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ONTOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF FISHES-AHLSTROM SYMPOSIUM 



B 



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Fig. 225. Larvae of Normanichthyidae (A), Cottocomephoridae (B, C), Comephoridae (D, E). (A) Normanichlhys crockeri. 8.5 mm SL (original); 

 (B) Coltocomephonis grewingki. 7.4 mm (from Taliev, 1955); (C) Cottocomephorus inenrus. 1 1.2 mm (ibid.); (D) Comephorus baicalensis. 6.9 

 mm (ibid.); (E) Comephorus baicalensis. 21.3 mm (ibid.). 



Cranial spine development is similar to that in sebastines. 

 The pterotic, parietal, postocular (supraocular crest), posterior 

 preoperculars (2nd, 3rd, and 4th) anterior preoperculars (2nd 

 and 4th) and lower posttemporal develop during the prefiexion 

 period. The lower infraorbital ( 1 st), upper infraorbitals ( 1 st and 

 4th), posterior preoperculars (1st and 5th), nuchal, supraclei- 

 thral, cleithral, upper opercular, and lower opercular spines ap- 

 pear during postflexion. Late in the postflexion stage the lower 

 infraorbital (2nd), nasal, preocular, and supraocular spines ap- 

 pear. Spines which do not develop in scorpaenine larvae but 

 are present in adults of most genera are the upper infraorbitals 

 (2nd and 3rd), upper posttemporal, tympanic, and sphenotic. 

 In Scorpaenodes the nuchal spine develops during the prefiexion 

 period and exceeds the parietal spine in length, giving the pa- 

 rietal ridge a bifurcate appearance. In other scorpaenines and 

 all other scorpaenids except Sebastolobus. the nuchal develops 

 late and is excluded from the parietal ridge. 



Pteroinae.— Early prefiexion larvae have been described for 

 Pterois lunulata and Dendrochirus brachypterus (Table 107). 

 Newly-hatched larvae are small (1.1-1.6 mm) and similar in 

 morphology to those of Scorpaeninae. The pectoral fins are large 

 and fan-shaped with pigment at the distal margin. Postanal 

 pigment in Pterois consists of ventral and dorsal midline series. 

 In Dendrochirus this pigment coalesces to form a band. 



Sebastolobinae. — Life history series have been described for Se- 

 bastolobus alascanus and S. altivelis (Moser, 1974). Larvae are 

 2.6 mm at hatching, 6.0-7.3 mm at notochord flexion, and 14- 

 20 mm at transformation. The distinctive pelagic juveniles (up 

 to 56 mm in S. altivelis) have a prolonged midwater existence 

 before settling to the deep shelf and slope habitat of the adults. 

 Larval morphology is similar to that of scorpaenines. The pec- 

 toral fins are large, deep-based, and fan-shaped (Fig. 222); their 

 rays are the first to ossify, followed by the caudal rays and then 



