MEGRIM. 



429 



longiliulo iiiaiiilibiihc iiMiniit. t'ulur roriioris fraushicidi in 



la(ore ocuJari cinoreus", niaeiilis ct punctiK fuscis conspersus. 

 R/10111//11S arnoglossus, Yarr., Hist. LSril. Fi.tli., ed. 2, vol. II, 



p. 345. 

 Pleiirotiectes con.ipersus, Canksth., Arcli. 1. c, p. 10, tab. I, 



lig. 2; Gthr, 1. c, p. 416; Stkinii., 1. (•. ; Mmi., 1. c, 



p. 32!); GiGi,., 1. c. 

 Megrim, Couch, Fish. Brit. IsL, vol. Ill, p. 177, tab. CLVIII. 

 Hliombus solecnformis. Malm, Forh. Skaiid. Naturf. M. Stockh. 



18C3, p. 413; Ghgs, lloh. Fa. (Arnoglossus) y. b\':\ ■ Gbgs, 



Naturh. Mus. Arsskr. Ill (1881), p. 24. 

 Arnoglossus laternn, C'oi.L., Forh. \'iii. Selsk. Christ. 1874, 



TilliBgsh., p. 140; ibid. 187!), No. 1, p. 77; Day, Fish. 



G:t Brit.. Irel.. vol. 2, p. 22, tab. XCIX, fig. 2; CoLt.., 



N. Mag. Naturv. Christ., Bd. 29, p. 101; h\iA.:i., Sv., Korg. 



Fish:, vol. II, p. 329. 



Obs. AnioDg the fishes of the Mediterranean Canestrini in 

 1801 distinguished between two species within the limits fixed by 

 his predecessors for Pleuronectes arnoglossiis. The first, which was 

 adopted by Gunther under the name of Arnoglossiis luternii, without 

 spots on the fins and with tlie length of the lower jaw at least ' j, 

 of that of the body, was stated by Canestrini to be common in the 

 Gulf of Genoa during winter, but rare during summer, from the 

 montli of April. The second, Pleuronectes (Anioglossns) conspersus, 

 with the vertical fins punctated with brown and with tlic length of 

 the lower jaw less than '/n (sometimes */j,) of that of the body, he 

 stated to be a common summer-fish in the same vicinity, but rare in 

 winter. The Royal Museum has acquired from the Mediterranean one 

 specimen of the first form, 97 mm. in length, which was taken in 

 March, 1874, off Salerno by Professor C. Love.v, and two specimens 

 of the latter, respectively 97 and 111 mm. long, wliich were taken 

 in October, 1856, off Venice by Professor 0. SantiAHL. On comparing 

 these forms with each other and with two Scandinavian specimens — 

 the first 114 mm. in length and taken off Torrboskar (the Skaw) in 

 July, 1878, during the expedition of the gunboat Giinhitd, the second 

 116 mm. long and taken during the summer of 1879 at the zoo- 

 logical station of Kristineberg in Bohuslan — we find the same ques- 

 tion before us as that we have had to deal with in our treatment of 

 the relation between Pleuronectes glacialis and PL cicatricosus or 

 between Drepanopsetta pilatessoides and Drcp. limandoides''. The 

 one form has a deeper body and a shorter head, thus representing 

 partly tlie female characters and partly a more advanced stage of 

 development. That the two forms of the European Megrim are also 

 geographically distinct, at least to a certain extent, appears not only 

 from Canestrini's observation that they repair to the fishing-grounds 

 at different seasons of the year — a fact which may indicate that they 

 must be regarded, generally speaking, as inhabitants of distinct locali- 

 ties — but also from the circumstance that the one form, Bonaparte's 

 and Canestrini's PL arnoglossiis, has probably never been found in 

 Scandinavia, perhaps not even in Great Britain — at least to judge 

 by Yarrell, Couch, and Day — though Moreau states that he ob- 

 tained it olf Havre. As in the case of the Rougli Dab, however, we 

 here. too. allow the older specific name to do duty for hotli forms, 



especially as this name was adopted by Walrauji witli references to 

 the works of both Rondelet and Ray, and thus may he applied in 

 all probability to both forms. 



The Euvopcnii Megriin attains a- length of from 

 17 to 19 oni., the depth of the hotly, ■\vhicli is greatest 

 at ahoiit the cud of its iir.st third, being at most 36 % 

 of the total length or 45 % of the lengtli from the 

 snout to the ha.se of the eaudal tin. In tlie Scandi- 

 navian form tlie greatest depth is, as a rule, more than 

 82 %' of the former length or 38 % of the latter. Thus, 

 the form of the Ijody, as well as the close proximity 

 to each other of the vertical fins on the tail, most re- 

 minds us of the Soles, a circumstance which led Malm 

 to call the species soleceformis. But the body is thin- 

 ner than that of the Scandinavian Solea, the thickness 

 of the head across the opercula, in spite of the fact 

 that this is the thickest pai-t of tlie body, measuring 

 only about 5 96 of the length of the body or between 

 14 and IS'/o % of its gi-eatest depth. The chief sin- 

 gularity in the appearance of the fisli is also its trans- 

 parency. The body being so thin, ^ve can easily under- 

 stand one of the circumstances pointed out by Rox- 

 delet'' as characteristic of the Megrim, namely that 

 it requires no more boiling than nonnat". Its trans- 

 parency is further enhanced by the texture of the scalv 

 covering. Most of the scales of the body, especially 

 on the trunk and the hind part of the head, are com- 

 paratively large, thin, and deciduous. On the eye side 

 they are ciliated at the hind margin, on the blind side 

 smooth-margined. The lateral line is distinct only on 

 the eye side, and forms a sharply marked arch above 

 the abdominal region. More firmly attached, small 

 scales, ciliated at the outer margin, cover the dorsal 

 and anal fins, the ventral fin of the eye side and the eye 

 side of the snout. The caudal fin, on the other hand. 

 is covered with small scales, on the eye side ciliated, 

 but on the blind side smooth-margined. On the first 

 three fins the scales are set in a single row on eacli 

 ray, while the branched rays of the caudal fin are 

 furnished with a row for each branch. On the eye 

 side the maxillarv bone and the liranch of the lower 



" Fusco-argijlaceus, sec. Mai.m. 



'' Cf. also the relation between Beri/x decadactylus and B. splendens (p. 68, above) or between Brama longipinnis and Br. luiii 

 (p. 80, Obs., above). In the present case too, strange to say, we find parallels between very closely related Atlantic and Pacific forms. 



'■ In Coi.lett's smallest specimen, 79 mm. long, the greatest depth of tlie body according to his measurements was STO \ of the 

 length of the body. 



'' Statim atque ignem vidit coctus est, quemadmodum apliya. 



' Cf. above, p. 264. 



