W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1976 Aspects of systematics, morphology, life history and feeding of western Atlantic sciaenidae (pisces: perciformes) Labbish Ning. Chao College of William and Mary - Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Chao, Labbish Ning., "Aspects of systematics, morphology, life history and feeding of western Atlantic sciaenidae (pisces: perciformes)" (1976). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539616605. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25773/v5-gwbd-3q52 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 76- 25,354 CHAO, LabMsh Ntng, 1947~ ASPECTS OF SYSTEMATICS, MORPHOLOGY, LIFE HISTORY AND FEEDING OF WESTERN ATLANTIC SCIAENIDAE (PISCES:PERCIFORMES). The College of William and Mary in Virgini Ph.D., 1976 Zoology Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 ASPECTS OF SYSTEMATICS, MORPHOLOGY, LIFE HISTORY AND FEEDING OF WESTERN ATLANTIC SCIAENIDAE (PISCES:PERCIFORMES) A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Labbish Ning Chao 1976 APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy '£1 f t ' {-■ '/i jXQ Author Approved, May 1976 Johhi AA; Musick w ~ Donald F. Boesch G'etSrge C. ££rant ner, Jr Jobh/V. Merriner Bruce B. Collette, Systematics Laboratory, MMFS, Washington, D. C. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................... v ABSTRACTS!-............................................................ viii PART I. A BASIS FOR CLASSIFYING WESTERN ATLANTIC SCIAENIDAE 1 (PISCES: PERCIFORMES) .................................... LIST OF TABLES....................................................... 2 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................. 3 INTRODUCTION......................................................... 6 MATERIALS.......... 8 METHODS ............................................................. 10 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE STUDY OF WESTERN ATLANTIC SCIAENIDAE .... 12 DESCRIPTION AND RELATIONSHIPS ...................................... 17 I. RELATIONSHIPS BASED ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE SWIMBLADDER. 18 II. RELATIONSHIPS BASED ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF THE OTOLITHS .... 27 III. RELATIONSHIPS BASED ON EXTERNAL MORPHOLOGY................ 38 A SYNOPSIS OF THE SUPRA-GENERIC GROUPS, GENERA AND SPECIES OF 48 WESTERN ATLANTIC SCIAENIDAE ........................................ I. DIAGNOSIS AND PRIMARY SYNONYMY OF THE SUPRA-GENERIC GROUPS, 48 GENERA AND SPECIES............................................ II. PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE SUPRA-GENERIC GROUPS AND 98 GENERA......................................................... FIELD KEY TO THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF WESTERN ATLANTIC SCIAENIDAE. 108 LITERATURE CITED..................................................... 129 ill Page 4 PART II. LIFE HISTORY, FEEDING HABITS AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF JUVENILE SCIAENID FISHES IN THE YORK RIVER ESTUARY, VIRGINIA.................................................... 183 LIST OF TABLES. ...................... 184 LIST OF F I G U R E S ...................................................... 186 INTRODUCTION............................ 188 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................................. 190 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ........................................... 193 I. HYDROGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION .................................... 193 II. TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTIONS ......................... 195 III. LENGTH FREQUENCIES AND DISTRIBUTIONS ....................... 198 IV. FEEDING MECHANISMS............................................. 210 V. FOOD SPECIALIZATION........................................... 221 VI. CORRELATION OF FEEDING STRUCTURES AND FOOD HABITS............. 227 LITERATURE CITED...................................................... 235 APPENDIX.............................................................. 301 VITA.................................................................. 342 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my graduate committee chairman, J. A. Musick, and members, D. F. Boesch, B. B. Collette, G. C. Grant, P. A. Haefner, Jr., and J. V. Merriner, for their help and guidance throughout the study and their patience to edit my English. Many people helped me to obtain museum specimens and fresh material, especially those who work as museum assistants and crew members of various research vessels. To those who remain anonymous, I would like to express my appreciation. For permission to examine specimens in their institutions or for making specimens available to the VIMS collection, I thank the following: Marie-Louise Bauchot (MNHN); M. Boeseman (RMNH); James E. and Eugenia B. B'ohlke (ANSP); Bruce B. Collette (NMFS , Systematics Laboratory, Washington, D. C.); William E. Eschmeyer (CAS); Karsten E. Hartel (MCZ); Robert K. Johnson (FMNH); Susan Kamella (USNM); Paul Kahsbauer (NHMV); Leslie W. Knapp (Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Center, Washington, D. C.); Jfirgen G. Nielsen (ZMK); H. Nyssen (ZMA); Theodore W. Pietsch (formerly at MCZ); Donn E. Rosen (AMNH); William G. Saul and William Smith-Vaniz (ANSP); E. Trewavas (BMNH); Stanley H. Weitzman (USNM); and A. Wheeler (BMNH). Field sampling was essential to this study. I thank D. Flescher, M. Grosslein, H. Jansen and H. Boyer of NMFS, Woods Hole and T. Azarovltz, NMFS, Sandy Hook for Inviting me to participate on various oceanographic cruises. I also thank the crew members of R/V Albatross IV, v Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Atlantic Twin, Sandy Hook, New Jersey; R/V Eastward, Beaufort, North Carolina; M/V Oregon I and Oregon II, Miami, Florida; and Pascagoula, Mississippi. I also express my appreciation to the following personnel from VIMS: R. Bradley, J. Gilley and M. Williams for preparation of graphs; K. E. Thomberry and W. W. Jenkins for photographs; Frank Perkins and his assistants, especially Patricia Berry, for sectioning and staining gonads; William H. Kriete, Jr., James Colvocoresses, Douglas F. Markle, Jerome E. Illowsky and James Green, helped me in field work, including trawling, collecting, and measuring fishes during the study; Deborah A. Sprinkle typed up many drafts of this manuscript; Joice S. Davis answered many questions about different surveys; Genie Shaw retrieved all the hydrographic data from VIMS computer data storage; to my fellow graduate students, Douglas F. Markle, Linda P. Mercer and Charles A. Wenner for allowing me to talk at them about sciaenids and for helpful suggestions; to my major professor, John A. Musick for his courage in bailing me out of trouble and for his good judgment in allowing me freedom to do this work - most of all he is my friend. Large specimens of Sciaenops ocellata, which were very important to this study, were caught by Charles A. Wenner. Early or obscure references vital to this study, were obtained through much appreciated efforts of: Bruce B. Collette and Daniel M. Cohen (NMFS, Systematics Laboratory, Washington, D. C.); Jack Marquardt and his staff at the Smithsonian