48 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Merluccius bilinearis, Gill, 1863, Proc. Acad. N.S. Philad., p. 247; Goode and Bean, 1895, 

 Ocean. Ichth., p. 386, fig. 330; Jordan and Evermann, 1898, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., xlvii (3), 

 p. 2530; Bigelow and Welsh, 1925, Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish., xl (i), p. 386, figs. 194-195; 

 Hildebrand and Schroeder, 1928, Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish., xliii (1), p. 162, fig. 85; Belloc, 

 1929, Riv. Trav. Peches Mar., 11, p. 165, fig. 



Depth of body 5 to 6 in the length, length of head 3 (young) to nearly 4. Snout 

 1 1 times to about twice as long as eye, diameter of which is 4! (young) to 6i in length 

 of head; interorbital width about 4. Maxillary extending to below hinder part of eye, 

 length about \ that of head. 10 to 14 (15) gill-rakers on lower part of anterior arch. 

 100 to no scales in a longitudinal series below lateral line. Dorsal 12-13, 36-41; 

 anal 37-40. Pectoral with 13 or 14 rays, extending about to vent, or sometimes a little 

 beyond, length i\ to ih in that of head. Pelvic extending f to f of the distance from 

 its base to the vent, length if to nearly twice in that of head; insertion of pelvic equi- 

 distant from origin of anal and tip of lower jaw or a little nearer the former. 



Hab. Coasts of New England and northwards; southwards in deep water to the 

 Bahamas. 



Described from 8 specimens, 162-520 mm. in total length. 1 



Readily distinguished from the European species by the greater number of gill-rakers, 

 rather larger scales, higher number of rays in the first dorsal fin, and the longer pectoral 

 fin. It is very close to M. hubbsi, but has a longer pectoral fin and there are other 

 minor differences. 



Merluccius capensis, Castelnau. 



Merluccius capensis, Castelnau, 1861, Mem. Poiss. Afr. austr., p. 68; Regan, 1906, Ann. Natal 

 Mus., 1, p. 4; Barnard, 1925, Ann. S. Afric. Mus., xxi, p. 320, pi. xii, fig. 5; Norman, 1935, 

 Discovery Reports, xn, p. 48. 



Depth of body about 6 in the length, length of head 3 \ (young) to 3f . Snout i\ times 

 to more than twice as long as eye, diameter of which is 4 J (young) to 6i in length of 

 head ; interorbital width 3f to nearly 4. Maxillary extending to below posterior edge 

 of pupil or beyond, length less than \ that of head. 13 or 14 gill-rakers on lower part 

 of anterior arch. 130 to 140 scales in a longitudinal series below lateral line. Dorsal 

 io-n, 35-40; anal 37-40. Pectoral with about 14 rays, extending to beyond the origin 

 of the anal, length if to if in that of head. Pelvic extending f to f of the distance 

 from its base to the vent, length if to z\ in that of head; insertion of pelvic nearer to 

 origin of anal than to tip of lower jaw. 



Hab. South Africa, from Angola to Natal. 



Described from 17 specimens, 160-860 mm. in total length. 



Merluccius australis (Hutton). 



Gadus australis, Hutton, 1872, Fish. N. Zealand, pp. 45, 115, pi. vii, fig. 72. 

 Merluccius gayi, Giinther, 1880, Shore Fish. 'Challenger', p. 22; Waite, 1911, Rec. Canterbury 

 Mus., 1, p. 182, pi. xxx, fig. 2; Phillipps, 1927, N.Z. Mar. Dept. Fish. Bull., 1, p. 23. 



1 I am greatly indebted to Dr V. Vladykov, of the Biological Board of Canada, for his kindness in obtaining 

 6 specimens of this species for the British Museum. 



