322 



ONTOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF HSHES-AHLSTROM SYMPOSIUM 



Table 88. Meristic Values for Major Taxa of the Lophiiformes. 



' Second and third spine embedded beneath skin of head- 



' Second spine reduced to a tiny remnant and embedded beneath skin of head. 



* Present only in larvae of the ceratioid family Cauiophrynidae. 



Meristic characters that typify early life stages of antennariids 

 are compared with those of other lophiiforms in Table 88. 



The so-called "scutatus" prejuvenile form, originally de- 

 scribed as a new genus and species, Kanazawaichthys scutatus, 

 by Schultz (1957), but later found by Hubbs (1958) to be the 

 prejuvenile of Antennarius radiosus, remains unique (Fig. 165). 

 The primary morphological features that characterize these early 

 life stages are so drastic (a pair of shield-like, bony extensions 

 of the cranium that reach posteriorly beyond the level of the 

 opercular bones, and an expansion of the anterior margin of the 

 bones of the suspensorium; see Schultz 1957:63, plate 14, fig. 

 A, and Hubbs, 1958) that their appearance in other antennariids 

 of similar sizes, particularly among closely related species (such 

 as A. ocellatus and A. avalonis), is to be expected. Yet, despite 

 the fact that numerous other species are represented by small 

 specimens, no comparable morphological adaptations have been 

 discovered. 



Chaunacidae 



The family Chaunacidae contains a single genus and as many 

 as 12 species (J. H. Caruso, pers. comm., 8 June 1983). Aside 

 from the fact that larvae and "young specimens" are often caught 

 bathypelagically (Mead et al., 1 964), nothing has been published 

 on their early life stages, despite some available material. The 

 ovaries of members of this family are scrolled like those of other 

 lophiiforms, suggesting the production of epipelagic egg rafts, 

 although neither eggs nor rafts have been reported. 



The material of Chaunax available to me, 32 specimens in 

 25 lots (all part of the DANA collections of the Zoological 

 Museum, University of Copenhagen), measured 4.3-10.6 mm 

 TL. Even the smallest of these appear to have reached a pre- 

 juvenile stage, with all fin rays formed (including the illicium), 

 and the skin everywhere covered with close-set dermal spinules 

 (Fig. I64C). Pigmentation appears to be absent. In well pre- 

 served specimens, the epidermal layer of the head and body is 

 greatly distended by transparent, gelatinous connective tissue. 

 As in antennariids, the head is large, considerably greater than 

 50% of SL in all specimens examined. 



Meristic characters that typify the early life stages of chaun- 

 acids are summarized and compared to those of other lophii- 

 forms in Table 88. 



Ogcocephalidae 



The Ogcocephalidae contains nine genera and approximately 

 60 species (Bradbury, 1967). Like chaunacids, practically noth- 

 ing is known about their early life stages. The only published 

 information, aside from a report of the capture of a single, 17.5 



mm TL specimen of Ogcocephalus sp. by Clark et al. (1969), is 

 a comment by Mead et al. (1964) that larval and postlarval 

 specimens have been caught epipelagically. The scrolled ovaries 

 of members of this family may indicate that egg rafts are pro- 

 duced, but neither eggs nor rafts have been reported. 



The larval ogcocephalid material available to me (29 speci- 

 mens in nine lots, kindly provided by Michael P. Fahay of the 

 Northeast Fisheries Center, Sandy Hook Laboratory, and ten- 

 tatively identified as Ogcocephalus sp.) measured 3.1-18.4 mm 

 TL. In the smallest of these, all fins are fully developed, except 

 for the illicium; a tiny rudiment of this structure is just barely 

 visible in a 4.9 mm TL specimen, but relatively conspicuous in 

 a 5.1 mm TL specimen (the transition to a prejuvenile stage is 

 thus taken to occur at approximately 5.0 mm TL). By a length 

 of 8.6 mm TL the pectoral fins are large and fan-like, the base 

 of the pelvic fin has become elongate, and small, scattered me- 

 lanophores are present on top of the head, nape of the neck, on 

 the cheek just behind the eye, the pectoral fin base and blade, 

 and on the caudal peduncle (Fig. 164D). At 8.9 mm TL the 

 pigmentation is well developed, and the paired fins are dispro- 

 portionately large. At 12.4 mm TL dermal spinules are begin- 

 ning to form in the skin; a lateral, longitudinal cluster of dermal 

 spinules, which will later form the ridge-like, outermost margin 

 of the adult, is just beginning to develop. By 18.4 mm TL the 

 skin is everywhere covered with broad-based dermal spinules, 

 and the lateral ridge is well-developed. At all stages of devel- 

 opment, but particularly the prejuvenile stage, the skin is highly 

 inflated, giving the larvae an almost spherical shape. At all stages 

 the head is disproportionately large, considerably greater than 

 50% of standard length. 



Meristic characters that typify the early life stages of ogco- 

 cephalids are summarized and compared to those of other lo- 

 phiiforms in Table 88. 



Ceratioid Families 



The Ceratioidei contains 1 1 families, 34 genera and approx- 

 imately 1 36 species. Isolated eggs of ceratioids are unknown; 

 ovarian eggs, described in only a few species, are slightly oval, 

 the major axis of the largest of these measuring 0.50-0.75 mm. 

 The larval stages of all of the families and most of the genera 

 have been described (Bertelsen, 1951). Generally speaking, cer- 

 atioid larvae are typically small. According to Bertelsen (1951), 

 the smallest known larvae measure 2.0-3.0 mm TL, whereas 

 the largest larvae and smallest metamorphosis stage range from 

 12-25 mm TL for females, and 10-22 mm TL for males. As in 

 antennariid, chaunacid and ogcocephalid larvae, the head is 

 disproportionately large; as in some lophiids, chaunacids and 

 ogcocephalids, the head and body are enveloped by transparent. 



