46 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



? Merluccius gayi, Cunningham, 1871, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, xxvn, p. 472; Vaillant, 1 



Miss. Sci. Cap Horn, VI. Zool., Poiss., p. 21. 

 Merluccius bilinearis, Ribeiro, 1915, Arch. Mus. Nac. Rio Janeiro, xvn, Merlucciidae, p. 2, fig. 

 Merluccius hubbsi, Marini, 1932, Physis, xi, p. 322, fig. 



Depth of body 5! to nearly 8 in the length, length of head 3I to 3! . Snout i| times 

 (young) to nearly 3 times (large specimens) as long as eye, diameter of which is 4 

 (young) to 7§ in length of head ; interorbital width about 4. Maxillary extending to 

 below middle or posterior edge of pupil, length about h that of head. Teeth fairly 

 strong; irregularly biserial in lower jaw and anteriorly in upper jaw. 10 to 13 gill-rakers 

 on lower part of anterior arch. About 130 scales in a longitudinal series below lateral 

 line, about 10 in a transverse series between base of first ray of first dorsal fin and 

 lateral line. Dorsal (11) 12-13, 36-39; anal 37-41. Pectoral with 12 to 14 rays, not 



Fig. 20. A, Merluccius hubbsi; B, Merluccius gayi. x \. 



or scarcely extending to vent in adult and half-grown specimens, reaching to vent 

 or a little beyond in young, length if to if in that of head. Pelvic extending about 

 \ of the distance from its base to the vent in adult and half-grown specimens, to or 

 nearly to the vent in young, length if to z\ in that of head; insertion of pelvic about 

 equidistant from tip of lower jaw and origin of anal or a little nearer to the latter. 



Hab. East Coast of South America, from Brazil to the Straits of Magellan. 



Described from numerous specimens, 100-960 mm. in total length. 



This species has been confused with M. gayi, which may be readily distinguished 

 by the longer pectoral fin, extending to or beyond the origin of the anal, its length 

 1^ to 1 \ in that of head. Further, if specimens of equal size are compared, it will be 

 seen that the eye is a little larger, the maxillary shorter, the teeth smaller, etc. in 

 M. gayi. 



