FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 78, NO. 2 



^i'l MB' 1 ■! ^ 



Figure 31. — Pelvic fin and basipterygia from a 449 mm SL Coryphaena hippurus. 

 Left: ventral external view; right: dorsal internal view. Left pelvic fin has been 

 removed. Symbols: AX, anterior xiphoid process; CP, central part; EDW, external 

 dorsolateral wing; EVW, external ventrolateral wing; IW, internal dorsolateral wing; 

 PX, posterior xiphoid process; VW, ventral wing. Stippled, cartilage; darkened, bone. 



lateral "[" shaped channel (Figure 33). Thexiphoid 

 processes were located internally at the midline 

 on the basipterygia (Figures 31-33). The anterior 

 xiphoid process was an anteroventral extension of 

 the posterior xiphoid process (Figure 32). The 

 posterior xiphoid process, which pointed in a 

 posterodorsal direction was attached to the poste- 

 rior part of the basipterygium by a heavy bony 

 strut from the central part and anteriorly by the 

 internal dorsolateral wing (Figures 32, 33). The 

 two basipterygia were closely approximated at the 

 edges of the two internal dorsolateral wings and 

 the internal surfaces of the four xiphoid processes 



(Figure 31). The closest approximation was ob- 

 served on the xiphoid processes at the place where 

 the anterior and posterior processes were joined 

 (Figure 32). Here the bone was rough with minute 

 projections. These projections gave a close fit when 

 the surfaces were brought together and prevented 

 the basipterygia from sliding. 



No anatomical differences in the development of 

 the pelvic fin and supports were found between 

 C. hippurus and C. equiselis. Larval and juvenile 

 specimens of C. equiselis were more advanced in 

 pelvic development than equal-sized specimens of 

 C. hippurus (Table 13; Figures 34, 35). In both 



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