FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 79, NO. 1 



develop a pronounced globose appearance with an 

 outer bubble of skin. Small larvae of all forms 

 have head and gut pigment and "Cottoid Type A" 

 also has lateral pigment posterior to the anus. 

 Some lateral pigment develops later in all but 

 Dasycottus. "Cottoid Type A" has unique "thumb- 

 tack" prickles covering the belly region. The 

 pelvic fins of 1 Malacocottus and "Cottoid Type A" 

 often appear to be withdraw^n into pockets of skin. 



Group 4 



Group 4 (Figure 5) includes larvae with 

 four preopercular spines, conspicuously rounded 



snouts, and relatively deep bodies with rather 

 heavy pigmentation, except at the smallest sizes 

 (Scorpaenichthys, Hemilepidotus) . Differences 

 between genera include the longer gut and the 

 preanal fin fold of Scorpaenichthys and the in- 

 creased head spination oi Hemilepidotus (parietal, 

 nuchal, postocular, posttemporal-supracleithral). 

 Pigmentation is generally heavier in Scorpae- 

 nichthys than in Hemilepidotus of comparable 

 size. It is initially concentrated along the dorsal 

 and ventral midlines, particularly in Hemilepi- 

 dotus, filling in laterally with development. Lar- 

 vae of both are neustonic. 



The two genera in this group are certainly more 



A1 



H* 



jf-^? 



5K*^ 



---.-•'*■* 



^^it 



Q^y 



"=1^^. 





f:-{-3^,—^.J..jZf..'JJ-'-~'^- J 



^b) 



Figure 5. — Larvae of A) Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (8.7 mm SL), B) Hemilepidotus spinosus (ILO mm SL), C) H. hemilepidotus 



(10.7 mm SL) (A-C, Richardson and Washington 1980). 



112 



