MULLIDAE OF THE WESTERN XORTH ATLANTIC 



437 



Figure 27. — 78.0-mm. Muling auratus. Trawled by Oregon personnel. (UF uncatalogued.) 



beyond 130 mm. slightly higher than for smaller 

 sizes (fig. 14). For length of first lower-limb gill 

 raker the rate of increase beyond about 30 mm. is 

 less than for sizes below 30 mm. (fig. 21) ; and for 

 eye diameter the rate of increase beyond about 

 100 mm. is also slightly less than for smaller sizes 

 (fig. 13). 



There were too few 50- to 70-mm. M. auratus to 

 demonstrate an abrupt increase in body depth at 

 this size similar to that for P. maculatus (fig. 12). 

 If M. auratus has this sudden increase in the body 

 depth at the time of color metamorphosis (see Pig- 

 mentation., M. auratus) , the graph could still show 

 the same slope as it does. The increase could be 

 apparent as a step rather than an upward inflec- 

 tion of slope, and this step would probably occur 

 between 40 and 70 mm. as it does in metamorphos- 

 ing P. maculatus. Even if this step does occur, 

 juvenile M. auratus are not as slender-bodied as 

 juvenile P. maculatus, and the step would prob- 

 abh^ not be as marked. 



Pigmentation 



The 9.5- and 33.6-mm. specimens discussed below 

 were from the same dip net sample and were pre- 

 served in formalin. The photomicrograph (fig. 

 26) of larval M. auratus shows larvae 9.5 to 9.8 

 mm. in three views illustrating pigmentation. A 

 lateral view (center larva) shows a series of hori- 

 zontally elongated pigment patches along tlie 

 lateral midline beginning at a point below the 



termination of the first dorsal fin and extending 

 to the hypural bone. Above the lateral midline 

 the surface was almost covered with light tan pig- 

 ment which was without pattern. A line of darker 

 pigment spots occurred adjacent to the second dor- 

 sal fin. Below the lateral midline, in the area 

 between the posterior margin of the operculum and 

 the origin of the anal fin, there were several large 

 dark spots surrounded by buff-colored areas. The 

 area above the anal fin was clear except for some 

 pigment just below the lateral midline, and a row 

 of dark chromatophores along the ventral midline. 



In dorsal view (fig. 26, lowest specimen) there 

 was a line of large pigment spots, dark in the cen- 

 ter with tan radiations, on each side of the dorsal 

 fins. These began behind the head and proceeded 

 posteriorly as far as the secondary caudal rays. 

 A long slender "V" was formed by the two rows as 

 the body tai:)ered toward the caudal fin. The 

 cluster of pigment spots over the snout was 

 marked when the specimen was viewed from this 

 aspect. 



The ventral view (uppermost in fig. 26) showed 

 a similar "V," formed by a row of large pigment 

 spots along each side on the ventral midline. 

 Just posterior to the origin of the anal fin, the 

 radiations from the dark centers of the chromato- 

 phores had so spread as to coalesce. 



All of the fins were clear except the caudal 

 which had a few scattered pigment spots on the 

 base, giving the impression that they were mi- 



