they are between four and seven millimeters in length. The yolk sac is large and spherical in the thoracic region. The oil globules are usually single and are located in the anterior yolk sac, with many small oil globules. At birth the gut is short and coiled in one loop in prolarvae but becomes twisted between one and two times in the prostarvae stage. Their teeth are sharp and pointed at birth. Size at completion of yolk-sac stage is between five point two and six millimeters. Preanal myomeres 8-12. Post anal myomeres are 22-26, the total myomeres are 32-37. The last fins to complete development are the pelvic fins. The pigmentation of the larvae is large stellate melanophores at base of pectoral fins and mid-ventral and dorsal surface of gut (near anus); a series of melanophores along postanal region. The distribution of the fish are Pelagic (Millikan 1968), [On-line]; planktonic or near the surface of a water column in the shallow end of the shore line and the deep open water of freshwater and oligohaline regions (Phinney, 1972, p. 107). The prickly sculpin for example, range from Seward, Alaska,southward along the Pacific Coast and into adjacent inland waters to the Ventura River in southern California (Barraclough, 1972, p.1922), the prickly sculpin have also been found to be very common in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and estuary. Their present range may be much wider than their historical range, because the planktonic larvae can be distributed via the California Aqueduct, Friant-Kern Canal, and other man-made water transport systems to various portions of southern California. Evidence of the transportation of planktonic larvae is the population of prickly sculpin established in O'Neill Forebay. Sculpin larvae were among the most abundant fishes collected in plankton tows in Suisun Bay and the Delta from March through May. Juveniles become demersal at approximately 15 mm TL (Broadway and Moyle 1978), [...
