93 



avert Spor af denne Ejendommelighed forsvundet. Disse 



nedre Straaler ore beklædte med en tykkere Hud. end de 

 øvrige, samt have fri Spidser, et tydeligt Bevis paa, at de 

 tjene Dyret til Kryhe- .dier Føleorgan. Straalerne ere 

 delte til (irunden. og ere i Spidserne, der ere fint articu- 

 lerede, i Regelen tvedelte. Naar Pectoralerne bøjes frem- 

 over, naa de til Lindsens Forrand eller Ims enkelte til 

 dens Midte. 



Ventralerne ere korte, og indeholde 1 enkelt ogyderst 

 ■spinkel Straale, samt derefter3 noget tykkere, der ere klo- 

 rede til Grrunden. De ere samtlige indhyllede i en tyk 

 Hud. og lade sig blot ved Dissection tælle ; den første udelte 

 Straale har blot de øvriges halve Længde, og er yderst let 

 at overse. Alle ere leddede. 



Hvirvlemes Antal var hos det ovennævnte Skeiet af 

 et udvoxet Individ fra Finmarken 23 -f- 95, saaledes tilsam- 

 men 118. 



Skja'lhckL f tin iit(/. Som hos alle Lycoder synes Skjæl- 

 beklædningen at udbrede sig videre over Legemet under In- 

 dividets hele Væxt, og er saaledes mindst udbredt hos Un- 

 gerne. endskjøht Forskjellen er forholdsvis ikke stor. Hos 

 Expeditionens 2 storste Individer (Totallængden 265 — 295""") 

 er Skjælbeklædningen udbredt til et Stykke foran Begyn- 

 delsen af Dorsalen, og paa Bugen hen til Ventralerne ; 

 ligeledes er saavel Dorsalen som Analen skjælbeklædte lige 

 ud imod Randen, eller i omtrent ;i / 4 af Finnernes Højde. 

 Derimod er Hovedet og Nakken nøgne, ligesom Pectora- 

 lerne og Ventralerne. 



Hos de fuldt udvoxede Exemplarer fra Finmarken, 

 hvor Totall. er 500 mm eller derover, strækker Skjælbeklæd- 

 ningen sig frem over Nakken, hvorimod Hovedet regulært 

 synes at være nogent; blot efter den omhyggeligste Under- 

 søgelse har det været mig nniligt at opdage enkelte spredte 

 Skjæl paa Siderne af Fanden, og disse synes ikke engang 

 at være tilstede hos alle Individer. Dorsalen og Analen 

 er tæt skjælbeklædte lige ud til deres yderste Rande, og 

 Skjællene gaa paa Halen lige ud til Caudalens Spidse. 

 Fremdeles ere Pectoralerne, der bidtil have været nøgne, 

 skjælbeklædte paa sin indre Tredjedel. 



Hos de 2 Unger fra Expeditionen er Skjælbeklæd- 

 ningen i det hovedsagelige allerede fremkommen i sin Hel- 

 hed paa Legemet; hos det største Individ (6, Totall. 114'"'") 

 ere Finnerne, saavelsom Grrunden langs disse, endnu nøgne ; 

 hos det mindste (n, Totall. 81 """) er Skjælheklædningen paa 

 hele Halepartiet endnu sparsom, og blot i sit Frembrud. 



Skjællene ere runde eller noget elliptiske, og ligge 

 nedsænkede i Huden med saa stort Mellemrum, at deres 

 Rande ikke berøre hinanden. Paa Bugen staa Skjællene 

 mest spredte, paa Halen tættest. De Skjæl, der beklæde 

 Finnerne, ere mindre, end Legemets. Skjællene ere be- 

 klædte af en yderst fm, noget mørkfarvet Hud. 



Sidélinien er hos denne Art dobbelt, og hos vel con- 

 serverede Exemplarer af Middelstørrelse ret tydelig. Den 

 udspringer enkelt ved Gjællespaltens ovre Ende, gjør en 

 liden skarp Bue over Gjællelaagets Flig, deler sig derpaa 

 kort bagenfor denne i 2 Grene, hvoraf den øvre, medio- 

 laterale, der er den tydeligste, løber langs hele Legemets 



in length till every trace of this peculiarity has disappeared. 



These inferior rays are enveloped in a thicker skin than 

 the rest, and have free points, a sure sign that they serve 

 the animal as a means of creeping or as an organ of sen- 

 sation. The rays are cleft to the base, and, at the points. 

 which are finely articulated, as a rule double-cleft. If 

 pressed forwards, the pectorals extend to the anterior mar- 

 gin or to the middle of the lens. 



The ventrals are short, and consist of one exceed- 

 ingly slender ray and o somewhat thicker rays, cleft to 

 the base. They are all enveloped in a thick skin, dissec- 

 tion being necessary in order to count them ; the first 

 simple ray is only half as long as the others, and may be 

 easily overlooked; they are all articulated. 



The number of vertebra' in the above-mentioned skele- 

 ton of a full-grown example from Finmark was 23 -f- 95 

 = 118. 



Scales. — As in all Ly codes, the scaled integument 

 continues, it would seem, to spread over the body during 

 the entire period of growth; and hence it covers a smaller 

 surface in young specimens, though the absolute difference 

 is comparatively but slight. In the 2 largest examples 

 taken on the Expedition (total length respectively 265""" and 

 295'"'"). the scaling extends almost to the origin of the dor- 

 sal, and on the belly as far as the ventrals; both the dorsal 

 and anal, too, are scaled nearly to the margin, or about 

 three quarters of the height of the tin. The head and nape, 

 however, are naked, as also the pectorals and the ventrals. 



In the full-grown specimens from Finmark (total 

 length exceeding 500 """), the scaled integument extends for- 

 wards over the nape, the head being apparently as a rule 

 naked; not till after a most careful examination did. I suc- 

 ceed in detecting a few isolated scales on the sides of the 

 forehead, and even these would seem not to occur in all 

 individuals. The dorsal and anal are densely scaled to 

 their extreme margin, and on the tail the scales extend to 

 the tip of the caudal. The pectorals, too, previously naked'. 

 are now scaled on their inner third. 



In the 2 young specimens taken on the Expedition, 

 the scaled integument is for the most part fully developed 

 on the body; in the largest individual (l>, total length 114 mm ), 

 both the fins and the skin along their base are still naked; 

 in the smallest (a. total length 81"""), the scales on the 

 tail are just beginning to develop. 



The scales are round or slightly elliptic, and lie em- 

 bedded in the skin, the space between them being just suf- 

 ficient to prevent contact. On the belly, the scales are 

 most distant, densest on the tail. The scales covering the 

 tins are smaller than those on the body ; all are invested 

 with an exceedingly thin, darkish membrane. 



Lateral Line. — The lateral line in this species is 

 double, and in well preserved specimens of moderate size 

 distinctly perceptible. It originates single on the upjDer 

 extremity of the branchial opening, makes a sharp bend 

 above the tlap of the gill-cover, and then divides a short 

 distance posterior to the latter into two branches, the su- 



