Gobiesociformes: Development and Relationships 

 L. G. Allen 



THE Gobiesociformes includes three families, the Gobiesoci- 

 dae, Callionymidae and Draconettidae, according to Gos- 

 line (1970) and Nelson (1976). Members of this order are pri- 

 marily marine bottom -dwellers in shallow-waters and occur 

 worldwide in tropical and temperate seas. Distinguishing char- 

 acteristics of the order include: a scaleless head and body; 5-7 

 branchiostegal rays; no circumorbital bones behind the lacrimal; 

 articular processes of the premaxillae either fused with ascending 

 process or absent; pelvic fin base well in advance of pectoral 

 fin; no swim bladder (in adults) (Nelson, 1976). The order con- 

 tains about 54 genera with 246 species in the three families 

 (Bnggs, 1955; Nakabo, 1982a. b). 



Briggs' (1955) review of the Gobiesocidae remains as the most 

 thorough treatment of this family to date. Revisions of both the 

 Callionymidae and the Draconettidae have recently been pub- 



lished by Nakabo (1982a, b). Hypotheses of systematic rela- 

 tionships within the families are based entirely on adult char- 

 acteristics. 



The Callionymidae (dragonets) is a large and diverse group 

 within the Gobiesociformes. The ontogeny and systematics of 

 the Callionymidae is presented in this volume by E. D. Houde. 



The smallest family of the order, the Draconettidae, consists 

 of two genera and seven species (Nakabo, 1982a). Draconettids 

 are small demersal fishes inhabiting sand-mud bottoms along 

 the edge of the continental shelf or on seamounts. They occur 

 widely in tropical and temperate waters of the world except the 

 eastern Pacific. Adult draconettids resemble callionymids which 

 lead one author (Davis, 1 966) to include the draconettids within 

 the Callionymidae. Gosline (1970) and Nakabo (1982a) dis- 

 agreed with this inclusion. 



Table 166. Egg Characteristics of 18 Species of Gobiesocids for which Larvae Are Known Organized into Subfamilies after Briggs 



(1955). 



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