SMITH- VANIZ: CARANGIDAE 



Table 127. Continued. E.xtended. 



527 



Br. rays 



Infenor vertebral 

 foramina 



Epural bones 



'Predorsal formulae 



Anal tin 



IV-V,41-44 



II + I, 

 VIII + I, 



35-39 



23-28 



II + I, 

 VIII + I, 



20-24 

 23-27 



II + I, 

 VIII + I, 



19-22 

 24-26 



II + I, 

 VIII + I, 



21-23 

 20-24 



II + I, 

 VIII + I, 



16-20 

 28-36 



II + I, 

 VIII + I, 



24-32 

 21-22 



II + I, 

 VIII + I. 



17-18 



24-32 



II + I, 17-28 



' Methodology of predorsal formulae after Ahlslrom el al. (1976). 



posterior canal unit unossified in carangids and absent in Ne- 

 matistiidae. 



(10) Absence of the so-called beryciform foramen in the an- 

 terior ceratohyai. 



(11) Absence of predorsal bones. 



(12) Several anal pterygiophores anterior to the first haemal 

 spine (versus one in Carangidae, Nematistiidae and most per- 

 coids). 



( 1 3) Larvae very elongate, with dorsal fin ray development 

 not completed until two or three times size at flexion (G. D. 

 Johnson, this volume). In contrast, larvae of carangids are mod- 

 erate to deep-bodied and complete dorsal and anal fin devel- 

 opment in conjunction with or soon after flexion (Laroche et 

 al.. this volume). Larvae of Nematistiidae are unknown. 



( 1 4) Posteroventral elongation of first proximal pterygiophore 

 of anal fin resulting in a relatively wide gap (Fig. 278b-e) be- 

 tween the last two anal spines. The carangid genera Elagatis 

 and Seriolina (Fig. 278c) are exceptional in having only one 

 spine on this pterygiophore so the gap is not as apparent. 



(15) Presence of a separate dorsal division (A,') of the ad- 

 ductor mandibulae muscle originating on the suborbital shelf 

 (Fig. 279). The relative size of the suborbital shelf in carangids 

 is not correlated with the presence or absence of this muscle, 

 which is also lacking in echeneoids, Nematistius and most per- 

 coids. 



(16) Some lateral line scales (at least those on caudal peduncle) 

 modified as thickened scutes. 



( 1 7) Caudal-peduncle grooves present dorsally and ventrally; 

 these specialized structures undoubtedly have a hydrodynamic 

 function related to swimming mode. Campogramma. which 

 appears to be the most advanced naucratine (judging from the 

 relatively large number of autapomorphic characters that it pos- 

 sesses), is exceptional in having only rudimentary caudal-pe- 

 duncle grooves (absent in young). 



The occurrence of caudal-peduncle grooves on Nematistius 

 which shares many plesiomorphic characters, including a sim- 

 ilar external morphology, with naucratines is most parsimoni- 

 ously interpreted as parallelism. These structures are also pres- 

 ent on carcharhinid sharks. 



(18) Premaxilla non-protractile and in adults dorsal margin 

 of upper lip attached to snout by a broad frenum. 



(19) Epiotics broadly united along midline of cranium beneath 

 the supraoccipital. 



(20) Total vertebrae 26 or 27 (versus 24 or 25). 



(21) Cheeks unsealed. 



(22) Spines of dorsal and anal fins with well developed venom 

 glands (Halstead et al, 1972; Sazima and Uieda, 1979). 



(23) First proximal pterygiophore of anal fin expanded an- 

 terolaterally to form a roof over anal spines (Smith-Vaniz and 

 Staiger, 1973: fig. 15b). 



(24) Juveniles with two widely spaced rows of dentary teeth 



Fig. 277. Terminal pair of dorsal fin rays and associated pterygio- 

 phores: (a) Nemalislius pecloralis (Note presence of large bony stay 

 behind last medial pterygiophore) and (b) Naucrates duclor. 



