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Fishery Bulletin 93(4), 1995 



mm notochord length (NLMMorris, 1956; Moser et 

 al., 1977; Matarese et al., 1989; Laroche 2 ), and for a 

 37.0-mm standard length (SL) pelagic juvenile 

 (Matarese et al., 1989; Laroche 2 ). 



The purpose of this study is to describe the devel- 

 opment of S. goodei from pre-extrusion larvae to the 

 pelagic juvenile stage. In addition, the age and 

 growth of early larvae were examined. 



Methods 



Specimens of larval and pelagic juvenile S. goodei 

 were obtained from cruises conducted aboard the 

 NOAA RV David Starr Jordan by using bongo nets 

 with 0.505-mm mesh, a 5-m 2 Methot Isaacs-Kidd 

 (MIK) trawl with 2-mm mesh and a 0.505-mm 

 codend, and a 26 m x 26 m mid-water trawl with a 

 12.7-mm stretched-mesh codend liner. Bongo-net 

 collections were made in February 1991 and 1993, 

 MIK collections in March 1992 and 1993, and mid- 

 water trawl collections in May and June 1992 and 

 1993. Specimens from bongo and MIK collections 

 were preserved in ethanol (EtOH) (80% for the 1991 

 bongo collection and 95% for all others), whereas mid- 

 water trawl specimens were frozen. Pre-extrusion 

 larvae were collected from four adult females cap- 

 tured in January 1991 and were preserved in etha- 

 nol (initially 80%, but later transferred to 95%). Al- 

 though preservation in ethanol causes shrinkage 

 (Laroche et al. [1982] observed 3.2% shrinkage in 

 larval English sole, Pleuronectes vetulus, preserved 

 in 80% ethanol ), the rate of shrinkage decreases with 

 increased fish size (Radtke, 1989). Therefore, while 

 discrepancies in SL due to different preservation 

 methods could have occurred in using the frozen 

 midwater trawl specimens along with the ethanol- 

 preserved MIK trawl specimens, these fish were prob- 

 ably large enough (>24 mm SL) that the shrinkage 

 rate was negligible relative to total size. All samples 

 were collected off central California between 

 Cypress Point (36°35'N latitude) and Salt Point 

 (38°35'N latitude). 



A total of 283 fish were examined, including 138 

 large specimens (>20 mm SL), 130 small specimens 

 (<20.1 mm SL), and 15 pre-extrusion larvae. Large 

 specimens were identified from meristic characters 

 and pigment patterns (i.e. melanophore patterns, 

 because other pigments such as xanthophores are 

 not retained well in ethanol [Matarese et al., 1989]) 

 as described previously in Chen ( 1986), Matarese et 

 al. ( 1989), Moreland and Redly ( 1991 ), and Laroche. 2 

 Small specimens were initially identified by using 

 pigment patterns developed from a size series 

 (Kendall and Lenarz, 1987) based on the pigment 



patterns of pre-extrusion larvae and on the smallest 

 individuals with complete meristic characters. Pig- 

 ment patterns were recorded on each specimen ex- 

 amined. Dorsal-, anal-, and pectoral-fin ray counts 

 were recorded on specimens >8.1 mm SL, and the 

 number of gill rakers on the first gill arch were recorded 

 on a subset of 50 large specimens. 



Morphometric data, including head length, snout 

 length, snout to anus distance, eye diameter, body 

 depth at the pectoral fin base, body depth at the anus, 

 and pectoral fin length, were taken on 20 specimens 

 ( all preserved in 95% ethanol ) ranging in size from 5.3 

 mm NL to 22.0 mm SL. Measurements were recorded 

 in mm by using a dissecting microscope connected to a 

 video camera and computer. Terminology for morpho- 

 metries followed Richardson and Laroche ( 1979). 



In order to examine the development of head 

 spines, 20 specimens ranging in size from 6.1 mm 

 NL to 22.0 mm SL were stained with Alizarin Red-S. 

 In addition, because it is often used as a diagnostic 

 character, the presence or absence of supraocular 

 spines was noted in all large specimens. Terminol- 

 ogy for head spination followed Richardson and 

 Laroche (1979). 



Otolith characters have recently been shown to be 

 helpful in identifying late larval and pelagic juve- 

 nile Sebastes spp. (Laidig and Ralston, 1995). In par- 

 ticular, the otoliths of S. goodei develop a distinctive 

 optical pattern (i.e. a dark inner ring surrounding a 

 dark primordium) during the pre-extrusion larval 

 stage (Laidig and Ralston, 1995). Consequently, 

 otoliths were removed from 50 specimens (4.6 mm 

 NL to 10.7 mm SL) to help confirm the initial pig- 

 ment-based identifications of larval S. goodei. For 

 comparison, otoliths were also removed from 52 lar- 

 val Sebastes of unknown species (3.7 mm NL to 8.2 

 mm SL) that had pigment patterns similar to, but 

 slightly different from, those of larval S. goodei. 

 Otoliths of S. goodei and other Sebastes spp. were 

 removed from specimens collected at the same sites 

 to determine whether the pigment patterns described 

 in this study were accurately distinguishing S. goodei 

 from other Sebastes spp. Other Sebastes spp. were 

 distinguished from S. goodei by one or all of the fol- 

 lowing characteristics: absence of pigment on the 

 cranium and nape, presence of pigment on the tip of 

 the lower jaw, presence of pigment on the cleithral 

 region, and presence of pigment on the caudal area. 

 Sebastes jordani and S.paucispinis were not included 

 in the other Sebastes spp. category because they were 

 easily identified on the basis of distinctive pigment 

 patterns and morphometries (Moser et al., 1977). 

 Otoliths were examined under a compound micro- 

 scope connected to a video camera and computer with 

 a working magnification of l,250x. The radius of the 



