FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 81. NO. 1 



65 00N 



^\£ 



Naplin et i Larvae 



Naplin el al Eggs 

  Matson and Wing 11978) Larvae 

 □ Kendall et al Larvae 

 O Kendall et al Eggs 



Waldron 119811 Larvae 



1 I Moser Eggs 

 ^ Moser Larvae 



# Ahlslrom 119691 Eggs 



60 00N - 



55 00N 



50 00N 



▲ • 



45 OON 



175 00E 



175 OOW 



165 00W 



155 00W 



1 45 OOW 



135 OOW 



125 OOW 



FIGURE 5. — General areas where eggs and larvae of Leuroglossus schmidti have been reported. Key: Naplin et al. (text footnote 4); 

 Matson and Wing (1978); Kendall et al. (text footnote 3); Waldron [1981]; Moser (text footnote 8); Ahlstrom (1969). 



couid have been transported northward from 

 more southerly spawning areas. During this 

 cruise, surface geostrophic currents indicated a 

 6 cm/s northward flow offshore from about lat. 

 47°N to 51 °N (Naplin et al. footnote 4). 



Leuroglossus schmidti larvae were the third 

 most abundant fish larvae collected in plankton 

 samples from coastal waters of southeastern 

 Alaska (lat. 56°50'-59°28'N, long. 133°10'-135° 

 23'W) in April-November 1972 (Mattson and 

 Wing 1978). This species accounted for 4.5% of 

 the total catch of fish larvae; abundance was high 

 from May to August, peaking in June and July. 

 Plankton sampling in Kodiak Island shelf waters 

 from November 1977 through March 1979 re- 

 vealed that eggs of L. schmidti were found prin- 

 cipally at the shelf break (water depth >200 m); 

 abundance was greatest in the fall, but eggs were 

 found in small numbers in summer and winter 

 (Kendall et al. footnote 3). Larvae were also most 

 abundant over the shelf break in the fall, but sea- 

 sonal abundance was not determined. Waldron 

 [1981] summarized available distribution data 

 on larvae and juveniles of L. schmidti occurring 

 in the eastern Bering Sea from 1955 to 1978. 

 Based on plankton sampling conducted by the 

 United States, U.S.S.R., and Japan (primarily 



during summer) utilizing a variety of sampling 

 devices, larvae identified as L. schmidti were 

 most frequently reported over the shelf break. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



A number of people at N WAFC assisted in this 

 study. Arthur W. Kendall, Jr., engaged in help- 

 ful discussions with the author, constructively 

 reviewed the manuscript, and assisted in numer- 

 ous other ways. Beverly Vinter illustrated the 

 larvae and caudal fin development and shared 

 her knowledge of larval bathylagids. Ann C. 

 Matarese reviewed the manuscript and made 

 many useful comments. Bernie Goiney and Jay 

 Clark rendered technical assistance. Eleanor S. 

 Uhlinger efficiently and rapidly processed sev- 

 eral drafts of the manuscript. 



Bruce W. Wing, NWAFC, Auke Bay, Alaska, 

 loaned larvae of L. schmidti. H. Geoffrey Moser, 

 SWFC, La Jolla, Calif., kindly made available 

 unpublished data on the occurrence of L. schmidti 

 and provided unpublished illustrations of this 

 species; he also made available his collection of 

 radiographs and cleared and stained bathylagid 

 specimens. T. W. Pietsch, University of Wash- 

 ington (UW), Seattle, loaned bathylagids. Alex 



38 



