The fishes of the Danmark Expedition. 659 



brown outer margin; the other fins (except D^, which has the 

 brown colour of the back) have light-red spots on a clear ground. 



Liparis liparis L. 



This species is common at depths of 5 — 20 m, that is in the 

 Laminaria and Delesseria regions, especially in the former, with the 

 algal vegetation of which its brown colour agrees excellently well. 

 Even if it may also be met with on the hard bottom, it is found 

 chiefly on the soft kind of soil, and both the small and large indivi- 

 duals occur there. The specimens taken are partly from Danmarks 

 Havn, partly from the neighbouring waters, July-October 1906 and 

 07. The largest specimen measured 105 mm, the smallest was a 

 larva 15 mm long. (19/9 06). 



Curiously enough this fish has not hitherto been known from 

 the east coast of Greenland north of ca. 65^2° N.L.^; the reason is 

 perhaps, that the investigations were chiefly made in deeper water 

 (yielding among others Liparis fabricii Kr.), and that the fish is far 

 from being so common that every haul in shallower water will 

 contain it (as I found at Danmarks Havn). That it occurs within 

 the ca. 11° of latitude referred to, there can scarcely be any doubt; 

 the specimens taken by me fill up the gap in its region of distribu- 

 tion between Ellesmere Land^ and the North Polar Ocean ^ 



Regarding the colour of the fish I may describe the following 

 types on the basis of my observations and coloured sketches. 



The pelagic larva of 15 mm (PI. XLVI, fig. 1) has yellowish- 

 white ground-colour on the head, trunk and tail as also on the 

 unpaired fins; the region round the anus is reddish-brown, the iris 

 is silvery with blue sheen. The unpaired fins are represented by a 

 continuous membrane from above the eye to the anus. The black 

 pigment is not specially strong (most developed on the forehead and 

 nape) and is scattered over the fish (though not on the end of the 

 tail); there is as yet no trace of the cross-bands which appear later 

 on the caudal region. 



At ca. 40 mm (PI. XLV, fig. 5) the ground-colour is now more 

 brownish-yellow and has also spread out on to the unpaired fins; 

 the abdomen however is yellowish-blue and silvery, the upper part 

 (intestines) dark-brown. The many red dots of pigment are charac- 

 teristic, being present especially on the fins but also covering the 

 back and sides. The black pigment is now present as shadows at 



^ Ad. S. Jensen I. c. p. 251. 



^ Ad. S.Jensen: Fishes (Report of the Norwegian Arctic Expedition 1898 — 1902. 



Nr. 25, p. 11. 

 ^ N. Knipowitsch: Zur Ichthyologie d. Eismeeres, p. 44. (Mem. Acad. Imp. Seien. 



St. Petersburg. Ser. VIII. CI. Phys. Math. 1907. Vol. XVIII, Nr. 5). 



