FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 87, NO. 3, 1989 



sighted until a later date when growth and depo- 

 sition of intense dark pigment had occurred. 

 Growth of the juveniles was very rapid com- 

 pared with L. callyodon, as evident in Figure 2 

 versus Figure 3. 



Larvae of Liparis callyodon 



Preserved egg masses of L. callyodon num- 

 bered 409, 394, 203, 132, and 53 eggs (egg di- 

 ameter 1.69 ± 0.02 mm, n = 10). Newly hatched 

 L. callyodon averaged 5.21 ± 0.19 mm NL (n = 

 10). At hatching, snout-anus length averaged 

 39% NL (2.02 ± 0.16 mm); head length, 21% NL 

 (1.08 ± 0.13 mm); body depth, 22.6% NL (1.18 ± 

 0.06 mm); and eye diameter, 9.5% NL (0.49 ± 

 0.02 mm). Pigment at hatching remained the 

 same as in later pre flexion stages (Fig. 3a) and 

 consisted of large melanophores covering the en- 

 tire body, except the posterior end of the 

 notochord. There was also a row of elongated 

 melanophores hning the ventral margin of the fin 

 fold. At hatching, there was no pelvic disk, al- 

 though the pectoral fin base extended ventrally 

 toward the isthmus where the disk would forni. 

 The yolk included a single oil droplet, positioned 

 anterodorsally within the yolk. 



Considerable grovi^th in size occurred during 

 preflexion without any visible alteration in ap- 

 pearance in = 17 specimens). Larvae less than 8 

 mm NL resembled the 5 mm yolk-sac larvae 

 (Fig. 3). Pelvic disk width was about Vs eye di- 

 ameter. At about 8 mm NL, growth in body 

 depth occurred together with dorsal and anal fin 

 ray formation; the rays formed synchronously 

 along the entire fin lengths. In most specimens, 

 dorsal and anal fin ray formation preceded both 

 caudal and pectoral fin ray formation (Fig. 3b). 

 Disk diameter was about V2 eye diameter at this 

 stage. A few small melanophores had appeared 

 in the dorsal fin area. The hypural primordia 

 were present with no sign of notochord flexion. 

 At lengths between 7 and 8 mm NL, morpho- 

 metries remained similar to those at hatching; 

 the greatest changes were an insignificant in- 

 crease in snout-anus length from 39 to 42% NL 

 and a reduction in body depth from 22 to 19.5% 

 NL. 



Just beyond 8 mm NL, hypural plates formed 

 at about the same time as pectoral fin ray bases. 

 However, in a few specimens, these events just 

 preceded anlagen of dorsal and anal fin rays, so 

 the timing of these sets of events was very close 

 and not entirely regular between individuals. At 



Figure 3. — Larvae of Liparis callyodon: a, 7.75 mm NL preflexion; b, 8.1 mm NL preflexion; and c, 10.45 mm SL postflexion. 



740 



