–2 m depth; sta 3; C.R. Gilbert, J.C. Tyler; 21 Oct 1964; rotenone. COLOMBIA. USNM 363264 (33.5 mm SL, holotype of Tomicodon reitzae); tiny coral islet at Isla Grande (Caribbean Sea); 10°11.4′N, 75°44.9′W; 0–1 m depth; LK 69–37; L.K. Knapp; 29 Sep 1969; rotenone. Isla de Providencia: UF 19048 (1: 25.9 mm SL); TT 69-8; J.C. Tyler, H.K. Tyler; 7 Aug 1969; rotenone. CUBA. Havana: USNM 192160 (6: 25.2–27.0 mm SL); Biltmore Yacht and Country Club in Rep Jaimantas; BBC 119; B.B. Collette; 23 Dec 1955. Havana Province: USNM 360611 (1: 24.6 mm SL); Marianao, near Blanquita Building; BBC 292; B.B. Collette; 28 Dec 1956. USNM 37414 (5: 22.0 33.6 mm SL); F. Poey. DOMINICA. ANSP 126709 (2: 13.4, 15.0 mm SL); Prince Ruppert Bay, Portsmouth, S side of Prince Ruppert Bluff, boulders and some sand, no vegetation, in surge zone, 0–5 m from shore; 0–1 m depth; TE-43; J.C. Tyler, W.N. Eschmeyer; 7 Jul 1965, rotenone. GUADALOUPE. Basse-Terre: USNM 365853 (1: 17.5 mm SL); near Pointe-a-Pitre, beach and foreshore near Bas-de-Fort Hotel, Gosier; Gua-1; D. Kirtley; 18 Jul 1967. NAVASSA ISLAND. USNM 365846 (1:31.1 mm SL); shore at undercut of island at Northwest Point, surf zone in deeply (about 3 m) undercut cliff, encrusting bryozoa abundant; 18°25.82′N, 75°01.74′W; 0–6 m depth; NAV 99–5; J.T. Williams, B.B. Collette, C. Thacker, L. Micheletti, M. Smith; 30 Apr 1999; rotenone. USNM 365847 (1: 14.0 mm SL); just E of Northwest Point, tide pools and surf zone at shore; 18°25.81′N, 75°01.57′W; 0–2 m depth; NAV 99–15; C. Thacker, M. Smith; 2 May 1999; rotenone. USNM 365848 (1: 16.5 mm SL); W of Northeast Point, undercut vertical wall with rubble and large boulders at base, extending up to flat rock shelf near surface, shell rubble, numerous large sponges; 18°24.69′N, 75°00.64′W; 0–22 m depth; NAV 99-17; J.T. Williams, B.B. Collette, C. Thacker, M. Smith, T. Peterson; 3 May 1999; rotenone. USNM 365849 (2: 23.2, 26.3 mm SL); W of Northeast Point on rocky shelf at about 2.5 m depth with abundant bryozoans and sponges; 18°24.68′N, 75°00.64′W; 0–4.5 m depth; NAV 99-19; J.T. Williams, B.B. Collette, C. Thacker; 4 May 1999; rotenone. PUERTO RICO. Mona Island: ANSP 145896 (4: 14.7–17.5 mm SL); near anchorage, sand and rock covered with calcareous algae, shallow caves at shore; 18°05.5′N, 67°56.5′W; 0–1 m depth; MON-7; W.F. Smith-Vaniz, P.L. Colin; 6 Oct 1978. Puerto Yabucoa: ANSP 115605 (1: 18.7 mm SL); 2.8 km SSW of Playa de Guyanes, Municipio de Yabucoa; sta 1; N.R. Foster, J.J. Loos; 12–13 Jul 1969. ANSP 115635 (1: 30.0 mm SL); 0.4 km SW of Playa de Guyanes, Municipio de Yabucoa; sta 2; N.R. Foster, J.J. Loos; 10–12 Jul 1969. ANSP 118640 (2: 23.0, 25.5 mm SL); 2.8 km SSW of Playa de Guyanes, Municipio de Yabucoa; sta 1; N.R. Foster, J.J. Loos; 21 Jan 1971. ANSP 120015 (3: 19.6–28.0 mm SL); Sun Oil Refinery Jetty, 0.4 km SW of Playa de Guyanes, Municipio de Yabucoa; sta 2; J.J. Loos; 26 Jul 1973; rotenone. San Juan: USNM 365850 (1: 18.6 mm SL); 1.6 km E of Boca de Cangrejo; E.M. Nelson; 29 Jul 1961. USNM 365851 (1: 32.4 mm SL); E of San Juan, Boca de Cangrejo, on both sides of Laguna de la Torriecilla; 18°28′N 65°59.83′W; Pue-7; D. Kirtley; 16 Jul 1967. ST. BARTHÉLEMY. Fourche Island: ANSP 117906 (3: 17.5–25.4 mm SL); NW of St. Barthélemy Bay on SW side of island at head (N end) of bay, black and white sand in surge zone with many boulders and no vegetation, 0–6 m from shore; 0–1.5 m depth; TE-47; J.C. Tyler, W.N. Eschmeyer, G. Koven; 11 Jul 1965; rotenone. lle Syndare: ANSP 178034 (9: 13.9–20.0 mm SL); Port Gustavia; W edge of the smaller of the two islets that make up the Syndares, boulders and short grass in surge zone, 0–3 m from shore; 0–1.5 m depth; TE-53; J.C. Tyler, W.N. Eschmeyer; 13 Jul 1965; rotenone. ST. LUCIA. ANSP 106116 (1: 9.3 mm SL); Port Castries at Vigie Point, rocky cliffs, rocks, boulders, no vegetation except grass on surface of rocks, surge zone at shore; 0–3 m depth; TE-28; J.C. Tyler, W.N. Eschmeyer; 3 Jul 1965; rotenone. TOBAGO. ANSP 144464 (1: 20.5 mm SL); Mt. Irvine, rocky shore; J. and H. Randall; 3 May 1964. USNM 318651 (1: 27.5 mm SL); Pirates Bay, just N of Charlotteville in Man-of-War Bay; rocky shore, some coral; sand beach; 11°19.53′N 60°32.97′W; 0–4.5 m; JTW 90-2; J.T. Williams, J. Howe., M. Nizinski, S.D. Blum, Jr., T. Munroe; 5 Sep 1990; rotenone. USNM 319753 (10: 18.5–26.2 mm SL); same locality data as USNM 318651. TRINIDAD. UF 228587 (1: 17.6 mm SL); R/V Pillsbury PIL 701; 18 Jul 1968. U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. St. Croix: UF 118551 (9, examined only 8: 19.4–30.1 mm SL); Buck Island Reef National Monument; sta BUIS 2001–8; W.F. Smith-Vaniz, L.A. Rocha. VENEZUELA. MHNLS 3932 (1: 27.3 mm SL); Punta Tarma, Estado Vargas; M. Ameruoso; 12 Jul 1981. Isla La Blanquilla: MOBR EDIMAR 2341 (1: 25.8 mm SL); F. Cervigon; 1 Mar 1967.