FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



539 



ventral rays in the American goosefish (fig. 285E) , 

 but they do not do so in the European species 

 until the third rays have developed, in the ventral 

 fins. The Mediterranean larvae so far described 

 have agreed with the American in this respect, 

 which makes the situation puzzling. 



A fifth dorsal ray next appears behind those 

 that have developed already, and a sixth in front 

 of these, all of them being interconnected with 

 membrane at their bases but free at their tips. 

 The pectoral fins assume a great breadth and 

 fanlike outline; the second dorsal, the anal, and 

 the caudal fins take definite form ; the ventral rays 

 become filamentous at their tips, streaming far 

 out behind the tail; and a complete row of teeth 

 appears in the lower jaw, with a few in the upper. 

 The goosefish pictured at this stage by Agassiz 

 (fig. 285F) was 30 mm. long, and one much like 

 it taken off Brazil Rock, described by Connolly, 

 was 27 mm. long, but the larvae of the Medi- 

 terranean goosefish attain this stage when they 

 are only 13 to 18 mm. long, according to Stiasny. 



The older post-larval stages of the American 

 goosefish have not been seen yet. But develop- 

 ment no doubt follows the same course for them 

 as it docs for the Mediterranean form; i. e., the 

 foremost dorsal ray becomes bristlelike with the 

 flap appearing at its tip; the last three of the free 

 rays on the nape of the neck join together as the 

 future first dorsal fin; the lappets of skin appear 

 around the margin of the lower jaw and along the 

 cheeks; and the head broadens and flattens while 

 the young fish are still living pelagic, with enor- 

 mous pectoral fins and with threadlike ventrals 

 (fig- 286). 



Figure 286. — Goosefish (Lophius). Larva, Mediterra- 

 nean, 50 mm. After Stiasny. 



The largest free-swimming Mediterranean larva 

 seen by Stiasny was 2 inches (50 mm.) long. 

 Probably the young take to the ground shortly 



after this stage, for Bowman describes European 

 goosefish fry of about 2% inches (65 mm.) that 

 were trawled on the bottom, off Scotland, as of 

 adult form, except that their pectorals were pro- 

 portionately larger. To attain this state entails 

 growth on the part of the head out of proportion 

 to the rest of the body; enlargement of the mouth; 

 shrinkage of all the fins (of the ventrals most of 

 all) ; alteration of the second and third free dorsal 

 rays into spines (they are soft previously) ; and a 

 general flattening of the whole fish. Young of 3 

 inches taken at Halifax, one of 4}£ inches from 

 Campobello (both pictured by Connolly), and 

 others as small as 4-4K inches that we have 

 trawled, were at about this stage in their develop- 

 ment. 



The capture of a 2}2-inch specimen in October 

 (presumably) , in Halifax Harbor, and of another 

 of 3 inches there (date not recorded), 76 suggests 

 that the goosefish may be expected to reach about 

 that length by the onset of their first winter in 

 our northern waters. One 4% inches long from 

 Halifax, studied by Connolly, seemed, from the 

 thickness of its otoliths, to have been in its second 

 summer or autumn, i. e., one full year old, which 

 probably applies to three others of 4-4% inches, 

 trawled in August, that we have seen. But it is 

 not clear whether 14 others of 7% inches in May, 

 and of 6/4-9 inches in July, were early hatched 

 fry in their second season, or late hatched speci- 

 mens in their third season. 78 



One of the larger fish studied by Connolly 

 showed 4 concentric rings in its vertebrae; one 

 31 inches long seemed to have 9 rings; one of 37 

 inches seemed to have 10 rings; and one of 40 

 inches seemed to have 12 rings. But it is not 

 certain whether these vertebral rings are laid down 

 regularly, one per year, or not. 



Fulton's observations " show that the fry of the 

 North European angler may be 5-5% inches long 

 by November off Scotland, where spawning com- 

 mences in March or earlier; which is as large as 

 the fry of the American species are in their second 

 summer in our northern waters, where the first 

 growing season is at least 3 to 4 months shorter. 

 Fulton's measurements also point to more rapid 

 growth by the larger Scottish fish than by the 



» Connolly (Contrib. Canadian Biol. (1921), No. 7, 1922, pp. 119-120). 

 * Equal uncertainty applies to two of 10 inches, one of which was trawled 

 in February, the other in April. 



" 21st Ann. Kept. Fish. Bd. Scotland, Pt. 3 (1902) 1903, pp. 190-194. 



