FAHAY AND MARKLE: GADIFORMES 



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Fig. 142. (A) Steindachnena argentearlA mm TL, GCRL 01962. 28°45'N, 89°36'W. (B) Steindachneria argentea. 24 mm TL, GCRL 01962, 

 ventral view. (C) Mesobius berryi. 23.4 mm TL. Hubbs and Iwamoto, 1977. 



Gadidae— The early life history stages of gadids are well known 

 (Table 73) and are reviewed and characterized in this volume 

 by Dunn and Matarese. 



Selected Characters 



•Eg?-?.— Eggs are undescribed for three gadiform families: Breg- 

 macerotidae, Melanonidae and Steindachneriidae. Efremenko 

 (1983b) recently described muraenolepidid eggs and Markle 

 (1982) summarized information for the remaining families and 

 noted that a relatively small egg (< 1 mm) with an oil globule 

 was a widespread and probably primitive character. The oil 

 globule has apparently been lost only in the gadines, a group 

 showing numerous derived stales, including relatively large eggs 

 (Markle, 1982). 



Except in the gadid, Brosme, and macrourids, chorion or- 



namentation appears to be restricted to ubiquitous pores seen 

 with scanning electron microscopy (Lannig and Hagstrom, 1975). 

 In B. brosme the chorion pores are many times larger than in 

 other gadiforms and give the egg a pitted appearance (Markle 

 and Frost, MS). In macrourids an elaborate "honey-comb" or- 

 naments the chorion. This ornamentation, like the pores, has 

 an unknown function. The uniqueness of the "honey-comb" 

 (Boehlert, this volume) and its presence in all known macrourine 

 eggs suggests an autapomorphy, at least for the subfamily. Ad- 

 ditional information on egg morphology of merlucciids, ma- 

 crourids, morids and Steindachneria could contribute to a dis- 

 cussion of the unsettled status and relationships of the latter. 



Transient early life history characters— After hatching there are 

 at least six characters that can be considered ontogenetically 



