New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Descriptions of larvae of Merluccius australis, Macruronus magellanicus, and observations on a larva of Micromesistius australis from southern Chile (Pisces: Gadiformes)

Fernando Balbontin
Flor Uribe
Rolando Bernal†

Facultad de Ciencias del Mar
Universidad de Valparaíso
P.O. Box 5080 Reñaca
Viña del Mar, Chile
email: Fernando.Balbontin@uv.cl

Mauricio Braun

Instituto de Fomento Pesquero
P.O. Box 8-V
Valparaíso, Chile

†Deceased 18 June 2002.

Abstract  Larvae of two commercially important fish species, namely southern hake (Merluccius australis) and hoki (Macruronus magellanicus), are described for the first time from material collected in southern Chile. Observations on a third species, blue whiting (Micromesistius australis), are also provided. The three species demonstrate larval characteristics typical of gadiform fishes, including a short gut, and pigmentation distributed in blotches and bands. Characteristics of the larvae of M. australis from Chile are similar to those observed in sketches from New Zealand, such that the descriptions may be used to identify the larvae from other regions. The similarity of characteristics between M. magellanicus larvae from Chile and Argentina and larvae of M. novaezelandiae from Tasmanian and New Zealand waters demonstrate the taxonomic affinity between these species. The presence of three dorsal fins in a late postflexion Micromesistius australis larva allowed it to be easily recognised.

Keywords  fish larval stages; Merluccius; Macruronus; Micromesistius; Patagonian region; New Zealand; Chile

M02097; Received 9 December 2002; accepted 14 April 2004; Online publication date 5 August 2004
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2004, Vol. 38: 609-619
0028-8330/04/3804-0609 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2004

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