ATLANTIC SAILFISH 



149 



t\vo-thii-(ls of its length boyoiul the tip of tlic 

 maiulible. Tlie margin of the preopercle is 

 serrated, but no secondary preopercular spines 

 are discernible. The eye diameter is one-tenth 

 the head length. The body is slimmer. The 

 dorsal fin is higher, the pectoral fin longer and 

 more angular, the aiu^l fin has a pronounced notch 

 in its middle portion, and the pelvic fin has 

 increased in length. Dermal spines are present 

 over opercle, preopercle, and body except for the 

 area covered by the pectoral fin (when depressed), 

 but only the tips of the spines protrude through 

 the skin (spines are discernible on a 43-mm. speci- 

 men). Dermal spines are fully described in 

 discussion of 64.1-mm. specimen. Pattern of 

 pigmentation on the body is more pronounced. 



SAILFISH LARVA, 64.1 MILLIMETERS 



(Figs. 16 and 17) 



Teeth on the snout beyond mandible tip are 

 weak and few in number, and palatine teeth are 



FiGURK 16. — Sailfish larva, 64.1 millimeters long (Alaska 

 collections); view of head and teeth, orbital crest, small 

 pores on snout, and serrations on lower jaw. 



present in two patches on each side on upper jaw 

 (one below tlie nostril and one near the mandible 

 tip). The arrangement of teeth in the lower jaw 

 and posterior portion of upper jaw is portrayed in 

 figure 16. Several pores are present on the snout 

 near the nostrils (fig. 16). The minute dermal 

 spines present on the opercle, preopercle, and 

 uniformly over the body arise from ill-defined 

 plates. The spines are narrow-based, acutely 

 tipped cones which protrude through the skin 

 (fig. 17). The interspinous distance varies from 

 one to two times the spine height. 



Figure 17. — Sailfish larva, 64.1 millimeters long (^/asfca 

 collections) ; oblique view of dermal spines, with tips of 

 spines protruding through the sliin. 



SAILFISH LARVA, 101 MILLIMETERS 



(Figs. 18 and 19) 



Although the specimen is in poor condition and 

 incomplete, many important characters remain. 

 The snout is four-fifths the head length and 

 extends for three-quarters its length beyond the 

 tip of the mandible. Teeth are few in number 

 in the portion of the upper jaw extending beyond 

 the mandible tip. The serrated keels have dis- 

 appeared from the lower jaw. (Although not 

 shown in figure 18. serrations on the orbital crest 



Figure 18.— Sailfish larva, 101 millimeters long (USNM 107200). 



