Holt and Calderwood — Report on the Rarer Fishes. 509 



Fam.— SALMONIDiE. 



Genus Argentina, Artedi. 



Argentina sphyrsena, Linnaeus. (Deep-sea.) 



A. sphyrcena, . . . . . Collett, "Norg. Fisk.," p. 171. 



„ „ Holt, "Sci. Proc. Roy. Dub. Soc," vli., pp. 122, 



220. 



When dealing with the genus in his " Challenger " Memoir,* Dr. Giinther 

 considered that the European species of Argentina lived at a considerable depth, 

 but probably not at the bottom, since, at the time of writing, they had not been 

 captured by the dredge, or trawl, during any of the deep-sea expeditions. During 

 the Survey, however, a considerable number of A. sphi/rcena were taken in the 

 trawl. This is not necessarily a proof that the specimens were caught at the 

 bottom, since they may have entered the net during either its ascent or descent, 

 but it is significant that the greatest number were taken in company with essen- 

 tially bottom forms, such as flatfish and gobies, and with Gadus argenteus, a species 

 probably referable to the same category, f 



Several specimens were also found in the stomach of a skate {R. oxyrhynchus), a 

 fish which presumably does not range very far from the bottom in pursuit of food. 

 The specimens captured were distributed as follows : — A considerable number, 

 about 1| inches long, at 62 to 52 and 80 fathoms, off the Skelligs ; several, a little 

 larger, in the stomach of the skate, trawled at 500 to 375 fathoms, o£P Achill 

 Head ; three, 3j inches long, at 40 fathoms, and one, 5^ inches long, at 53 fathoms, 

 in Dingle Bay. 



The species thus appears to be not uncommon on the west coast, as seems also 

 to be the case on the west of Scotland, whence Giinther has recorded a consider- 

 able number from 32 to 27 fathoms. Collett found specimens in the stomach of a 

 ling caught at 200 fathoms, on the coast of Norway, apparently the only exact 

 record, previous to the present, of its occurrence below the 100 fathom line. 



The appearance of the smaller specimens is shown in fig. J, which represents 

 a spirit specimen, 37 mm. in total length, magnified three diameters. The head 

 and eyes are, of course, much larger, relatively, than in the adult. There are no 

 scales, but the skin is silvery, especially on the sides and gill-cover : the eye is 



* " Chall. Eep. ZooL," xxii., p. 217. 



f For full list of other species see results of Sts. 114 and 115 ("Sci. Proc," vii., pp. 258, 259), 

 A. sphyrmna'h&s, \>^eD. &ii(i\diQni\j omiii^A. ■ ... 



