FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 78, NO. 1 



Table 7. — Body proportions (percentage of NL or SL) of larval and juvenile Stellifer lanceolatus . Specimens between dashed lines are 

 undergoing notochord flexion. Lengths are NL above upper dashed line, SL below. 



tently present at 6.2 mm; the adult complement is 

 consistently present at S3l0.2 mm. The pelvic fin 

 bud is first present at 4.9 mm and is consistently 

 present at ^6.2 mm; adult element complements 

 are present at ^6.9 mm. 



Pigmentation. Pigmentation of the body pos- 

 terior to the anus is of particular value in iden- 

 tification of larval S. lanceolatus (Figure 5). In the 

 ventral midline, small larvae (^=3.1 mm) have a 

 row of five or six melanophores between the anus 

 and the notochord tip; one or two of these, two- 

 thirds of the distance from anus to notochord tip, 

 are larger than the others. In larger specimens, an 

 expanded melanophore is present two-thirds of the 

 distance from anus to notochord tip (at the pos- 

 terior end of the anal base when developed); this 

 melanophore branches dorsally , often as far as the 

 midlateral line. In some specimens (as shown. 

 Figure 5) two expanded, branching melanophores 

 are present at the posterior end of the anal fin 

 base. In most specimens s^3.1 mm, a melanophore 

 is present (at the anterior end of the anal base 

 when developed) anterior to this expanded 

 melanophore. One to three small melanophores 

 are present posterior to the anal base in most 

 specimens 3.3-6.2 mm; none are present at 6.9- 

 10.2 mm, and at >10.2 mm three or four melano- 

 phores are present here. A small, faint pigment 



Table 8. — Fin element counts in larval and juvenile Stellifer 

 lanceolatus . Specimens between dashed lines are undergoing 

 notochord flexion. Lengths are NL above upper dashed line, SL 

 below. 



NLor 

 SL (mm) 



Spinous Soft 

 dorsal dorsal 



Anal 



Pec- 

 toral' 



Pelvic' 



Caudal Caudal 

 prin- procur- 

 cipal rent 



fin present, no developed elements. 



spot is present in the midlateral line above the 

 melanophore at the posterior end of the anal base 

 in some specimens 3.1-5.5 mm, often connected to 



130 



