Chasmodes bosquianus Striped Blenny

Javonillo, Robert & Harold, Antony S., 2010, A systematic review of the genus Chasmodes (Teleostei: Perciformes: Blenniidae), Zootaxa 2558 (1), pp. 1-16 : 9-10

Chasmodes bosquianus Striped Blenny

Blennius bosquianus Lacepède 1800: 459 , 493, Pl. 13 (fig. 1). Type locality: Carolinas. No types known.

Pholis novemlineatus Wood 1825: 280 . Type locality: Charleston Harbor , South Carolina. Holotype: ANSP 10410 .

Pholis quadrifasciatus Wood 1825: 282 , Pl. 17 (fig. 1). Type locality: unknown, probably South Carolina (according to Eschmeyer 1998). No types known.

Chasmodes bosquianus bosquianus Williams 1983

Material examined. Type material is listed with a relatively precise locality, but nontype material is listed only according to state. The number of specimens examined from a particular lot is indicated in parentheses. Seventy-six specimens examined, 9.0– 76.9 mm SL. ANSP 23045 , 1 , New Jersey. ANSP 98578 , 1 , Port Norris , Cumberland County, New Jersey. ANSP 121274 , 2 (62.8–63.9 mm SL), Barnegat Bay , Seaside Park, New Jersey. UMMZ 109932 , 1 (26.4 mm SL), Kettle Bay , Silverton, New Jersey. USNM 201352 , 5 (47.3– 66.7 mm SL), Patuxent River at Solomons Island , Calvert County , Maryland. USNM 291726 , 5 (40.2–47.2 mm SL), Crisfield, Maryland. ANSP 112348 , 1 (72.4 mm SL), east side of Potomac River , approximately 3.2 km north of span of U.S. Highway 301 bridge and just south of Popes Creek , Charles County , Maryland. ANSP 116260 , 4 (31.2–40.2 mm SL), western shore of Chesapeake Bay , just northwest of Camp Conoy , Calvert County , Maryland. TU 44326 , 4 (57.4–76.9 mm SL), Solomons Island , Calvert County , Maryland. USNM 091146 , 4 (54.6–67.9 mm SL), James Fishery, Norfolk, Virginia. USNM 091147 , 3 (48.5–58.1 mm SL), Lewisetta, Virginia. USNM 091154 , 1 (48.3 mm SL), Cape Charles, Virginia. ANSP 76132 , 1 (46.2 mm SL), just below U.S. Highway Bridge No. 17, York River , Virginia. ANSP 140146 , 1 , Ocracoke, North Carolina. AMNH 4293 , 4 (21.8–29.3 mm SL), Cape Lookout, Carteret County , North Carolina. UMMZ 211944 , 1 (48.8 mm SL), Tidal lagoon behind Oak Island strand, Long Beach, 16 km west of Southport , Brunswick County , North Carolina. GMBL 00-64, 1, probably South Carolina. GMBL 80-12 , 1 (63.0 mm SL), North Santee Bay , South Carolina. GMBL 70-157 , 1 (63.6 mm SL), Georgetown , South Carolina. GMBL 71-110 , 3 (53.8–66.7 mm SL), Georgetown , South Carolina. AMNH 73831 , 1 (65.2 mm SL), Crabhaul Creek , North Inlet , Georgetown County , South Carolina. AMNH 229943 , 1 (54.9 mm SL), Cat Island impoundment or Chainey Creek , Georgetown County , South Carolina. GMBL 867008 , 1 (59.4 mm SL), probably South Carolina. ANSP 10410 , 1 (holotype of Pholis novemlineatus Wood ), Charleston Harbor , Charleston , South Carolina. ANSP 134228 , 9 (19.2–68.3 mm SL), East Beach tide pool, Saint Simons Island , Georgia. UF 85687 , 1 (51.6 mm SL), Orange Park , Clay County , Florida. USNM 188254 , 3 (9.0– 10.1 mm SL), Matanzas River , near Vilano Bridge , Saint Augustine , Florida. ANSP 106142 , 12 (34.6–45.9 mm SL), Marineland , Flagler County , Florida. MCZ 32936, 1 (52.8 mm SL), New Smyrna Beach , Volusia County, Florida. MCZ 50793, 1 , “Mouth of Saint John’s River, Port Orange,” Florida (see Remarks below) .

Diagnosis. Characters, in combination, which serve to distinguish Chasmodes bosquianus : dentary teeth sharply pointed and recurved (see Williams 1983: fig. 2); mandibular pores 4–6 (usually 4; Table 2); ventral lip flaps not prominent; upper jaw length 35.8–54.4% of head length; gill rakers 11–13 (usually 12).

Description. Characters presented in generic and species diagnoses and generic description form a part of the species description and are not repeated. Snout somewhat pointed in lateral profile; dorsal and ventral profiles slightly convex; body widest in abdominal region. Body proportions are given in Table 3.

Size. Individuals of this species reach nearly 80 mm SL. The largest specimen examined was 76.9 mm SL (TU 44326).

Distribution. Chasmodes bosquianus occurs along the east coast of the United States from New York, New York, to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, but is rare north of Chesapeake Bay.

Ecology and life history. This species typically inhabits shallow seagrass flats, rocky bottoms, and oyster reefs in bays and estuaries. C. bosquianus is usually found in areas of moderate salinity (15–25 ‰) but has been collected in coastal rivers and in waters of less than 10 ‰. Hildebrand and Schroeder (1928) found that insect larvae, small crustaceans, and mollusks are common prey items for this species. Phillips (1971a, 1971b, 1977) and Phillips and Swears (1979) reported on various aspects of the behavior of the Striped Blenny, including its avoidance of a predator, Opsanus tau (Linnaeus; Batrachoididae ). The spawning season is thought to commence in mid-March and end in August ( Williams 1983). Embryonic development was described by Hildebrand and Cable (1938).

Remarks. The collection locality of one specimen (MCZ 32936) is south of the previously reported southern limit of this species (Marineland, Flagler County, Florida). The species range is therefore extended southwards by about 85 km to New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The stated collection locality of another specimen (MCZ 50793) is confusing, as it is listed as “Mouth of Saint John’s River, Port Orange.” The city of Port Orange, Florida, and the mouth of St. John’s River, near Jacksonville, are not in close proximity. If the specimen was collected near Jacksonville, then it falls well within the previously reported range of C. bosquianus . If, however, the specimen was collected near Port Orange (15 km north of New Smyrna Beach), then its collection there further supports a southerly extension of the species’ range.