FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 457 



So far, however, the only definite record of it within the latter is for three specimens 

 trawled in the Western Basin, 41 and 33 miles off Cape Ann, 25 in 110 to 140 fathoms 

 in 1878. 



Habits. — Nothing is known of the habits of the long-finned hake except that 

 it is a bottom fish and seems never to come up into shallow water. It is a su mm er 

 and autumn spawner, judging from the fact that Goode and Bean saw specimens 

 in breeding condition and that we have taken pelagic young of 8 to 35 mm. in our 

 tows off Marthas Vineyard during the last week of August. 26 



159. Hakeling {Physiculus fulvus Bean) 



Jordan and Evermann, 1S96-1900, p. 2547. 



Description . — This species is hakelike in general appearance and in the general 

 arrangement of its fins — that is, it has two dorsals, the first (10 rays) triangular and 

 much shorter than the second (about 49 rays) which is of nearly uniform height from 

 end to end; one long anal fin (about 54 rays) similar to the second dorsal ; and ventrals 



W§m&2^ 



Fig. 228.— Hakeling (.Physiculus fulvus) 



situated in front of the pectorals. It is separable from the white, squirrel, and long- 

 finned hakes (genus Urophycis, pp. 446, 447, and 454) by the fact that its anal fin 

 originates in front of the origin of the second dorsal instead of considerably behind 

 it, while its ventral fins have 5 rays each instead of only 2 and are so much shorter 

 than those of the hakes that even their longest ray (the second, which is filamentous 

 at the tip) hardly reaches back as far as the middle of the pectorals. Furthermore, 

 the snout of the hakeling is blunter than that of any hake, its caudal fin much 

 smaller, its general form more abruptly tapering, and none of the rays of its first 

 dorsal fin are elongate. 



Color. — Described (Goode and Bean, 1896) as light yellowish brown with the 

 lower surface of the head, the abdomen, and the margins of the dorsal and anal 

 fins very dark brown, and with a dark brown blotch on each cheek (on the sub- 

 operculum) . 



Size. — The size to which this species grows is not known. 



General range and occurrence in the Gulf of Maine. — This hakeling has been taken 

 at several localities in the Gulf of Mexico and on the continental slope off the eastern 



u These were the basis of Goode and Bean's original description of the species (1879c, p. 256). 

 » Bigelow, 1917, p. 275. 



