Identification of Four Northern Blennioid Fish Larvae in the Canadian Atlantic Ocean (Stichaeidae, Lumpenidae)

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Author: Faber, Daniel J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1976
• Subjects: General Medicine; Leptoclinus maculatus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f76-229; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f76-229

Four similar northern blennioid fish larvae from the Gulf of St. Lawrence can be identified on the basis of morphological features. The two larvae of the family Stichaeidae, Ulvaria subbifurcata and Stichaeus punctatus, can be distinguished from the two larvae of the family Lumpenidae, Leptoclinus maculatus and Lumpenus lampretaeformis, by total myomere counts, the position of intestinal myomeres, presence or absence of head melanophores, and presence or absence of internal melanophores along the abdominal part of the notochord. The identification of individual species is based mainly on myomere counts and ventromedial melanophore counts.