Figure 3. — Sebastodes ovalls — stage XI embryos and unfertilized eggs of the subsequent 



spawning batch. 



These fish were probably immature, although 

 it is possible that the ovaries were in a 

 resting condition rather than immature. The 

 other fish contained a single group of either 

 yolked eggs or embryos (except for the one 

 S. ovalis and three S. constellatus mentioned 

 above, which contained both), 



A few fish that had yolked eggs also con- 

 tained a secondary group of yolked eggs 

 smaller than the main group of developing 

 eggs. (An example of this size distribution 

 of a group of such eggs--0.20 to 0.44 mm. 

 diameter--is shown in the frequency distribu- 

 tion plotted in figure 5A.) These eggs, how- 

 ever, were not considered as part of a batch 

 to be spawned. Howard and Landa (1958), 

 who found similar distributions of eggs in the 

 anchoveta ( Cetengraulis nnysticetus ), con- 

 cluded that these smaller eggs were not 

 spawned. To be considered as a possible 

 subsequent spawning group, the number of 

 these smaller eggs should about equal or 

 exceed that of the more advanced group. 

 This condition is frequently found in other 

 species of fish. The number of these second- 

 ary eggs did not exceed that of the primary 

 group in any of the Sebastodes specimens 



examined (except for the S. ovalis and S. 

 constellatus specimens containing about equal 

 numbers of stage X or XI embryos and rather 

 well- developed eggs); and in practically all 

 fish the small eggs equalled only a small 

 fraction of the primary group or were absent 

 from the sample examined. 



The above findings indicate that at least 

 some individuals of S. paucispinis . S. ovalis, 

 and S. contellatus spawn two batches of larvae 

 a season; these three species generally pro- 

 duced distinctly smaller numbers of eggs per 

 batch than the species that appear to spawn 

 only once per season. The average relative 

 fecundities (eggs or embryos per gram of 

 fish) of the three species were as follows: 

 S. ovalis, 116; S constellatus . 160; and S. 

 paucispinis , 211 (mean, 162). For six species 

 that showed no evidence of more than one 

 spawning the averages were as follows: S. 

 serriceps (only one specimen available), 192; 

 S. rosaceus . 234; ^. carnatus, 249; §. ruber- 

 rimus , 300; S. serranoides , 330; and S. 

 atrovirens , 374 (mean, 280). 



The mean relative fecundity of S. ovalis 

 and of the five S. constellatus collected on 

 April 11, all of which showed evidence of 



