140 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Young redfish above 10 millimeters (0.4 inch) rapidly take on much pigmentation, 

 and at 25 millimeters (1 inch) the color pattern has become most distinctive. The 

 ground color at about 25 millimeters is a jiale brown, somewhat silvery in fresh speci- 

 mens. A distinct row of five to seven brown blotches, usually smaller than the eye, 

 lies, for the most part, along the lateral line, one on the opercle, one behind, two or 

 three under the soft dorsal and under the spinous dorsal, and one on the caudal 

 peduncle. A fainter row of these blotches extends along the back from the nape to 

 the caudal peduncle, with the number varying both as to size and number, as well 

 as being more indistinct. A series of dark brown pigment dots extends along the 

 base of the caudal fin, and a series of chromatophores runs along the base of the anal 

 fin. The membrane of the spinous dorsal is punctulated with dark brown, and the 

 soft dorsal is marked likewise, to a somewhat less degree however. Scales and teeth 

 are evident. (See figs. 5 and 6.) 



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Fig. 3. — Larval redfish. Actual length, 4.5 millimeters 



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Fig 4. — Young redfish. Actual length, 7 millimeters 



At about 36 millimeters (1.5 inches) the color pattern remains generally the 

 same, with the important exception that a pronounced chromatophore enlargement 

 occurs at the base of the upper caudal. This enlargement is the first appearance of 

 the ocellated black spot that is characteristic of the species until death. (See fig. 7.) 



The brown lateral blotches enlarge with the fish and generally remain until the 

 latter has reached about 15 centimeters (5.9 inches), when they tend to fade and 

 finally disappear. However, many redfish at 15 centimeters may have lost all traces 

 of the blotches and assumed a dull grayish silver hue with a pronounced bluish irides- 

 cence above the lateral line. In a fresh specimen this silvery sheen obscures a mass of 

 finely peppered dots that cover the upper and middle parts of the body and tend to 

 form irregular, undulating, brown stripes along the rows of scales. The anal, pectorals, 

 and pelvics are reddish in cast, with the black ocellated spot on the upper caudal 

 peduncle most distinct. 



