left side of the gas bladder is fairly heavily pig- 

 mented, usually with three or four distinct mel- 

 anophores. The right side of the gas bladder is 

 similarly pigmented until late flexion. Internal 

 notochordal pigment consists of a series of fine 

 dashes along the dorsal surface and is more ex- 

 tensive then in known Citharichthys larvae. Pre- 

 f lex ion and early flexion larvae have up to about 

 12 pigment dashes between the gas bladder and 

 caudal centrum 15. From about caudal centra 15 

 to 18 (range 14-20) there is a distinct series of 

 heavy dashes which usually form a nearly solid 

 line throughout development. An internal mel- 

 anophore that appears to be associated with the 

 notochord is located below the hindbrain near 

 the otic capsule, where the notochord joins the 

 brain. Dashlike clusters of pigment develop 

 along the dorsal and ventral body margins be- 

 tween the pectoral fin and the caudal fin base. 

 These clusters have not completely formed in the 

 preflexion specimen, but three dorsal clusters 

 and ventral pigment are present. During pre- 

 flexion, a melanophore may be present on the 

 ventral edge of the caudal finfold, opposite the 

 midpoint of incipient hypural bones. 



Throughout larval development, a continuous 

 or broken line of pigment (the length of three to 

 five centra) is on the lateral midline about two- 

 thirds of the way from the anus to the notochord 

 tip. One or two melanophores are on each side of 

 the symphysis of the lower jaw. The posterior 

 margin of the articular is covered with a stellate 

 melanophore. A stellate melanophore is present 

 at the junction of left and right branchiostegal 

 membranes, just forward of the isthmus. About 

 one to three internal melanophores are present 

 near the pectoral fin base and just forward of the 

 cleithrum beneath the angle of the last gill arch 

 (visible through the opercle). Usually, a melano- 

 phore is on the anterodorsal edge of the urohyal. 

 The ventral body margin between the isthmus 

 and pelvic fin is fairly heavily pigmented with a 

 few distinct melanophores or a continuous band 

 of pigment. Several melanophores are present 

 along the ventral and lateral surfaces of the 

 abdomen and sometimes along the hindgut near 

 the anus. The lower edge of both pectoral fin 

 bases is lined with a dashlike melanophore. The 

 second left pelvic ray has melanophores along its 

 distal end. A series of small melanophores is pres- 

 ent along the distal tips of anal pterygiophores. 

 During early flexion (4.9 mm), one, or rarely 

 two, diffuse internal melanophores appear above 

 the hindbrain. 



64 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 80, NO. 1 



During midflexion (5-6 mm, Fig. 10B), mela- 

 nophores appear along the distal ends of the elon- 

 gate dorsal rays. A group of melanophores may 

 be present at the distal ends of the middle anal 

 rays. Melanophores begin appearing at the bases 

 and along the sides of middle caudal rays. 



During flexion, internal notochordal pigment 

 increases. Midflexion and late flexion larvae 

 have up to about 5 pigment dashes between the 

 cleithrum and gas bladder and up to about 18 

 dashes between the gas bladder and caudal cen- 

 trum 15. From midflexion through postflexion, a 

 small amount of pigment usually is on the antero- 

 ventral edge of the maxillary. 



By late flexion (6 mm), the gas bladder has be- 

 come oriented toward the left side, and greater 

 development of musculature obscures the gas 

 bladder from the right side. By about 8.5 mm, 

 musculature begins to obscure notochordal pig- 

 ment, except for the heavy dashes in the caudal 

 band area. There is no evidence of a melanophore 

 on the opercle; however, one or two small melano- 

 phores occasionally appear on the interopercle 

 during late flexion. By about 8.5 mm, concentra- 

 tions of pigment have formed around the first 

 through third left pelvic rays. Pigment at the dis- 

 tal margin of the right pelvic fin appears at 

 about the same time. 



During postflexion (10.5 mm, Fig. 11A), a 

 small melanophore appears on the upper lip. 

 Groups of melanophores are present along the 

 margins of dorsal and anal fins of some speci- 

 mens. 



In the nearly transformed specimen (10.3 mm, 

 Fig. 11B), heavy posterior notochordal pigment 

 is still obvious. Additional internal melano- 

 phores have appeared posterior to the hindbrain. 

 Myoseptal pigment is well developed, mostly 

 adjacent to dorsal and anal pigment clusters. As 

 in Citharichthys larvae, this forms a caudal 

 band. A midlateral cluster of melanophores is 

 present near the caudal fin. Melanophores have 

 formed along the anterior surface of the head 

 from the snout to the dorsal fin. External and in- 

 ternal melanophores are present along the hind- 

 gut. Melanophores have formed along the proxi- 

 mal ends of groups of some dorsal and anal rays. 



Morphology (Figs. 10, 11; Tables 3, 8) 



General morphological features are similar to 

 those of Citharichthys cornutus, with the qualifi- 

 cation that the smallest E. crossotus specimen 

 examined was 4.6 mm NL. Adult morphomet- 



