Larvae of Gillellus Jacksoni, G. Uranidea (Dactyloscopidae), Stathmonotus Stahli Tekia, and S. Hemphilli (Chaenopsidae), with Comments on the Use of Early Life History Characters for Elucidating Relationships within the Blennioidei

Larvae of the families Dactyloscopidae (Gillellus jacksoni, G. uranidea) and Chaenopsidae (Stathmonotus stahli tekla, S. hemphilli) are described from specimens collected in Ambergris Cay, Belize. Larvae are characterized by precocious development of fins and sensory canals, and little pigmentation overall, with the majority of pigmentation occurring ventrally. Pigment distributions in larvae are summarized for the six blennioid families. There are no unifying pigment characters among blennioid larvae. Larvae possess the six shared specialized characters or character complexes (as described in adults) currently used to hypothesize the monophyly of the Blennioidei, and thus, provide no new phylogenetic information.