Ichthyologists, natural-history artists, and tropical-fish aquarists have described, illustrated, or photographed colour patterns in adult marine fishes for centuries, but colour patterns in marine fish larvae have largely been neglected. Yet the pelagic larval stages of many marine fishes exhibit subtle to striking, ephemeral patterns of chromatophores that warrant investigation into their potential taxonomic and phylogenetic significance. Colour patterns in larvae of over 200 species of marine teleosts, primarily from the western Caribbean, were examined from digital colour photographs, and their potential utility in elucidating evolutionary relationships at various taxonomic levels was assessed. Larvae of relatively few basal marine teleosts exhibit erythrophores, xanthophores, or iridophores (i.e. nonmelanistic chromatophores), but one or more of those types of chromatophores are visible in larvae of many basal marine neoteleosts and nearly all marine percomorphs. Whether or not the presence of nonmelanistic chromatophores in pelagic marine larvae diagnoses any major teleost taxonomic group cannot be determined based on the preliminary survey conducted, but there is a trend toward increased colour from elopomorphs to percomorphs. Within percomorphs, patterns of nonmelanistic chromatophores may help resolve or contribute evidence to existing hypotheses of relationships at multiple levels of classification. Mugilid and some beloniform larvae share a unique ontogenetic transformation of colour pattern that lends support to the hypothesis of a close relationship between them. Larvae of some tetraodontiforms and lophiiforms are strikingly similar in having the trunk enclosed in an inflated sac covered with xanthophores, a character that may help resolve the relationships of these enigmatic taxa. Colour patterns in percomorph larvae also appear to diagnose certain groups at the interfamilial, familial, intergeneric, and generic levels. Slight differences in generic colour patterns, including whether the pattern comprises xanthophores or erythrophores, often distinguish species. The homology, ontogeny, and possible functional significance of colour patterns in larvae are discussed. Considerably more investigation of larval colour patterns in marine teleosts is needed to assess fully their value in phylogenetic reconstruction.

中文翻译：

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海洋硬骨鱼幼虫颜色模式的系统发育意义

几个世纪以来，鱼类学家、自然历史艺术家和热带鱼水族爱好者已经描述、说明或拍摄了成年海鱼的颜色图案，但海鱼幼体的颜色图案在很大程度上被忽视了。然而，许多海洋鱼类的远洋幼体阶段表现出微妙到惊人的、短暂的色素细胞模式，值得对其潜在的分类学和系统发育意义进行调查。通过数码彩色照片检查了主要来自西加勒比海的 200 多种海洋硬骨鱼幼虫的颜色模式，并评估了它们在阐明不同分类水平的进化关系方面的潜在效用。相对较少的基础海洋硬骨鱼的幼虫表现出红素、黄素或虹彩素（即非黑色素色素细胞），但是在许多基底海洋新硬骨动物和几乎所有海洋超长类动物的幼虫中都可以看到一种或多种这些类型的色素细胞。根据进行的初步调查，无法确定中上层海洋幼虫中非黑色素色素团的存在是否可以诊断任何主要的硬骨鱼分类群，但有一种从 elopomorphs 到 percomorphs 颜色增加的趋势。在 percomorphs 中，非黑色素色素团的模式可能有助于解决或为现有的多个分类级别的关系假设提供证据。Mugilid 和一些 beloniform 幼虫共享一种独特的颜色模式个体发生转变，这支持了它们之间密切关系的假设。一些四齿类动物和 lophiiforms 的幼虫惊人地相似，它们的躯干被包裹在一个膨胀的囊中，并被叶黄素覆盖，这种特征可能有助于解决这些神秘分类群之间的关系。Percomorph 幼虫的颜色模式似乎也可以在家族间、家族、属间和属属水平上诊断某些群体。通用颜色图案的细微差异，包括图案是否包含黄体或红细胞，通常可以区分物种。讨论了幼虫颜色模式的同源性、个体发育和可能的功能意义。需要对海洋硬骨鱼的幼虫颜色模式进行大量调查，以充分评估它们在系统发育重建中的价值。一个可能有助于解决这些神秘分类群之间关系的角色。Percomorph 幼虫的颜色模式似乎也可以在家族间、家族、属间和属属水平上诊断某些群体。通用颜色图案的细微差异，包括图案是否包含黄体或红细胞，通常可以区分物种。讨论了幼虫颜色模式的同源性、个体发育和可能的功能意义。需要对海洋硬骨鱼的幼虫颜色模式进行大量调查，以充分评估它们在系统发育重建中的价值。一个可能有助于解决这些神秘分类群之间关系的角色。Percomorph 幼虫的颜色模式似乎也可以在家族间、家族、属间和属属水平上诊断某些群体。通用颜色图案的细微差异，包括图案是否包含黄体或红细胞，通常可以区分物种。讨论了幼虫颜色模式的同源性、个体发育和可能的功能意义。需要对海洋硬骨鱼的幼虫颜色模式进行大量调查，以充分评估它们在系统发育重建中的价值。包括模式是否包含黄体或红体，通常区分物种。讨论了幼虫颜色模式的同源性、个体发育和可能的功能意义。需要对海洋硬骨鱼的幼虫颜色模式进行大量调查，以充分评估它们在系统发育重建中的价值。包括模式是否包含黄体或红体，通常区分物种。讨论了幼虫颜色模式的同源性、个体发育和可能的功能意义。需要对海洋硬骨鱼的幼虫颜色模式进行大量调查，以充分评估它们在系统发育重建中的价值。