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<br />larvae typically has 46 to 48 total vertebrae or <br />myomeres. The number of myomeres to the <br />vent is typically 37 or greater for bluehead, <br />flannelmouth, and razorback sucker, 37 or <br />fewer for Utah sucker, and less than 37 for <br />mountain sucker; white sucker larvae typically <br />have 35 to 38 myomeres to the vent. <br />For protolarvae and flexion mesolarvae <br />most diagnostically useful measures relate to <br />the amount of yolk remaining as the fish <br />grow (Table 3). By the end of the protolarva <br />phase, mountain and razorback suckers con- <br />sume most but not all of their yolk and blue- <br />head and especially flannelmouth suckers still <br />retain about half of their original yolk supply <br />by the end of the protolarva phase. All suc- <br />kers except some flannelmouth complete yolk <br />absorption by the end of the flexion meso- <br />larva phase. <br />For late postflexion mesolarvae, meta- <br />larvae, and juveniles most diagnostic mea- <br />sures relate to the size and position of the <br />dorsal fm. The length of the dorsal fin (from <br />origin of the fm to its most distal margin) and <br />length of the base of the fm correlate well <br />with the number of principal fin rays. As <br />would be expected, these measures are great- <br />est for razorback sucker and least for moun- <br />tain sucker, but not much larger for bluehead <br />and white suckers. Length to the insertion of <br />the dorsal fm is also greatest for razorback <br />and least for mountain sucker, while length to <br />the origin of the fin is greatest for bluehead <br />sucker, followed by white and mountain suc- <br />kers, and least for flannelmouth and razor- <br />back suckers. <br /> <br />Among the remaining measures, only eye <br />diameter is useful for all developmental inter- <br />vals. As protolarvae, mountain sucker gener- <br />ally have both the greatest eye diameters and <br />head lengths (measured to the origin of the <br />pectoral fin bud) relative to standard (noto- <br />chord) length. Bluehead and flannelmouth <br />protolarvae typically have the smallest eyes <br />and heads. For subsequent developmental <br />intervals, differences in eye diameter are best <br />considered as a percentage of head length. <br />For these later stages Utah sucker usually <br />have the largest eyes while flannelmouth <br />sucker continue to average the smallest eyes, <br />although not by much. Head length among <br />juveniles is often greatest for razorback and <br />white suckers and least for bluehead, flannel- <br />mouth, and mountain suckers. <br />In addition to dorsal fin lengths discussed <br />above, pectoral and caudal fin lengths are <br /> <br />also useful for specific developmental inter- <br />vals. Pectoral fm length is sufficiently diag- <br />nostic only for protolarvae, and then only <br />with respect to the maximum values for which <br />it is greatest for white, mountain, and <br />razorback suckers and least for Utah and <br />bluehead suc-kers. Caudal fm length is <br />sufficiently diag-nostic only for metalarvae <br />and juveniles; for both intervals, caudal fm <br />length is least for mountain sucker while it is <br />greatest for razor-back metalarvae and both <br />razorback and Utah sucker juveniles. <br />Lengths from snout to pelvic fm origin <br />and posterior margin of the vent, and body <br />depth at the origin of the dorsal fm are the <br />only remaining length characters considered <br />sufficiently diagnostic to include in Table 3. <br />Snout to pelvic fm origin lengths are appli- <br />cable only to postflexion mesolarvae and later <br />intervals and, like lengths to the origin of the <br />dorsal fin, are typically greatest for bluehead <br />sucker and least for flannelmouth sucker <br />metalarvae and juveniles, thereby maintaining <br />the pelvic fin origins a more-or-Iess similar <br />horizontal distance behind dorsal fm origins. <br />For postflexion mesolarvae, length to origin <br />of the pelvic fm is least for Utah sucker but <br />only slightly larger for flannelmouth and <br />razorback suckers. Snout to vent lengths are <br />greatest for Utah and razorback sucker meso- <br />larvae and razorback juveniles. <br />Body depth measured at the origin of the <br />dorsal fin reflects the amount of yolk remain- <br />ing in protolarvae and meso larvae, as noted <br />above, but reflects the health or condition of <br />the fish for later stages and, especially for the <br />larger juveniles, differences in structural <br />depth. The upper end of the range for this <br />measure is notably greater for razorback <br />juveniles and is probably due, at least in part, <br />to enlarging interneural bones behind the <br />head which will eventually form the distinc- <br />tive predorsal "razor" or keel of older juven- <br />iles and adults. <br /> <br />Pigmentation: Capture of these suckers <br />prior to initial eye and body pigmentation is <br />rare. If not pigmented at hatching, at least <br />the eyes and some body pigmentation is usu- <br />ally evident by emergence from the spawning <br />substrate. White and mountain suckers are <br />usually well pigmented by 9 mm SL and <br />Utah, bluehead, and flannelmouth suckers by <br />11 mm SL (Table 4). Pigmentation through- <br />out early development is generally lightest for <br />flannelmouth and especially razorback <br />suckers. <br /> <br />27 <br />