SILVER MULLET 



407 



pigment are present under the eyes and on the 

 opercles; and all of the fins have pigmentation 

 (fig. 16). At this size both freshly caught and 

 preserved specimens appear blue-black on the 

 dorsal surface grading to silvery white bellies. 



Jacot (1920) observed that M. curema does not 

 go through a definite silvery stage such as occurs 

 in M. cephalus. (His smallest specimens were 

 20 mm.) 



SCALES, PREORBITAL, AND TEETH 



Scales. — A detailed account of scale develop- 

 ment and characters in young of both M. curema 

 and M. cephalus was given by Jacot (1920). 



Preorhital. — The serrated or toothed preorbital 

 bone (common to all Mugilidae) becomes visible 

 when larvae are between 7 and 14 mm. long. There 

 is wide variation in the number and size of the 

 serrations. 



200 



' See footnote 1, p. 406. 



4 6 8 10 20 40 60 80 100 



STANDARD LENGTH IN MM. 

 Figure 19. — Relation of body depth at pectoral to standard length.* 



400 600 



