Fishes of the IFester^i North Atlantic 



S77 



above lateral line (18—23 reported) and 16—19 below (18—23 reported); scales very 

 small, cycloid, thin, not as deciduous as in Osmerus\ the largest scales below lateral 

 line, those of the females mostly ovoid with vertical axis about 1.5 times horizontal axis; 

 the scales above lateral line smaller and more nearly round; mature males with a prom- 

 inent band of lanceolate scales, about 5 or 6 scales wide, immediately above lateral line 

 from gill openings to base of caudal; the scales narrow and very elongated posteriorly 

 (Fig. 135 G-i); other differentiated scales extending along lower sides from near tip 

 of pectorals to near anal base, of various shapes, some lanceolate (between pectorals and 

 pelvics) and others more or less as shown in Fig. 135 (opposite anal), the apexes of some 



Figure 134. Mallotus villosus villosus, female, about 175 mm TL (7.75 in.), from Grosswater Bay, southeastern 

 Labrador. After Goode; drawn by H. L. Todd. 



pointing obliquely downward. Scales along upper sides and back in males ranging in 

 shape from roundish, but with longest axis horizontal, to pointed or flap-like rear- 

 ward. A row of Modified lateral-line scales in both sexes, from gill opening to 

 base of caudal, with a median horizontal channel that is connected here and there 

 from scale to scale. Most of the scales, particularly above the lateral line, with some of 

 the circuli complete, but others, chiefly below the lateral line, with all of the circuli in- 

 terrupted dorsoventrally; the scales above lateral line with fewer circuli than those below. 



Head with dorsal profile straight or very gently convex, 4.3—4.7 in SL. Snout 

 pointed, 2.9—3.5 ^"^ head. Eye 3.9-4.7, its rear margin midway between tip of snout 

 and rear margin of opercle, or a little closer to opercle. Interorbital space straight 

 or slightly concave, 3.5—4.6. Postorbital part of head 2.0—2.3 ^" head. Nostrils 

 in line with end of snout and upper edge of eye, the two openings on each side close 

 together, oval-shaped, the posterior one with a flap, the distance from eye 7.0—8.5 in 

 head. Opercle with broadly rounded margin. Margin of Preopercle about 0.33 of 

 distance between perpendiculars from rear margin of eye and margin of opercle. 

 Branchiostegals 8. Gill rakers very slender, the longest 1.2— 1.6 in eye; 8—10 

 rakers on upper limb of first arch (i i reported), 24-27 on lower limb (31 reported), 

 total 32—37 (42 reported). 



Mouth oblique, the gape reaching to a perpendicular from nostrils. Lower jaw 



37 



