I.VCdDolDS. 



GOil 



Ii;h1 uiili<'sil;itiiiul\ I'cfcrrci! tn ilic old Uriiili.-inltiaii 

 species Li/rodcs rcli( idatiis. 1"liis (nnn. which hclon<i's 

 III Kara Sea, is Furiiislicd when ^l^l'^ iniii. loiiii', nccord- 

 ilLii' til 1-1 IKICN, with scnirs ii\ei' the wlmlc tail and the 

 Ui'cater |iart ut the liack hchind ihc lieiiinnini;' uf the 

 dorsal tin; lint the alim c-incntiuned s|ieciincn t'nini 

 Ciiatanwa \\{\\, which wr |ii'ii|)()Sod in l.SSi' to refer I o 

 Liicodes miirosiis. is cntii-elv scnieless nt a Icniiih of 

 '24(i Mini. Tlie indi\iiliial \arialions in this respect 

 seem to III' so ureal thai we nmst aliandon the atteni|it 

 to liase the detei-niination of the species npon the pi-e- 

 seni'e or aiisenee of scales. Xo more reliance can he 

 jilaced on the proposed deternnnation — here as in the 

 (ioliies — liased on the L;reater or less extent of the 

 scalv coxerinu' in a forward direction, over the trunk 

 and head, in those forms which are fniaiished with 

 scales at an earh' a,i;e and retain them at all snli- 

 sei|ncnt nu'es. 



The differentiation of the species within this ,u'enus 

 fi'om each othei' is aniore advanced developmi'iit of tlie 

 S|iecitic difference whit-h seems to be present, lint can 

 scarcelv lie rei;'arded as tixed, within the precedina' 

 o'enus. A trace of the most essential diffei'ence lietween 

 the Euro])ean and the American Eelpmit mav lie found, 

 as we have seen aliove, in the two forms that can he 

 distinguished •with tolerahlc ease amono' the European 

 1-^elpouts, and ma^' he i-educed to a greater or less 

 elongation of the caudal ]iart of the hodv, in combina- 

 tion with a greater or less number of xcrtebra'. So 

 also within the gi'uus Lifcode^ we can distinguish be- 

 tween two main groups of forms, the first with com- 

 parati\el\' shortei- bod\", like that of the Eelpout or 

 e\cn dec]ier than it, the second with exceedingly elong- 

 ated, more Anguilliform body. Within these groups 

 the most genrral sjiecihc ditt'erence lies in the same 

 relation, couioiiii'd with the var\ing size of the head, 

 oriainalh- a distinction of sex and a,o;e, foi' thi' I'elative 



length of the head generalh' increases with age anil is 

 always greater in the males than in the females. 



The genus is composed exclusively of deep-sea 

 fishes, most of them li\ing al depths of from odd to 

 51)0 fathoms or more, and at least one speeies taken 

 in l,;>;-)3 fathoms of water. During youth, howevei', 

 they are met with nearer land and in shallower water, 

 sometimes at a de|ith of only ."id oi' 80 fathoms. For 

 the scieniilir ehicidalion of these forms we have prin- 

 ei]ially to ihank <'(ii,M"n' and LCtkkx. To the gene- 

 ralitx- of fishermen the genus is unknown, and it has 

 no popular name; EiLi-.iKUiiRr, has proposed the Swedish 

 names of filhni.smar or nlhihliar (Eel-Torsks). 



The species that belong to the Scandinavian fauna 

 )i\!.i\ be distinguished in the following manner: 



A: l)cpth of the bodv at ttic beginning of 

 the anal fin more than 8 % of its length. 

 Branchiostegal ravs 1^. 



a: Body plain, without spots ___ Li/codcs fi-iiihhix. 



Ii: Coloration light with dark-edged, sel- 

 liform spots in tlie 1V\-. in :idult spe- 

 cimens dark with light transverse 

 .«]iots or light with dark transverse 

 spots. 



a : Length of the head more than 

 39 % of that of the tail from the 

 beginning of the anal fin to the 



tip of the last fin-rays I^jicodcs letioilntiix. 



ji: Length of the head less than 30 

 % of that of the tail from the 

 beginning of the anal fin to the 



tip of the last fin-rays Lifnuli-x Vnlilii. 



/)'.• l)eptli of the bodv at the beginning of 

 the anal fin less than 8 ■•» of its length. 

 Branchiostegal rays .5. 

 a: Length of the head at least abottt 

 ' 4 (more than 23 °i) of that of the 

 tail frojn the beginning of the an.al 

 fin to the tip of the last fin-rays... Li/rutle.f Savaii. 

 (i: Length of the head at most about 

 ' - (scarcelv more than 20 %) of tliat 

 of the tail from the beginning of the 

 anal fin to the tip of the last fin-ravs Lt/nnles iinntrua. 



