FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



517 



of in front of them, while the fanlike pectoral fins 

 are even larger, relatively, than those of the ocean 

 pout. Furthermore, its upper jaw projects far 

 beyond the lower, giving it a distinctive cast of 

 countenance (compare fig. 272 with fig. 269). The 

 most obvious difference between this Lycodes and 

 the wolf eel (p. 515) is that the former is much the 

 stouter bodied of the two, being only about 8 times 

 as long as it is deep (the wolf eel is 14-16 times as 

 long as deep), and that the dorsal fin of Lycodes 

 reticulatus originates farther forward, i. e., close 

 behind the bases of the pectorals instead of over 

 the tips of the latter. 



Color. — Described as brownish, with a network 

 of black lines on the head and with several groups 

 of such lines or with solid dark bands on the body. 

 The dorsal fin is dark edged. The young fry are 

 marked with a series of large dark spots od the back 

 and extending out on the dorsal fin. 71 



Size. — Specimens of which the measurements 

 have been definitely recorded have ranged up to 

 15 inches (380 mm.) in length. 



Remarks. — -This lycodid tends to separate into 

 local races ; one such from northeast Greenland and 

 Jan Mayen has, in fact, been dignified with a 

 separate varietal name; var. macrocephalus by 

 Jensen, 72 because seemingly separable from the 

 West Greenland form. One subspecies, hacheyi, 

 too, has been described subsequently from Hudson 

 Bay by Vladykov ; 73 also a second (lavalei) from 



the Gulf of St. Lawrence by Vladykov and 

 Tremblay 74 but none of these call for considera- 

 tion here. 



Habits. — Little is known of its habits except 

 that it is a ground fish, usually living in moder- 

 ately deep water, and that worms, crustaceans, and 

 small fish have been found in the stomachs of 

 European specimens. In its turn it falls a prey 

 to larger fishes, and frequently to Greenland 

 sharks. 75 



General range. — Both sides of the Arctic Atlantic ; 

 reported as far south as Vineyard Sound, southern 

 Massachusetts. 



Occurrence along the Atlantic coast of North 

 America. — This particular Lycodes has been 

 reported definitely off southeastern Labrador in 

 the offing of Sandwich Bay; in the Strait of Belle 

 Isle; in Conception Bay, Newfoundland; on the 

 Grand Banks; off Placentia Bay, south coast of 

 Newfoundland; also on the Newfoundland side of 

 Cabot Strait ; 76 and on the southwest slope of 

 Banquereau Bank at 300 fathoms ; 77 while 

 Vladykov and McKenzie report it from Nova 

 Scotian waters in general. 78 



It has not yet been recorded from the Gulf of 

 Maine. But it is to be expected there sooner or 

 later, for it has not only been taken to the east and 

 north of our limits, as just stated, but also in 

 Vineyard Sound to the westward, 79 if the specimen 

 in question was identified correctly. 



THE CUSK EELS. FAMILY OPHIDIIDAE 



The members of this family are eel-like in 

 appearance, but they differ very obviously from 

 the true eels in having well-developed ventral fins 

 in the form of loDg forked barbel-like structures, 

 situated on the throat. Their soft-rayed dorsal 

 and anal fins are low but continuous around the 

 tip of the tail; the gill openings are very wide, and 

 the snout projects beyond the mouth. Many 

 species are known, most of them from warm seas. 



" See Smitt (Scandinavian Fishes, vol. 1, 1892, p. 605) for the coloration of 

 the genus Lycodes in general; Jensen (Danish Ingolf Exped., vol. 2, pt. 4, 

 pi. 2, figs. 2, 3, and pi. 8) for beautiful illustrations of this species. 



" Danish Ingolf Exped., vol. 2, pt. 4, 1904, p. 66, pi. 8. 



'■ Contr. Canad. Biol., N. Ser., vol. 8, No. 2, 1933, p. 25. 



" Fauna et Flora St. Laurent., Sta. Biol. St. Laurent., No. 1, 1936, p. 34. 



" Smitt, Scandinavian Fishes, vol. 1, 1892, p. 613. 



'• For records of it in Labrador and Newfoundland waters, see Goode and 

 Bean (Smithsonian Contrib. Knowl., vol. 30, 1895, p. 305); also the Annual 

 Reports of the Newfoundland Fisheries Research Commission, vol. 1, No. 4; 

 vol. 2, Nos. 1-3, 1932-35. 



Cusk eel Lepophidium cervinum (Goode and 



Bean) 1885 80 

 Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2484. 



Description.- — The cusk eel is about 12 to 13 

 times as long as it is deep ; all its fins are soft and 

 eel-like; and there is no separation between the 

 dorsal, caudal, and anal fins, but the three form 

 one continuous fin r unn ing backward along the 



77 See Goode and Bean, Smithsonian Contrib. Knowl., vol. 31, 1895, List 

 of plates and figures, p. 17, figs. 273, 281. 



" They do not mention any definite locality records but write of it (Proc. 

 Nova Scotian Inst. Sci., vol. 19, 1935, p. 109) as usually believed to be the most 

 common Lycodes there. 



" Goode and Bean (Smithsonian Contrib. Knowl., vol. 30, 1895, p. 305) , 

 Fish-Hawk Station 681; Sumner, Osbum, and Cole (Bull. U. S. Bur. Fish., 

 vol. 31, Pt. 2, 1913, p. 768). Goode and Bean also report it from east of the 

 Bahamas (Albatross Sta. 2652, lat. 24°13' N., long. 77°13' W., 140 fathoms). 

 But this is so very far to the south of the normal range of this species that we 

 suspect the record is an error. 



» See Jordan and Evermann (Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., Pt. 3, 1898, p. 2482) 

 for the nomenclatural history of the name Lepophidium Gill 1895. 



