ABSTRACT
The order Ophidiiformes (sensu Cohen & Nielsen 1978) contains the suborders Bythitoidei, including viviparous forms with an external intromittent organ, and Ophidioidei, oviparous forms with pelvic fins at level of preopercle or farther anterior, and caudal fin confluent with dorsal and anal fins (Table Ophidiformes 1). The monophyly of the order or its suborders has not been determined. Ophidiiform fishes, in general, are too poorly known anatomically to resolve questions of phylogenetic relationships (Cohen & Nielsen 1978), and details of ontogeny, including developmental osteology, have been described for too few genera to contribute to a resolution of these questions. Equally problematic are uncertainties concerning the composition of some genera (e.g. Ophidion, Robins & Böhlke, 1959), a situation that has become more apparent as eggs and larvae have become better known. The purpose of the present compilation is to marshal all available ontogenetic data based on published accounts and original descriptions of available ophidiiform material with origins in the western Atlantic Ocean. Species composition and selected meristic characters in ophidiiforms reported to occur in the western Central Atlantic are listed in Table Ophidiformes 2.
