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Fishery Bulletin 104(3) 



adults (Fig. IE). Larvae are slender bodied throughout 

 development and body depth increases from S'J SL 

 during flexion to 12% SL in juveniles (Tables 1 and 2). 

 Head, snout-to-anus, and pectoral-fin lengths are con- 

 sistent throughout development at approximately 14%, 

 63%, and 7% SL, respectively. Eye diameter decreases 

 from 34% head length (HL) in flexion larvae to 20% HL 

 in juveniles. 



Pigmentation 



Early-flexion larvae have a few faint melanophores 

 located dorsally on the head and nape and a single 

 melanophore on the isthmus (Fig. lA). Along the dorsal 

 surface of the gut, a row of large melanophores is 

 present — irregularly spaced anteriorly and posteriorly, 

 regularly spaced medially. Another row of smaller, evenly 

 spaced melanophores is present along the anterior V2 to 

 % length on the ventral surface of the gut. A row of 

 postanal ventral melanophores (PVMs) extends from 

 the anus to the caudal peduncle. Generally there is one 

 PVM per myomere but in many individuals one or more 

 are missing from the row. In addition, there are small 

 patches of melanophores along the dorsal and ventral 

 margins of the caudal peduncle. In mid-flexion larvae, 

 patches of melanophores on the head, nape, isthmus, and 

 caudal peduncle are more defined, and a row of internal 

 melanophores is present above the notochord (Fig. IB). 

 These melanophores develop simultaneously. In addition, 

 the number of melanophores along the dorsal surface 

 of the gut nearly doubles. The PVMs in late-flexion 

 larvae are larger and more slashlike (Fig. IC). During 

 postflexion, pigmentation previously noted now appears 

 very faint (Fig. ID). Juvenile pigmentation resembles 

 that of adults (Fig. IE). Most notably, a horizontal streak 

 of melanophores extends from the snout to the anterior 

 margins of the eye and continues from the posterior 

 margin of the eye to the mid-operculum. The body in 

 live specimens is a uniform bright green to olive and 

 has white spots located above the gut and anterior por- 

 tion of the anal fin. The gut is generally unpigmented. 



with the exception of a few very small irregularly spaced 

 melanophores on the lateral surface. 



Osteology 



Head region In early-flexion larvae the maxilla, man- 

 dible, two mandibular teeth, branchiostegal rays, and 

 cleithrum are ossified. The premaxilla ossifies during 

 mid-flexion. The remaining bones in the head region are 

 not ossified until the juvenile stage. 



Fins Unossified precursors of five principal caudal- 

 fin rays are present at hatching and throughout early 

 flexion. During mid-flexion, 12 unossified precursors of 

 pectoral-fin rays and 13 unossified caudal-fin elements 

 are present, both first appearing at 15.0 mm. Also at 

 this size, a few faint unossified anal-fin elements are 

 present in the anterior portion of the anal finfold, which 

 are not visible in unstained specimens. Beginning at 17.0 

 mm, unossified precursors of dorsal-fin spines are first 

 present in the area of the dorsal finfold above vertebrae 

 45-50 and then develop anteriorly and posteriorly from 

 this position. Unossified anal-fin elements are also added 

 from anterior to posterior. In addition, the scapula, cora- 

 coid, and radials of the pectoral fin are ossified and the 

 adult complement caudal-fin elements is present, but still 

 unossified (13 principal rays and 11 procurrent rays). By 

 the end of late flexion (about 20.0 mm), elements of the 

 dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins finally become ossified 

 (Table 2). The single spine is the first element in the 

 anal fin to become ossified. Pterygiophores of all fins 

 are ossified in juveniles and the pectoral- and caudal-fin 

 rays become ossified and branched. The number of fin 

 elements present at any particular stage and length is 

 somewhat variable as we noted slight differences in the 

 numbers present between our stained and illustrated 

 specimens. 



Vertebral column At hatching, all neural and haemal 

 spines are present and ossified (Table 2). In addition, 

 vertebral centra begin to differentiate from anterior to 



