i6 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



St. 393 c. 8. V. 30. 54° 17' S, 35° 30' W. I m. tow-net, oblique, 121-187 m.: i specimen, 39 mm. 

 No data. 2 specimens, 325, 330 mm. 



Fig. 8. Nolothenia gibberifrons . x |. 



Depth of body 5 to 5I in the length, length of head 3I to 3|. Snout as long as or 

 rather shorter than eye, diameter of which is 3 (young) to 4I in length of head ; inter- 

 orbital width 12 to 16. Jaws equal anteriorly; maxillary not or only just reaching 

 vertical from anterior margin of eye ; cheeks, opercles, upper surface of head, and greater 

 part of snout scaly in adult, but praeorbitals naked ; 8 to 11 gill-rakers on lower part 

 of anterior arch. Scales on body ctenoid ; 54 to 60 in a longitudinal series from above 

 base of pectoral to caudal ; 34 to 47 (5 1) in upper lateral line, which ends below posterior 

 part of dorsal; 30 to 42 in lower lateral line, which generally extends forward to or 

 beyond level of tip of pectoral ; lower lateral line usually without tubular scales in 

 young. Dorsal VII-VIII, 31-34. Anal 31-34. Pectoral with 21 or 22 rays, | to | 

 length of head, longer than pelvics, which reach vent or origin of anal in young, but 

 not or scarcely as far as vent in adult. Caudal rounded or subtruncate ; caudal peduncle 

 about as long as deep. Upper part of head and body irregularly spotted and blotched, 

 but only rarely with traces of darker cross-bars ; young with irregular cross-bars, broken 

 up into 3 or 4 series of alternating spots ; usually a more distinct Y-shaped mark at 

 base of caudal ; dorsals, caudal, pectorals and sometimes the pelvics with series of dark 

 spots forming bars ; anal pale. 



Hab. Palmer Archipelago, Graham Land ; South Shetlands ; South Orkneys ; South 

 Sandwich Islands ; South Georgia. 



This species was originally described from numerous specimens, all from South 

 Georgia, at depths ranging from 20 to 310 metres. According to Lonnberg, it is a 

 sluggish bottom fish, but the Discovery Committee obtained some young examples 

 in tow-nets. Lonnberg records a specimen 460 mm. in total length. 



The large specimen, 410 mm. in total length, described by Vaillant as Notothenia 

 acuta, has been examined by me in the Paris Museum (No. 06—132), and undoubtedly 

 belongs to this species. There are also two small specimens (No. 06—131), 53 and 

 56 mm. in total length, the larger of which is the holotype of N. vaillanti, Regan. 

 These prove to be young A'^. gibberifrons, in which the snout is always more or less 

 naked and the tubular scales in the lower lateral line are usually absent. The ' Fran9ais ' 

 obtained these specimens from Booth Wandel Island and Wiencke Island, at depths 

 varying from 20 to 40 metres. 



