| Stout body form; large head; compactly coiled, heavily pigmented gut; internal pigment bar extending from anterior trunk to snout; early formation of preopercular spines; extensive spiny ridges on frontal, nasal, and other head bones and on posttemporal and supracleithrum; patches of spinous scales form after preflexion stage and cover body by end of postflexion stage.
Pigmentation:
Preflexion: Gut completely covered; extending dorsal (internally and superficially) to the anterior trunk and anteriad beneath the otic region and brain to the snout; postanal ventral midline series of 9-14 (usually 11-14) extending from 3rd-5th postanal myomere to the caudal fin anlage; by 3.0 mm, on nape, inner and lateral surfaces of pectoral base, preopercular and opercular region, cardiac region, and on the optic and cerebellar brain lobes; late in stage, postanal ventral series begins to coalesce and trunk sheath begins to expand posteriad.
Flexion: Trunk sheath more than halfway posteriad on tail.
Postflexion: Trunk sheath to hypural region; remainder of larva covered except jaws and ventral region of head.
Sequence of fin development: principal caudal fin rays, pectoral and dorsal and anal, pelvic, procurrent caudal fin rays. |
