I'l.orNDEH-FISHKS. 



417 



THE LESSER HALIBUT (sw. i,ii,i-a iii;i,(;kflundi{Ak). 



I'l.A'I'VSOMATICHTHYS lIlIMMKiLOSSOJDES. 



Fig. 112. 



Greatesf ilcpfh of llir IkxIii in i/ain/f/ s/icciiiicns (((hditt IS (III. hint/) dlidiif :3f>% (if the Iciif/fli (if titc Ixilljl, <lV(f ill 

 older specimens {af least 40 — 7f) cm. hnif/) (iIkhiI :3(> — 2H^:.^ %" thereof: f/reatest tldckness of tlic liodii alxiut .HI % 

 of the de})tli. Least depth af the tail (iIkhiI .29 % (if flic i/icafcsf depth of the liodi/. /.aferal line evenly slopiv// 

 ill the abdominal recfion. Len(/th of the hurcr jair iimrc than hall' that (if the head. Hind exfremiti/ af the npper 

 jair-h(ine e.r.tending in i/oiinf/ specimens didi/ td a line irilh the jiosteridr part if the Imrer ei/e. Imf in did ."Speci- 

 mens beijond the perpendicalar fnim the hind inarf/in nf this ei/c The (jreutest depth hdth (f the dorsal and anal 

 fins almost coincides irith the middle of the lenc/th of the hodi/. iiirludiufj the caudal fin. Distance hetveen the 

 dorsal fin and the tip (f the snaut i/reater than the lenpth of the pectoral fins, them Vio of the lem/th of the hodi/'\ 

 than \/,, of the greatest depth of the Inidi/', than "'. (if the lene/th af the head", or than '^/„ of the length (f the 

 head behind the eijes". Length (if the base af the dorsal fin did// (didiit (!7 — 68^;„ % af the length o/ thf bdd//. 

 Coloration of both sides i/elldirish brdirn\ paler (in the blind side than (in the ege side. 



R. t»: 7: D. 94—90"; A. 71—76; P. 2 + 12''; V. 6; 

 C. .T+ 16+.r; L. lat. por. perfor. 105 (+ 20 in pinn. caud.). 



aS'//h. Et usemeent Slags af Helk'Hyndrf r, Leem, Besli-v. Fimii. Lapp., 

 p. 315'. 



J-'leuronectes ci/itoglosi:ii,'^, F.^di;., Fii. Groenl., p. 163; Kink, 

 Ge6ni,., vol. I, ).. 145.. 



Pleuronectes Hippocjlossoides, Wai.h., Art. Gen. Pise, p. 115: 

 Gill (Rein/iardfiun), Pruc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Pliikd. 1861, App., 

 p. 50: 1864, p. 218; Bk. G. el Bean (Plati/soniaticlitliijs), 

 Bull. Ess. Inst., \o\. XI, p. 7 ; Coll., Norsk. Nordh. Exped., 

 ZooL, Fiske, p. 142; Jokil, Gii.b., Bidl. U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 No. 16, p. 819; Coll., N. Mag. Naliirv. Clirisl., Bd 29, 

 p. 98; Lillj. (Hippoglossus), >Sl-., Norg. Fv., Fi.il-., vol. 2, 

 p. 295: C0LLIN.S {Plati/.iumaticlitht/,"), Bull. U. S. Fish. Comui., 

 vol. V (1885), p. 256. 



Pleiironecies phiguis, Fabh., Dansk. Vid. Selsk. Naturv., Math. 

 Afh.. vol. I (1824). p. 45; Reinh. (Hjppoylossiis), ibid., 

 vol. VII. p. 116; Kr.. Voy. -S'caiid., cell. (Gaim.), tab. 22; 

 Blku {Plati/somaticlitlii/i<), Versl., Mededecl. Akad. Weten., 

 Afd. Natnrk., 1862, p. 426; Steensth., Overs. D. Vid. Selsk. 

 Forh. 1863, p. 186: E.sm. (Hippnglossus), Forh. Skand. 

 Natiirf. M. Christ., 1868, p. 526; Coll., P\.rh. Vid. Selsk. 

 Cliri.'^l. 1874, Tilliegsh., p. 135; ibid. 1879, No. 1, p. 74; 

 Ltkn, Fisli. Groenl., Arct. Man. 1875 (Comm. Roy. Soc), 

 II. 120. 



Ifippoglossus gr/cnhindicun. Gthl. Brit. AI((s. V((t., Fisli.. vol. 

 IV, p. 404. 



The Lesser Halibut has been known witliiu tlie 

 limits of the Scandinfivian fauna for more than a cen- 

 tury' (since ITiiT), lint it is still one of the rarities in 

 our museums. It is also a dee]»-sea tisli for which no 

 special fishery is carried on in Scandinavia, thougii in 

 recent yeai's it has been caught so often on the coast 

 of Nor^vegiaii Finmark, that Collett declares that in 

 those ])ai-ts it "is not particularly rare.'' It is far moi'e 

 common on the coast of Greenland, where it has been 

 for many years the object of an important fishery. It 

 never attains so large a size as the ])receding .species: 

 according to Fabricius its length on the coast of Green- 

 land scarcely exceeds 26^4 in. (68 cm.). The largest 

 specimen Collett ever sa^v, was caught ott' \ ardo, and 

 measured 92 cm. in length. Collins, who (1. c.) has 

 published Captain Johnson's notes of a fishing-voyage 

 in 1885 to the edges of the deep-water pocket on tli<- 

 eastern side of the Grand Banks (44° 3' N. lat.), states 



" According to Lilljebokg about 31, 



'' About 11',, — 10' .) % tliereof. according to the specimens before us. 



' About 44'/.,— 36Vo % thereof. 



'' About 46V2— 42 % thereof. 



' About 83-68 % thereof. 



■'' According to Fabkicius (Fit. Groenl.) brfiwnish gray (fiis-cocinerci(s) or (1824, 1. c.) light gray. 



" D. 92 — 102, according to Collett. 



''P. 14 — 15, according to Collett. 



'■ "Juxtn iusulam Bug-Ocn, iti Finuiarcbia oriontali, Passeres occurrunt. in eo a ceteris sui generis discrepantes, quod non per dorsum 

 dumtaxat, sed etiaiu sub ventre, adeoque toti, nigri sint, et tam pinguedine. quam sajiore illis multum prsestent." 



■' Nearer 200 years, according to Collett, who gives a reference to "Lillienskiold's great work Speculum boreale, published in 1698," 

 where the same remark is said to occur as that just quoted from Leeji. The work is unknown to us. 



53 



