572 



ONTOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS OF FISHES- AHLSTROM SYMPOSIUM 



Table 147. Summary of Selected MERisTrcs in Blennioidea. Blanks indicate data are unavailable. 



Blennioidea 

 Dactyloscopidae 



0-VII + V-XVIII 



14-36 



22-41 



12-16 



1,3 



Xenocephalidae 



Notograptidae 



Tripterygiidae 



Clinidae 



III-VII + X-XXIV 

 III + XXIV-LXXXIV 



7 - 10 21 



7-15 O-II 14-30 10-19 



1-14 II 14-62 3-18 



5 

 1 

 1,2-3 



1,2-3 



Chaenopsidae 



XVII-XXXIII 



10-34 



18-38 12-14 



1,3 



Labrisomidae 



III + I-IV + XX-LII 



7-14 I-Il 



15-28 



3-17 



O-I, 0-3 



Blenniidae 



III-XVII 



9-119 II 



10-119 10-lJ 



1, 2-4 



between Blennioidei infraorders, e.g., the similarity between 

 labrisomid and clinid larvae and the differences between larvae 

 in the various blenniid tribes. 



Many of the families in Blennioidea include a large number 

 of intertidal forms and many of the similarities (e.g.. demersal 

 eggs, parental care, and advanced state of newly hatched larvae) 

 may be related to environmental conditions rather than to a 

 close phylogenelic relationship. Additional study on the com- 

 plete life history of these fishes is needed to identify unifying 

 characters, if any exist. Studies at the family level will improve 



our knowledge of this unsatisfactorily defined group and facil- 

 itate outgroup comparisons. 



(A. CM.) National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest 

 AN15 Alaska Fisheries Center, 2725 Montlake Boule- 

 vard East, Seattle, Washington 981 12; (W.W.) Marine 

 Ecological Consultants, 531 Encinitas Boulevard, 

 Suite 110. Encinitas. California 92024; (E.G.S.) Na- 

 tional Marine Fisheries Service. Solithwest Fisheries 

 Center, PO Box 271, La Jolla, California 92038. 



