Manchester Memoirs, Vol. liii. (1908), No. 4. 



IV, Notes on the Spawning of Elcdone and on the 

 Occurrence of Eledone with the Suckers in Double 

 Rows. 



By F. H. Gravely, M.Sc. 



(Received and read November ij/Ii, rgoS. ) 



Spawning. 



The spawning of Eledone has been described by 

 Joubin (1888), and also, I believe, by Korschelt (1893), 

 though I have not seen the latter paper. 



The process rarely occurs in captivity however, and 

 so an account of it, as I saw it at the Port Erin Aquarium 

 this summer, may be of some interest, although I can do 

 httle more than confirm Joubin's description. Shortly 

 after my arrival at Port Erin early in Jul}-, I noticed a 

 cluster of eggs attached to the glass of the Eledone tank 

 in the Aquarium. A little later a fine large specimen 

 of Eledofie was seen completing the arrangement of 

 another cluster ; this specimen was at once placed in a 

 separate tank in order that it might be distinguished 

 from the others and carefully watched. It continued to 

 produce from one to four bunches of eggs almost every 

 day for about a month ; towards the end of that time the 

 spawning became less frequent and soon ceased altogether. 

 It usually occurred, as noticed by Joubin, in the morning 

 and evening ; and the eggs were soon destroyed if left in 

 the tank with the parent and fish. The clusters {Fig. 8«) 

 were much larger than the one figured by Joubin, though 

 the individual eggs were of about the same size : probably 

 he studied some species other than the common British 

 Eledone cirrosa. The eggs are pear-shaped, the narrow 



December 28 Ih, igoS. 



