354 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



fauna of corraline hydroids and Polyzoa that E. R. Gunther aptly likened to bracken. In such con- 

 ditions all types of collecting gear have their efficiency much reduced. Nevertheless, I believe that 

 the group really are comparatively scarce and unimportant ecologically, as our scanty collections 

 would seem to imply, for a very comprehensive series of hauls with several types of ' Other gear ' was 

 carried out, and the ' William Scoresby ' was more successful in capturing Zoarcidae than any previous 

 expedition to the area had been. Of the total of fourteen species now known from the region, specimens 

 of nine were obtained ; and of the five missed, three are known only from their unique holotypes, 

 while a fourth is still a doubtful species. 



Two of the species living in deeper water, Maynea brevis and Melanostigma microphthalmus, were 

 taken only in the ' Trawl + accessory nets'. Three probably littoral species were obtained only with 

 'Other gear', Austrolycus depressiceps, A. laticinctiis and Platea insignis. The remainder, taken with 

 both main types of gear, showed a wider depth distribution, the deeper dwelling larger species 

 (notably Iluocoetes fimbriatus, the commonest in our collections) being relatively more numerous in 

 the trawl as one would expect. Only /. fimbriatus and possibly Austrolycus laticinctus extended to the 

 northern region of our area, and the group as a whole were definitely most numerous to the south. 



The Patagonian Zoarcidae seem broadly divisible into shallow-water or littoral species, and deep- 

 water species, thus : 



Shallow- water or littoral species: Iluocoetes elongatus, Austrolycus depressiceps, A. laticinctus, Phuco- 

 coetes latitans and Platea insignis. 



Deep-water species : Iluocoetes fimbriatus, Pogonolycus elegans, Maynea brevis and Melanostigma 

 microphthalmus. 



Of the latter only Pogonolycus elegans has shown a single small specimen in shallow water, while 

 most were taken quite deep down. It is also noteworthy that the deep-water species showed a strong 

 tendency to occur on the deepest portions of the shelf near its south-eastern boundary (and beyond). 

 They were not found at the slightly lesser depths of the level plain of the shelf that covers such a large 

 proportion of the area surveyed. It is not possible to consider this depth distribution in detail on the 

 basis of such small numbers of zoarcids as were obtained, but there is some indication that it will 

 eventually be found to be correlated with the distribution of certain types of sessile benthic fauna. The 

 markedly ' patterned ' colour schemes so prevalent throughout the group, with bars and stripes, or 

 spots and blotches of contrasted shades, and often with brown and yellow or white tints, even upon 

 the upper surface of the body, strongly suggest that camouflage is a necessity among them ; and just 

 as the shallow- water species (e.g. Phucocoetes latitatis) are known to frequent kelp, so is it probable 

 that the deep-water species find their optimum on the rough ground with bracken-like fauna of 

 coralline hydroids and Polyzoa, known to prevail over some of the deeper parts of the shelf. 



The large variety of species in this group is one of the peculiar features of the Patagonian fish fauna, 

 as already explained, but it does not seem likely that they are sufficiently abundant to play an important 

 part in the ecology of the region. 



LYCODAPODIDAE 



Norman (1937, p. 1 10) has pointed out that it is not yet certain whether this family can be maintained 

 as distinct from the closely allied Zoarcidae. 



Lycodapus australis Norman. We obtained four specimens of this new species at a single haul of the 

 rectangular net at St. WS748, in one of the deepest parts of the Magellan Strait. Its occurrence is 

 of particular interest, for all previously known members of the genus hail from the Pacific coast of 

 North America, and we have already seen that there are other resemblances between the fish fauna of 

 that region and that found off Patagonia. 



