364 DEEP-SEA FISHES OF THE ATLANTIC BASIN. 



Color, very light brown, the dorsals and anal with a narrow dark margin. A conspicu- 

 ous large, triangular, dark blotch on the last rays of the dorsal and anal, and a dark blotch 

 occupyiug almost the whole of the caudal, leaving a margiu of whitish around it. 



In addition to the tyi^e, specimens of this species were obtained by the Albatrosn as 

 follows: Cat. No. 39200, U. S. N. M., fiom station 2416, in 31° 20' N. lat, 79° 7' W. Ion., at 

 a- depth of 270 fathoms; ft-om statiou 2370, iu 29^ 3' la" N. lat., 88° IC \V. Ion., at a depth 

 of 324 fathoms; from statiou 2:579, in 28° 15" K lat., 87° 42' W. Ion., at a depth of 1,467 

 fiithoms; from statiou 2390, in 28° 34' IST. lat., 80° 48' W. Ion., at a depth of 335 fathoms; 

 from station 2397, in 28° 42' N. lat., 86° 30' W. Ion., at a depth of 280 fathoms; from station 

 2125, in 11° 43' N. lat., 69° 9' 30" W. lou., at a depth of 208 fathoms, and from station 

 2219, iu 390 46' 22" N. lat., 69° 29' W. lou., at a depth of 948 fathoms. 



MOLVA, Nilsson. 



Molva, Nilsson, Skamlinav. Fauna, 1832, iv, 573 (type, Gadtis molva L.). — Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. 

 IV, 361. — Jordan and Gilbert, Bull, xvi, U. S. Nat. Mus., 801. — Day, Fishes of Great Britain and Ireland, 

 30.5. 



Gadoids having the body elongate, nearly cylindrical. Bauds of cardiform teeth iu jaws 

 and on vomer, the lower jaw having some large cmes, as also has the vomer; the palatine 

 and tongue toothless. Two dorsal fins, both well developed, the lirst with 10 to 10 rays; 

 and one anal, Ventrals narrow, composed of rays. A barbel present. Scales very small. 

 Branchiostegals seven. Pseudobrauchia; absent. 



MOLVA VULGARIS, Fleming. (Figure 317.) 



GatliiK molva, Linn.-eus, Syst. N.it., ed. x, 1758, 2.")4; od. xii, 1766, 439. 



EiivhcUjopHs molva, Schneider, Bloch, Syst. Ichth., 1801, 51. 



Lola molva, Bonaparte, Catalogue, No. 367. — Moreait, Hist. Nat Poiss. France, III, 258. 



Molva vulgaris, Fleming, British Animals, 192. — Guntiier, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mu.s., iv, 361. — Collett, Nyt 



M.ag. f. Naturvid., 1884, 84.— Lill.ieborg, Sverig. och Norg. Fiak., 131. — Day, op. cit., 305. 

 Gadits raptor, Nilsson, Prodromus, 46. 



A Molva ha\aug a body 7 or 8 times as long as its own greatest height, and 5 times as 

 long as the head. Upper jaw the longer, the maxillary reaching to below the middle of the 

 orl)it. Teeth cardiform iu the jaws, with an inner row of rather widely separated and larger 

 ones in the mandible; iu a semicircular baud ou the vomer, among which a few larger (Uies 

 are interspersed. The first dorsal inserted over the latter half of the pectoral, its greatest 

 height two-fifths of that of tlie body below it. Pectoral about half as long as the head. 

 Anal insertion iu vertical over seventh or eighth ray of second dorsal. Barbel longer 

 than eye, the diameter of the eye being about equal to the width of the iuterorbital space. 

 Scales small, covering tlie head, body, and fins. 



Radial formula: D. 1:5-10 +03-70. A. 57-()0. 



Color, back gray, lighter on the sides and beneath; vertical fins edged with white. 

 A dark blotch at the posterior end of the first dorsal, and a more distinct one ou the end 

 of the second dorsal. 



This fish, the "Ling" of Europe, is found from Spitzbergen to the Gulf of Gascony, 

 where specimens have been taken very exceptionally at Arcachou and San Juan de Luz. 

 It is very rare, however, south of the British Channel, and most abundant along the coast 

 of Northern Europe and about Icclanil, especially in the German Ocean and off Norway. 

 It is rare about Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, and has never beeu found iu the 

 Baltic. It is said to have beeu found in the deep water oft" Newfoundland, but we have 

 been unable to find the specific r(V!ord. Collett states that on tlie Norwegian coast young 

 examples rarely oc(;ur at less depth than 100 fathoms, and according to Lilljeborg the 

 largest are caught iu from 80 to 150 fathoms. 



