The abundance and distribution of the eggs and larvae of some teleost fishes off Plymouth in 1969 and 1970 II. The postlarvae of Callionymus

Abstract

The development of Callionymus reticulatus Valenciennes, 1837, from the early postlarval stage (2·7 mm) up to about the end of metamorphosis (11·4 mm) is described. The main differences between its postlarvae and the postlarvae of C. lyra Linnaeus, 1758 and C. maculatus Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810 are described and illustrated. The spawning periods of the three Callionymus species are briefly discussed and the seasonal occurrence and distribution of their postlarvae off Plymouth are given.