686 



.SCANDINAVIAN I-ISIIK.S. 



as usual entirely destitute of tin-rays. According' to 

 MoBius and IIeincivE young specimens less than 1 dm. 

 long have longitudinal carina on the body like those 

 of the Deep-nosed Pipefish, and these carina' are fringed 

 with spines growing in a backward direction on the 

 plates of the body, so tliat the bodj% when seen from 

 the side, presents a serrated appearance. The pectoral 

 tins do not begin to be reduced until tiie fish is il cm. 

 long; and according to Collett these fins may still be 

 persistent, with a length of 1 mm., in specimens 112 

 mm. long. The Straight-nosed Pipefish thus undergoes 

 a remarkably complete series of developmental changes, 

 a retrogressive metamorphosis, with the earlier .stages 

 possessing the structure and external form of more fully 

 equipped Si/ii;/)uifhi)i(i'. Tlie history of its development 

 is the most distinct and complete illustration we possess 

 of the development (phylogeny) of the wiiole family. 



Tlie Straight-nosed Pipefish is (jf no greater iui- 

 portaucc in ;ui economical respect tlian tlie rest of our 

 Si/iif/iKitliiiirc. Whether it can do ni[\ iiarm b^- de- 

 vouring the deposited eggs of other fishes, or by reducing 

 the supj)ly of food for the fry of more valuable species, 

 is a point on which we have no information. That it 

 may be used, at least in its younger days, as humiui 

 food, is shown, however, by its a]>j)earance amongst 

 whitebait", for, like the Sticklebacks, it now and then 

 forms a part of this favdurite English dish, which con- 

 sists chiefly of Herri ng-frj-. Its common occurrence 

 renders it well-known to the fisherman, and on the 

 east coast of Sweden it is this species in particular tiiat 

 bears the name of hafsnaJ (Needle-fish), which Fhies 

 adopted for tiie whole genus Nerophis. In Halland it 

 is called fihif/snijici'', a reminiscence of the Danish siiippp, 

 whicii Kkdyei! lias transferred to tlie following S])ecies. 



THE WORM PIPEFISH. 



NEKOPIIIS LrMBHiriFoUMLS. 



Fig, 175 nnd Pint,- XXIX. lig. 4. 



Caiiddl till iniiifhif/. Vent sifiiafed hrloir the anterior jmrt of tlie dorsal ,/?//, tlie distance lietireen leliieh ami flie 

 tip of tlie snout is at least 90 % {90 — 92 ?o) of that hetireen flie rent and the same point, hat less than 



') times the lenf/th of the head. 



Fig. 175. He;i(l and foi'ep.Trt of ,i Neroplii'' lumlnici/ofmis, 9, from the Weatlier Islands (Boluislan). Twice the natural size. 



/). 25—2(3; Ann. CO — 7:J = (17 — 10) + .r. 



Si/n. Acus iumbriciformis atit ^'erpentinus, 1. Ophidian Iwnbriciforme, 

 WiLLUGHDY, Hist. Pisc, p. 160; Ray, Synops. Metliod. Piac, 

 I>. 47. Tlie little Pipe-fish, Penn., Brit. Zool. (ed. 1776), 

 p. 124, t.ib. XXIII, No. 62. 



l^ijnrjHutlms Ophidian, Ft.MNG, Brit. Aniiii., p. 176 (nee Lin.). 



St/nijiiathus lumhrlci/annis, Yare., Brit. Fixh., ed. 1, vol. II, 

 p. 340; Fr., Vet. Akad. Handl. 1837, pp. 38 et 59, tab. Ill, 

 ligg. 5 et 6, tab. IV; Kr. (Nerophis), Damn. Fislc., vol. Ill, 

 p. 723; NlLSS. (Scyphius) iilcarul. Fn.. Fisl.:. p. 695; GillR 

 (Nerophis), Oat. Brit. Mas., Fish., vol. VIII, p. 193; D«M. 

 Hist. Nat. Poiss., torn. II, p. 604: Coll., Forb. Vid. Selsk. 

 Clirnia, 1874, Tillaegsb., p. 203; Malm {Scyphiiis) Gbgs, 

 Boh. Fn., p. 598; Wintii. (Nerophis), Naturb. Tidskr. Kbbvn, 

 sei-. 3, vol. XII, ].. 54: Hcke, Arch. Naliirg., .Jahrg. 46, I, 

 p. 339; MoR., Hi.^t. Naf. Poiss. Fr., toni. II. p. 65: Dav, 

 Fish. at. Brit., fret., vol. II, p. 263, tali. CXL1\", lig. 6: 

 LiLL.1., Sv., Nor,/. Fisl,:, v,d. Ill, p. 477. 



Ohs. That it was not this species tliat .Jenyns referred to (^fan. 

 Brit. Vert. Anim., p. 488), appears partly from bis statement that 

 it may attain a length of 9 inches (228 mm.), partly from his 

 description, wbicb. as Fries lias already remarked, can apply only to 

 tbe preceding species. 



The \Vorm Pipefi.sh is one of our smallest Sijnf/na- 

 thinec: its length is seldom more than 15 cm., and the 

 maximum size which the species is known to attain, is 

 16.") mm.'' The largest s])ecimens in the Ittiyal ^luscuni 

 are 141 mm. (o^) and Vl'l mm. (?) long. 



Tiie body is of the same serpent-like form as in 

 the preceding s])ecies. but less elongated and still more 

 terete. The greatest depth is situated in full-grown 

 males at the lieginning of the trunk, in tlic females at 

 tiie middle of the trunk. In tlie former it measures 



Cf. BUCKLAND, Nat. Hist. Brit. Fish., p. 170. 



'Pdni/. tang and .inipa, anything long and pointed, e. g. a boat. Tr. 



Collett (in Lilljeboug, 1. c.). Tbe specimen was a female. 



