24 



DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Depth of body 3I to 4I in the length, length of head 2| to 3I. Snout longer than 

 eye, diameter of which is 4 (young) to 7 in length of head; interorbital width 3I to 5 

 (3! in large specimens). Jaws equal anteriorly; maxillary extending to below anterior 

 part or middle (young) or posterior margin (adult) of eye; head naked, except for a 

 few scales behind eye, on upper part of operculum, and on post-temporal region ; 10 to 

 14 gill-rakers on lower part of anterior arch. Scales on body cycloid; 54 to 68 in a 

 longitudinal series from above base of pectoral to caudal; 34 to 49 in upper lateral 

 line, which ends below posterior part of dorsal; 6 to 17 in lower lateral line. Dorsal 

 III-VII, 35-40. Anal 27-31. Pectoral with 17 or 18 rays, from less than § (large 

 specimens) to f length of head, longer than pelvics, which do not or scarcely reach the 

 vent. Caudal subtruncate or a little rounded in adult and half-grown specimens, 

 emarginate in young ; caudal peduncle nearly as long as deep. Coloration varying from 

 dark greenish-black to a pale orange-yellow, with or without spots and markings; 

 usually one or two oblique dark bars across cheek, sometimes broken up into spots; 

 head sometimes with pale spots enclosed in dark rings; spots on body and dorsal fin 

 sometimes large and tessellated, more often small and scattered, never very distinct 

 and rarely uniting to form longitudinal stripes; dorsal and anal usually with pale 

 edges, and sometimes with dark submarginal bands; pectorals and caudal more or 

 less dusky; pelvics paler. Young dark on back, silvery on sides and beneath; a large 

 black blotch on extremity of pectoral fin. 



Hab. Graham Land and neighbouring islands; South Shetlands; South Orkneys; 

 South Georgia; Kerguelen; Crozets; Heard Island; Adelie Land; Victoria Land. 



This is the only species of Notothenia occurring on the coasts of the Victoria Quadrant 

 of the Antarctic Continent. The type of the species from Kerguelen measures 255 mm. 

 in total length. 



The silvery young, which are probably pelagic in habit, are very similar to those of 

 the closely related N. rossii, but may be 

 readily distinguished from them by the 

 black blotch on each pectoral fin. Pogo- 

 thenia antarctica is known only from the 

 unique holotype, 68 mm. in length to base 

 of caudal, from Echo Canyon, 16 miles 

 south-west of Little America (78° 45' S, 

 165° 00' W). Several of these fish were 

 seen alive in a seal hole — an opening in a 

 water filled crevasse, about 20 feet deep. 

 Their colour in life was seen to be "an 

 iridescent blue like the general color of the 

 crevasse, some having patches of coral pink near the head". It is possible that these 

 were young examples of N. coriiceps, and it may be noted that in the young specimen 

 obtained from a bird's nest in the South Shetlands by the Discovery Committee the 

 tubules of the upper lateral line are somewhat indistinct. 



Fig. 13. Young of A, Notothenia coriiceps; 

 B, A^. rossii. x i. 



