THE FISHES OF THE <INGOLF.. EXPEDITIONS. 3c 



Cottunculus inermis \'aill. 



was hitherto only known from the description and figure of Vaillant (I.e. p. 365, jjI. 28, fig. 2) and 

 was misjudged by the authors of 'Oceanic Ichthyolog}-» (p. 525) who identified it with C. fiiicrops. 

 The French expeditions obtained 3 specimens (86°"" in length) from the localities already cited (the 

 coast of Sudan and <'Banc d'Arguin.) at a depth of 930 and 1495 metres. More northerly it was hitherto 

 unknown. < Ingolf > obtained 4 specimens : 



Stat. Lat. N. Long. W. 



102 : 66° 23' 10" 26' (East of Cape Langanses), 750 fath., brown mud, bottom temp. -.=- 0^9 C, size 58'"™. 



104: 66' 23' 7" 25' (East of the northeastpoint of Iceland), 957 fathoms, light graybrown mud, bottom 



temperature -=- I'.i C, female, size 94"""'. 

 125: 68'o8' 16^02' (North of Iceland), 729 fathoms, bottom brown mud, temp. -^ o'.S C, a female, 150""", 



and a younger specimen, 50""". 

 Uniformly gra}ish without an)- design, almost quite naked and smooth, only a very little 

 rough to the sense of feeling. No tubercles either on the crown of the head, the occiput or opercles. 

 The distance between the small eyes is very large, more than thrice a diameter of the eye. Palatal 

 teeth not observed. Could therefore on so termed technical reasons be cut off as a peculiar generic 

 type, but I prefer with Vaillant to keep it in the genus Coffnnciihis. It may still be added that in 

 younger specimens the granulation is ver\- distinct and dense, though not so dense and complete as 

 in C. Diicrops. 



A note about the northern Cotti. 



Coitus scorpius L. That the Greenland sea-scorpion (C. gronlandicus) is not specifically different from the 

 common North-european species is well known now-a-days, though it may still happen that now and then a ^^Cottus 

 gronlandicus'''' is mentioned from European (Norwegian, Scottish, English) localities, most likely in cases where uncommon 

 large specimens of C. scorpius have occurred. The aingolf" expedition has brought home specimens of this species 

 from Stat. 33 (67-57' Lat. North, SS'so' Long. West, S. W. of Egedesminde, depth 35 fathoms, gray sand bottom, 

 bottom temperature o".8 C). From the east coast of Greenland (Jameson's Land, aHekla's harbour" etc., from the 

 shore to the depth of some [11] fathoms) the expedition of Ryder brought home some specimens, partlj' young 

 ones, partly rather adult individuals. It is added, that in „Hekla's harbour" it was found the whole year round. 

 C. scorpius is otherwise known from almost the whole west coast of Greenland to Umanak and Upernivik, it is noted 

 from Boothia, Port Leopold, the Wellington channel and the Northumberland sound, on the eastern side of America 

 to Cape Hatteras , at Iceland, Spitsbergen, the White Sea and Novaja-Semlia , at the Faroe-Islands and at the British 

 coasts to the mouth of the aChannel" and at the Scandinavian shores, in the Baltic to Uleaborg. If the „Jaok" of 

 the Kamtschadales (C.jaoc) is correctly referred by Malmgren to our common sea-scorpion, it meets in the northern 

 part of the Pacific with several other species of Cottus , for which I must refer to the literature, as it would be too 

 prolix to make a detailed account of it at this place. 



C. scorpioides Fabr. (on which I must refer to my elucidations in „Vidensk. Meddel. Naturh. Forening" 1S76) 

 was not found by the „Ingolf" expedition, nor are there from other sources turned up any new informations on it. 

 That Dr. F. S m i 1 1 (1. c.) regards it as a variety of C. scorpius does, after what I have set forth formerly, of course 

 not agree with my conception. 



C. Lilljeborgii has not been found on any of our arctic expeditions. On the other hand it is named (Proc. 

 Royal Soc. Edinburgh, Vol. XV, p. 207, tab. IV, fig. B) between the deep-sea fishes obtained on the north coast of 

 Scottland by Murray. 



Cottus quadricornis L. has not been found neither by the „Ingolf" expedition. On the other hand the expe- 

 dition of Ryder to East-Greenland obtained a specimen at the depth of 3 — 6 fathoms at „Hekla's harbour" (^Med- 

 delelser om Grenland", XIX, Hvirveld^T by E. Bay p. 52). Otherwise it is well known that it has been found at 



5* 



