SUMIDA ET AL : EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF SEVEN FLATFISHES 



Figure 20.— Larval stages of Hypsopsetta guttulala: A. 5.9 mm; B. 6.6 mm. 



caudal and are complete, or nearly so, on all post- 

 flexion specimens (4.4-8.8 mm SL). Pelvic fins are 

 late in forming compared with their developmen- 

 tal pattern in Pieiironichlhyn larvae. Pelvic buds 

 can be observed only after notochord flexion has 

 been completed, and rays are first evident on the 

 6.6-mm SL specimen. 



Distribution. — Hypsopsetta guttulata ranges from 

 Cape Mendocino. Calif., to Magdalena Bay, Baja 

 California, with an isolated population in the 

 upper Gulf of California (Norman 1934; Fitch 

 1963). Egg and larval material examined by us 

 was collected in bays along the coast, or at Cal- 

 COFI stations located over the continental shelf, a 

 pattern of distribution similar to the habitat of P. 

 ritteri (Figure 22). 



Hippoglossitia stoma ta Eigentnann 



and Eigenmann (bigmouth sdIc) 



Figure 23 



Literature. — There is no published account of eggs 

 and larvae of this species. However, Leonard 

 ( 197 1 ) described a larval series oiH. oblonga from 

 the western North Atlantic. Earlier, Agassiz and 

 Whitman ( 1885) and Miller and Marak 1 1962) de- 

 scribed the eggs and early-stage larvae of//, ob- 

 longa. Miller and Marak reported the egg size 

 range as 0.91-1.12 mm (average 1.04 mm) with an 

 oil globule diameter ofca. 0.1 7 mm. The larval size 

 at hatching was 2.7-3.2 mm. 



Distinguishing characters. — Preflexion larvae of 

 H. stomata may be confused with early larvae of P. 



135 



