422 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



STANDARD 



100 

 LENGTH 



160 



(MM) 



Figure 16. — Relation of len^h of ventral lobe of caudal fin to standard length of MvUlidae of the western North 

 Atlantic. For Pseudupeneus maculatus, large black circle indicates smalle.st metamorphosed sjiecimen (41.0 mm.) 

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



design described for pelagic juveniles. The upper 

 half of the lieart design had almost disappeared. 



Tlie black blotches tliat appear during meta- 

 morphosis were examined on a 94.7-mm. specimen 

 (fig. 8). They were composed primarily of pig- 

 mentation of the scales, as there was little pigmen- 

 tation of the skin. Pigmentation of the winglike 

 process of the cleithrum occurred as the anterior 

 blotch enlarged. At 94.7 nnn. the fins had lost 

 their pigment except for a single black patch on 

 the second dorsal. The two light lines along the 

 lateral midline were still obvious. 



The following color description is taken from a 

 l75-mm. adult that had been preserved in formalin 

 for 33 days : 



Body and head red. Abdomen red. Three 

 black blotches, the first just below the lateral 

 line at the upper edge of the operculum, the 

 second just below the lateral line and slightly 

 posterior to the middle of the first dorsal, and 

 the third along the lateral line below the middle 

 of the second dorsal. First dorsal red, second 

 dorsal reddish-yello.v, caudal red. Pectorals 

 orange-red, pelvics red tipped with yellow. 

 Dark streak along lateral midline — caused by 

 coloration within the mesodermal tissue, and 

 not by pigmentation of the scales, as are the 

 three black patches. 



Most of the pigment of the 175-nnn. specimen 

 was lost during preservation, but the three black 



