114 
@3010-3042 
@3009 
03008 
©3007 
03006 - - 
03005 
~ APFZ 
@3067 o 
© 3066 
2 3065 
© 3064- -5 3062 
3057-2059 
| 
| 
O93 50°S 
| 
©3063 
| 
— 165°W 150°w 
135°W 
120°W 
Z © 3049 
oan 03045-3046S T FZ 
aq 
@ 3010-3042 
@3009 
03008 
03007 
0 3006 - - 
03005 
“APEZ 
~~ 63055 
03067 
23066 
0 3065 
ie) > 3064 - 
N 
Pacific Ocean 
3053 
= 3 3052 
3054 
oon 40°S 
03056 
03057-3059 
©3060 
23061 
- 53062 
03063 
| 50°S 
135°W 
120°W 
03043 
03010-3042 
03009 
03008 
03007 
gSlhar= 
APEZ 
165°W = 150°W 
Figure 1 
> 3066 
2 3065 
N 
03056 
03057-3059 
©3060 
©3061 
° 3064. - 53062 
135°W 
03063 
~ 720° 
Schematic maps of the stations (open circles) where larvae of the 
following 3 species of Lampanyctus (black circles) were sampled 
during the 34th cruise of the RV Dmitry Mendeleev in the central 
South Pacific Ocean between January and March 1985: (A) cripple- 
fin lanternfish (L. achirus), (B) southern lanternfish (L. australis), 
and (C) L. gibbsi or L. wisneri. Dashed lines indicate the positions of 
biogeographic borders (Becker and Evseenko, 1986) for the central 
water mass (C), the periphery of the central water mass (P), subtrop- 
ical frontal zone (STFZ), notal zone (N), Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone 
(APFZ), and Antarctic (A). Station numbers are given next to station 
markers. For geographic coordinates of the stations and for the dates 
of capture of larvae, see Table 1. 
Fishery Bulletin 119(2—3) 
Photophore formation Br. are noticeable on the 
9.2-mm-SL larva. No other photophores appear. 
Comparative remarks A 13.4-mm-SL larva of 
L. achirus from the South Pacific Ocean has 
been described and illustrated (Moser and Ahl- 
strom, 1974; Moser et al., 1984), and a 6.0-mm-SL 
larva from the southwestern Indian Ocean has 
been described (Olivar and Beckley, 1997). The 
larvae of this species have such a characteristic 
appearance, especially a long rostrum, that it is 
quite easy to identify them. However, a detailed 
description and a series of developments is still 
absent in the literature. Our larvae do not differ 
in pigmentation from the previously described 
larvae of this species of a similar size (Moser and 
Ahlstrom, 1974; Moser et al., 1984), but they dif- 
fer in the presence of preopercular spines. Spines 
in our larvae are noticeable in all studied individ- 
uals, starting at a length of 9.2 mm SL; therefore, 
it can be assumed that previous researchers did 
not notice this morphological feature. Further, on 
the 9.0-mm-SL larva from our collections taken 
in the South Atlantic Ocean (29th expedition of 
the RV Akademik Ioffe; station [st.] 2193; 36°56’S, 
7°19’E), preopercular spines (both inner and 
outer) are also present. 
Researchers have noted the possibility of the 
existence of 2 forms of this species that differ 
mainly in the number of gill rakers of the first 
gill arch (5+12—13 versus 6+13—14), in addition to 
the differences in the color of the body, the size of 
the vomerine tooth patch, and the position of the 
SAO, (Hulley, 1981; McGinnis, 1982; Zahuranec, 
2000). These authors noticed that these charac- 
ters were not always correlated; therefore, only 
one species is recognized, and these differences 
are explained as part of the mosaic pattern of 
variability. We found no differences in pigmen- 
tation or in meristic characters in the larvae we 
studied. In all larvae >16.0 mm SL, the number 
of gill rakers is 6+1+12-14. 
Distribution Among Lampanyctus species in the 
investigated area, this species has the second- 
most abundant larvae. A total of 102 larvae of 
this species were collected at 8 stations (st. 3009, 
3042, 3052, 3054, 3055, 3056, 3057, and 3067) in 
the notal zone of the South Pacific Ocean, from 
45—46°S in the west of the study area to 37-48°S 
in the east of the study area. Single larvae of this 
species were found in the subtropical frontal zone 
in the South Pacific Ocean at 126°W (st. 3052 and 
3054) (Fig. 1A). The presence of this species is an 
indicator of notal waters, although adults have 
a wider range and were found in the subtropical 
frontal zone (st. 3049) and in the periphery of the 
central water mass in the South Pacific Ocean (st. 
3069) (Becker and Evseenko, 1986). 
