24 EINAK LÖNNBERG, (Schwed. Südpolar-Kxp. 



Fishes from South Georgia. 



Eight species of fishes were described from this region by J. G. Fischer 1885 ' 

 from the collections of the German Expedition to South Georgia 1882 — 83. The 

 Swedish Expedition has had the opportunity to bring back from this isolated island 

 a very valuable collection of fishes which increases its known fauna with not less 

 than 10 species of which the greater part is specifically or at least subspecifically 

 new to science, but the present collection has only 3 species in common with that 

 from the German Expedition. Taken all together there are thus 18 species of fish 

 known from the coast of South Georgia. Of these half the number (4 described by 

 Fischer, and 5 here), for all we know at present, are endemic there as they have 

 not been found elsewhere. Four others are as species known and described from 

 other localities as well, but appear to be represented at South Georgia by a separate 

 race or geographical subspecies, which in some instances is rather sharply defined 

 from the main type. Only five of the whole lot, or less than a third of the known 

 fauna, are, as it seems, wholly identical with fishes found in other locaHties as well. 

 This speaks strongly for the long and complete isolation of the shore region of 

 South Georgia from other shores or shallow waters. Of the fishes known from other 

 localities Notothenia coriiceps may be regarded as circumpolar, and it enters also the 

 true Antarctic region. '' Harpagifer has also a wide distribution from Kerguelen to 

 the Magellan territory. Murœnolepis has a similar distribution, but the one found 

 at South Georgia and in the Magellan territory seems racially dift'erent from the 

 Kerguelen specimens. Notothenia macrocepliala is subantarctic circumpolar, but forms 

 certainly a well defined subspecies at South Georgia. Notothenia marionensis is 

 described from Marion Island as the name indicates, but the South Georgia fish 

 appears to be somewhat different. Notothenia mizops is before known from Ker- 

 guelen Land and the same race as the one of South Georgia is also truly antarctic. 

 Two species of Treniatomns, described from Victoria Land and thus truly antarctic, 

 are represented by subspecies at South Georgia. The new Notothenia larseni has 

 by this Expedition also been found in the true Antarctic region (conf. below p. 46). 

 These facts are highly interesting because they prove that, if the circumpolar and 

 widely distributed fishes which are found as well in the Magellan territory as at 

 Kerguelen Land are not counted, the Ichthys of South Georgia has more affinities 



' Jahrb. Hamburg, wiss. Anstalt für 1884. Hamburg 18S5. 

 ^ Victoria Land, "Southern Cross" collections. 



