FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 84, NO. 3 



Figure 7.— Two dorsal fin pterygiophores from Trichiurus lepturus 510 mm TL, taken directly from 

 opposite the anterior portion of the anal fin. A, left lateral view of the pterygiophores and rays; the 

 left side of the posterior ray has been removed. Cartilage, white; ossifying, stippled. B, dorsal view 

 of one of the two pterygiophores; unfused parts have been disarticulated. C, dorsal view of 

 pterygiophore in B, unfused parts have been left articulated. For abbreviations see Figure 6. 



broids (G. D. Johnson 3 ). The anteriormost two dor- 

 sal pterygiophores supported three spines, which 

 were the only dorsal fin spines and which had ser- 

 rations in larvae and juveniles, but were smooth in 

 adults. The anterior two pterygiophores had two 

 parts each and supported fin spines. The 3d-127th 

 pterygiophores had three parts and supported fin 



3 G. David Johnson, Curator (Fishes), Smithsonian Institution, 

 National Museum of Natural History, Wash., DC 20560, pers. com- 

 mun. 1985. 



rays, the distal parts being located between the 

 bifurcate bases of the rays. These distal parts were 

 not homologous with distal radials and are labeled 

 "X" in Figures 6-8. The 128th-130th pterygiophores 

 had four parts, and the last three pterygiophores 

 (131st-133d) had become vestigial having a variable 

 number of parts, usually from two to four. Anal fin 

 pterygiophores were anatomically similar to the dor- 

 sal fin pterygiophores. The first anal fin spine was 

 large and serrated in larvae and juveniles but 

 became small and smooth in adults. Trichiurus lar- 



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