i I'll 



Auns er forholdsvis Langl fcilbagerykket, saaledes, ut 

 det er stillet verticalt enten under den første Straale af 



2den Dorsal, eller ialfakl kun ubetydeh'gl foran denne. 



Mrineme. Finnestraalernes Antal er Ims denne Art. 

 sum hos de fleste øvrige Gadidae, saa store Variationer 

 underkastet, at det Ikke er skikket til at afgive bestemte 

 Axtscharacterer. Mahngren har i sin „Spetsbergens Fisk- 

 fauna" (1864) talt Straaleme bos 8 Individer, og fundet 

 Antallet at variere mellom følgende Tal: 



1 D. 12, undertiden 13 eller 14. 



2 D. 12—15. 



3 D. 19—20, hos et enkelt Individ 23. 



1 A. 17. hos et enkelt Individ 16. 



2 A. 19—22. 

 P. 17—18. 



Hermod stemmer idetbele overens Angivelserne bos 

 Fabricius („G. aeglefinus", Fauna Groenl.), og Richardson 

 (Merlangus pul/ins); dog har den sidste fundet 16 Straaler 

 i 2dén Dorsal, og 23 Straaler i 2den Anal. De Tællingef, 

 som jeg bar foretaget hos Individer fra Spitsbergen, Novaja 

 Zemlja og Archangel, have idethele ligget indenfor de oven- 

 for nævnte Angivelser ; dog har jeg fundet Tallet i 3die 

 Dorsal at gaa ned til 17. og i Iste Anal at gaa op 

 til 18. 



Mellemrummet mellem hver Finne er distinct, og idet- 

 bele storre. end bos de nærmest staaende Arter. Hos de 

 ældre Individer er dette Mellemrum omtrent ligt en Øjen- 

 dia meter, hos de yngre Individer kortere. Pectoralerne ere 

 spinkle og tilspidsede; 2den Ventralstraale ender i et koi't 

 Filament. Caudalen er dybt kløftet. 



Skjælbeklædning. Skjællene ere yderst smaa. ikke 

 imbricate, men cirkelrunde, og have hos de ældre fuldstæn- 

 digt fri Rande, idet de ere stillede med et tydeligt Mellem- 

 rum indbyrdes; mere tætstaaende ere de bos Ungerne. 

 Skjælbeklædningen er jevnt udbredt over Legemet, og stræk- 

 ker sig fremover lige ud paa Snuden, ligesom ogsaa Gjælle- 

 laagene ere skjælbeklædte. 



Sidélinie og Slimporer. Sidelinjen er farveløs, eller 

 ubetydeligt lysere, end Bundfarven ; den strrekker sig fra 

 Gjællespaltens øvre Ende hen til Slutningen af Iste Dor- 

 sal, hvor den bojer skraat nedad til Legemets Midtlinie, 

 som den nu følger ud til Caudalen. Hos yngre Individer 

 er den. især i sin bagre Del, utydelig. 



Særdeles cbaracteristisk er det System af Slimporer, 

 der bos friske og uskadte Individer danner et constant og 

 regelmæssigt udbredt Net over Hovedet. Mellem disse 

 storre Slimporer tindes talrige mindre omstrøede, ligesom 

 der ogsaa tindes enkeltvis, eller (paa et Sted) en Eække af 

 særdeles korte Hudtrevler eller Papiller, der altid paa 

 uskadte Individer rage kjendeligt hengere frem. end Slim- 

 porerne, og ikke synes at være perforerede, som disse. 



Skjønt disse Eækker ere noget varierende hos de for- 

 skjellige Individer, lade sig i Regebm med Lethed gjen- 

 finde følgende som de mest iøjnefaldende : 



Paa Hovedets Overside gaar en lang Eække Slimporer 

 fra Snudespidsen bagover langs den ovre Rand a f Øjet, 



Den norske Nordhavsexpeditiou. Collett: Fiske. 



Vent comparatively tar behind, its position being 

 either vertical under the lirsi raj of Hie second dorsal 

 lin. nr but verj slighth anterior to it, 



Wins. ■ The number of fin-rays in ibis species, as 

 in most ol' the other Gadidce, varies to so greal an extent, 

 that the fin-ray formula is of hardly am value asa specific 

 character. Malmgren gives in his "Spetsbergens Fiskfauna" 



(ISI>4) the number ol' tin-rays in 8 individuals: it varied as 

 follows: — 



1 1). 12; in some examples 13 14. 



2 I). 12—15. 



3 D. 19 — 20; in one specimen 23. 



1 A. 17 : in one specimen 1G. 



2 A. Ill— 22. 

 I'. 17— IS. 



With these figures the tin-ray formula' given by 

 Fabricius ("G. æglefinus," Fauna Greenly and by Richard- 

 son (M&rlamgusfdlaris), very nearly correspond; Richardson, 

 however, observed 10 rays in the second dorsal, and 23 

 rays in the second anal. In the specimens from Spitzber- 

 gen, Novaja Zemlja, and Archangel examined by myself, 

 the tin-ray formulae lay in the majority of cases within the 

 limits cited above, the number of rays in 3 D. having, 

 however, been as low as 17. aud in 1 A. as high as 18. 



The space between the several fins is distinctly defined, 

 and as a, rule wider than in its nearest congeners. In 

 mature individuals, the width of this space about equals the 

 diameter of the eye ; in young examples it is less. Pecto- 

 rals slender and elongated; the second ventral ray termin- 

 ating in a short filament. The caudal fin deeply forked. 



Scales. — The scales exceedingly minute, not imbri- 

 cate, but circular in form, and the margins perfectly free 

 in adults, with a distinct space between ; more closely set in 

 young individuals. The scaling uniform, covering the whole 

 surface of tbe body, and extending forwards over the snput ; 

 the gill-plates, too. covered with scales. 



Lateral Line and Mucous Pores. — Lateral line 

 colourless, or perhaps a shade lighter than the colour of the 

 ground ; it commences at the u]jper extremity of the branchial 

 opening, extending from thence to the termination of the first 

 dorsal, at which point it strikes off obliquely to the mesial 

 line, passing straight along it to the caudal. Indistinct in young 

 individuals, particularly throughout the posterior division. 



The system of mucous pores is highly characteristic, 

 extending in healthy individuals over tbe surface of the 

 head, like network. Dispersed between these pores, are num- 

 erous smaller ones, together with minute cirri, or papillary 

 warts, which occur either isolated or (in one place) ar- 

 ranged as a regular series, and. in all perfect specimens, 

 rising perceptibly higher than the mucous pores; unlike 

 the latter, tbey show no traces of being perforate. 



These series of pores are found to vary in different 

 individuals: but, as a rule, the most conspicuous among them 

 admit of being determined without much difficulty. 



On tbe bead, a long series, extending from tbe point 

 of tbe snout along the upper edge of the eyes, and ter- 



17 



