A CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE 

 ANGLER (LOPHIUS PISCATORIUS) 



THREE CHARTS AND FIVE HELIOTYPE PLATES 



It is well knowai that Lopliius piscatorius (variously named 

 in different localities the angler, monkfish, goosefish, fishing 

 frog, etc. ) spawns by emitting from each ovary a thin ribbon- 

 like film of mucus, or Veil,' in which the eggs are embedded. 

 It has usually been assumed, mostly on indirect evidence, that 

 the spawning process takes place in deep water toward the 

 edge of the continental shelf. Early in the present summer 

 (1928) two veils were found during the work of the Biological 

 Survey of the Mount Desert Island Region, Maine, under 

 circumstances which leave little doubt as to the time and 

 place where the spawning occurred. It is the purpose of this 

 paper to describe the finding of these veils and to present 

 figaires of the developing eggs and early larvae. 



The two veils were taken June 29, 1928, about 3 p.m., among 

 the piles of the steamboat wharf in Sorrento Harbor on the 

 east side of the upper part of Frenchmans Bay. The location 

 of this finding is indicated on the maps accompanying this 

 paper (charts 2 and 3). The significance of veils with em- 

 bryos at an early stage of development occurring in that lo- 

 cality is evident when the topography of this region is 

 considered. 



The upper part of Frenchmans Bay is practically cut off 

 from direct access to the open sea by the line of islands 

 known as the Porcupine Islands and Iron Bound Island 

 (chart 2). Just below this line of islands the bay narrows to 

 about four miles across. Sorrento Harbor itself is about 

 fourteen miles from the open sea, about 175 miles to the 

 deepest part of the Gulf of Maine (184 fathoms, 338 meters 



3 



