ALTERNATIVE LIFE-HISTORIES OF THE GENUS LUCANIA .2. EARLY ONTOGENY OFL-GOODEI, THE BLUEFIN KILLIFISH

This is the second of three papers devoted to the interpretation of mo rphological development in altricial and precocial species within the genus Lucania. The focus of this paper was the early life history of t he bluefin killifish, Lucania goodei. Reproductively mature specimens were collected in the run below Newport Spring, north of St. Marks Nat ional Wildlife Refuge in northwest Florida. These specimens were trans ported to the laboratory where they served as brood stock for specimen s described in this study. Offspring were reared under controlled cond itions and were described according to the theory of saltatory ontogen y, which gives a sampling design based on morphological, rather than c hronological, progression. The morphological development of these offs pring is described on the basis of detailed illustrations, photomicrog raphs, and measurements of mensural and meristic characters. This acco unt of early ontogeny, in combination with a corresponding study on th e early ontogeny of the rainwater killifish, L. parva (Crawford & Balo n 1994a), establishes the empirical basis for an altricial-precocial l ife history model (Crawford & Balon 1994b).