| other |
| normal (not striking) |
compressed |
| other |
| elongated |
| |
|
| |
|
| ventral row |
| tail with single melanophore |
| melanophores on head + trunk |
| ventral row |
| tail partly covered with melanophores |
| melanophores on head + trunk |
| pigmented |
pigmented |
| with row of melanophores |
| fin rays only without melanophores |
| fin rays only without melanophores |
| Diagnostic characters: cross-hatched pattern of muscle fibres visible until 14 mm; long snout and elongate jaws bearing teeth; anus lies under myomeres 41-43 throughout development; posterior end of dorsal fin 2-3 myomeres in front of origin of anal fin.
Pigment: paired series of internal melanophores dorsolaterally over hindgut in postflexion larvae.
Sequence of fin development: caudal (7.1-11.8 mm); dorsal (8.7-16.1 mm); anal (8.7 16.1 mm); pelvic (15.3-45.0 mm); pectoral (18.7-45.0 mm).
One melanophore on ventral midline of caudal peduncle (Ref. 33617). 3 melanophores on dentary, 1 at tip of dentary and 1 on either side of cleithral symphysis by late preflexion stage (Ref. 33617). Gas bladder inflated only in larvae caught at night (Ref. 33617). Large elongated jaws with numerous teeth (Ref. 33617). Gut very long, straight and with striated hindgut (Ref. 33617).
Larvae have been caught in coastal waters between Brisbane and Sydney from January to May, with a peak abundance in May (Ref. 33621), and in coastal waters off Sydney in February, April to August, November and December (Ref. 33622). |