■2'dQ 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



THE SPOTTED SEA-CAT (sw. tigeeflackade hafkatten). 



ANARRHICHAS .AlIXOR. 



Plate XIII, fig. 1. 



Lenjjth of the pectoral fins more than 13 % of that of the body. Row of vomerine teeth longer than any of the 

 palatine rows. The dorsal fin ends in a suddenly depressed, lower part, which extends to the base of the caudal 

 fin {the last S — spinous rays are uniform in length, hut short, and the next 14 — 1.2 rays in front of them, 

 anteriorly diminishing in stiffness, hut increasing in length, form a curve in the fin margin like that in the pre- 

 ceding species). Top of the frontal hones behind the eyes about equal in breadth to the interorbital space. Color- 

 ation brownish or yellowish, with large, blackish brown spots. 



if. l»: 7; D. 74—78; .-1. 45—47; P. 21—22''; V. 0; 

 U. a;4-I2 — 14 + .1-; Vert. 78 1. 79. 



Syn. Hlyre og Steinhits-Broder, Anarrhichas (minor) vnaculis nigris 



rotundis totus conspersus, Olafsex, Reise Isl., vol. I, p. 



592, tab. XLII; An. minor, MUll., Zool. Dan. Prodr., p. 



40; Fabr., Fn. Groenl., p. 139; Mohr., Isl. Naturh., p. 



G4; Steenstr., Vid. Meddel. Naturh. For. Kbhvn, 1876, p. 



200, tab. Ill, fig. 2; Coll., Vid. Selsk. Forh. Christ., 1879, 



No. 1, p. 46; Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. II (1879), 



p. 217; Sp. Scuneid., Troraso Mus. Aarsber. 1882, p. 21; 



JuRD., GiLB., Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 16, p. 781; Lillj., 



Sv., Norg. Fiskar, vol. I, p. 540. 

 Anarrhichas pantherinus, ZouiEW, Acta Acad. Sc. Petrop. 1781, 



part. 1, p. 271, tab. VI; Mgr.v, Finl. Fish, (disp.), p. 23; 



Es3i., Forh. Skand. Naturf. Mode Christ. 1868, p. 524; 



Coll., Forh. Vid. Selsk. Christ., 1874, Tilla-gsh., p. 70. 

 Anarrhichas leopardns, Ac, Ge/i., Spec. Pise. Bras (Rp., Mart.) 



p. 93, tab. LI (vide Steenstr., Vid. Meddel. Naturh. For. 



Kbhvn 1877, p. 109). 

 Anarrhichas Eggerii, Steenstr., Fcirh. Skand. Naturf. Mote, 



Sthlni 1842, p. 647. 



As Steenstrup has pointed out, the specific name 

 (minor) by no means denotes that the Spotted Sea-cat 

 {Flek-6'teenbit, on Vardo) is smaller than the other spe- 

 cies of" the genus*. On the contrary, this species, 

 according to E.smakk, is the largest of all, attaining a 

 leng-th of 2 yards (18 dm.). In external shape it is 

 so like the preceding species that a special description 

 seems hardly necessary, seeing tliat ^ve can refer to the 

 figure and the above specific diagnosis. The colouring 

 of the body, the structure of the end of the dorsal fin 

 and the form of the skull are the main differences; but 

 even Olafsen and Mohr also knew that the Spotted 

 Sea-cat has smaller jaw-teeth and palatine teeth, which 

 are more pointed, or, at all events, not so depressed 

 at the top. In this respect the Spotted Sea-cat is an 



intermediate form between the preceding and the fol- 

 lowing species; and Steenstrup has shown that this 

 reduction in the strength of the dental equipment is 

 accompanied by a diminution of the surface of origin 

 for the masticatory and respiratory muscles, on the 

 sides of the posterior frontal region, the length of which 

 is here less than the diameter of the orbit (in the pre- 

 ceding species about equal to it). 



No external difference of sex is known in this 

 species, any more than in the preceding one: but that 

 there is such a difference, seems more than probable, 

 considering the great individual variations ^vhich meet 

 us, both in the ground-colour of the bodv and in the 

 position and extent of the anal fin. Of the two spe- 

 cimens presented to the Roj^al Museum by Baron NoR- 

 DESSKiOLD, from Dickson's second expedition to Green- 

 land, the one, which is 68 cm. long, is of a ground- 

 colour best described as chocolate, all over the body, 

 here and there with a dash of yellow; while the di- 

 stance from the anal fin to the tip of the snout is 

 nearly 4') % of the length of the body. In the other 

 specimen, which is 82 cm. long, the ground-colour of 

 the liind part of the body is grayish-j'elloAv, Avhile the 

 front part is more chocolate- coloured; and the distance 

 from the anal fin to the tip of the snout is 49 % of 

 the length of the body. The dark spots are blacki.sh 

 brown in both specimens, the condition of which, how- 

 ever, is such that it is now impossible to determine 

 their sex. This was also unfortunately the case with 

 a specimen extraordinarily Avell-preserved in external 

 respects, which the Royal Museum received through Mr. 

 Sparre-Schneider, from Vads6, and which was the 



" .According to Lill.ikboro 24. 



'' ''The term Minor here means Brother or i/oiinger Brother, as in the famous classical names Cato minor" etc. 



