48 



Bemærkninger til Synonymien. Opførelseu nt' deune 

 Art under en særegen Slægt synes tilstrækkeligt at kunne 

 begTundes ved Bygningen af Gjællespalten. der er reduceret 

 til en trang Aabniug hojt over Pectoralernes Rod. samt 

 ved den normalt byggede Iste Dorsal, der ikke er omhyllet 

 af den tykke Beklæduiug. der. som bos Slægten Cijchptenis, 

 bringer denne Finne til uæsteu at forsvinde under Lege- 

 mets almindelige Omrids. Uiimieivtretnm danner en bestemt 

 (_)vergang til Lipaviderne. baade jJaa Gruud af Gjællespal- 

 tfus Form og Stilling, og fordi Tænderue danne tydelige 

 Rækker i Kjæverne. 



■ Som en anden Art af samme Slægt bar Dr. Giiutlier 

 i 1861 opstillet CydoiÉerns orhis. beskreven efter et enkelt 

 Individ med en Totallængde af 22 eng. Linier (omtr. 57""") 

 fra Beringsliavet. Denne adskiller sig fra E. spinosiis 

 bovedsagelig blot vetl et ringere Antal Straaler i 2den 

 Dorsal og i Analen. idet dette hos Dr. Giinthers Individ 

 (Gat. Fish. Brit. Mus. vol. 2 p. 158) var blot 9 i begge 

 de nævnte Finner. 



Da Universitets-Musæet i Christiania nylig liar mod- 

 taget et velconserveret Exemplar af denne Form fra samme 

 Trakt (Kamtschatka). har jeg kunnet anstille en nøje Sam- 

 menligning mellem begge Former, og tror efter deune ikke 

 at kunne opføre C. orbis som en fra E. spjnosus distinct 

 Art. Totallængden af dette sidste Exemplar var 70'""'. 

 hvoraf Hovedets Læugde var '22'"'"; Øjets Diameter 7""". 

 og udgjorde saaledes '^^ at' Hovedlængden K Interorbital- 

 rummet var 13 '"'", Sugeskivens Læugdediameter 15 '""". Straa- 

 leautallet var følgende: 1 D. 7: 2D. lU; A. 10; C. 11; 

 P. 24. 



Da E. s^miosus (ifølge Gunther) kan have 10 Straa- 

 ler i Analen, og 1 1 i 2den Dorsal, synes siki'e Distinctions- 

 Cbai-acterer ikke at kunne hentes af dette Forhold, og da 

 heller ikke de on-ige Characterer kunne sees i nogen væ- 

 sentlig Grad at være forskjelhge fra E. spinosus, sjTies det 

 rettest at henføre C. orbis som synonym under denne Art. 

 der saiiledes er den eneste hidtil kjendte i sin Slægt. 



Allerede i 1776 blev Arten af O. F. Miiller tildelt 

 sin første foreløbige Diagnose efter et Individ, nedsendt 

 fra Grønland gjennem Fabricius. I 1780 blev den udfør- 

 ligere beski-even af Fabricius selv i Fauna Groenlaud. 

 (Xo. 93. p. 134). og senere i 1798 af samme Forf. i Na- 

 turhistorie-Selskabets Skrifter (4de B. 2Afd. p. 77). Fuld- 

 stændig Beskrivelse er end videre givet i 1847 i Katurh. 

 Tidsskrift (2 Række. 2 B. p. 262) af Krøyer. soin ligele- 

 des i 18.ol har afbildet Arten i Gaimards Blanche værk 

 (Voyage etc. 1838—40. Poiss. pl. 4). Senest er ' den i 

 1861 af Dr. Giiuther beskrevet i Catal. Fish. Brit. Mus. 

 (vol. 3. p. 157): samme Forf. har i 1877 i Proc. Zool. 



Remarks on the Synonymy. — F'or the esta- 

 blishing of this species under a separate genus there would 

 appear to be sufficient reason in the characteristic form of 

 the branchial opening, reduced as it is to a narrow slit, 

 placed high above the pectoral tin: also in the fact of the 

 1st dorsal being normal in structure, and not enveloped in 

 the thick, membranous integument which, in the genus 

 Cyclopterus, well nigh conceals tliis fin beneath the contour of 

 the body. Enmicrotremus, both from the form and position 

 of the branchial orifices, and from the teeth being arranged 

 in distinct series in the jaws, may be regarded as a well- 

 defined transition-genus, approximating the Liparididæ. 



As a second species of the same genus. Dr. Giinther, 

 in 1861. etablished Cydoptenis orbis, describing it from 

 a single specimen, having a total length of 22 English 

 lines (about 57"""). taken in Bering's Straits. C. orbis is 

 distinguished from E. spinosns chiefly by the smaller number 

 of rays in the second dorsal and in the anal; the individual 

 examined by Giinther had. for instance, only 9 rays in each 

 of those fins. 



Qlie University Museum in Christiania having lately 

 come into possession of a well-preserved example of this 

 form, taken in the same region (Kamtschatka). I have had 

 an opportunity of closely comparing the two forms, and 

 am of opinion that C. orbis can not be classed as a sejjarate 

 species, distinct from E. spinosns. The total length of this 

 individual was 70"""; length of head 22"'"'; diameter of eye 

 7""". or about one-third of the length of the head;^ inter- 

 orbital space 13"""; longitudinal diameter of ventral disk 

 15™". The fin-ray formula was as follows: — 1 D. 7 ; 

 2 D. 10; A. 10; C. 11; P. 24. 



E. spinosus, can, according to Dr. Giinther. have 10 

 raj's in the anal and 11 in the 2nd dorsal fin. and hence the 

 fin-ray formula is of itself hardly sufficient to furnish a dis- 

 tinctive character; and not differing materially in other 

 respects from E. spinosns, C. orbis may. it would seem, be 

 safely regarded as identical with ^e former, which, in that 

 case, is the only species hitherto observed of its genus. 



As for back as 1776, O. F. Miiller gave the first 

 preliminary diagnosis of the species, from a specimen sent 

 from Greenland by Fabricius. In 1780 it was more fully 

 described by Fabricius himself, in his Fauna Grænland. 

 (No. 93. p. 134). and subsequently, in 1798. by the same 

 author (Naturhistorie - Selskabets Skrifter, 4 B. 2 Afd. 

 p. 77). A full description also appeared in 1847, 

 by Kroyer (Xatui-h. Tidsskr., 2 Række, 2 B. p. 262), 

 who. in 1851, hkewise figured the species for the plates to 

 Gaimard's work (Toyage etc. 1838—40. Poiss. pi. 4). The 

 latest diagnosis is that by Dr. Giinther. in 1861 (Catal. 

 Fish. Brit. Mus. vol. 3. p. 157); and in 1877 the same 



' Naar Dr. Gunther i siu Diagnose af E. spinoms anføror Øjet som 

 udsjorende V^ af Hovedets Længde, er dette iklce Tilfældet hos 

 Nordliavs-Expeditiunens Individ. h\-is Hovedliengde er 2.'i"'". og Øjets 

 Diameter (t'"", saaledes. at den sidste udgjør lidt over '/a af Hoved- 

 længden. 



' In Dr. Giinther's diagnosis of JS. spinosus, the diameter of the eye 

 is stated to measure one-fourth of the length of the head: tliis 

 Avas not the case, however, in the individual ol)tained on the 

 North Atlantic Expedition, the length of the head having been 'i.'i '""■, 

 and the diameter of the eye 0""". or a fraction more than a third. 



