DISTRIBUTION AND GENERAL NOTES ON THE SPECIES 355 



OPHIDIIDAE 



Genypterus blacodes (Schneider). This species is also found in New Zealand and Tasmania, where it 

 is known as ' ling', and in southern Australia where it is sometimes called ' rockling'. In New Zealand 

 (and to a lesser extent in Tasmania) it is esteemed for the table, and considerable quantities are 

 marketed. It is too rare off southern Australia to attract much attention from professional fishermen. 

 We learn from Norman(i937, p. i i2)that off Patagonia G. blacodes got^hy tht Spanish name ' abadejo'. 

 In Spain this word is often loosely applied to cod, but dictionaries state that it is more strictly applicable 

 to pollack. Two allied species of Genypterus known only from the west coast of South America are 

 given the names ' congrio. . . ' with suitable adjectival qualifications. All the species of Genypterus are 

 very similar in form, bearing a strong superficial resemblance to a true conger, so that this vernacular 

 distinction of G. blacodes in South America, where it is known from both east and west coasts, argues 

 close observation on the part of the local fishermen. r> lz j / f 



A very closely allied form, G. capensis, may yet prove specifically identical with G. blacodes (ct. 

 Norman, 1937, p. 113). G. capensis, known as 'king-klip', is an important fish m South Africa 

 Most of them are obtained by trawling in rather deep water, and aUhough they form only about 2 /o 

 by weight of the total landings, they fetch prices considerably above the average. Thus they repre- 

 sented 2-o-4-5% of the value of the fish landed during three years 1929-32. and the sums realized at 

 first sale ranged from ^C 11,000 to just over £20,000 (S.A.). Evidently the edible qualities of the genus 

 are appreciated wherever they are to be found, but they cannot be a cheap fish to catch, for they are 

 not much given to shoaling. Numerous trawling records off South Africa (von Bonde, 1934, pp. 42- 

 63) show 'king-klip' in consistently small numbers where they occurred at all, though large catches 

 of shoaling species like Merluccius capensis were being made. 



In the area of the trawling surveys Genypterns blacodes was taken in very small numbers throughout 

 the year but the data are far too scanty to permit of any detailed consideration of the bionomics of the 

 species The distributional data are, however, very interesting and sufficient to suggest two main 

 trends of movement, supporting the view that most of the G. blacodes taken in the area are seasonal 

 southern stragglers from a stock inhabiting warmer waters, farther to the north. The records are: 



WS78 T, WS783 I WS811II 3 



WS7Q T. WS785A I WS812II I 



WSos I WS789 3 WS816 I 



WSq8 I WS792A I WS817A I 



WS108 I WS792B I WS819B I 



WS214 2 WS794 3 WS^4S I 



WS216 S WS795 6 seen to escape 



WS217 4 WS797B I ^SSjo 1 



WS218 13 WS809A I WS875 2 



WS772 I WS8IO 2 , TU\ 



WS773 4 WS8nI I WS586 3(onLH) 



•^G,!jj(, I Connor inlet i (on LH) 



It can be seen that apart from four specimens caught on hand-lines in the western channels, outside 

 the area of the trawling survey, all the specimens were taken in the trawl. . r ,t. 



In Fig 43 the records are shown on three seasonal charts with a schematic representation of the 

 trends of movement they are believed to indicate. In winter and spring (a) the species seerned to be 

 confined to a small area of deep water near the edge of the shelf, and near the northern boundary 

 assigned to our intermediate region. In summer (b) the records suggest that these fish tended to 

 move into slightly shallower water, and also southwards. At the same time it seemed that other 

 Genypterus blacodes invaded the area from the north, working south along the 80 m. 1^-e m^he 

 relaUvely warm inshore counter-current. Where this current peters out, in the northern part of our 



