I.VCODillDS. 



615 



tliMii it" (Li'TK., (if Ljiiodi's Viihlii). In llic lirsl ])lace, 

 lio\vc\cr, lliis cliaraoter is subject, according to CoLLETf's 

 iiieasureiiicnts. to cotisiderahlc variations — e\'cii in the 

 same si>eciuR'n, a male HS cm. long, wliicli has been 

 kindh' lent nu' for examination h\- Professor Coi.lictt, 

 the row ol' palatine (ceth on iiiie side differs from tiiat 

 on the otiier, the fight containing 8 teeth, the left 12. 

 in tiie second place, we haxc hei-e to deal with a sexual 

 ch;iraeter, as both Ia'TKKN and Collictt have pointed 

 out: the males in general have longer rows of teeth 

 than the females, both on the intermaxillaries and on the 

 palatine bones. Thus, when we remend)ei' that in Iji- 

 cndes Esmtirlcii the four rows of teeth, or at least three 

 of them, according to Coi. Lett's measurements (Nordh. 

 Exped., 1. c, p. 90), \w\\ be e(|ual in lengtli to each 

 other even in specimens ;> dm. long, the character can 

 scarcely be regarded as a universally valid distinction 

 bet^^"een the \v;o jiroposed species. 



The body, which just behind the head is terete, 

 about as l)rond as deep, is gradually compressed later- 



Fig. 150. Lycoihs Valdii, gracilis, twice flic niitiiral size. Talien 



,it Driibak in 1866 by M. Saks. The [.rcperty of the Zoological 



Mnseuni (pf Christinnia University. 



ally from this point. The depth at the lieginning of 

 the anal fin is lU — 13'/, % of the length of the body 

 in old specimens, but only about 8' 3 % thereof in the 

 fry, assuming tiiat we are right in referring to this 

 species, the fry of which are otherwise unknown, the 

 Li/codef! (/racilis of M. Sars (fig. 150). The type-spe- 

 cimeti of this pi'oposed species has been placed at our 

 disi)osal for purposes of examination by the kindness of 

 Professor Collett. In all essential characters of form 

 the relation of this s])ecimen to Lycodes persplciUtim and 

 L. Rossi — the assumed fry of the preceding species — 

 is tlie same as that of L/irodes Vnlilli to L. reficiihifiis 

 ill their adult state. The distance between the dorsal 

 fin and the tip of the snout is 23 %", the distance be- 

 tween the anal fin and the latter some^vhat more than 

 38 %\ and the length of the tail 61 96' of the length 

 ot tl;e body. The length of tln' head is only 34 %'' 

 of that of the tail. 



In this species as in the; |)receding one, the pectoral 

 iiiis are broad and rounded, tiie membrane being espe- 

 cialh' thick below, 'fheir length from tlu; upper angle 

 of the insertion varies between al)out 14 and 12Vs % 

 of that of tlie body. The ventral fins are set just behind 

 tin' line bctwc^en the lower angles of the gill-openings, 

 iuid so near each other tliat the distance between them 

 is scarcely (Mjual to tliv lii-eadth oi' their base. They 

 are of an oblong, triangidar shape, and their length in 

 the male is about ecjual to the longitudinal diameter of 

 the eyes, in the female, according to LiLL.iEnoRt;, onl)- 

 ■^3 thereof. The skin is so tliick tiiat it is difficult to 

 count the rays witliout dissection: Bkowx-Goode and 

 Beax state the numlier at 3", Reinhahdt and Coi.lett 

 at 4, LiLLJEBOKG at 5. 



The vertical fins ai-e of fairly uniform height, but 

 ascend anteriorly in a rounded slope and coalesce behind 

 into a siia.rp (in young specimens) or rather obtuse (in 

 older ones) point. The anal fin is somewhat lower than 

 the dorsal, and its length abotit ^ 5 of that of the lattei-. 

 The longest rays of the dorsal fin, wdiich ai-e situated 

 above the anterior part of the anal fin, measure about 

 half the depth of the body at the beginning of the latter. 

 In the dorsal fin, according to Reinuardt, only the first 

 ray is sim])le, \vith the exception of the raj's tliat occupy 

 the extreme tip of the tail; in the anal fin, according 

 to LiLL.JEROKG, the fii'st thi'ee rays are simple. 



The scales resemble those of the Eelpout in form 

 and structure. The}' are thin, flexible, and in general 

 elliptical, with extremely thin, central nucleus of the 

 same form and dense, fine, concentric striaj (ridges), 

 which are prettily broken by numerous, straight, radiat- 

 ing grooves over the whole surface. When they are 

 allowed to dry undei- the thin skin that covers them, 

 we therefore see, in old specimens, small, fine notches 

 all round the margin of each scale, the traces of the 

 ends of tlie grooves at the edge. The scales of the 

 lateral line are more circular, with the nucleus thickened 

 and with a canaliculate duct, contracted and almost 

 closed at the middle liy the growth of the margins 

 towards each other. Scales of this structure appear even 

 where the lateral line is externally invisible. The longest 

 axis of the scale generally lies transversely across the 

 bodv. In a male 58 cm. Ions' one of the largest scales 



" In L. perspidthim and L. Iiossi 26' , — 29 ">. 



» „ „ „ , 43V3— 46 %. 



c 55' 53 ^i. 



'' ,. .. „ 46—40 %. 



' S.\RS found the same numlier in his Lycodes gracih 



