MULLIDAE OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC 



427 



70 100 



STANDARD LENGTH 



130 

 (MM) 



190 



Figure 21. — Relation of length of first lower-limb gill raker to standard length of Mullidae of the western North 

 Atlantic. For Psetidupeneus macidatu-i, large black circle indicates smallest metamonihosed spet-inien (41.0 mm.) 

 and large open circle indicates large pelagic form (59.5 mm.). 



Lower limb. — The lower-limb gill rakers were 

 counted on these 60 specimens as well as tlie two 

 smaller specimens mentioned above. The number 

 of lower-limb gill rakers ranged from 19 to 24, 

 with the exception of 1 specimen (21.6 mm.) which 

 had 17 (table 6, p. 428). 



The average number iiicrea.sed with size up 

 tiirough a 50.0- to 74.9-mm. size range, then de- 

 creased as tlie rudiments became overgrown with 

 tissue. 



Ceratohninch'ml hone. — Tiie number of gill 

 rakers on the ceratobranchial bone was counted on 

 32 specimens. Of these, 2 (18.5 and 34.2 mm.) liad 



U, 1 had 15 (85.8 mm.), and tlie remainder had 

 from 12 to 14. 



Teeth 



r l>per joic. — Among tiie Mullidae of the west- 

 ern North Aihmtic, curved canines in tiie upper 

 jaw anterior and lateral to the main row of canines 

 are peculiar to /'. iiuicu/atiix. Teetii wei-e not e\'i- 

 dent in an 18.5-mm. specimen, but were present in 

 one of 21.6 mm. The left premaxillaiy bone of a 

 46-mm. specimen had a regular series of 14 

 erupted canine teeth, plus 6 uneiiipted teeth in the 

 6th, 8th, lOtii, 14th, iTth, and 19th positions from 



