ART. 13 REVISION OF THE COTTOID FISHES SCHMIDT 7 



ARTEDIELLUS SCABER Knipovitsch (1907) 



Artedielltis scaber Knipovitsch, Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. Petersbourg, ser. 8, 



vol. 18, No. 5, 1907, pp. 15-29, figs. 7-12. 

 Z). VIII-IX, 12-14 ; A. 10-13 ; P. 18-22 ; L. lat. 25-31. 



This Arctic species described by Prof. N. M. Knipovitsch is well 

 represented in our collection, as we have 25 specimens in addition 

 to the 80 studied by him. Having thoroughly studied this material, 

 I can add some new observations. 



The nasal spines of this species are obsolete or developed as small 

 tubercles hidden in the skin. The pores on the head are not 

 developed; there are only 6-7 subocular pores and one pore between 

 the eyes on the line connecting their hinder margins. These pecu- 

 liarities show us that this species is nearly allied to Artediellus 

 miacanthus Gilbert and Burke and is also connected with this 

 Pacific species by our new subspecies heringianus described on 

 page 8. 



The cutaneous prickles, characteristic of this species, are dis- 

 tributed mostly in the following manner. They cover the dorsal side 

 of the body before the first dorsal and on both sides of this fin, but 

 behind them they form two bands or sometimes only two row^s, one 

 along the basis of the second dorsal and the other over the lateral 

 line ; these bands go to the base of the caudal. 



Some of the specimens have very small cutaneous cirri over the 

 eyes and on the occipital prominences. 



Three specimens in the collection studied by N. M. Knipovitsch 

 have a very peculiar coloration not described by this author. The 

 male (No. 14205) (length of the body 64.5 mm.) has behind the 

 occipital prominences a broad milk-white band, reaching on the 

 sides to the lateral line and extending to the base of the caudal fin. 

 The white color can be observed also on the front part of dorsal 

 fin. A milk-wdiite spot can be seen on the nasal part of the head 

 and small white spots on the upper lip, on the praeopercle, and on 

 the base of the pectoral. In the hinder upper edge of the first dorsal 

 is a round black spot. On the dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins are 

 dark-brown crossbands, and not so dark bands are on the anal. 



A female (No. 14205) (length of the body 61.7 mm.) has a 

 milk-white spot before the first dorsal, but it splits in two narrow 

 white bands, one extending over the lateral line and the other along 

 the bases of the first and the second dorsal fins. A small white spot 

 is on the praeopercle. 



The other female (No. 14205) (length of the body 58.5 mm.) has 

 only a milk-white spot on the nose and a small white spot before the 

 first dorsal fin. 



