A Description of the Pelagic Juvenile of Pyramodon lindas (Ophidiiformes: Carapidae) from the Western Indian Ocean

Abstract

An illustrated description of the juvenile (9.7 mm head length) of Pyramodon lindas from the Indian Ocean is given for the first time. The specimen is compared with the previously described vexillifer larvae of P. ventralis and P. punctatus. The juvenile of P. lindas is clearly distinguished from the other species of Pyramodon by the number of pectoral-fin rays and its pigmentation pattern. This is the first record of this species in the western Indian Ocean north of Madagascar.