Occurrence of Pod- Larval Forms. 



29 



The other European records are from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. 

 Dr. Johs. Schmidt, in Fiskermnderscpgelser ved Island og Faercfyerne i Sommersen, 1903, 

 states at p. 46 that single young specimens of Lojihius piscatorius were taken at 

 Stations 90 and 165 at the surface over great depths. His accompanying charts 

 show that Station 90 (61^ 30' N. ; 14° 40' W.) hes outside the contour line of 1000 

 fathoms deep, and was examined in the months of May to June, whilst Station 

 165 (62° 35' N. ; 19° 45' W.) lies between the 500 and 1000-fathom contour lines, 

 and was examined in July to August. No descriptions are given of these post- 

 larval forms. 



Again, Schmidt (1906), in discussing the biology of the fresh- water eels refers 

 to the occurrence of post-larval forms of the Angler at places where tlie Leptocephali 

 of the eel were got in the Atlantic over great depths west of the British Islands. 



Stiasny's (1911) material from the Adriatic consists of no fewer than eighty- 

 five specimens of different sizes, ranging from 10 ram. to 55 mm. These specimens 

 were caught in the years 1908, 1909, and they appeared in the Griilf of Trieste 

 normally from the end of November to the month of February. In 1908, however, 

 larvse appeared in the Gulf in the month of September, and Stiasny describes this 

 occurrence as transitory and striking. He also quotes Steuer as having obtained 

 post-larval forms for the years 1902-1904. The young fish were recorded by Steuer 

 for the whole of December, in the year 1902 ; in the years 1903 and 1904, in the 

 second half of January. Stiasny, therefore, summarises the appearance of the 

 post-larval Lophius in the Gulf of Trieste in the following table : — 



Appearance of Post-Larval Lophius in the Gulf op Trieste. (Stiasny). 



Graefie (1888) states that the young forms of Lophius are found in the Adriatic 

 swimming pelagically in the open sea in the months of February, March, April. 

 The youngest specimen captured by him is a post-larval stage. The forms found 

 by him in these months were still semi-transparent. The first ray of the first dorsal 

 fija was not yet developed. He also knew the older forms, as he mentions that the 

 leaf-like skin continuations are first indicated in specimens of 5 to 6 cm. GraefEe 

 apparently did not know the eggs or newly-hatched larval forms. 



Giinther gives no locahty or date for the older post-larval forms described by 

 him from the Mediterranean. 



Lo Bianco, who was the only one to observe the sheets of spawn, records the 

 capture of eggs, mth embryos well developed, in the months of January and Feb- 

 ruary. These records were, however, made in the Mediterranean. 



The combined observations of Lo Bianco, Graeife, and Stiasny on the Mediter- 

 ranean specimens thus give definite information regarding the spawning time and 

 the appearance of the older post-larval forms for the Mediterranean and Adriatic. 



The time of appearance of the small transparent post-larval forms in the Adriatic 

 in the open sea, in February, March, and April, as recorded by Graefie, is in natural 

 sequence to the occurrence of the spawn. The statements made by Stiasny re- 

 garding the period of spawning of the Angler must be carefully considered, as the 

 sheets of spawn do not occur in the Gulf of Trieste, and he dealt only with the post- 

 larval forms. The eighty-five specimens he examined are summarised by him in 

 the following table : — 



Summary of Material (Stiasny). 



Other stages 

 16-20 mm. 21-25 mm. 26-30 mm. to 55 mm. 



35 

 41-2 



10-15 mm. 



Length 



Number ... 7 5 18 20 



Percentage of total . 8-2 5-9 21-2 23-5 



Thus, of the total specimens, only twelve {i.e., 14 per cent.) were under 20 mm. 

 The smallest specimen was already 10 mm. in length, and, as we have seen, was 



