NOTES ON TELEOSTEAN OVA AND LAUVAE. 9 



there is a row of four to six large chromatophores, which usually 

 exhibit upwardly and outwardly radiating outgrowths. The most 

 posterior of the series is a little behind the dorsal chromatophore of 

 the caudal region. There may be corresponding pigmentation in the 

 anal fin, but it is not so extensive, from two to four chromatophores 

 being the usual occurrence. The pre-anal fin may have a spot of 

 yellow pigment near its margin, and invariably there is a small patch 

 in its antero-dorsal angle, where the contours of yolk-sac and intestine 

 converge. There is no pigment on the yolk-sac, but over the oil- 

 globule there are one or two chromatophores of each colour. 



Normally the yolk-sac is somewhat elongated and bears the oil- 

 globule at its anterior end, but the position of the oil-globule shows 

 some variation, and in two cases was only just within the anterior 

 hemisphere. 



The general form of the larva resembles that of Holt's Fig. 33 (ojj. 

 clt.), the characteristic features apart from pigmentation being the 

 ovoid yolk-sac with anteriorly placed oil-globule and the broad pre- 

 anal fin membrane. 



My late embryos and larvae all showed a marked tuberculated epi- 

 dermis, which was doubtless a pathological condition, and may be 

 regarded as diagnostically unimportant. 



On referring to prev^ious observations by Kaffaele and Holt of 



Mediterranean species, one finds conspicuous characteristic features 



which are common to all the above and to my Channel specimens, 



but there are also puzzling variations which, in the case of the Gulf of 



Marseilles specimens, do not seem to be altogether explicable as being 



the result of partial observations of more than one species. Eaffaele 



{op. cit., p. 19) deals with the eggs of three species, which I give below 



with the dimensions : — 



Diam. of egg. Diam. of 



mm. oil-globule. 



Senanus (CejUropri-stis) hepatus . . 0'78 0.1-15 



S. rMhrilla . ... 0-90 015 



8. scriha . ... 0-90 0-1 22 



He figures the larvae of S. sn-iha and S. cahrilla (Tav. 2, Figs. 1-4), 

 but does not give larval dimensions nor any further indication as to 

 the specific pigmentation than can be derived from the uncolouied 

 drawings. 



In size my eggs agree most w^ith his S. cahrillo, although slightly 

 larger. Eaffaele's newly hatched S. cahrilla larva has the oil-globule 

 centrally situated, while his S. hepatus shows it anteriorly situated. 

 The former has large mid-post-anal dorsal and ventral chromatophores* 



