586 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Specimens 4-0 to 4-5 mm long . — The head and trunk remain rather robust, although 
less so than in somewhat smaller specimens. The caudal portion of the body is 
moderately deep, strongly compressed, and scarcely longer than the head and trunk, 
the vent being situated at about midbody length, exclusive of the caudal fin. The 
head is deep and rather broad, the interorbital space being scarcely narrower than the 
eye. The snout is very short and round, projecting scarcely half the diameter of the 
orbit in front of the eye. The mouth is placed low, slightly inferior, oblique, the tip 
of the lower jaw being only a little above the level of the lower margin of the eye. 
The eye is placed low, that is, nearer to the ventral than the dorsal outline of the 
head. Fin rays are only partly developed in the dorsal and anal fins, but more fully 
in the caudal fin which is round in outline. The notochord is bent upward at the 
base of the fin, as usual in larval teleosts at about this stage of development. Ventral 
fins are not evident. The pectorals, however, are long and rather narrow, and 
scarcely shorter than the head. A few obscure dark markings generally are present 
on the ventral surface of the chest and abdomen ; a dark band extends across the fore- 
head between the eyes; the occipital surface of the head has one to several dark dots 
and a large median black spot is present at the nape. An oblique black band extends 
from the axile of the pectoral nearly to the vent; the long pectoral fin, exclusive of 
two or three of the upper rays, is densely dotted with black; and a row of very small 
black points begins a short distance behind the vent and extends to the base of the 
caudal fin (fig. 86). 
Specimens 5.0 to 6.0 mm long . — The body has continued to grow deeper and 
somewhat more compressed since a length of about 4.0 to 4.5 mm was attained. The 
head especially is deep and short; the snout remains very short and blunt, being 
scarcely more than half as long as the eye. A rather definite bony ridge is evident 
now over and in front of the orbit, making the interorbital space quite flat and fully 
as broad as the eye. The position of the mouth remains low and is slightly inferior, 
the tip of the lower jaw being only a little above the level of the lower margin of the 
eye. Five preopercular spines are now visible. Advancement in the development 
of rays in the dorsal and anal fins is not pronounced. The caudal fin, however, has 
grown proportionately longer and remains round. Ventral fins now are evident as 
mere tufts of membrane. The pectoral fins are fully equal to the length of the head 
and, exclusive of the upper rays, are dotted with black as in the younger fish, and the 
oblique, dark bar behind them remains as described in smaller specimens. A few 
indefinite dark spots occur on the chest and sides of the head, and several rather 
definite dark chromatophores usually are present on the occipital surface of the head 
and nape. A row of very small dark dots on the ventral outline of the tail, or base of 
the anal, described in smaller specimens, remains (fig. 87). 
