FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 78, NO. 2 



40 



30 



20 



:}■ 



w 



e. equiselis ^ 

 C. hippurus ^- 



165 



7 7 "' 



„ If -i ** % f 



6 7 8 9 10 11 >11 



LENGTH, mm NL or SL 



Figure 15. — Number of anal fin rays in relation to 

 length in 159 Coryphaena equiselis (6.5-230 mm NL 

 or SL) and 210 C. hippurus (5.0-230 mm NL or 

 SL). For explanation of symbols, see Figure 1. 



first two anteriormost interhaemal spaces (14 and 

 15) separated the species most of the time, with 

 7-10 (X = 8.0) for C. hippurus and 4-7 (x = 5.0) for 

 C. equiselis (Table 5). The two species also differed 

 in the number of pterygiophores found in the 

 remainder of the interhaemal spaces. Individual 

 variability, however, was too great for each inter- 

 haemal space to serve as a separating character. 

 The mean number of pterygiophores for each 

 interhaemal space was always greater for C. 

 hippurus. Coryphaena equiselis had more in- 

 terhaemal spaces with one pterygiophore and 

 C. hippurus more with two pterygiophores. In 

 C. hippurus the anal fin pterygiophores extended 

 to the 25th, 26th, or 27th interhaemal space, but 

 most often to the 26th, whereas in C. equiselis 

 they extended to the 27th, 28th, or 29th inter- 

 haemal space, but most often to the 28th. There 

 was some overlap for the two species in this 

 character, but if the termination of anal and 

 dorsal fin pterygiophores is considered together, 

 complete separation for the two species results 

 (Table 3). The dorsal and anal fin pterygiophores 

 most often terminated in opposing interneural 

 and interhaemal spaces (Table 3). 



Morphology and Development 



Cartilaginous anal fin pterygiophores without 

 fin rays were first observed in the 18th-24th 

 myomeres (which approximately correspond to 

 the 18th-24th interhaemal spaces) in a 5.9 mm NL 

 C. hippurus (Figure 2, Table 6), but rays were 

 developing in a 6 mm NL specimen. The smallest 

 available C. equiselis of 6.5 mm NL had carti- 

 laginous pterygiophores in myomeres 18-27. Fin 



292 



rays were developing, but a few anteriormost and 

 posteriormost pterygiophores lacked rays. Addi- 

 tion of cartilaginous pterygiophores proceeded in 

 both species anteriorly and posteriorly (Figure 2, 

 Table 6). Rays developed after the addition of the 

 cartilaginous pterygiophores. The posteriormost 

 interhaemal space number 26 of C. hippurus 

 had one to three cartilaginous pterygiophores at 

 7.3-8.3 mm SL (Table 6). The posteriormost inter- 

 haemal space number 28 of C. equiselis had 

 cartilaginous pterygiophores at 7 mm SL (Table 

 6). All specimens of C. hippurus > 9.5 mm SL and 

 all those of C. equiselis > 8.5 mm SL had some 

 pterygiophores in their anteriormost interhaemal 

 space number 14. The size at which adult counts 

 were reached for the first interhaemal space was 

 not determined. 



Ossification of the cartilaginous pterygiophores 

 first occurred in the area where the cartilaginous 

 pterygiophores first appeared and proceeded in 

 the same direction as cartilage development (Fig- 

 ure 2). Ossifying anal fin pterygiophores were first 

 seen at 8.8 mm SL in C. equiselis and at 9.7 mm SL 

 in C. hippurus in the 16th-19th and 16th-25th 

 interhaemal spaces (Table 6), and concurrently 

 with ossifying dorsal fin pterygiophores. The 

 posteriormost interhaemal space number 28 of 

 C. equiselis had ossifying pterygiophores at 

 8.9 mm SL and space number 26 of C. hippurus 

 had them at 10.2 mm SL (Table 6). All specimens 

 of C. equiselis > 9.4 mm SL and all specimens of 

 C. hippurus > 11 mm SL had some ossifying 

 pterygiophores in the anteriormost interhaemal 

 space number 14, or rarely space number 15 (Table 

 6). The anteriormost anal fin pterygiophore was 

 ossifying in C. equiselis at 14.9-22 mm SL and in 



