AHLSTROM: KIND AND ABUNDANCE OF FISH LARVAE 



tained in EASTROPAC collections. Although 

 B. mancus (Broussonet) has been recorded from 

 Clarion Island, off the west coast of Mexico 

 (Norman, 1934), larvae of this species have 

 not been obtained. Larval material of B. man- 

 cus has been examined from the vicinity of the 

 Hawaiian Islands, and it differs from B. leopar- 

 dinus in developing pigment on late stage larvae. 

 Larvae of B. leopardinus were distributed in 

 a broad coastal band between Manzanillo, Mex- 

 ico, and lat 4°N (Figure 8). This distribution 

 is more restricted than that found on ETP I 

 (Ahlstrom, 1971, Fig. 10). On ETP I, there 

 were nine occurrences between lat 5°N and 6°S, 

 as compared with a single occurrence on ETP II. 



of at least 32 mm before transformation. The 

 opercular spination is more strikingly developed 

 on the Pacific form, and the pelvic fins become 

 markedly more elongate, extending almost to the 

 base of the caudal fin, whereas the fins attain 

 only about 40% of this length proportionately 

 in C. flmbriata. 



Engyrophrys sancti-laurentii (Jordan and BoUman) 

 (3 occurrences, 3 larvae) 



Only three larvae of this species were obtained 

 on ETP II, two from the vicinity of the Gulf 

 of Panama and one from near Puntarenas, Costa 

 Rica. 



Citharichthys-Etropus 



(17 occurrences, 70 larvae) 



Although labeled Citharichthys-Etropus as for 

 ETP I, the larvae taken on ETP II probably rep- 

 resent two species of Citharichthys, one with 

 three elongated dorsal rays, the other with two 

 elongated rays. Larvae of the latter were taken 

 below the equator, either off Ecuador or near the 

 Galapagos Islands (9 occurrences, 48 larvae). 

 The form with three elongated dorsal rays was 

 distributed in a coastal band between Manzanil- 

 lo, Mexico, and Ecuador (8 occurrences, 22 lar- 

 vae). 



Cyclopsetta sp. 



(13 occurrences, 38 larvae) 



Larvae of Cyclopsetta sp. occurred in a broad 

 coastal band between lat 15°N and circa lat 5°S. 

 The larvae have been identified tentatively as C. 

 querna (Jordan and Bollman). A development- 

 al series was recently described by Gutherz 

 (1970) for an Atlantic species of this genus, C. 

 fimbriata (Goode and Bean). The Pacific and 

 Atlantic species are similar in having opercular 

 spination, a pair of sphenotic spines on the head, 

 and nine or so elongated dorsal rays. They dif- 

 fer in several interesting respects. C. fimbriata 

 transforms at a much smaller size, 14.0 mm, 

 whereas the Pacific species can attain a length 



Monolene sp. 



(1 occurrence, 1 larva) 



A 16-mm specimen was obtained at Station 

 47.520. Larvae of Monolene develop a single, 

 prominent elongated dorsal ray (2nd fin ray) — 

 this ray was 6 mm long. Its meristics — D.82, 

 A. 63, Vert. 39 — would fit Monolene asaedai 

 Clark (Perkins, 1963) and possibly M. dubiosa 

 Garman. The other two eastern Pacific species, 

 M. maculipinna Garman and M. danae Bruun, 

 have higher fin ray counts. Morrow (1957b) 

 reported taking a 65-mm larva of M. maculipinna 

 off Peru in a pelagic trawl fishing to 152-fm 

 depth over rather deep water (1,300 fm) , Mor- 

 row's specimen had the following meristics: 

 D.98, A. 79, Vert. 43. Monolene danae Bruun 

 (1937) was described from a juvenile taken in 

 a pelagic trawl off Panama by the Dana in 1922. 



Sy actum ovale (Giinther) 

 (55 occurrences, 480 larvae) 



Although larvae of 5. ovale were the most 

 common bothid flatfish collected on both ETP I 

 and ETP II, it was decidedly more abundant 

 in ETP II as compared with ETP I (24 occur- 

 rences, 84 larvae) . Larvae of Syacium occurred 

 in a broad coastal band between Manzanillo, 

 Mexico, and Ecuador (Figure 3); only three 

 collections were obtained to the south of the 



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