160 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



THE BRANCH-SPINED COTTUS (s\v. (UiKMAUGioA ulki;.\ "). 

 GYMNOCANTHUS VtLXTKALIS. 



Fig. 4G. 



No parietal spines, if n-e except a pyatiilicrance on cncli side of the hintt juni of the sxpraorbital viare/iii: Intt 

 the top of the head, sometimes fyov> the (interior mare/in of the eije, and the teiiijjoral ret/ion, sometimes eren the 

 operculum n)id the hony ridge of the cheek, more or less closehj studded irifh spi)ious u-arts, or at least e/ranulated 

 with spinous tubercles''. Length of the head less than ;J8 % of that of the hodif . Length of the maxiUari/ hones 

 more than 33 % of that of the head, cren in the males''. Distance from the beginning of the first dorsal fin to 

 that of the second more than 20 % of the length of the bodg or than 05 %'' of the length of the head: and the 

 lenqth of the base of the second dorsal fin more than 89 % of the Icugtli of the head. Least breadth of the in- 

 terorbital space less than .53 % of the least depth of the tail. Length of the central fins, even in the males n^hen 

 readg to spairn. scarcelg more than 2,2 % of tlic length (f the bodg. or hardly more than a fifth greater than the 

 distance from the insertion of these fins to the beginning of the aned fin. Coloratioji brownish, gray, or still 

 darker., on the back: vhite or yeJlon-ish irith /rhite sj)ots on the belly: sides marked with dark transverse bands or 

 icith high and Ion- s/tots alternately; dorsal and pectoral fins with alternate dark {black or brown) and white 

 transrersc bands: ventral and anal fi'ns of the same colour as the belly and without spots. 



Fig. 40. Gyinnocanthv.i vcntraVis. 9, Uom Mos.sel Bay (Spilzbcrgeii), taken on a rocky bottom at a duiitli of between 2' ., and 5 fallKim.s, on 



the '2nd of December, 1872. Natmal size. 



/,', bf. C; /'. 11) 1. 11 (12)15 — 17; ,4. 16 — 18 (19); 

 P. 18 1. 19; V. '/.j; C. .c + (7 1. 8) 9 + .r ; L. Int. (por.) 40—50. 



•Hyii. Cottuf! (jobio, Faw;., Fii. Grocnl., p. 150 (vide Keiniiardt). 



Coitus ventralis, Cuv., Val., Ili.il. Xat. Poiss., vol. IV, p. 

 194, fab. 79, lig. 1; SwAiNS., {Gymnocanthuti) I.e., p. 271; 

 Gtiiu, (Collus) Cat. Brit. Mtis., Fisli., vol. II, p. 108; Mgrn, 

 (Phohetor), Of vers. Vet.-Akad. Forli. 1867, p. 259; Coll., 

 Vid. Selsk. Forb. Clirist. 1874, Tilhegsli., p. :50 ; 1878, No. 

 14, p. 15; LllTK., Vid. Meddel. Naturli. For. Kblivn 1876, 



p. 30;i. 



Vottus tricuspis, Keinh., Vid. Selsk. Nalurv. Math. Afh. Kblivn, 

 Deel V (1832) Overs., p. LII; ibid., Deel. VII (18.38), p. 



117; Kii., (Phobctor), Nalurli. Tidskr. Kbhvn, 2:den liiekke, 



vol. I, p. 203; Lu.u. (Cottiis), Vet.-Akad. Ilandl. 1850, p. 



309; Njlss., Skaiiil. Fu., Fisk.. p. 78; Gtiik, Cut., 1. c.; 



Malmgu. (PJiobctor). Finl. Fisk. (Disp. 1863), p. 11; In., 



Ofvers. Vet.-Akad. Forli. 1804, No. 10, p. 504. 

 Coitus pistillijer, LCik.. 1. e., ji. 364 (nee Pali..); Bean {Gi/iii- 



nacantlins) Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 15, p. 127; Coll., 



Norsk. Nordli. Exped., Zool,, Fiske, p. 20; Lilli. (Phohetor), 



He, Xoiy. Fish:, vol. I, ]>. 118. 

 Acantliocotlus palris, Stoiiei;, Bos(. Jonrn. Nat. Ili.st., vol. VI, 



p. 250, tab. VII, fig. 2. 

 Gymuacanthus ijalcatus, Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. IV 



(1881), p. 153. 



" I,ll,l,.lKliiiH(i, 1. e. 



'' During youfh — in specimens less than 50 nun. in length — this ehararfer is, however, in most cases not yet developed. 



' The same remark applies to this character as to the preceding one. 



