CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 4 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................ 5 TERMINOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................... 8 IDENTIFICATION ................................................................................................................................... 13 EARLY LIFE HISTORY DESCRIPTIONS .......................................................................................................... 17 CLUPEIDAE ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) ............................................................................................... 22 Sprattus sprattus (Linnaeus, 1758) ................................................................................................. 26 ENGRAULIDAE ................................................................................................................................... 30 Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758) .......................................................................................... 30 GONOSTOMATIDAE ............................................................................................................................. 34 Cyclothone braueri Jespersen & Tåning, 1926 .................................................................................. 34 STERNOPTYCHIDAE ............................................................................................................................ 36 Maurolicus muelleri (Gmelin, 1789) ................................................................................................. 36 STOMIIDAE ....................................................................................................................................... 38 Stomias boa (Risso, 1810) .............................................................................................................. 38 ARGENTINIDAE .................................................................................................................................. 40 Argentina sphyraena Linnaeus, 1758 ............................................................................................... 40 MYCTOPHIDAE ................................................................................................................................... 42 Benthosema glaciale (Reinhardt, 1837) ........................................................................................... 42 Ceratoscopelus maderensis (Lowe, 1839) ........................................................................................ 44 Diogenichthys atlanticus (Tåning, 1928) .......................................................................................... 46 Electrona risso (Cocco, 1829) ......................................................................................................... 48 Myctophum punctatum Rafinesque, 1810 ........................................................................................ 50 Notolychnus valdiviae (Brauer, 1904) .............................................................................................. 52 PARALEPIDIDAE ................................................................................................................................. 54 Magnisudis atlantica (Krøyer, 1868) ................................................................................................ 54 Paralepis coregonoides Risso, 1820 ................................................................................................. 56 ANGUILLIDAE .................................................................................................................................... 58 Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) ................................................................................................... 58 MURAENIDAE .................................................................................................................................... 60 Muraena helena Linnaeus, 1758 ...................................................................................................... 60 CONGRIDAE ...................................................................................................................................... 62 Conger conger (Linnaeus, 1758) ..................................................................................................... 62 OPHICHTIDAE .................................................................................................................................... 64 Ophisurus serpens (Linnaeus, 1758) ............................................................................................... 64 BELONIDAE ....................................................................................................................................... 66 Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761) ...................................................................................................... 66 MACRORAMPHOSIDAE ........................................................................................................................ 68 Macroramphosus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758) .................................................................................... 68 SYNGNATHIDAE ................................................................................................................................. 70 Entelurus aequoraeus (Linnaeus, 1758) ........................................................................................... 70 Hipoccampus guttulatus Cuvier, 1829 .............................................................................................. 72 Hippocampus hippocampus (Linnaeus, 1758) .................................................................................. 74 Nerophis lumbriciformis (Jenyns, 1835) ........................................................................................... 76 Nerophis ophidion (Linnaeus, 1758) ................................................................................................ 78 Syngnathus abaster Risso, 1826 ..................................................................................................... 80 Syngnathus acus Linnaeus, 1758 .................................................................................................... 82 Syngnathus typhle Linnaeus, 1758 .................................................................................................. 84 MERLUCCIDAE ................................................................................................................................... 86 Merluccius merluccius Linnaeus, 1758 ............................................................................................. 86 GADIDAE .......................................................................................................................................... 88 Ciliata mustela (Linnaeus, 1758) ..................................................................................................... 88 Gadiculus argenteus Guichenot, 1850 .............................................................................................. 90 Micromessistius poutassou (Risso, 1827) ......................................................................................... 92 1 Pollachius pollachius (Linnaeus, 1758) ............................................................................................. 94 Trisopterus luscus (Linnaeus, 1758) ................................................................................................ 96 Trisopterus minutus (Linnaeus, 1758) ............................................................................................. 98 ZEIDAE ........................................................................................................................................... 100 Zeus faber Linnaeus, 1758 ............................................................................................................ 100 CAPROIDAE ..................................................................................................................................... 102 Caprus aper (Linnaeus, 1758) ....................................................................................................... 102 SERRANIDAE ................................................................................................................................... 104 Serranus cabrilla (Linnaeus, 1758) ................................................................................................ 104 MORONIDAE .................................................................................................................................... 106 Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758) .......................................................................................... 106 CEPOLIDAE ...................................................................................................................................... 108 Cepola macrophthalma Linnaeus, 1758 ......................................................................................... 108 CARANGIDAE ..................................................................................................................................