STEVENS ET AL.; LARVAE AND JUVENILES OF THREE KYPHOSID FISHES 



entire dorsal fin is pigmented except for an area 

 on the anterior half of the soft dorsal. The pelvic 

 fins are completely pigmented at 50 mm. The 

 pectoral and caudal fins are unpigmented in 

 larvae and pelagic juveniles. 



Hermosilla azurea 



Figures 1, 6, 7 



General Morphology 



The size and state of development at hatching 

 are unknown. The smallest larva examined, 2.5 

 mm, had pigmented eyes, a functional mouth, 

 and no remnants of yolk or oil droplets. Pre- 

 flexion larvae are moderately robust, with a 

 coiled gut extending slightly beyond midbody 

 (Tables 2, 6) and with a small swimbladder over 

 the anterior gut. The head is moderately large, 

 with a blunt snout, and with round to slightly 

 elongate (horizontally) eyes. Development is 



gi'adual with no abrupt changes in body form or 

 pi'oportions. Most body parts showed small in- 

 creases in size relative to the standard length 

 (Table 2). Among the largest proportional 

 changes are the increases in snout-anus length 

 and in body depth (Fig. 6). 



Larvae acquire only a few small head spines. 

 The first spine may develop at the angle of the 

 posterior preopercular margin as early as late 

 preflexion (3.7 mm), or may be delayed until 

 early flexion (always present by 4.7 mm); 19% of 

 preflexion larvae had this spine. During flexion 

 1-3 additional small spines develop along the 

 posterior preopercular margin and up to 3 

 (usually or 1) small spines are acquired along 

 the anterior preopercular ridge. Postflexion 

 larvae may develop up to 4 very small spines 

 along the posterior margin of the subopercular, 

 and usually lose the anterior preopercular 

 spines. Juveniles lack both the preopercular and 

 the subopercular spines. 



Table 6. — Measurements (mm) of larvae and pelagic juveniles of Hermosilla azurea. Broken lines enclose specimens 

 undergoing notochord flexion and specimens below solid line are pelagic juveniles. 



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