434 



ONTOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF FISHES-AHLSTROM SYMPOSIUM 



Fig. 237. Liparis fabricii larvae (from top to bottom): 16.7 mm NL, NZ 4, 74°06'N, 81°30'W, NMC 83-1 135; ventral view of above; 32. i 

 mm NL, NZ 292, 74°27'N, 82°03'W, NMC 83-1 136, from Arctic Canada. 



two epurals in some western North Atlantic Liparis (Fig. 239) 

 from shallow water. Caudal development also varies. In Cy- 

 cloplerus (Fig. 239), Eumicrotremus (Matarese and Borton, in 

 prep.), and deepwater southern hemisphere liparidines (An- 

 driashev et al., 1977) the notochord is resorbed and flexion is 

 complete at hatching. In western Atlantic Liparis. especially L. 

 fabricii. notochord resorption and flexion are delayed as late as 

 50 mm SL (Fig. 237, Table 1 10). 

 Body proportions are also useful taxonomic characters for 



larval identification. Within Liparis. larval L. fabricii are sep- 

 arable from other western North Atlantic Liparis by a relatively 

 shorter head length, smaller eye diameter, shallower body depth 

 and shorter preanal distance. The disk size relative to eye length 

 has also proven effective in distinguishing between all species 

 of western North Atlantic Liparis (Able et al., MS). The size of 

 the gill opening is difficult to measure consistently but it de- 

 creases as development proceeds in Liparis. suggesting that a 

 reduced gill opening is a derived character state. 



Fig. 238. Larvae of Careproclus and Paraliparis (from top to bottom). Careproclus reinhardti. with yolk sac, 1 2.6 mm SL, Chaleur Bay, Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence, Canada, HML H-24031; ventral view of above; Paraliparis copei. 24.0 mm SL, St. Lawrence River estuary, Canada, HML 

 H-24032; and P. calidus 12.9 mm SL, St. Lawrence River estuary, Canada, HML H-24033; ventral view of above. 



