536 



ONTOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF FISHES-AHLSTROM SYMPOSIUM 



Table 128. Characteristics of Sphyraenidae. (+ = occurs in this species; 



 does not occur in this species; = no information.) 



Sphyracna 

 forslen 



S 

 pingiiis 



S. 

 Ilavicauda 



S chryso- 

 taenia 



S 

 heilen 



S aculi- 

 pinnis 



S novae- S. S. S. 



hollandiae tucasana idtasles argentea 



1. Meristic 



Lat. Hne scales 



2. Maximum length (mm), SL 



3. Gillrakers 



a. Absent 



b. Occur as spinules 



c. One 



d. Two 



4. Lower jaw 



a. With fleshy knob 



b. Without fleshy knob 



5. Dorsal fin 



a. Above pelvics 



b. Behind pelvics 



6. Scales 



a. Cycloid 



b. Ctenoid 



7. Adult pigment (lateral) 



a. Axial spot beneath pectoral fin 



b. Vertical bars 



c. Vertical bars festooned 



d. Chevrons angled forward 



e. Stripes (one or two) 



f Inky blotches on lower sides 

 g. No lateral markings 



8. Teeth 



a. Conical, widely spaced 



b. Flattened, erect, contiguous 



c. Flattened, angled backward, 



contiguous 



Larval characters 



9. a. L. jaw with fleshy knob 



b. L. jaw without fleshy knob 



10. a. Well-marked pigmentation 

 b. Poorly developed pigmentation 



112-123 

 640 



88-92 

 350 



84-88 

 320 



85-96 

 231 



120-128 

 800 



122-128 

 434 



130-155 126-137 145 166 

 500 467 530 907 



+ 



+ 



+ + 



+ + + 



Fig. 287. Drawings showing changes in pigmentation and body form transformations in Sphyraena barracuda. (A) 17.2 mm SL; collected by 

 Donald P. de Sylva, 1 mile southwest of the harbor entrance of North Bimini, Bahamas, May 12, 1956. (B) 23.7 mm SL; collected by Donald 

 P. and Doris D. de Sylva, at beach east of Lemer Marine Laboratory, Bimini, Bahamas, July 7, 1956. (C) 213 mm SL; collected by David K. 

 Caldwell, Spanish Harbor Key, Monroe County, Florida, June 7, 1956; University of Florida No. 7072. (D) 790 mm SL; collected by Doris D. 

 de Sylva, north of North Bimim, Bahamas, 25°48'N, 79°17'W, July 18, 1956 (after de Sylva, 1963). 



