EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEN-POUNDER 



627 



5 mm. 



Figure 9. — Early nietaniorphic larva, 30.9 mm. standard length. 



Figure 10. — Early metamorphic larva, 26.6 mm. standard length. 





o« ■»-■ ""■'"■"■; T" : " 



Figure 11. — Mid-metamorphic larva, 21.5 mm. 



Figure 12. — Mid-metamorphic larva, 24.7 mm. 



in number from 22 to 26, and the anal rays range 

 from 14 to 18. From the late metamorphic period 

 to the adult (25 mm. and larger), there are 25-29 

 dorsal rays and 16-19 anal rays (tables 3 and 4). 

 Branching of the dorsal and anal fin rays com- 

 mences during the late metamorphic period, and 

 by 35 mm. about 17 dorsal rays and 12 anal rays 

 are branched. The last dorsal ray is branched at 

 its base and the anterior branch is divided again. 

 My 380-mm. adult had 17 of the 27 dorsal rays and 

 12 of the 17 anal rays branched. Delsman (1926) 

 shows all dorsal (±20) and anal (±14) rays 

 branched in his illustration of a 37-mm. E. 

 hawaiensis "leptocephalus" (an early metamor- 

 phic larva by my definition), a point inconsistent 

 with my findings for E. saurus. 



Smith (1907) gave 20-21 as the dorsal-fin ray 

 complement and 13 for the anal fin. Regan (1909) 

 gave 23-26 as the range for the dorsal fin (18-20 

 branched), and 15-16 for the anal fin (11-12 

 branched). Hildebrand (1943) gave 21-25 for 

 the dorsal fin and 14-17 for the anal. Holbrook 

 (1860) listed 24 dorsal and 17 anal rays. Meek 

 and Hildebrand (1923) gave 22-25 for the dorsal 

 fin and 15-17 for the anal. It is likely that some 

 of the small anterior rays of these fins were not 

 included in the ranges listed. 



Pectoral fin. — The pectoral fin on the 5.3-mm. 

 leptocephalus (fig. 2) is a rounded bud. The first 

 rays to form appear in the dorsal portion of the 

 fin bud at about 30 mm. in the early metamorphic 

 period (fig. 9). During the mid-metamorphic 



