pigmentation and found to conform with the descrip- 



tion given here. 



DESCRIPTION OF LARVAE 



Pigmentation 



The pigfish larva in tne late yolk-sac stage (2.5 d; 3 

 mm) illustrated by Hildebrand and Cable (1930, fig. 

 27) is shown with large dorsal and ventral 

 melanophoresat myomeres 18-19, and a smaller pair 

 at myomeres 9-10. Just after the yolk-sac stage, lar- 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 81. NO. 4 



vae from the Cape Fear River Estuary retain dorsal 

 melanophores at myomeres 9-10 and between 

 myomeres 18 and 21. The anterior dorsal 

 melanophore rarely persists beyond 4 mm, while the 

 posterior one (sometimes two) usually remains 

 throughout the larval period (present in 13 of the 19 

 Cape Fear specimens; Figs. 1 and 2). This poste- 

 rior dorsal melanophore(s) lies at the terminus of the 

 dorsal fin in older larvae. About concurrently with 

 completion of the dorsal fin (ca. 10.9 mm) additional 

 melanophores develop posteriorly, forming a pig- 

 ment patch just behind the fin. More patches are sub- 



FlCl'KK 1. — Orthopristis chrysoplmr, a. 4.2 mm; b. 5.6 mm; c. ti.4 mm; d. 7.3 mm. All specimens are from North Carolina. 



848 



