The fishes of the Danmark Expedition. 649 



bluish to the light-coloured belly. The last is whitish yellow, the 

 under part of the tail more light-blue. When the fish is dead, a 

 quantity of black pigment grains become prominent in the jugular 

 region; they form a square open in front, and similar pigment is 

 found (more sparsely) between the ventrals and between the latter 

 and the pectorals. The ventrals are yellowish-red (with lighter tips), 

 whilst the tips of the pectoral rays are light yellowish-brown, the 

 pectorals being otherwise of the same colour as the back. The 

 unpaired fins also have the colour of the back and the cross-bands 

 occurring on the head and upper part are also continued on to the 

 fins, though these cross-bands are very variable in appearance both 

 in regard to form and extent, probably according to the surroundings 

 (cf. Salmo alpinus). In the anal fin the first ray is a pale brownish- 

 gray like the tips of the others. 



Phobetor ventralis Cuv. et Val. 



In Danmarks Havn and neighbouring waters this fish occurs in 

 ca. — 10 m. (littoral and Laminaria regions), like Coitus scorpius, 

 which species it also seems to resemble in regard to abundance. 

 Only 5 specimens in all have been taken, at the end of July 1907 

 in the harbour, in addition to 3 smaller specimens at Hvalrosodden 

 26. — 8. — 1906. To judge from the place of capture of the last, the 

 young (not the pelagic stages but the older) occur in shallower 

 water than the adults, but it is common to all that they occur on 

 soft bottom (yet with some stones). Further south on the east 

 coast ^ it is known from slightly greater depths (to ca. 30 m), thus 

 from the Delesseria region also, but it is nevertheless a fish which 

 is typical for the Laminaria region, in which its main 

 distribution lies. With regard to the size and sex the 8 specimens 

 arrange themselves as follows: 



from Danmarks Havn ? 140 and 125 mm; J* 108, 107 and 68 mm 



from Hvalrosodden 36, 26 and 25 mm 



Of the 3 specimens from Hvalrosodden the two smallest are of 

 a size (25 — 26 mm) which has hitherto not been known. The young 

 of ca. 10— ca. 18 mm have been described by Ad. S. Jensen^, Kofoed-' 

 and Ehrenbaum ^ but the stages between these and ca. 35 mm have 

 not been known hitherto. My two specimens of 25 and 26 mm have 

 distinctly separated, unpaired fins, the membrane connecting them 



^ Ad. S. Jensen 1. с p. 227. 



- 1. с p. 238. 



^ Poissons (Croisière océanographique de "Belgica" dans la mer du Grönland, 1905. 



Bruxelles 1909). p. 40. 

 * Nordisches Plankton. IV. Lieferung. Kiel und Leipzig 1905. I, S. 62. 



45* 



