LEMON DAB. 



385 



side, and extends in iui arcuate shape nearlj* to the 

 caudal fin. The distance between these tins is less than 

 ^j^ of the least deptli of the tail. As a rule the dorsal 

 tin contains from 87 to 98 rays, all sinijjlc, with soft, 

 bent tijis. The anal tin in shape resembles the dorsal, 

 begins just behind the vent, at a distance from the tip 

 of the snout that measures between 19 and 22% of the 

 length of the body, and ends exactly opposite the ter- 

 mination of the dorsal tin. Tlie caudal fin is fairly 

 long — during the growth of the bod}- from 15 to 30 

 cm., its length at tlie middle varies between 18 and 

 16 % of the length of the body — and rounded at the 

 tip. It contains 14 or 1.5 branched rays, and 2 or 3 

 supporting rays at either margin. 



The pectoral fins are almost elliptical. The pectoral 

 fin of the blind side is only slightly shorter than that 

 of th(^ eye side or equal in length to the latter, the 

 length of which is about equal to the least depth of the 

 tail or the length of the longest rays of the dorsal fin. 

 One, two or three of the uppermost rays are simple, 

 the others, usuallv witli the exception of the lowest ray, 

 branched. The ventral fins are small and contain but 

 few rays, their number varying, however, between 4 

 and 6; the outermost ray and, as a rule, the inner- 

 most are simple, the others branched. No constant 

 sexual distinction can be drawn from the length of 

 either the pectoral or the ventral fins. 



The coloration of the body in ne^v-caugllt, young 

 specimens is red, marbled with blackish brown. In very 

 old specimens, or when the fish is dead, the coloration 

 grows darker, and generally becomes yellowish gray 

 marbled with grayish brown. The blind side is always 

 pure white, in exceptional cases with some grayish 

 })rown spots at the base of the caudal fin. Only seldom 

 do \ve find the body adorned here and there ^vith scat- 

 tered, simple, or large, ocellated spots of a bluish or 

 greenish colour. The fins always retain the colour of 

 the body, though the tips of the anterior rays both in 

 the dorsal fin and the anal are alwa}'S ^vhite. We have 

 already noticed the carnation lips and the orange rim 

 of the gill-cover. The iris is brassy yellow, and tlie 

 pupil greenish blue. 



The internal organs almost exactly resemble those 

 of the preceding species. The peritoneum is more or 

 less dark on the eye side and on the blind side faint 

 brassy yellow or white. Only one coil of the intestine 

 enters the secondary abdominal cavity of the eye side. 

 There are four pyloric appendages of various sizes. The 



Scandinavian Fishes. 



length of the intestinal canal is about equal to that of 

 the l){)dy. Tiie liver is large and divided into four 

 lobes, the gall-bladder also large, and the spleen, which 

 is long and triangular, lies as in the preceding species. 

 The secondary abdominal cavity of the eye side, in a 

 female 28 cm. long, measures 38 % of the length of the 

 body, and extends back to the interha?mal spine of the 

 20th ra}- in the anal fin, counting from behind; while 

 the length of the abdominal cavity proper is onl)' about 

 ia*/o % of that of the body. 



On the European side of the Atlantic the geogra- 

 phical range of the Lemon Dab is about the same as 

 that of the preceding species, extending from the White 

 Sea to file neighbourhood of Arcachon on the west coast 

 of France, and to Iceland. On the other hand, to the 

 best of our knowledge, it does not descend into very 

 deep water. Like the Pole it has been found once or 

 twice in the south-west of the Baltic, off Kiel: but it 

 does not enter the Baltic proper. According to Scha- 

 GERSTROM it is uot uufrequenth' met with in the Sound. 

 It is known i)y the fishermen of Kullen, on account of 

 its thick lips, as pluddeiinun (Babble-mouth), and by the 

 fishermen of Landskrona as monffundra (Mouth-flounder). 

 It is also taken frequently, according to Gottsche, by 

 the fishermen of Zealand, off Gilleleie and Skovshoved, 

 where it is called stensugare (Stone-sucker). The name 

 of marcjiimdra (Sea-flounder) is applied b}^ the fishermen 

 of the Sound to almost all the less known Flatfishes, 

 according to SchagerstkOji. Furthermore, the nomen- 

 clature employed bv our fishermen is so wanting in 

 accuracy that the Lemon Dab also goes by the name of 

 tioiga (Sole). It prefers a stony and rocky bottom, and 

 is, therefore, known in the island-belt of TjOrn as herg- 

 skddda (Rock-dab), and in the north of Bohuslan, ac- 

 cording to CederstrOm, as hergjiundra (Rock-flounder). 

 Off Bergen, where it is taken in large numbers, it bears 

 the name of sandflundra, according to Nilsson. It lives 

 on mollusks, worms, and crustaceans; and its pharyngeal 

 teeth seem especially adapted to the last two kinds of 

 food. Ekstrom found in its stomach some sprigs, about 

 an inch long, of Fucaceoe (Furcellaria fasfigiata, Hali- 

 drgs sUiqxosa etc.), but he was probably right in his 

 assumption that they had been swallowed together 

 with the food, more than for the sake of any nourish- 

 ment they might afford. In Bohuslan the spawn- 

 ing-season of the Lemon Dab occurs in June. It is 

 generally taken in Flounder-nets together with the 

 Plaice, but in Scandinavia it is by no means so com- 



49 



