Able et al.: Transitions in morphological features, habitat use, and diet of Lophius omenconus 



461 



76°W 74''W 72°W 70°W 68°W 66°W 



44 °N- 



A 



42°N- 



40 N- 



38 "N- 



36 "N- 



X 



New 

 Jersey 



Maine ^r'^Nova^ 



I f '^''' Gulf of Maine ' " | 



Long / Massacftjsetts 

 Island 



76°W 74°W 72°W 70°W 68°W 66°W 



.&-^-'y\ 



''\, 7ACE Study Aree 

 Delaware Bay 



'n^phesapeake Bay ^\0 

 North !--A i 

 Caroiirta-^lcape Hatteras 



N 



s 



44°t^=- 



42 °N- 



40°N 



38 °N- 



36°N- 



5F 



Gulf of ti/laine 



Larval abundance 



100 100 



76°W 74°W 72°W 70°W 68°W 66°W 



44°tsl-.- 



42°NH 



40°N 



38"N- 



36°N-- 



■^^■'\j;/^ GeorgesBank 



Pelagic juveniles 



A MARMAP(TL> 12 mm) 



• Hydroacouslic sun/eys (TL < 120 mm) 



100 100 



Figure 1 



(A) Study area, including the Middle Atlantic Bight, Georges Bank, and Gulf of Maine. Study area boundaries are indicated 

 by the light gray lines, which in most instances approximate the 200-m isobath. ACE = Army Corps of Engineers. fB) 

 Distribution of larval (<12 mm total length [TL]) goosefish (Lophius amencanus) in the study area based on National 

 Marine Fisheries Service and Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment and Prediction sampling programs during the 

 period from 1977 to 1987. Size of the symbol at each location is in proportion to the composite abundance (number of 

 fish per location). (C) The distribution and abundance of pelagic juvenile (>12 to 130 mm TL) goosefish in the study area 

 based on composite collections (Table 1). 



frozen or preserved in ethanol to preserve stomach con- 

 tents. In the laboratory, frozen fish were thawed, fish 

 lengths (TL mm) were recorded, and stomachs were 

 extracted and placed in 95% ethanol. A solution of rose 

 bengal was later added to the stomach contents to aid 

 in the identification of the contents. Upon examination, 

 the proportion (by weight) of each prey category was 

 determined according to the sieve-fractionation method 

 of Carr and Adams (1972), by using sieves of three sizes 

 (2000, 850, and 75 f<). All prey were identified to the 

 lowest taxonomic level practical. 



General inferences about the habitats of YOY goosefish 

 were based on the location and depth of collection and 

 the known habitat of items found in the stomach con- 



tents of goosefish specimens. Special attention was giv- 

 en to whether the prey was of pelagic or benthic origin, 

 if known, to help us identify presettlement (pelagic) and 

 postsettlement (benthic) goosefish. This method was ef- 

 fective in identifying size at settlement in haddock (Mel- 

 anogrammus aeglefinus) for Mahon and Neilson (1987). 



Results and discussion 



Morphological development 



Goosefish undergo changes in morphological features 

 and pigmentation during the transition from pelagic 



