94 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
5 and 6 miles offshore, 1 was taken in the bight at Cape Lookout, and the remaining 
3 were caught in the estuary of Newport River. Such small, comparatively helpless, 
young almost certainly had not voluntarily traveled far. However, they may at 
times be carried comparatively long distances by wind and tide. It is impossible 
to determine the exact spawning ground or grounds from the limited material secured 
at Beaufort. It seems probable that spawning may take place both in the inside 
and outside waters. The general scarcity of the young suggests that there is no 
important spawning ground in the vicinity of Beaufort. 
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE YOUNG 
Specimens 1.8 millimeters long . — The head and trunk are deep, and the caudal 
portion of the body is very slender, an abrupt break in the ventral contour of the 
body occuring at the vent. The vent in these small specimens is situated in advance 
of midbody length, the preanal distance being contained in the length to the tip of 
the notochord, 2.1 to 2.4 times, and the postanal distance 1.75 to 1.9. The greatest 
depth of the body is contained in the length about 3.1 times, and the depth behind 
the vent is scarcely greater than the diameter of the eye. The mouth is moderately 
Figure 34 . — Cynoscion nebulosus. From a specimen 2.0 millimeters long. 
large and strongly oblique, the gape anteriorly being somewhat above the level of 
middle of eye, and it extends backward somewhat under the eye. The myomeres 
are indistinct anteriorly and posteriorly; about 25 may be counted. The vertical 
finfold is uninterrupted and is without indications of fin rays. The pectoral fin 
membranes are prominent, but the ventrals are not evident. Dark markings are 
present on the ventral outline of the chest and abdomen, with a prominent spot 
immediately in advance of the vent. A series of close-set black spots occupies the 
anterior half to two-thirds of the ventral outline of the tail. A few indefinite dark, 
probably subsurface, markings also are present above the abdominal mass (fig. 34). 
The specimens described in the foregoing paragraph were taken in the same tow- 
net haul in which the somewhat larger ones, described in the next section were taken. 
The identification is somewhat uncertain because insufficient specimens are available 
and because of the darkened condition of some of the preserved ones, obliterating 
color markings. However, the larvae of nearly all the other local species of sciaenids 
are known. Therefore, the identification may be fairly definitely established through 
elimination. 
The larvae of C. nebulosus at a length of 1 .8 millimeters differ from those of C. 
regalis of the same length, so far as can be judged from the material available, in the 
rather deeper head and trunk, and apparently more slender tail, the decrease in 
depth at the vent being greater and more abrupt. The greatest depth of the body 
is contained in the total length to the tip of the notochord about 3.1 times in C. 
