_Ln my last paper on this genus ^, wlien giving tiie result of 

 my examination of the fishes from the NATHORST-expeclition, 

 I tried to show that hitherto a far too great weight had 

 been given to the colour-differences as used for specific cha- 

 racters, thus asserting that such nominal species as f. i. 

 Lycodes frigidus and Lycodes pallidus should be regarded 

 only as colour-varieties, at least nntil true characters could 

 be assigned to them. Now I have had the opportunity to 

 examine the collection of these fishes brought home by the 

 KoLTHOFF-expedition last year from Spitzbergen and Grreen- 

 land, a relatively great number, which gives a more thorough 

 knowledge of the forms and their changes. 



It may be remembered that the anthor, who first treated 

 this genus, Reinhardt sen., distinguished three species, reti- 

 cidafus, Vahlii and seminndus, the last however, as he said, 

 nearly related to the first. After Reinhardt the genus has 

 been treated in many ways, and a new subgenus, Lycenclielys, 

 has been created among our northern forms; but always 

 among the true Lycodes the characters given by Reinhardt 

 have been acknowledged as the most essential, either in 

 distinguishiug of more species or in grouping them together 

 around the two standard ones reticulatus and Vahlii, These 

 principal characters of the two species or resp. groups of 

 species are to be found in the length of the head and the 

 position of the anus; but in distinguishing the seminudus 

 from the reticulatus Reinhardt also brought into considera- 

 tion the distribution of the scales and the height of the 

 body. 2 



^ Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. V, pag. 56. 



^ For the sake of brievety I have not here mentioned the other characters 

 cited by Reinhardt. The colour-differeuces and the breadth of the head give 

 no constant characters. The number of rays in the dorsal resp. anal lina 

 goes along with the different position of the anus, in following the prolonga- 

 tion of the tail. 



