384 



ONTOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF FISHES-AHLSTROM SYMPOSIUM 



Table 103. References Giving Descriptions and/or Figures of 

 Early Life History Stages of the Order Beryciformes. 



Berycidae 



Anomalopidae 



Monocentridae 



Sorosichthyidae 



Paradiretmidae 



H ispidoberycidae 



Stephanoberycidae 



Barbourisiidae 



Rondeletiidae 



Cetomimidae 



Anoplogasteridae. while Ebeling and Weed (1973) considered 

 the order Xenoberyces to contain the families Melamphaidae, 

 Gibbeinchthyidae, and Stephanoberycidae. Both pairs of au- 

 thors gave diagnostic characters, and compared and contrasted 

 their orders. Zehren (1979), after studying the comparative os- 

 teology and phylogeny of the beryciform families of Greenwood 

 et al. ( 1 966), also concluded that the Polymixiidae did not belong 

 in the Beryciformes. Nelson (1976) included the families So- 

 rosichthyidae and Paradiretmidae in the suborder Berycoidei 

 but did not treat them further. Kotlyar (1981 ) described a new 

 species of beryciform which he felt deserved status as a new 

 family, the Hispidoberycidae. He tentatively aligned his new 

 family within the Berycoidei. The Beryciformes are presently 

 defined on the basis of several primitive characters such as the 

 presence of an orbitosphenoid and subocular shelf (in most 

 forms) and a high number of pelvic and caudal rays as well as 



several derived characters such as the presence of dorsal, anal 

 and pelvic spmes. and the presence of spinous procurrent caudal 

 fin rays. However, none of the characters is unique to the order 

 and the monophyly of the order is still in question. Meristics, 

 osteological characters, and the number of genera and species 

 in each beryciform family are shown in Table 102. 



Although the systematics of the Acanthopterygii is in a state 

 of flux, the order Beryciformes presently contains 3 suborders; 

 the Stephanoberycoidei with 3 families, the Berycoidei with 10 

 families, and the Cetomimoidei with 3 families. 



The Beryciformes are considered by Greenwood et al. (1966) 

 to be the basal stock from which some of the more advanced 

 acanthopterygians have evolved. Beryciformes are marine and 

 occur in all oceans. Some species are semibenthic inhabiting 

 coral reefs, rocky shores, and shelf or slope waters (Woods and 

 Sonoda, 1973) while others are epipelagic, mesopelagic. bathy- 

 pelagic, or bathybenthic (Ebeling and Weed, 1973). 



Development 



There is no published information on early life history stages 

 for the Monocentridae, Anomalopidae, Berycidae, Sorosichthy- 

 idae, Paradiretmidae, Hispidoberycidae, Stephanoberycidae, 

 Barbourisiidae, Rondeletiidae, and Cetomimidae (Table 103). 

 Although information is lacking on the eggs of the Beryciformes, 

 there is some on other early life history stages of the Holocen- 

 tridae, Melamphaidae, Anoplogasteridae, Diretmidae, Trach- 

 ichthyidae and Gibberichthyidae. 



The Holocentridae contains two subfamilies, the Holocen- 

 trinae and the Myripristinae. Prejuveniles and early life history 

 stage series are known for at least one species in each subfamily. 

 McKenney (1959) gave a detailed description of the early life 

 history of Holoccntrus ve.xi/lanus based on specimens less than 

 2.0 mm to adults, while both Aboussouan (1966b) and Jones 

 and Kumaran (1962) figure and discuss larvae of Holocentrus 

 sp. less than 5.0 mm SL. Jones and Kumaran (1962) also figure 

 and describe larval stages ranging from 2.7 to 6.7 mm, for My- 

 ripristis mirdjan [specific identification questioned by Greenfield 

 (1965)]. McKenney (1959) figured the prejuvenile or rhynch- 

 ichthys stage of Holocentrus vexillarius while Jones and Ku- 

 maran ( 1 962), Greenfield (1965), and Randall et al. (1982) figure 

 the rhynchichthys stage for several myripristine species. The 

 following characterization of holocentrid development is based 

 on the data of McKenney (1959) and Jones and Kumaran (1962). 



Holocentrid larvae are characterized by a relatively large head 

 with well-developed preopercular, rostral, and median cranial 

 spines. Pigmentation is extensive on the peritoneum and there 

 is a ventral line of melanophores in the postanal region. The 

 long preopercular spines develop first and are well developed 

 at 1.8 mm TL (Fig. 204A). At 2.2 mm the posteriorly directed 

 cranial spine is rapidly forming and by 2.8 mm the rostral spine 

 is apparent. The 5.0 mm H, vexillarius and 4.7 mm Mynphstis 

 sp. (Fig. 204B, C) both exhibit strong rostral, median cranial, 

 preopercular and opercular spination that develops into the head 

 armor found in the rhynchichthys stage (Fig. 204D, E). There 



Fig. 204. (A) Preflexion larva oi Holocentrus vexillarius. 1.8 mm NL (source: McKenney, 1959); (B) Flexion larva o[ Holocentrus vexillarius. 

 5.0 mm NL (source; McKenney, 1959); (C) Preflexion larva of A/ir/pmrKsp.. 4.7 mm NL (source; Jones and Kumaran, 1962); (D) Rhynchichthys 

 prejuvenile of Holocentrus vexillarius. 24.9 mm SL (source; McKenney, 1959); and (E) Rhynchichthys prejuvenile of Myriprislis sp., 16.3 mm 

 SL (source: Jones and Kumaran, 1962). 



