Combination. 



239 



Depth: 

 Temp. : 

 Sal.: 







6.6 

 33.56 



•20 



6.2 

 34.23 



60 



6.2 

 34.36 



100 



5.8 

 34.44 



200 

 3.8 

 34.89 



in. 



A little farther in the fiord, Limopsis minuta, Phil., which is 

 a boreal form, was taken, according to Friele. 



In the Tana and Varanger Fiords, such comparatively high 

 temperatures at the bottom as 2.8 and 3.1 (p. 20) have also been 

 registered. So that one must not expect to rind an altogether 

 unmixed arctic fauna in East Finmark either, although the arctic 

 forms are greatly in the majority. Such species as Pecten tigrinus, 

 Venus ovata and galllna, Dentalium entalis, Patina pellucida, Gib- 

 hula cineraria and tumida, Natica montagui etc. must be con- 

 sidered to be decided boreal forms, and yet they have pushed their 

 way up to East Finmark. 



Professor G. 0. Saks has found several boreal forms at Hasvik 

 in Soro. This place has not been hydrographically investigated, 

 but 1 am inclined to think that the deep channel, which penetrates 

 in from the ocean along the island, has comparatively warm water 

 at the bottom. Another stopping place for boreal forms is the 

 Malangen, where the bottom temperature at the greatest depths 

 varies between 4 and 5°.5 C, but the Vest Fiord is the most 

 definite limit for marine fauna on the Norwegian coast, a very 

 large number of boreal animal forms being found here, but not 

 further north. It is interesting to be able to connect this fact 

 with the one that the Vest Fiord is the most northerly id' the lame 

 Norwegian fiords in which ocean water dominates the natural conditions 

 at the depths (t = 6 — 7", s = ca. 35 / on ). As a general zoogeo- 

 graphical result, it may be stated that, with respect to the lame 

 important fiords, which are open to the ocean, the lusitanic and 

 boreal forms occur as far up as the Vest Fiord in larger numbers 

 than the arctic ones. It is first in the Malangen that the arctic 

 forms are in the majority, and this even more noticeable in the 

 Kvfenangen and Porsanger Fiords, the latter having almost unmixed 

 arctic fauna. The inner parts of the fiords and the branch fiords 

 have retained more of the arctic species. For instance, while in 

 the Salten Fiord, the southern forms are in the majority, we find 

 that in the Skjerstad Fiord, which lies further inland, and in the 

 Beier Fiord which is a little farther south, the arctic animals are 

 more profuse than the southern ones. The Kanen Fiord has not 

 yet been investigated, but it is probable that also there arctic forms 

 will be predominant. 



Generally speaking, these facts coincide with the opinion ex- 

 pressed long ago by Prof. G. 0. Saks. 1 ) What I have tried to 

 adduce is the connection between zoogeographical and hydrogra- 

 pliical limits. 



The northernmost Lophohelia reef, hitherto known. 



In his description of Oph'un-nntha spectabilis, ('<. < >. Saks 2 ) 

 Says: - „I have found this important species at one place only, 

 namely near Dodo, where it is not so very scarce between the 

 corals (Lophohelia prolifera), which are abundant at a depth of 

 from 80—100 fathoms. It is generally so firmly attached to the 

 tangled branches of the corals, by means of its spiked arms, that 



') Nogle bemerkninger ran den marine faunas karakter ved Norges nord- 

 lige kyster. Tromso Mns. Aarsli., II, 1879. 



'-) Nye Eohinodermer fra den norske Kyst. Sep., p. 12. Kristiania Vid. 

 Selsk. Fori). 1871. 



it is exceedingly difficult to get it loose." On June 19th 1878. the 

 Norw. North Atl. Exp. took two specimens of this echinoderm at 

 st. 255 in the Vest Fiord '(68° 12' N., 15° 40' E.). The depth 

 is given as being 624 mtrs.. temperature 6.5 and the bottom 

 material, clay. 



About the same time, 0. spectabilis was found by V. Stoem 

 in the outer part of the Trondhjem Fiord. In a paper written 

 in recent years Stoem 1 ) says that this species occurs in large 

 quantities on Lophohelia prolifera in the outer part of the Trond- 

 hjem Fiord. According to Gbieg, 2 ) also Hoyle has mentioned 

 the species from the Faeroe Channel (433 fathoms). I do not 

 know if Lophohelia prolifera is found at the latter place, but it 

 is very probable, for M. Saks 3 ) mentions that it is found off the 

 Shetland Isles. Veebill 4 ) too mentions spectabilis as found ofi' 

 Nova Seolia. 188?, 131 fathoms, one specimen. Nothing is said 

 about 0. spectabilis having been found together with Lophohelia 

 prolifera, but in another place, Verrill writes (I. c. p. 536): ,.i. 

 prolifera B. range, 100 to 300 fathoms, off Nova Scotia; 1060 

 fathoms, dead, 1884, rare." There is thus probably nothing which 

 makes it unlikely that the ophiuiid in question may have been 

 attached to the coral here mentioned. 



When working out my material of echinoderms, Geieg 5 ) mentions 

 that Koehler has given <>. spectabilis as being found in the Hay 

 of Biscay, but as Koehleb's specimens appear to be somewhat 

 different to Sars's species. Gkieg raises doubt as to their identity. 

 The following table gives some important data concerning the places 

 where I have found spectabilis. 



0. spectabilis, C>. 0. Saks. 



Anw is situated outside the mouth of the Salten Fiord near 

 Bodo. and Tranodybet is a little farther in than st. 255 of the 

 Norw. North Atl. Exp. in the Vest Fiord, the bottom here is 

 given as being of clay, but there has probably been a hard spot 

 which is accounted for by the presence of Lophohelia, which was 

 the case in Tranodybet. 



There is thus reason to conclude that 0. spectabilis Is so closelj 

 connected with Lophohelia prolifera as to make the latter almost 

 a necessity for the former. This does not, however, at all imply 

 that where ever Lophohelia occur.-. 0. spectabilis is also found. This 

 is an interesting instance of one animal's dependence upon another. 



J ) Oversigl ovei Trondhjemsfjordens fauna. Beretning fra arbeidskomiteen 

 for Trondhjems biologiske station 1900. 



-i Ophiurioidea, |>. 24. The Norw. North Atl. Exp. 

 :i ) Fossile dyrelevninger fra Quartserperioden, p. 92. 



4 ) Results of the Explorations made by the steamer Albatross. 

 Ann. Rep. of the Comm. of Fish and Fishery for 1883. 



5 ) Oversigt over del nordlige Norges ' echinodermer. Berg. Mas. Ami.. 

 1902. no. 1. p. 14. 



