Laidig et al Description of larval and juvenile Sebastes saxicola 



295 



mm SL. This pigment area intensified with increased 

 fish size and merged with body-bar 1 at 22 mm SL 

 (Fig. IF). 



Pigment along the ventral and posterior regions 

 of the eye orbit began forming at 12 mm SL (Table 

 4). This pigment intensified and developed into two 

 cheek bars. The more dorsal cheek bar formed first 

 at 14 mm SL. By 36 mm SL, this bar extended from 

 the eye orbit across the preopercle to the operculum, 

 ending just below the operculum pigment (Fig. IF). 

 The more ventral cheek bar began forming at 28 mm 

 SL at the base of the eye orbit and extended ven- 

 trally. At 44 mm SL, this bar was not completely 

 formed. 



Otolith examination 



The extrusion check radius for S. saxicola ranged 

 from 11.0 to 13.6 fim, averaging 11.9 fjm (standard 

 deviation [SD]=0.526 ^mXFig. 2). The extrusion 

 check radius of S. saxicola was not significantly dif- 

 ferent from the copper (P=0.132; extrusion check 

 radius=10.5 /.im; SD=0.354 pm) and gopher com- 

 plexes (P=0.056; extrusion check radius=10.6 /(in; 

 SD=0.288 /jm). Three species had extrusion check 

 radii significantly larger (P<0.05) than those of 

 S. saxicola (S. rastrelliger at 14.0 /im, SD=0.389; 



