Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 127 



developed as others around 30 mm, and another specimen about 30 mm lone; is just 

 as well developed as some between 35 and 40 mm. The small and exceptionally well 

 developed specimens have advanced especially far in color. A specimen scarcely 20 mm 

 long already has some of the silvery color of large adults and all the juvenile markings 

 are missing, whereas a 32-mm specimen among the retarded ones is very pale and still 

 retains the two rows of dark spots on the abdomen, as in the leptocephali. Even in 

 the most retarded specimens, the fins are all well developed at a length of 22 mm, and 

 the outline of the gular plate is visible under magnification. Scales begin to appear in 

 at least some specimens at a length of 50 mm, and the teeth in the jaws are definitely 

 in narrow bands. At a length of 60—65 "im, scalation generally is complete, and the 

 fish are very similar to full-grown adults. 



The environment probably affects the development profoundly, for the small, 

 exceptionally advanced specimens described in the preceding paragraph were taken 

 in brackish pools at Key West, Florida, whereas the notably larger and more retarded 

 ones were taken at sea off Ocracoke and Beaufort inlets. North Carolina. 



Spawning. There is relatively little information about the actual time and place of 

 spawning. However, in 1939 I reported (57: 25) that 20 individuals, selected at random 

 from among the many left stranded when the Gatun Locks (Panama Canal) were 

 drained in February 1935, consisted of seven ripe or nearly ripe males (56.5—62 cm 

 TL), and 13 females i^^'},-^—']'}) cm TL) with large roe, indicating that spawning time 

 in that vicinity was at hand. Although leptocephali of Albula have been taken in con- 

 siderable seining during the winter and spring months on the Atlantic coast of Panama, 

 no young of E. saurus have been reported. On the Pacific coast of Panama, leptocephali 

 of the closely related E. affinis were taken during February, August, and "autumn." 

 In the collections at hand there are leptocephali from Texas, mostly from the vicinity 

 of Corpus Christi, collected in February, March, April, and November. Young adults 

 were taken in Aransas Pass, Texas, during June, and at Key West, Florida, in March 

 and November. Leptocephali are also at hand from the Florida Keys, taken in No- 

 vember, and from Cuba, caught during May. For Beaufort, North Carolina, there is 

 a note in my files that a nearly ripe female of 604 mm was taken on October 3, 1912; 

 leptocephali were collected there during January, February, March, April, May, Oc- 

 tober, November, and December ; rather recently-transformed young adults were taken 

 in the same vicinity during March, May, June, July, and August. Most of the many 

 leptocephali studied were taken with tow nets on the bottom, at sea, in comparatively 

 shallow water, though several captures were made in estuaries. The young adults, ex- 

 cept for a few lots in the transition stage, were collected with seines in inside waters, 

 partly in brackish ponds and pools. 



Habitat. This is an active little fish, often traveling in schools, frequently skipping 

 at the surface, and jumping when hooked. Its usual habitat is shallow salt and brackish 

 water. The young adult has been taken in brackish lagoons and in ponds and pools, 

 perhaps more or less recently and temporarily separated from the sea. In the Gatun 

 Locks (see above) it occurred in large numbers and was most numerous in the middle 



