370 



Fishery Bulletin 101(2) 



E 



Figure 1 



Larval, transforming larval, and juvenile Hyporhamphus melanochir . (A) 6.4-mm reared yolksac larva; newly 

 hatched (redrawn from Jordan et al., 1998) (L 3072-01). (B) 9.3-mm larva (L 3073-01). (C) 13.3-mm larva 

 (composite drawing of two damaged larvae of same BL) (L 3073-02 and -03). (D) 20.4-mm transforming larva 

 (L 3074-01). (E) 29.3-mm juvenile (L 3074-02). Myomeres omitted in (D) and (E). 



and several incipient dorsal- and anal-fin rays are pres- 

 ent in newly hatched larvae. A full complement of 15-18 

 dorsal-fin and 17-20 anal-fin rays is attained at 11.4 and 

 12.1 mm, respectively. The pectoral base and finfold form 

 prior to hatching, and incipient rays appear shortly after 

 (by 7.2 mm); all 11-13 rays are formed by 19.6 mm. The 

 pelvic fin buds appear by 13.3 mm, and all six pelvic-fin 

 rays are formed by 19.6 mm. 



Pigmentation tiy/xirpliiimphiis mi'laiUH-hir larvae are 

 moderately to heavily pigmented. Head pigmentation 

 consists of melanophores on the tip of the lower jaw, snout, 

 olfactory pit, and opercula, and a patch of several large 



melanophores on the midbrain. The extended lower jaw 

 is heavily pigmented throughout development and mela- 

 nophores extend laterally along the dentary. The eye is 

 partially pigmented in the newly hatched larva, but fully 

 pigmented by 6.9 mm. The gut is heavily and uniformly 

 pigmented dorsally and laterally along the entire length, 

 and melanophores are often coalesced, but pigmentation 

 becomes obscured as the overlying musculature develops. 

 Dorsal pigmentation initially consists of 12-15 large mela- 

 nophore pairs in longitudinal rows between the head and 

 origin of the dorsal fin (Fig. 2A), and a continuous band 

 along either side of the dorsal-fin base. Dorsal pigmenta- 

 tion gradually decreases in intensity thereafter. Three 



