10 20 30 40 50 00 70 



MEAN STANDARD LENGTH (mm) 



80 -ADULT 



Figure 6. — Body proportions of black sea bass associ- 

 ated with caudal fin development plotted as percentages 

 of standard length. A) total length; B) caudal pe- 

 duncle depth. Each point represents the mean of sev- 

 eral observations. "Adult" points from Miller (1959). 



development to about 14% where it remains in 

 adults (Miller, 1959) (Figure 6B). 



DEVELOPMENT OF MERISTIC CHARACTERS 



Most of the meristic features of black sea bass 

 larvae develop within a length range of 4 mm 

 (Table 1). Larvae 5 mm long have undifferen- 

 tiated finfolds with a few caudal rays, buds of 

 paired fins, some gill rakers and branchiostegal 

 rays, and an incompletely ossified vertebral col- 

 umn (Figure 3A). By 7 mm most median and 

 paired fin elements and branchiostegal rays have 

 formed, some gill rakers are visible, and the ver- 

 tebral column is ossified (Figure 3B). Other 

 than gill rakers and scales, adult complements 

 of meristic characters are reached by 9 mm (Fig- 

 ure 3C). The following descriptions roughly 

 follow the sequence of attainment of adult char- 

 acters. 



Table 1. — Development of meristic characters of larval black sea bass. 



'■ Damaged. 



1249 



