FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



509 



little in advance of the pectorals. But the green 

 ocean pout (Gymnelis viridis Goode and Bean) of 

 arctic seas has no ventrals; it ranges southward as 

 far as the estuary of the St. Lawrence River, 24 

 and perhaps as far as northern Nova Scotia. 25 

 The closest affinities of the ocean pouts, among 

 Gulf of Maine fishes are with the blennies (p. 

 491), the wolffishes (p. 500), and the wrymouths 

 (p. 502). But they are easily separable from the 

 blennies and wrymouths by the fact that at least 

 the major part of the dorsal fin is soft-rayed, not 

 spiny; and from the wolffish by their more slender 

 form and smaller teeth. 



Only two species are known definitely from our 

 Gulf, one, the common ocean pout (p. 510) very 

 plentiful; the other, the wolf eel (p. 515), much 

 less so. A third, the Arctic Ocean pout (p. 516) has 

 been reported from shoal water to the west of our 

 Gulf as well as from the Nova Scotian Banks to 

 the east, though not from the Gulf itself. A 

 fourth species (Lycodes esmarkii Collett 1875) has 

 been credited to the Bay of Fundy. 29 But the 

 specimen in question was trawled by the Albatross 

 I, on the southern slope of the Grand Banks in 244 



fathoms of water. 27 Two others that have been re- 

 ported from the Nova Scotian Banks are also in- 

 cluded in the following key, as they are likely to 

 be found in our Gulf sooner or later. 



Still another species, Lycodes atlanticus Jensen 

 1904, has been reported from a number of stations 

 along the continental slope from the offing of 

 southern Nova Scotia to the offing of northern 

 North Carolina, in depths of 543 to 1,423 fath- 

 oms. 28 But being a deep-water form, it is not to 

 be expected either within the limits of the Gulf of 

 Maine, or on the Nova Scotian Banks. 



The various species of the genus Lycodes 

 resemble one another so closely that their identi- 

 fication is very difficult. If one should be taken 

 in the Gulf that does not agree with either of these 

 that are described on the following pages, we 

 suggest that it be sent either to the laboratory of 

 the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Woods Hole, 

 Mass.; the Division of Fishes, U. S. National 

 Museum, Washington, D. C. ; or to the Department 

 of Fishes, Museum of Comparative Zoology, 

 Cambridge, Mass., to be named. 29 



KEY TO GULF OF MAINE AND NOVA SCOTIAN OCEAN POUTS AND WOLF EELS 



1. The dorsal fin seems to be separated from the caudal fin by a considerable gap Ocean pout, p. 510 



The dorsal, caudal and anal fins form one continuous fin 2 



2. The trunk is extremely slender, at least 14-16 times as long as it is deep; the dorsal fin originates over the tips of the 



pectoral fins 3 



The trunk is stouter, less than 12 times as long as it is deep 4 



3. Dorsal fin with only about 92 rays and anal fin with about 88 rays; lower surface of body with only a few scales. 



Wolf eel, p. 515 



Dorsal fin with about 118 rays and anal fin with about 110 rays; lower surface of body uniformly scaly, like upper 

 surface Lycenchelys paxillus, Goode and Bean 1879 M 



4. The lateral line runs along the middle of the sides; the vent is only a little nearer to the snout than to the tip of the 



tail; there are no scales on the belly or on the forward part of the back Arctic eelpout, p.516 



The lateral lines (or their lower branch if double) run along the lower part of the sides; the vent is considerably 

 nearer to the snout than it is to the tip of the tail; the body is covered with scales 5 



" Vladykov and Tremblay, Natural. Canad., vol. 62 (Ser. 3, vol. 6), 1935, 

 p. 82. 



« Goode and Bean (Smithsonian Contrlb. Knowl., vol. 30, 1895, p. 313) 

 credit it to Nova Scotia but give no definite locality. 



» By Vladykov and McKcnzie, Proc. Nova Scotian Inst. Sol., vol. 19, 1935, 

 p. 109. 



" Reported by Goode and Bean (Smithsonian Contrib. Knowl., vol. 30, 

 1895, p. 305) as from lat. 44°47' N.; long. 66°33' W., Albatross Station 2470; but 

 the actual position of this station was lat. 44°47' N.; long. 56°33' W. See 

 Townsend, Rept. U. S. Comm. Fish., (1900), 1901, p. 399. 



» Reported by Goode and Bean (Smithsonian Contrib. Knowl., vol. 30, 

 1895, pp. 305-306) as L.friyidtis Collett 1875, with list of stations. 



 Jensen's monograph of the Lycodids of Northern Europe and of Green- 

 land (Danish Injof/Exped., vol. 2, Pt. 4, 1904) Includes descriptions, and 

 beautiful illustrations of all the species of Lycodes th3t have been reported 

 from the Gulf of Maine, or from the Nova Scotian Banks. And Vladykov 

 and Tremblay (sta. Biol. Saint Laurent. Fauna and Flora Laurent, No. 1, 

 1936) have given a revision of the genus In the western A tlantlc with decep- 

 tions and photographs of several new species and subspecies from the Gulf 

 of St. Lawrence and northward. 



*• Known from several stations on the continental slope abreast of our Gulf 

 and off southern New England at depths of 365-904 fathoms; also from tho 

 deep gully between LaHave and Sable Island Banks at 200 fathoms (see 

 Goode and Bean 1895, p. 311 for list). 



