Delsman: Fish Eggs and Larvae. 



43 



be considered as the last trunk myotome), in one of 2OV2 mrn- (Fig- 9) 

 54, and in one of 22 mm., 52 myotomes. I have not yet observed older larvae. 

 Thus the number of pre-anal myotomes and, as v^e may conclude 

 from it, the situation of the anus are not constant here. Behind the anus 

 I could, as a rule, count some 17 or 18 myotomes more, in a stage similar 

 to that of fig, 9 up to 19, in which number the undifferentiated cell-mass 

 at the end is not included (whereas, in counting the vertebrae of an adult 

 fish it is customary to count the urostyl as one). 



Fig. 6. Slightly older larva, enlargement as fig. 7, length 6,9 mm, 



y rest of the yolk. 



Comparing the larvae now described with other larvae of herring-like 

 fishes reared by me from eggs from the Java Sea, the number of myotomes 

 appears to be a very large one. In four kinds of larvae, reared by me 

 from four different kinds of eggs of the type of that of the European 

 sardine I found 38—40 prae-anal and not more than 10 — 12 post-anal 

 myotomes (as a rule less). 



hi the larvae which I reared from an ^gg much resembling that of 

 the European sprat were present only 29—30 prae-anal and about 16 post- 

 anal myotomes. Besides those mentioned, there was found to be fairly 

 common in the Java Sea an tgg from which a clupeoid larva is hatched 

 with 50 prae-anal and no more than 10 or 11 post-anal myotomes. 



What indications have we of the number of vertebrae of the most 

 common Cliipeif ormes in the Javasea? I found from my own researches 

 the following numbers: 



Albula vulpes (bandeng tjururut) 47 + 27 = 74. 



Chirocentrus dorab (parang-parang) 44 -f- 29 = 73. 



Megalops cyprinoides (bulan-bulan) 38 + 30 = 68. 



Elops hawaiensis (bandeng lelaki) 46 + 21 = 67. 



Diissumieria hasseltii (djapu) 41 + 17 = 58. 



Clupea fimbriata (tembangi 29 + 16 ^3: 45. 



„ kanagurta (mata belo) 27 + 16 = 43. 



„ leiogaster (lemuru) 29 + ^4 := 43. 



Chanos chanos (bandeng) 30 + 13 ^ 43. 



Dorosoma chacunda (selanget) 25 -t- 16 = 41. 



Clupeoides lile (tembang putih) 24 -f- 16 = 40. 



