COLLETTE ET AL.: SCOMBROIDEI 



593 



Fig. 313. Lateral views of scombroid larvae, (upper) Scombrolahrax heterolepis. 5.0 mm SL. from Potthotfet al. ( 1 980); (lower) Lepidocybium 

 JIavobrunneum 5.0 mm SL, western Atlantic, ATLANTIS II, Cr. 59, Sta. RHB2083, Nov. 26, 1970, drawn by J. Javech. 



trelliger) (Table 153). Many of these shared characters are ple- 

 siomorphous and so are not useful in constructing a classifica- 

 tion. 



Gempylidae 



Body oblong or elongate, compressed; maxilla exposed; strong 

 anterior canine teeth present; base of spinous dorsal fin longer 

 than soft dorsal; three anal spines except Rexea and Nealotus. 

 with two spines; pelvic fins 1,5 or reduced to only a spine; caudal 

 fin present; vertebrae 32-58 (Tables 1 54 and 1 55); anterior pre- 

 caudal vertebrae without parapophyses, with sessile ribs; pos- 

 terior precaudal vertebrae with ribs attached at the extremities 

 of closed haemal arches (Regan, 1909). The family currently 

 includes 16 species in 15 genera (Parin and Bekker, 1972; Nak- 

 amura and Fuji, 1983; Russo, 1983). 



Russo (1983) divided the Gempylidae into six monophyletic 

 groups (Fig. 3 1 4) based on osteological characters. Three groups 

 are monotypic: Lepidocybium. Rmettus. and Thyrsites. The 

 Epinnula group consists of four genera above character 7: Epin- 



nula, Neoepinnula, Tongaichthys, and Thyrsitops. The Nealotus 

 group is composed of three genera above character 2: Nealotus, 

 Promethichthys. and Rexea. The Gempylus group contains five 

 genera above character 3: Thyrsitoides. Nesiarchus. Gempylus. 

 Diplospinus, and Paradiplospinus. Diplospinus and Paradiplo- 

 spimts should probably be combined under Diplospinus. 



Development 



The family Gempylidae is characterized by the following lar- 

 val and adult characters when compared to the family Scom- 

 bridae: known gempylid larvae (except Thyrsitops with smooth 

 spines) have serrate dorsal, anal and pelvic fin spines, scombrid 

 larvae have smooth spines (Table 1 53). Gempylids initially de- 

 velop 3 epurals (ontogenetic fusion in Diplospimis), scombrids 

 develop 2 epurals. Gempylids develop 2 uroneurals (we were 

 unable to confirm this on all gempylid genera), scombrids de- 

 velop one uroneural. In gempylids the first dorsal pterygiophore 

 inserts in the second intemeural space; in scombrids it inserts 

 in the third space. Most gempylids, except Ruveltus and Neoe- 



