Fishes of the Western North Atlantic /yjc) 



Eye: horizontal diameter 4.3. 

 Mouth: breadth 6.S--, height 0.7. 

 Nostrils: distance between inner ends 4.6. 

 Labial furrow length: upper 2.6; lower 1.9. 

 Gill ofening lengths: ist 1.7; 2nd 2.1 ; 3rd 2.1 ; 4th 2.1 ; 5th 2.4. 

 First dorsal fin: vertical height 7.7; length of base 8.1. 

 Second dorsal fin: vertical height 4.6; length of base 6.S- 

 Caudal fin: upper margin 21.2; lower anterior margin 12.6. 

 Pectoral fin: outer margin 17.7; inner margin lO.O; distal margin 14.3. 

 Distance from snout to: ist dorsal 29.8; 2nd dorsal 62.8; upper caudal 78.7; pec- 

 toral 20.2; pelvics 48.2. 

 Interspace between: ist and 2nd dorsals 26.O; 2nd dorsal and caudal 10.4. 



S. fernandinus is sharply marked off from the acanthias group by the positions of the 

 first dorsal spine about over the midpoint of the inner margin of the pectoral (over or 

 posterior to the inner corner of the pectoral in acanthias^ and of the midpoint of the bases of 

 the pelvics about midway between the two dorsals (much nearer to the origin of the second 

 dorsal than to the rear end of the base of the first dorsal in acanthias) ; and by the more or 

 less noticeably bilobed anterior margin of the nostril (cf. Fig. 87 F with 87 C). 



It falls with cubensis in the relative positions of the fins and in the contour of the 

 anterior margin of the nostril. But it differs very obviously from cubensis in that the distal 

 margin of its pectoral is only very slightly concave (deeply concave in cubensis) and its 

 inner corner rounded (acute in cubensis). Its teeth are indistinguishable from those of 

 acanthiasy but its dermal denticles differ noticeably. 



S. blainville of the Mediterranean resembles !*■ so closely that it has sometimes been 

 considered a synonym of fernandinus ; but it appears to be distinct for the reasons given 

 on p. 454. 



Color. Described as dark grayish or brown above, paler below, with the tips of the 

 dorsals more or less dusky, the caudal blackish medianly, its lobes pale yellowish gray. 

 Fernandinus lacks the white spots so characteristic of the acanthias group. 



Range. Circumpolar and very widely distributed in boreal and cool temperate lati- 

 tudes of the southern hemisphere (for localities, see p. 454) ; it is also represented in the 

 Philippines and Japan by forms so closely allied that it is a question whether they are 

 separable from it (see discussion, p. 454) . 



Occurrence in the Western Atlantic. S. fernandinus is listed for Argentina, from Lat. 

 56° S. to Lat. 35° S.,°* but the only positive record for Atlantic Argentine waters with 

 which we are acquainted is that of a small specimen 370 mm. long taken from the stomach 

 of an albatross at Lat. 34° 44' S., Long. 53° W.°* 



64.. Pozzi and Bordale, Ann. Soc. cient. argent., 120, 1935: 151. 



65. Lahille, An. Mus. nac. B. Aires, j^, 1928: 327; identification is made positive by the excellent illustrations that 

 show in particular a very long second dorsal spine. 



