N1 2018 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 25, No. 1 R.E. Schmidt and J.J. Wright Documentation of Myrophis punctatus (Speckled Worm Eel) from Marine Waters of New York Robert E. Schmidt1,* and Jeremy J. Wright2 Abstract - Recent accessions to the fish collection of the New York State Museum contained specimens of Myrophis punctatus (Speckled Worm Eel) from New York waters. This is the first published documentation of the species in New York based on specimens of the leptocephalus stage and juveniles. Its small size and behavior make the Speckled Worm Eel particularly difficult to sample with conventional gear, and it may be more abundant and widespread than historical observations indicate. Introduction. Myrophis punctatus (Lütken 1851) (Speckled Worm Eel) is a benthic shallow-water, often estuarine species found from the Atlantic Coast through the Gulf of Mexico and south to Brazil (McCosker et al. 1989). This species is the only member of the genus distributed outside of the tropics in the Western Atlantic (McCosker et al. 1989). Oceanic spawning occurs south of Cape Hatteras and near the Bahamas (Able et al. 2011, Miller and McCleave 2007), but there appears to be a second spawning area in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean that produces larvae with somewhat different meristics (Leiby 1989). Leptocephalus larvae drift in the Gulf Stream and have been collected as far north as Nova Scotia (Leiby 1989). Able et al. (2011) collected leptocephali in Little Egg Harbor, southern New Jersey, at very low densities (less than 0.0002/1000 m3). Briggs and Waldman (2002) did not include this species in the marine ichthyofauna of New York, but Waldman et al. (2006) listed the species as a temperate stray in the Hudson River estuary. Able et al. (2011) listed a collection of Speckled Worm Eel leptocephali taken very close to southern Long Island, but that site may or may not have been within the 25-fathom depth contour chosen by Briggs and Waldman (2002) to delimit New York waters. The US Department of Transportation (2004), however, did list Speckled Worm Eel in New York Harbor. Our purpose here is to document the presence of Speckled Worm Eel in New York marine waters based on preserved specimens. Methods. We used keys and descriptions by Leiby (1989) and McCosker et al. (1989) to identify leptocephali and transformed juveniles. We determined meristics under a dissecting microscope. Material examined: NYSM 74084, 1 leptocephalus, 63 mm total length (TL ), southcentral Long Island Sound (41°6'N, between 72°35'W and 72°56'W), plankton tow, 5 June 2002. NYSM 75304, 1 juvenile, 176 mm TL, Arthur Kill, Arthur Kill Generating Station (~40°35'24''N, 74°12'17''W), 23 December 1991. NYSM 75549, 1 juvenile, 226 mm TL, New York Harbor, bottom trawl, 23 February 1984. Results. Three preserved specimens of Speckled Worm Eel document this species from New York waters. The Speckled Worm Eel leptocephalus (Fig. 1) is readily distinguished from that of the other common elopomorphs (Anguilla, Conger) found in shallow, coastal waters of the Northeast (Fahay 2007; Fahay and Obenchain 1978; Leiby 1979, 1989). All specimens were collected by consultants working on environmental-impact studies involving electric-power generation projects (Arthur Kill Generating Station, Poletti Power 1Emeritus, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 84 Alford Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230. 2Curator of Fishes, New York State Museum, 3140 Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230". *Corresponding author - schmidt@simons-rock.edu. Manuscript Editor: Rudolf Arndt Notes of the Northeastern Naturalist, Issue 25/1, 2018 2018 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 25, No. 1 N2 R.E. Schmidt and J.J. Wright Plant) and on the proposed construction of a highway complex along western Manhattan (Westway). These observations demonstrate that specimens collected during environmental- impact studies can have value beyond the initial study parameters, especially when adequately preserved and made available for study. Discussion. The paucity of specimens available for study from New York waters does not necessarily indicate that this species is rare there. Speckled Worm Eel is difficult to catch in conventional sampling gear because it spends much time burrowed in bottom sediment and its small size makes it difficult to retain in netting (Able et al. 2011, Fahay and Obenchain 1978). Rozas and Minelli (2006) used 1-m2 drop nets in low-salinity shallows in Louisiana and reported that Speckled Worm Eel was abundant. Able et al. (2011) reported that electrofishing and rotenone application turned up surprisingly large numbers of juveniles in southern Atlantic Coast estuaries. Barletta et al. (2000) estimated a Speckled Worm Eel density of 1.66 individuals/m2 in an intertidal mangrove forest, in northern Brazil, by collecting with an ichthyocide. These successful collecting techniques have not been or, due to regulatory restrictions, cannot be used in New York waters, thereby making it impossible thus far to accurately assess the abundance of Speckled Worm Eels there. The leptocephalus collected in Long Island Sound was in the euryodontic stage, which occurs prior to the beginning of metamorphosis (Able et al. 2011). The early June collection is late in the year for Speckled Worm Eel leptocephali, but Able et al. (2011) collected larvae from April to July in some years in New Jersey. The myomere count of the Long Island Sound specimen was 141, which is within the range of counts for New Jersey specimens (138–144; Able et al. 2011) and is similar to that for leptocephali spawned off the Atlantic Coast. Figure 1. Photograph of NYSM 74084, leptocephalus larva, 63 mm TL, of Speckled Worm Eel collected in Long Island Sound in 2002. N3 2018 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 25, No. 1 R.E. Schmidt and J.J. Wright Able et al. (2011) considered the Speckled Worm Eel leptocephali found in the Northeast as expatriates and doubted that juveniles of this mostly tropical/subtropical species could survive local winter temperatures. The 2 juveniles reported here were collected in winter and both were determined to be in their 2nd year based on size and published growth rates (Able et al. 2011). It appears that some individuals are able to tolerate northeastern winter conditions at least in some years. Continued sea-temperature increases may foster Speckled Worm Eel populations in New York waters. Acknowledgments. We thank Bill Saksen of HDR, Inc. (Hennigson, Durham, and Richardson) for facilitating transfer of specimens in their care to the New York State Museum fish collection. 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