CHENOWETH: FISH LARVAE OF CENTRAL MAINE 



found there and egg deposition, although not 

 known, is probably demersal (it is for closely 

 related forms). They were captured from Jan- 

 uary to April with a peak abundance in March 

 (Figure 4F). 



Aspidophoroides monopterygius 



A. monopterygiiis larvae were abundant a 

 little later than the winter-early spring group, 

 ranging from April to July with a peak in April 

 or May (Figure 4H). Their distribution was 

 more lower estuarine than upper. 



Ammodytes americanus and 

 Cyclopterus lumpus 



The larvae of A. americaniis (Figure 5B) and 

 C. lumpus (Figure 5D) were only rarely taken 

 in this study but Graham and Boyar (1965) re- 

 ported them abundant. However, these authors 

 reexamined some of their specimens identified 

 as Cyclopterus lumpus and Ammodytes ameri- 

 canus and found that most identified as C. 

 lumpus were Liparis sp. and many identified 

 as A. americanus were Pholis gunnellus. 



Gadidae 



Several kinds of gadids spawn in our sampling 

 area. Enchelyopus cimbrius (Figure 5J) was 

 one of the two dominant species from June until 

 October in the lower estuaries and outer areas. 

 A few larvae of Merluccius bilinearis (Figure 

 5A) were taken in May 1970. Three specimens 

 of what was probably Gadus morhua (Figure 

 4G) were taken in March 1968. Subsequent 

 sampling (1971) took a few more G. morhuxi in 

 December as yolk sac larvae and also later stage 

 larvae in February in the Sheepscot estuary. 



Ulvarts subbifurcata 



This was the other dominant species in the 

 spring and summer (Figure 51) . It was present 

 from April until September in the lower estu- 

 aries and outer areas. 



Clupea harengus harengus 



This is a pelagic species that lays demersal 

 eggs and uses both the estuaries and bays as 

 nursery areas during its larval stage from Oc- 

 tober to May (Figure 5K). It was the only 

 commercially important species to do so and I 

 would consider these areas important to the 

 population density of the species. 



Species A and B 



At present we are attempting to identify these 

 species. Species A is probably one of the Stich- 

 aeidae, possibly Lumpenus maculatus. Species 

 B has been tentatively identified as Hemitripter- 

 us americanus but needs confirmation. 



DISCUSSION 



LARVAL NURSERY AREAS 



Most of the fishes whose larvae were present 

 in the Boothbay region may be placed in one 

 of two groups: those that use the estuaries as 

 primary spawning and nursery areas and those 

 that do not. 



The larvae found in the region during the 

 winter and early spring {Pholis gunnellus, Li- 

 paris sp., Cryptacanthodes maculatus (Figure 

 4E), Lumpenus lumpretaeformis, and the Cot- 

 tidae) belong to the first group. They were the 

 most abundant species and their greatest con- 

 centration was in the upper estuaries. They are 

 larvae of resident demersal fish that are not 

 commercially important but are extremely abun- 

 dant in the area. They use the bays and estu- 

 aries as nursery areas, depending to a large 

 extent on these areas for their reproductive suc- 

 cess. These species lay demersal eggs in the 

 estuaries. Pearcy and Richards (1962) dis- 

 cussed the possibility that the larvae of demersal 

 species in the Mystic River estuary maintained 

 themselves there by concentrating in the counter 

 currents near the bottom. The stepped oblique 

 tow that was used in my study was not suitable 

 for an analysis of the depth distribution of the 

 larvae. The winter-early spring group of larvae, 



111 



