| Diagnostic characters: presence of head spination from late flexion stage; large, inflated gas bladder; elongate, early forming pelvic fin-rays; melanophores dorsally on head from late preflexion stage; 5 melanophores on ventral midline of posterior of tail in preflexion larvae, decreasing to 1 expanded melanophore in postflexion larvae.
Sequence of fin development: pelvic (3.2-9.4 mm); caudal (3.3-5.7 mm); dorsal (3.4-5.7 mm); anal (3.5-5.7 mm); pectoral (5.2-about 7.7 mm).
Body elongate to moderate in preflexion larvae, moderate to deep in flexion larvae, deep in postflexion larvae. Head moderate in preflexion larvae, large in flexion and postflexion larvae. Small teeth in jaws by late preflexion stage. A few small posterior preopercular spines, 1 opercular spine, and a supracleithral and supraocular ridge by late flexion stage; a few lachrymal spines, a second opercular spine, 2 supracleithral spines, 1 interopecular and several subopercular spines, anterior preopercular and posterior preopercular spines, and infraorbital, pterotic, frontal and postemporal ridges by postflexion stage. An additional frontal ridge, all ridges spinous, a third opercular spine, 1 cleithral spine, several supramaxillary spines, and 1 small lateral spine on cheek in front of anterior preopercular series by settlement. Gut long, initially straight, coiled by late preflexion stage. First dorsal and anal fin spines form directly; remaining spines transform sequentially from soft rays, with last two dorsal and last anal fin elements becoming spines by 35 mm. Pelvic fin rays reach beyond anus from late preflexion stage. Procurrent caudal rays are spinous. |