154 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



THE BLUE-MOUTH (s\v. blakaften). 

 SCORP^NA DACTYLOPTERA. 



Fig. 43. 



fiifrriirhifal space ir'ifh a iitirfdir concavity, and niitcriorh/ naked, like tlie entire siiaiit: the top of tlie head and 

 the occi})ut between the rUhjes fat. No free dermal faps on the bodi/ {except that which belongs to the hind margin 

 of the anterior nostril). Lower jaw slightly projecting, irith a small protuherance on the chin. Soft-rayed part 

 of the dorsal fn lower titan the spi nous-rayed, the 3rd ray of which is the longest. Palate and pharynx, and 

 often the top of the tongue, as well as the peritoneum, black or blue. Ground colour of the body red on the back, 

 lighter on the sides and shading into irhife towards tlie abdominal line. From 3 to 5 light brown, fr(tnsrerse 

 bands sometimes appear on the back, and brown or green spots on the body and fins. 



r^fej; 



Fig. 4?>. Bliie-moulh (6'corpcpna dactyl optera), from Borgen. ','.j uatiiral size. 



R. hi: 7; 7>. 11 



.•1. 



P. 2 + 9 + 8 



1 + 11 1. 12 



+ 10 + 7; r. ';.^; V. x + 11 + .<•; L. Itit. (sqii. perfor.) 26 — 30; 

 Vert. 24 — 21!. 



■'^'i/n. 6'riirptvna dartijloptefa, Dei^.^kocuk, Ann. Mus. D'Hisl. Nat., 

 vol. XIII (1809) p. 337, tab. 22, fig. 9; Isihss., {SebaMes) 

 Skund. Fn., Fisk., p. 100; Gthr, Cat. Brit. Mus., Fish., 

 vol. II, p. 99; Steind., Stzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math. 

 Natiirw. CI., LVI (1807), I, p. 669; Coll., Vid. Selsk. Forli., 

 Christ., 1874, Tillaegsh., p. 19; ibid. 1879, No. 1, p. 9; 

 LiLU., iSc, Norrj. Fiskar, p. 107; (?) Johd., Gilb., (Scor- 

 pana) Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 16, p. 679. 

 iSebastes imperiaiis, Cuv., lieyne Anim., od. II, p. 167; Cuv., 

 V.\i.., Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. IV, p. 336; KiioY., Naturh. 

 Tidskr. Kblivn, ner. 2, vol. 1, pp. 269 ct281; DOli., Kon., 

 Vet.-Akad. Handl. 1844, p. 4,'); (?) Lowe Fi.sh. Madeira, 

 p. 171, tab. XXIV. 



Ob.'t. As CuviEit (Hist. Xat. Poiss., IV, p. .340) say.s that he 

 has e.xuiiiiiie.l the type specinieii of Bi.ocii-Schneidek's Scorpana 



malabarica {Sijst. Ichth. posth., p. 104), which Bloch is said to have 

 received from Abildgaard, and has ascertained that it belongs to the 

 present species, we ought perhaps to restore Block's specific name. 



In Lowe's figure to which we have referred above, the lower 

 jaw projects very far, the dorsal line is much too convex, the jaw- 

 teeth are large and scattered, and the maxillary bones are densely 

 covered with scales. 



It is evident that Jordan and Gilbert's iScorpa'iia dactyloptera 

 from the deep water outside Chesapeake Bay can scarcely belong to 

 this species, from the description, according to which the pectoral 

 fin extends to a point verticallj' above the beginning of the anal fin, 

 and is without the thickening of the lower rays, while the gill- 

 rakers are described as being long. 



Tlie Ijluc-uioiitli attains a length of about 45U 

 mm.". It is distinguished in form fi'om the Norway 

 Haddock by the thicker (somewhat terete) head and 

 the ]()^ver liody with a less convex dorsal line. The 

 greatest depth of the l)od_y is about 27 % of the 



"' 17 .\iislrian in. (iilniut 17'., Kng. in.), according to Steindaciiner, I. e. 



