MULLIDAE OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC 



451 



waters, and they are discussed witliin the limits 

 of the material available. Pertinent station data 

 and present location of the material examined are 

 listed in table 18, p. 449. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Briggs (1958) listed the range of MuUoidi- 

 chthys martinicus as Bermuda and the Florida 

 Keys to the lesser Antilles, Panama, and the 

 western Gulf of Mexico. 



I examined adult specimens of this species from 

 as far south as Salvador, Brazil, but as these could 

 have been market-procured (data not given), the 

 precise locality of their capture may be questioned. 

 Locations of captures of the material examined are 

 shown in figure 24. 



H 



I- 



Figure 38. — Operculum and cleithnim of 44.0-mm. 

 Upeneus parvus. Line etjuals 2 mm. 



MULLOIDICHTHYS MARTINICUS 

 (CUVIER) 



No juveniles below 82.5 mm. were available for 

 examination. Neither the exploratoi-y operations 

 of the Theodore N. Gill off the south Atlantic 

 coast of the ITnited States, nor the extensive work 

 done by the Oregon m the Gulf of Mexico and in 

 the Caribbean resulted in the capture of any speci- 

 men of this species below 82.5 mm. Other likely 

 sources of material were investigated without 

 success. 



The likelihood of the appearance of these juve- 

 niles in the waters off the south Atlantic coast of 

 the United States necessitates the inclusion of this 

 species in a study of juvenile Mullidae of these 



ECOLOGY 



An enigma is posed by the absence of juveniles 

 of M. martlnlcwi in collections wliere they might 

 be anticipated. Parr (1930) noted this absence 

 of pelagic specimens of M. martinicus in his col- 

 lectmg in the Bahamas and Turks Island (surface 

 light at night) where the adults are plentiful, and 

 referred to it as "peculiar." My smallest speci- 

 men with data (83.5 mm., table 18) was taken 

 witli aid of rotenone in 6 to 8 feet of water. The 

 data on much of the material were scanty, but 

 one large specimen was taken by bottom trawl. 



GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 



The smallest M. Diarfinirus examined was 82.5 

 mm. (fig. 39). At this size, there was no external 

 evidence of a minute first dorsal spine, a strong 

 opercular spine was evident, and the anterior teetli 

 in both upper and lower jaws were irregularly 

 biserial. 



Figure 39. — MuUoidichthys martinicus, 82.5 mm. (SU 21854) 



