LAROCHE: DESCRIPTION OF VERMILION SNAPPER 



other specimens <8.0 mm had angle spines which 

 were 10.1-14.6% SL, averaging 12.6%. Specimens 

 >8.0 mm had angle spines which were 7.0-13.1% 

 SL, averaging 9.7%. The largest juvenile (14.2 

 mm) had the smallest spine within this group 

 (7.0%). One spine occurred on the upper margin of 

 the preopercular margin of all specimens 

 examined, with a smaller spine occasionally oc- 

 curring between it and the angle spine (Figure 

 2B). 



The posttemporal has 1 or 2 sharp spines pro- 

 jecting posterodorsally; the supracleithrum, 2-5 

 similar spines; the number of spines increasing 

 with growth (Figures 1, 2). The supraocular crest 

 has 2-7 serrations which increase in number with 

 growth. A sharp projection which appears to be the 

 anterior tip of the lachrymal bone projects an- 

 teriorly and slightly ventrally from each side of 

 the snout on all specimens. 



The eye is nearly circular and has a ventral cleft 

 (Figures 1, 2). 



Conical teeth are present on premaxillary and 

 dentary of all specimens; vomerine and palatine 

 teeth, on 14.2-mm specimen. 



Body Growth 



Measurements of body parts is presented in 

 Table 2. The growth of various body parts as re- 

 lated to standard length is described by linear 

 regression analysis using Bartlett's three-group 

 method for Model II regression (Sokal and Rohlf 

 1969). Statistics for regressions of head length, 

 depth of body, snout to anus distance, and eye 

 diameter versus standard length are presented in 

 Table 3. Correlation coefficients are greater than 

 0.97 for all relationships. 



TABLE 3. — Statistics describing regressions of body measure- 

 ments versus standard length for larval and small juvenile ver- 

 milion snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens. The x variable is 

 standard length in all cases. 1 



'x = mean value of x, y = mean value of y, N = number of specimens 

 examined, b = rate of increase of y with respect to x, a = regression line 

 intercept, Sy x = standard deviation from the regression, r = correlation 

 coefficient. 



TABLE 2. — Measurements of body parts for larval and juvenile 

 vermilion snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens, in millimeters. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



I thank John B. Colton, Jr., National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, for specimens; and Sally L. 

 Richardson and Joanne L. Laroche, Oregon State 

 University, and Hugh H. DeWitt and Bernard J. 

 McAlice, University of Maine, for constructive 

 criticisms. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Anderson, w. D., Jr. 



1967. Field guide to the snappers (Lutjanidae) of the west- 

 ern Atlantic. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Circ. 252, 14 p. 



BAILEY, R. M., J. E. FITCH, E. S. HERALD, E. A. LACHNER, C. C. 

 LINDSEY, C. R. ROBINS, AND W. B. SCOTT. 



1970. A list of common and scientific names of fishes from 

 the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc, Spec. 

 Publ. 6, 149 p. 

 BOHLKE, J. E., AND C. C. G. CHAPLIN. 



1968. Fishes of the Bahamas and adjacent tropical waters. 

 Livingston Publ. Co., Wynnewood, Pa., 771 p. 



FAHAY, M. P. 



1975. An annotated list of larval and juvenile fishes cap- 

 tured with surface-towed meter net in the south Atlantic 

 bight during four RV Dolphin cruises between May 1967 

 and February 1968. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. 

 Rep. NMFS SSRF-685, 39 p. 

 FOURMANOIR, P. 



1973. Notes ichthyologiques(V). Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M. Ser. 

 Oceanogr. 11:33-39. 



553 



