98 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



Prodr. Zool. Vicl., dec. V. p. 21, tab. 44, fig. 2; Ltkn 



{Orcynuit), Spol. Atl., Vid. Selsk. Skr. Kbln-n., ser. 5, 



Naturv. Math. Afd., XII, No. 6, p. 460; D.\y, Fish. G:t 



Brit., Irel., vol. I, p. 93, lab. 35; MoR. {Thijnnus), Hist. 



Nat. Poi.is. Fi\, vol. II, ji. 422; Lillj. (Orcpms), Sv., 



Norg. Fiskar, vol. I, p. 24 0; Coll., N. Mag. Naturv. 1884, 



p. .^8. 

 Tlujnnus mediterratieus, Risso, Eur. Mei'., vol. 3, p. 414; 



Coll., Vid. Selsk. Forb. Christ. 1874, Till.-egsh.. p. 44; 



ibid. 1879, p. 20. 

 Thijnnns vulgaris, Cuv., V.^l., I. o., p. 68, tab. 210; lieijH. 



Anim. Illustr., Foiss., p. 117, lab. 45, fig. 2; Kroy,, 



Danm. Fiske, vol. I, p. 237; Ekstr., Gbgs Vet. Vitt. 



Samh. Hand., N. Foljd, H. 1 (1850), pp. 23 et 37; NiLSS., 



Skaiid. Fii., Fisk., p. 139; Cederstr., Ofvers. Vet.-Akad. 



Forh. 1876, No. 4, p. 64; Mob. et Heincke, Fische d. 



Ostsee, p. 39. 

 Thynnus brachypterns, Cuv., V.\L., 1. c, p. 98 (Cf. Lutken, 



:Spol. Atl., 1. c, p. 462). 

 Thynnus corelta, Cuv., Val., 1. c, p. 102 (Cf. Ltkn, 1. c., 



p. 463). 

 Thynnus secundo-dorsalis, Stoker, Mem. .Araer. Acad. A. a. 



Sc, vol. V, p. 143, tab. XII, fig. 4 (Cf. Ltkn, I. c, p. 



464). 

 Thynnus orientalis, Sciileg., F/i. Japon, Pise, p. 94 (Cf. 



Ltkn, 1. c). 

 Thynnus Linnei, Malm, Gbgs, Boh. Fn., p. 412. 



The Tunny is one of the largest tishes to -whicli 

 the Scandinavian fauna can lay claim. Specimens 3 

 metres in length are talven oft" the coast of Norway". 

 Risso gives its length in the Mediterranean as 5 me- 

 tres, and according to Storer a specimen ] 5 feet long 

 was taken in 1838 oft' Cape Ann, Mass., while Brown- 

 Goode'' adds that still larger specimens are on record. 

 When 2 metres in length, according to Moreau, the 

 Tunny weighs about 153 kilo. 



The body is fusiform and thickest in the preab- 

 dominal region about half-way along the pectoral fins: 

 the breadth is V4 of the depth. It tapers much more 

 gradually back-\vards than forwards. The greatest depth, 

 according to McCoy's measurements, varies between 

 23 % and 29 % of the lenoth. The length of the head 

 and tlie greatest deptli of the body are sometimes 

 equal, but the former is generally the greater, varying 

 between 30 % and 28 % of the lengtli of the body, or 

 50 % and 55 % of the distance from the tip of the 

 snout to the beginning of the second dorsal fin. The 

 last measurement varies l)etween 58 % (in the young 

 specimens) and 51 % (in the old) of the length of the 

 body. The scales of the body, especially on the po- 

 sterior part, are covci-ed with an outer skin (epidermis), 



which renders them more or less indistinct; and the 

 dift'erence in size between tlie scales of the hind parts 

 and those of the preabdominal region is very marked. 

 In the corslet we may find scales 12 times as broad 

 as those on the posterior jja-rt of the Ijody, for a row 

 of 12 scales on the ventral side above the base of the 

 anal hn is e(|ual in size to the externally visible part 

 of one of tlie larger scales in tlie corslet. The latter 

 are farther distinguished by their considerably greater 

 thickness and firmer structure. On the margin of the 

 corslet appear several sinuses and prolongations. One 

 prolongation runs along the dorsal fins, and may extend 

 as far as the termination of the second dorsal; another 

 runs along the middle of the side, passing the point 

 of the pectoral fins and furnished ^\'ith a groove to 

 receive them when they are folded, and extends under 

 the base of the second dorsal fin. A third prolongation 

 runs on each side of the body in the region of the 

 ventral fins and extends back a])out as far as a per- 

 pendicular from the point of the pectoral. In the 

 region of this prolongation lie the hollow and the 

 groove to receive the ventral fins. Of the two sinuses 

 between these three prolongations the upper is the 

 shallower, l)ut it sometimes extends forward to the 

 middle of the first dorsal fin; the lower lies between 

 the pectoral and ventral fins. These limits, however, 

 are often very indistinct. As is generally the case in 

 this family, the head is naked for the most part, with 

 the exception of the cheeks, Avhich are covered with 

 lanceolate scales beneath the skin, and the sides of the 

 occiput, where the cor.slet extends forwards in the form 

 of an acute-angled triangle over each temple as far as 

 the posterior margin of the eye, leaving bet^veen these 

 two triangles a naked wedge-shaped space pointing 

 backwards and extending as far as a perpendicular 

 from the u|)per corner of the gill-opening. The high, 

 middle carina on each side of the tail, which begins 

 between the antepenultimate and the |)enultimate anal 

 finlets, is also naked. The smaller lateral carina; on 

 tlie tail, two on each side, which converge posteriori}', 

 are, on the contrary, covered with scales, as in the 

 common Mackerel. 



The ej'es are comparatively small. According 

 to McCoy's measurements of specimens from 463 to 

 1,778 mm. in length, their longitudinal diameter varies 



"The largest spcciiucns may be more than 1(1 feet (5 Danish yards) in length", says Strom, Snndin. Beskr., part 1, p. 311. 

 Fish, fndustr., part I, p. 320. \. B., the figure of this fish given in Plate 96 in all probability really represents an Auxis. 



