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Listers,

> Carlo Pipitone wrote:
> I (which am not a fish biologist by any means) tend to agree with Bill
> Snyder and with his definitions of juvenile (generally a y-o-y) and of
> sub-adult (although this sounds like a non-perfectly orthodox term).
>
> A further different case is that of fishes (like the Mediterranean red
> mullet, Mullus barbatus) which spawn generally at the end of the first
> year. In this case we would have maturing (or even fully mature) y-o-y-
> specimens.

I think the fact that some y-o-y can be sexually mature is exactly why you
should not define juveniles as y-o-y.  There's too much variation in development
among species to define juvenile meaningfully in that way.

I prefer to apply the term juvenile to all fish that are meristically the same
as adults but that have immature gonads and possibly lack adult coloration.
Therefore, larval fish are not juveniles.  Larvae and juveniles, however, are
both immature.  Furthermore, adult and mature are synonyms.

My thoughts, anyway.

Mike

_______________________________________________________________________________

Michael P. Robinson
Dept. of Biology                   Korn, Bier, Schnaps und Wein,
P.O. Box 249118                    und wir hoeren unsere Leber schrein.
University of Miami
Coral Gables FL 33124-0421

[log in to unmask]        web: www.bio.miami.edu/robinson
305-284-4933 or -3973              fax: 305-284-3039
_______________________________________________________________________________

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