48 



Bemærkninger til Synonymien. Opførelsen af denne 

 Art under en særegen Slægt synes tilstrækkeligt at kunne 

 begrundes ved Bygningen af Gjællespalten. der er reduceret 

 til en trang Aabning bøjt over Pectoralernes Rod. samt 

 ved den normalt byggede, Iste Dorsal, der ikke er omhyllet 

 af den tykke Beklædning. der. som bos Slægten Oyclopterus, 

 bringer denne Finne til næsten at forsvinde under Lege- 

 mets almindelige Omrids. Eumiarotremus danner en bestemt 

 Overgang til Lipariderne. baade paa Gruud af Gjællespal- 

 tens Form og Stilling, og fordi Tænderne danne tydelige 

 Rækker i Kjæverne. 



Som en anden Art af samme Slægt har Dr. Gunther 

 i 1861 opstillet Cydopterus orbis, beskreven efter et enkelt 

 Individ med en Totallængde af 22 eng. Linier (omtr. 57""") 

 fra Beringsbavet. Denne adskiller sig fra E. spinosus 

 hovedsagelig blot ved et ringere Antal Straaler i 2den 

 Dorsal og i Analen. idet dette bos Dr. Giintbers Individ 

 (Cat. Fisb. Brit. Mus. vol. 2 p. 158) var blot 9 i begge 

 de nævnte Finner. 



Da Universitets-Musæet i Christiania nylig har mod- 

 taget et velconserveret Exemplar af denne Form fra samme 

 Trakt (Kamtschatka). har jeg kunnet anstille en nøje Sam- 

 menligning mellem begge Former, og tror efter denne ikke 

 at kunne opføre C. orbis som en fra E. spinosus distinct 

 Art. Totallængden af dette sidste Exemplar var 70""". 

 hvoraf Hovedets Længde var 22"""; Øjets Diameter 7""". 

 og udgjorde saaledes 1 / 3 af Hovedlængden 1 . Interorbital- 

 rummet var 13""". Sugeskivens Længdediameter 15""". Straa- 

 leantallet var følgende: 1 D. 7; 2 1). 10; A. 10; C. 11; 

 P. 24. 



Da E. spinosus (ifølge Gunther) kan have 10 Straa- 

 ler i Analen. •og 11 i 2den Dorsal, synes sikre Distinctions- 

 Characterer ikke at kunne hentes af dette Forhold, og da 

 heller ikke de øvrige Characterer kunne sees i nogen væ- 

 sentlig Grad at være forskjellige fra E. spinosus, synes det 

 rettest at henføre C. orbis som synonym under denne Art. 

 der saaledes er den eneste hidtil kjendte i sin Slægt. 



Allerede i 1776 blev Arten af O. F. Muller tildelt 

 sin første foreløbige Diagnose efter et Individ, nedsendt 

 fra Grønland gjennem Fabricius. I 1780 blev den udfør- 

 ligere beskreven af Fabricius selv i Fauna Groenland. 

 (No. 93.. p. 134). og senere i 1798 af samme Forf. i Na- 

 turhistorie-Selskabets Skrifter (4de B. 2 Afd. p. 77). Fuld- 

 stændig Beskrivelse er endvidere givet i 1847 i Naturh. 

 Tidsskrift (2 Række. 2 B. p. 262} af Krøyer. som ligele- 

 des i 1851 har af bildet Arten i Gaimards Plancheværk 

 (Voyage etc. 1838—40. Poiss. pl. 4). Senest er den i 

 1861 af Dr. Giinther beskrevet i Catal. Fish. Brit. Mus. 

 (vol. 3. p. 157); samme Forf. har i 1877 i Proc. Zool. 



1 Naar Dr. Gunther i sin Diagnose af E. sj>inoms anfører Øjet som 

 udgjørende ' , af Hovedeta Længde, er dette ikke Tilfældet hos 

 Nordhavs-Expeditionens Individ, hvis Hovedlængde er 25""", ogØjets 

 Diameter SV"" 1 , saaledes. at den sidste udgjør lidt over % af Hoved- 

 længden. 



Remarks on the Synonymy. — For the esta- 

 blishing of this species under a separate genus there would 

 appear to be sufficient reason in the characteristic form of 

 the branchial opening, reduced as it is to a narrow slit, 

 placed high above the pectoral fin; also in the fact of the 

 1st dorsal being normal in structure, and not enveloped in 

 the thick membranous integument which, in the genus 

 ( h/clopterus, well nigh conceals this fin beneath the contour of 

 the body. Eumicrotremus, both from the form and position 

 of the branchial orifices, and from the teeth being arranged 

 in distinct series in the jaws, may be regarded as a well- 

 defined transition-genus, approximating the Liparididæ. 



As a second species of the same genus. Dr. Giintber, 

 in 1861. etablished Cyclopterus orbis, describing it from 

 a single specimen, having a total length of 22 English 

 lines (about 57"""). taken in Bering's Straits. C. orbis is 

 distinguished from E. spinosus chiefly by the smaller number 

 of rays in the second dorsal and in the anal; the individual 

 examined by Gunther had. for instance, only 9 rays in each 

 of those fins. 



The University Museum in Christiania having lately 

 come into possession of a well-preserved example of this 

 form, taken in the same region (Kamtschatka). I have had 

 an opportunity of closely comparing the two forms, and 

 am of opinion that C. orbis can not be classed as a separate 

 species, distinct from E. spinosus. The total length of this 

 individual was 70™'"; length of head 22"""; diameter of eye 

 7""". or about one-third of the length of the head; 1 inter- 

 orbital space 13'""'; longitudinal diameter of ventral disk 

 15 mra . The fin-ray, formula was as follows: — 1 D. 7 ; 

 2 D. 10; A. 10; C. 11: P. 24. 



E. spinosus, can. according to Dr. Giintber. have 10 

 rays in the anal and 1 1 in the 2nd dorsal fin, and hence the 

 fin-ray formula is of itself hardly sufficient to furnish a dis- 

 tinctive character; and not differing materially in other 

 respects from E. spinosus, C. orbis may. it would seem, be 

 safely regarded as identical with the former, which, in that 

 case, is the only species hitherto observed of its genus. 



As for back as 1776. O. F. Midler gave the first 

 preliminary diagnosis of the species, from a specimen sent 

 from Greenland by Fabricius. In 1780 it was more fully 

 described by Fabricius himself, in his Fauna Groenland. 

 (No. 93. p. 134). and subsequently, in 1798. by the same 

 author (Naturhistorie - Sekskabets Skrifter. 4 B. 2 Afd. 

 p. 77). A full description also appeared in 1847, 

 by Kroyer (Xaturh. Tidsskr.. 2 Række. 2 B. p. 262), 

 who. in 1851. bkewise figured the species for the plates to 

 Gaimard's work (Voyage etc. 1838 — 40, Poiss. pi. 4). The 

 latest diagnosis is that by Dr. Gtinther. in 1861 (Catal. 

 Fish. Brit. Mus. vol. 3.- p. 157): and in 1877 the same 



1 In Dr. Giinther's diagnosis of E. spinosus, the diameter of the eye 

 is stated to measure one-fourth of the length of the head; this 

 was not the ease, however, in the individual obtained on the 

 North Atlantic Expedition, the length of the head having been25" H " 1 

 and the diameter of the eye !>""". or a fraction more than a third. 



