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ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1924 



of the American eel, which have thus a far more limited area of 

 occurrence than those of the European species just as we have found 

 to be the case with the larvae of the American conger. 



Most of the Dana stations in June-July, 1920, west of 50° W., 

 gave larvae of both species, but Anguilla vulgaris was, as a rule, the 

 more numerous. The larvae of the two species were by no means 

 evenly distributed throughout the area; west of about 62° TV. longi- 

 tude, and south of about 24° N. latitude, Anguilla rostrata predomi- 

 nated over Anguilla vulgaris^ and in this part of the area we took 



Fig. 14. — American Eel (Angwilla rostrata) : sizes of larvae in April (A) and Julv (B) 



A. " Dana," Stat. 948, April 27, 1921, 22° 14' N., 67« 22' W. 



B. " Dana," Stat. 891, July 24, 1920, 29" 28' N., 69° 25' W. 



as many as 219 and 229 larvae of the American eel at one haul (see 

 fig. 14). 



The curves on the charts (figs. 5 and 15) show the distribu- 

 tion of the larvee of the American eel. The outermost curve marks 

 the limit of occurrence, the next is that for 30 mm., and the inner- 

 most for 15 mm., to be understood as in the case of the European eel. 



From the position of the curves we can conclude that the breeding 

 area of the American eel lies along the entire range north of the 

 "West Indian Islands. Its central portion lies west and south of the 

 central breeding grounds of the European eel; the areas embraced by 



