FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 1 



Table 2. — Summary of meristic data (spines and rays) from laboratory-reared (L) and wild-caught (W) larvae 

 of Sphyraena borealis. (Dashes indicate elements were present but could not be accurately counted.) 



juvenile S. borealis, S. piaidilla, and S. barra- 

 cuda. She found that all were similar and 

 showed that a progressive fusion of caudal ele- 

 ments occurred in barracudas as they grew. 

 Fusion of hypurals 2 and 3, 4 and 5, and of the 

 urostyle with hypural bones was apparent in her 

 large specimens. 



Fin Development 



Newly hatched larvae had a prominent larval 

 finfold (Figures 1 and 2) that appeared granular 

 because of many bubbles or small inclusions dis- 

 tributed throughout. These inclusions were not 

 illustrated, except in the newly hatched larva 

 (Figure IB) , but were present until larvae grew 

 to about 9.5 mm SL. 



Fin ray development essentially was completed 

 at 13.5 mm SL (Table 2). Fan-shaped pectoral 

 fins without rays developed at 3.8 mm SL 1 day 

 after hatching (Figure 2A). Rayed fins devel- 

 oped in the following sequence: caudal, anal and 

 second dorsal, first dorsal, pelvics, and pectorals. 

 The caudal fin rays began to develop at 7.4 mm SL 



when the notochord started to flex (Figure 2D). 

 All 17 principal caudal rays were present on a 

 10.9-mm SL larva. Accessory caudal rays (ray- 

 lets) also were developing at 10.9 mm SL. Their 

 number varied from 6 to 8 dorsally and 6 to 9 

 ventrally on specimens up to 30.6 mm SL. The 

 anal and second dorsal fins were represented only 

 by opaque areas in the finfold at 7.4 mm SL, but 

 rays of these fins were developing at 9.0 mm SL; 

 posteriormost rays developed before the more 

 anterior rays and 9 rays were present in each 

 fin at 9.4 mm SL (Figure 3A). A full comple- 

 ment of 2nd dorsal (I, 9) and anal (I, 9 or 10) 

 elements was present at 10.9 mm SL. Spines 

 of the first dorsal fin appeared at 10.9 mm SL 

 and a full complement of 5, located over verte- 

 brae 5 to 7, was present on a 12.1-mm SL larva. 

 The 5 spines were more heavily ossified and lo- 

 cated over vertebrae 6 to 8 on a 17.0-mm SL 

 specimen. Pelvic fin buds formed on larvae as 

 small as 9.4 mm SL, but rays did not begin to 

 develop until 11.3 mm SL. Pectoral fin rays also 

 began to develop at this length. All pelvic (I, 5) 

 and pectoral (12) elements were not present on 



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