FISHERY BL'LLETIN: VOL. 69. NO. 4 



Table 1. — Bathymetric distribution of Erythrops ery- 

 throphthalma, based on the NMFS collection. 



deep water was collected at the head of Lydonia 

 Canyon, along the southwestern edge of Georges 

 Bank. This sample consisted of two specimens, 

 one adult female and an immature, collected in 

 a stramin-mesh ring net towed 1 to 2 m above 

 the sea bottom. 



In summary, the available evidence from the 

 NMFS material suggests that only a small part 

 of the population spawns at one time and that 

 spawning takes place throughout a large part of 

 the year — possibly from spring through fall or 

 longer. 



Sex Ratio 



The NMFS collection contains 1,536 males and 

 1,692 females, a ratio of 0.91 male to 1 female. 



Body Size 



The eggs are nearly sj^herical and average 

 0.4 mm in diameter. Larvae of stage V are 



1.2 mm long, and stage VII are 1.4 mm. Imma- 

 tures range in length from 3.0 to 6.1 mm. Ma- 

 ture specimens have an overall size range from 



4.3 to 9.6 mm. Size range during various sea- 

 sons, separated by sexes, are: 



Spawning 



Seven ovigerous specimens fre present only 

 in the August samples, and 11 larvigerous spec- 

 imens are present in August and September 

 samples. This is an unusually small number of 

 specimens (about fr) in spawning condition 

 compared with the total number of adult fe- 

 males. Furthermore, the spawning females are 

 not especially large. Their average length is 

 6.4 mm, range .5.7 to 7.1 mm. Larger specimens 

 taken during the same month and at other sea- 

 sons are not in spawning condition. The i)re- 

 sence of immature specimens of about 4 to 5 mm 

 in length throughout the period from June 

 through December implies an e.xtended spawn- 

 ing season during the warmer part of the year, 

 plus the possibility of spawning during other 

 seasons as well. The absence of well-defined 

 length modes from month to month also supports 

 the hypothesis of a lengthy sjiawning period. 



The number of eggs per clutch ranges from 

 1 to 6, and the number of larvae from 2 to 15. 

 The lower values apiiear to represent incom- 

 jjlete broods that resulted from losses incurred 

 during the catching and processing procedures. 



A size comparison of mature males with ma- 

 ture females from the same samples discloses 

 that males are 0.3 to 0.4 mm larger than females. 



The minimum size of adults is generally larger 

 in the early summer, decreases in late summer 

 and fall, then increases again in early winter. 

 This is due to an earlier maturation of immature 

 individuals dui'ing the period when water tem- 

 lieratures are comparatively high. The trend for 

 maximum size of adults is just the opposite. 

 Maximum length is smallest in early summer, 

 increases in the late summer and fall, and (the 

 males only) decreases again in early winter. It 

 is not clear whether this sequence in size dif- 

 ferences results solely from f;ister growth dur- 

 ing the warm season, or whether a summer 

 generation has reached the culmination of its 

 life span in September-October. 



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