40 



Fishery Bulletin 93(1), 1995 



The snout is initially slightly concave in profile, 

 but after flexion this gradually changes to straight 

 or slightly convex. The eye is round. The mouth ini- 

 tially reaches below the eye but is short of the eye in 

 postflexion larvae. Four to six small villiform teeth 

 are present on the premaxilla by 4.4 mm. The num- 

 ber of teeth increases from 10 to 12 during flexion 

 (from 4.8 to greater than 5.1 mm). Head spination is 

 only weakly developed. One to two preopercular 

 spines are discernible in postsettlement larvae. A 

 weak posttemporal ridge with 1 or 2 small spines is 

 developed in the 10.1-mm postflexion larva and is 

 present in all postsettlement larvae examined. The 

 single opercular spine is not visible in the 10.1-mm 

 larva but is present in postsettlement larvae and is 

 retained in juveniles. 



Scales develop after settlement and are first vis- 

 ible around the gut and lateral midline by 17.2 mm. 



Insufficient numbers of specimens were available 

 to document the full sequence of fin development or 

 the completion of flexion in S. schomburgkii. 



The rays of the caudal fin are present in flexion 

 larvae of 4.8 mm. Flexion commences by 4.8 mm. 

 Pectoral fin buds are present in the smallest speci- 

 men (2.7 mm) and incipient rays form during flex- 

 ion. Rays of the pectoral fin have commenced ossifi- 

 cation in the 10.1-mm postflexion larva. A full comple- 

 ment of 15 or 16 pectoral fin rays is present in the 

 smallest postsettlement larva (12.7 mm). Anal-fin 

 and second-dorsal-fin anlagen appear during flexion. 

 Full complements (spines and rays) of the anal fin 



and both dorsal fins are present in the 10.1-mm speci- 

 men. The pelvic fin has commenced development in 

 the 10.1-mm larva and has completed development 

 by 12.7 mm. 



Larval pigmentation — Pigment on the head in 

 preflexion S. schomburgkii larvae is limited to the 

 angle of the lower jaw and internally to the base of 

 the otic capsule. One or two melanophores are also 

 present ventrally on the gular membrane, increas- 

 ing to three during flexion. Additional melanophores 

 develop on the snout tip, scattered over the lateral 

 surface of the head, and a cap of pigment forms over 

 the mid and hindbrain in postflexion larvae. 



Pigment on the dorsal surface of the gut and gas blad- 

 der consists of 8—10 approximately evenly spaced 

 melanophores. Scattered internal melanophores gradu- 

 ally spread over the lateral walls of the gut in post- 

 flexion larvae. Ventral pigment on the gut consists of a 

 midline series of 8-14 melanophores extending from just 

 anterior of the cleithral symphysis to the anus (Fig. 5). 



Preflexion larvae have 15-22 discrete, evenly 

 spaced melanophores that extend in a dorsal linear 

 series from the nape to within 2-5 myomeres of the 

 notochord tip. The number of dorsal melanophores 

 decreases to 13 by 5.0 mm. A series of three discrete 

 dorsal bands consisting of 3-5 paired stellate mel- 

 anophores has replaced this dorsal series in the 10.1 

 mm postflexion larva. Lateral midline pigment in S. 

 schomburgkii larvae is the most pronounced of all 

 three species examined and is present on the tail in 

 the smallest larva (2.7 mm) as 2 or 3 elongated mel- 



