658 



.SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



THE TEN-SPINED STICKLEBACK OR TINKER (.sw. HMAspniOEN). 

 (;4ASTEK0STEUS Pl'XGITIUS. 



Plate XXVIII, figs. 3 and 4. 



Froo xp/Doiix rdijft on the hark HsiiaUif '.) (7" — 1:?). Jhdiichiosfefidl mcmhnuies ntiited ini<h'rneittl/ into a fold 



posferioiii/ free fnnii the Istlnuiis. 



/,'. hi: 3; I). 7"— 12 10 — 12; A. 

 C. .y+ 1 + 10 + l+.v: Vert. 32—33. 



-10; P. — 10; V. 



iSyii. Ofislcrostens aculeis in dorso decern, AliT., Iclitli., Geii.. p. .'<2; 

 Si/n. p. 80; Spec, p. 97; Lin., Fii. Suec, ed. I, p. 104. 



Oasterostetts Puiigitiiis, Lin., Syst. Nat., ed. X, Imn. I, p. 2'Ji;; 

 Fn. Suec, cd. II, p. 119; Rktz., Fii. Stiec. Lin., p. 338; 

 PM.\^.{Gasteracanthus), Zoogr. Ross. Asiut., toin. Ill, p. 228; 

 t'uv., V.AL. (Oasterostetts), Hist. Nat. Poi.ss., vul. IV, p. 506; 

 Eksth., Vet. Akad. Handl. 1831, p. 302; NiLSS., Proilr. 

 Ichtli. Scand., p. 86; Eksth., Slcand Fisk., ed. I, p. 2(1, 

 V. Weight, tab. IV, fig. 2; Kb., Damn. Fiske, vol. I, pp. 188 

 ft 5!)3; SuNDEV., Stockh. L. Husli. Sallsk. Handl., H. 6 (1855), 

 p. 79; NiLSS., Skand. Fn., Fisk. p. 110; Tuomps., Nat. 

 IIi.it. Ird., vol. IV, p. 89; Gthb, Cat. Brit. Mus., Fi.iti., 

 vol. I, p. 6; SiEB., Hiissir. Mitteleur., p. 72; Mgrn, Finl. 

 Fisk-Fn. (disp. Helsingf.), p. 15; Lindstr., Gotl. Lans Hush. 

 Sallsk. Arsber. 1866, p. 15 (sep.); Coll., Forb. Vid. Sel«k. 

 Clirisl. 1874, Till.-cgsb., p. 13; ibid. 1870. No. 1, p. 4; 

 X. Mag. Naturv. Clirist., Bd. 29 (1884), p. 49 ; Day. Journ. 

 Linn. Soe. Lond., vol. Xllt (1876). Zool., p. 110; Malm, 

 Gbgs, Bull. Fn.. p. 373: Seipl., Fn. Bait., p. 128; Winth., 

 Nat. Tidskr. Kblivn, ser. 3, vol. XII, p. 4: Fkiiders., ibid., 

 p. 74: MoK., Hist. Nat. Poiss. Fr.. toni. Ill, p. 160; Day, 

 Fisli. at. Brit.. Ii-pL, vol. I, p. 244, trib. LXVIII, fig. 4; 

 Mela, Vert. Fenn., p. 279, tab. IX: Fatio, Fn. Vert. Suisse, 

 vol. IV, part. I, p. 98; Hansen, Zool. Dan., Fiske, p. 30, 

 tab. V, fig. 3; Stobm, Norsk. Vid. Selsk. Skr., Trondhj., 

 1883. p. 15; Mob., Hoke, Fi.<cli. O.sts., p. 65; Jold., Gilb., 

 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 16, ].. 393: Lilli.. Sr.. Norg. 

 Fisk., vol. I, p. 363. 



Ga.sterosteus occidentalis. Civ.. Val., 1. o., p. 509. Gast. dekayi 

 + G. nebulosns, Ai;., Lake Superior, pp. 310 et 311. Gast. 

 nonciiiiius. Rich., Fn. Bor. Ainer., p. 57. Gast. mainensis, 

 Stoker, Best. Journ. Nat. Hist., vol. I, p. 464. Gasterosteus 

 pungitins+ G. burgundianus + G. Icecis (ex Cuvier, R'egn. 

 Anim., ed. 2, toni, II, p. 170) + G. lotharingus + G. breviceps, 

 Blanch., Poiss. d. eau.v douces Fr., pp. 238, cett.; Gasterostea 

 pungitia + G. burgundiana + G. occidentalis + G. dekaiji+G. 

 blancliardi + G. mainensis + G. Urns + G. lotharinga + G. 

 breviceps + G. eoneinna + G. globiceps, Salvage, Nouv. Arch. 

 Mus. d'Hist. Nat. I'ar., toni X, pji, 29, cett. 



Obs. As appears from this list of synonyms, it has also been 

 proposed to base a number of independent species on the variation.s of 

 the Ten-spined Stickleback. The lack of constancy is, however, just 

 as great here as in the preceding species; and to judge by our present 

 knowledge of the forms, only the East Asiatic variety (Gasterosteus 

 sinensis, Guicijenot, see above), witli its fully-plated lateral line and 

 its large, comparatively few spinous rays on the back, which are e(pial 



in length to the diameter of the eyes or still longer, deserves to be 

 especially distinguished as an intermediate form between this species 

 and the Three-spined Stickleback. 



The Ten-.spined Stickleback i.s the .smallest fresh- 

 water fish of Europe. Its ordinary- length when full- 

 grown is aliout 5 or (! ciii. Lill.iebouc, howe\er, s))eaks 

 of specimens 81 mm. long from the moats of Upsala 

 (^astle. In form it i.s usually shallower (more elongated) 

 and more terete tlian tlie preceding species, tlie depth 

 of th(> body at the insertions of the ventral tins lieiiig 

 on an average'' about IS % of its length (as compared 

 with 2U % in the preceding s])ecies), and the breadth 

 straight ;icross the up\vard lateral processes of the pelvic 

 bones on an average .08 — G2 % of the said depth (as 

 com]);ired with 52 — 51 % in the ]jreceding species). But 

 in tiiis res])ect no constant difference can be traced, and 

 the largest specimens of the Ten-spined Stickleback as 

 a rule come nearer and nearer the Three-spined species. 



The Ten-spined .'^tickleliack is genera]i\- ^vithout 

 any external trace of [)late-armour on the sides of the 

 body; but in most cases the lateral line is raised on 

 the sides nf iIh' tail in the form of a carina, rendei-ing 

 the breadth of the pcdiuicle of the tail considerably 

 greater than its deptii, and now and then showing plate- 

 like ossifications in the skin. But quite as frequently 

 this carina is really membranous, and sometimes hardly 

 a trace of it is vi.sible, the base of the caudal tin thus 

 acquiring a terete appearance. Especially in tiie soutii- 

 ern parts of the geographical range of the Ten-spined 

 Stickleback this last form seems to be the commonest 

 one, and it has been described bv Cuvier under the 

 name of Gasterosteus Jmv'is. The plates at the dorsal 

 margin and along the base of the anal fin are hidden 

 in the skin; l)ut the former are more concav^e on tlie 

 upper surface than in tlie iireceding species, thus form- 

 ing a groove both deeper and broader, into which tlie 

 spinous dorsal rays may be depressed. In number these 

 spinous rays vary w ithin the limits given above — 



" .\bnormal specimens with only 2 or 4 free spinous rays on the back are mentioned by Day (1. e.). 

 '' In our specimens, which are between 38 and 60 mm. in length. 



