FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 78, NO. 2 



1.0 mm 

 I 1 



Figure 7. — Pterygiophore from 14th intemeural space with its secondarily and serially associated rays from a 230 mm SL (Joryphaena 

 equiselis. Left: anterodorsal view, secondarily associated ray moved to the right of the proximal radial; right: left lateral 

 view. Symbols: D,, distal radial of secondarily associated ray; D, distal radial of serially associated ray; P, proximal radial; 

 R,, secondarily associated ray; R, serially associated ray. Stippled, cartilage; darkened, bone. 



lacked distal radials. The absence or presence of 

 distal radials was not related to the number of fin 

 rays associated with the anteriormost pterygio- 

 phore (Table 2). The first three or four (anterior- 

 most) distal radials of both species differed in 

 structure from the remainder. These radials con- 

 sisted of one piece of bone (Figure 14) whereas all 

 other radials were of two pieces (Figures 7, 8). 



The dorsal pterygiophores of Coryphaena spp. 

 differed in several ways from other perciform 

 fishes. Predorsal bones reported in Apogonidae 

 (Fraser 1972), Serranidae and Grammistidae 

 (Kendall 1976), Sparidae (Houde and Potthoff 



286 



1976), and for all the stromateoid families (Ahl- 

 strom et al. 1976) were lacking. Also lacking was 

 the terminal bone in the dorsal fin support series 

 called a "stay" by Weitzman (1962). Stays have 

 been reported for such families as Characidae 

 (Weitzman 1962), Scombridae (Kramer 1960; Pott- 

 hoff 1975), Sparidae (Houde and Potthoff 1976), 

 Nomeidae and Centrolophidae (Ahlstrom et al. 

 1976), and Centropomidae, Kyphosidae, Lutjan- 

 idae, Percichthyidae, and Scorpidae (Johnson 

 1978). A stay was observed in the Scombrolabrac- 

 idae and a double stay in the Gempylidae (Potthoff 

 et al. 1980). 



