105 



Det bliver i tlenue- Forbindelse nødyeudigt kortelig 

 fit omtale et Par Yugelformer af Lycoder. der hidtil ere 

 bleviie opforte som distiiicte Arter, medens de sandsyulig- 

 vis blot udgjore de unge Stadier af 1 , eller maaske . 2 Ar- 

 ter, der i sin fuldt udvoxede Tilstand ere dem betjdeligt 

 ulige i Farvetegning og Skjælbekla^dning. Disse Former 

 ere: L. perspiciUum, Kr. 1844. fra Grønland. L. rossi, 

 Malmgr. 1864. fra Spitsbergen, samt L. gracilis, M. Sårs 

 1866, fra Norge ; det er sandsynligt, at alle disse blot ud- 

 gjøre Ungdomsstadiet enten alene af L. reiiniJafus. eller 

 tilHge af en anden Art, der staar denne nær. maaske L. 

 liUkenii. 



I 184.4 anmeldte Kroyer med en kort og foreløbig 

 Diagnose en ny Lycodes fra Grønland under Navn af L. 

 persiyiciJJum, og afbildede den nye Art i Gaimards Yoy. 

 etc. Poiss.. pl. 7, men gav den forst i 1863 i Naturb. 

 Tidsskr. 3 E. 1 B. en udforlig Beskrivelse. • Af denne Art 

 forelaa 2 Individer med en Totallængde af 39 — 65""". af 

 bvilke jeg ved Dr. Liltkens Iniødekommen bar kunnet un- 

 dersøge det ' storste i Mus;eet i Kjobeubavn. Paa den brun- 

 gule Buudfarve bar det 8 brede, i Midten lysere Felter, 

 ligesom et bvidagtigt Baand forbinder begge Gj;ellespalter ; 

 denne Farvetegning viser en saa paafaldende Overensstem- 

 melse med den, der tindes bos det mindste af Typ-Indivi- 

 derne af L. reticidatiiSj der ligeledes opbevares i Kjøbenhavn, 

 og bvis Totall. er 223""', at der nødvendigvis maa opstaa 

 en Formodning om begge Arters Identitet. Den væsent- 

 ligste Forandring, der er foregaaet med det ombandlede 

 unge Individ af L. retiadatus er. at de mørke Felter, der 

 tindes bos L. perspiriJltmt, ere blevne mindre skarpt be- 

 grændsede, Iigesom de begynde at bære Spor af de mør- 

 kere reticulerede Linier, der bos de mere udvoxede Indivi- 

 der blive de mest fremtrædende Træk i Farvetegningen" 

 bos denne Art. 



Finnestraalernes Antal, som bos L. retiadafns, ifølge 

 Dr. Liltken. varierer i Dorsalen mellem 91 og 95. i Ann- 

 len mellem 75 og 76 (eller en Gang 7(J). er bos L. per- 

 spidUum. ifølge Krøyer. D. ?0. A. 65; de ere saaledes 

 vistnok noget færre, men Tallet tor maaske ikke være cor- 

 rect, bvad Krøyer selv anfører tildels tør være Tilfældet', 

 eller man kunde antage Muligbeden af. at der yderligere 

 under Yæxten vikle udvikle sig et Par nye Hvirvler og 

 tilsvarende Straaler. 



Derimod beror Uoverensstemmelsen i Skjælbeklæd- 

 ningens Udstrækning utvivlsomt paa Individets unge Alder, 

 sammenlignet med de udvoxede Individer af L. retiriilattts. 

 Medens nemlig de sidste ere skj.ælbeklædte " paa Legemet 

 ben til Pectoralens ydre Trediedel. medens hele Bugen og 

 den forreste Del af Byggen er nøgen, ere Skjællene bos 

 ii perspiciTlmn. efter bvad jeg selv bar kunnet overbevise 

 mig om, netop i sit første Frembrud paa Halepartiet. me- 

 dens Skjælbeklædningeu paa Legemets Sider strækker sig 

 frem til Midten af Pectoralen. Det er saaledes klart. 



Here it is necessary to make brief mention of cer- 

 tain fry-specimens of one or two forms of Li/rodes hitberto 

 regarded as distinct species, tbougb in all jn-obability ■ 

 merely representing 1, or possibly 2, species in the early 

 stages of development, which, when full-grown, are found to 

 have undergone a striking change in coloration and the 

 extent of the scaled integument: The forms in ques- 

 tion are as follows: — L. perspicdlum, Kr. 1844. from 

 Greenland; L. rossi, Malmgr. 1864, from Spitzbergen; and 

 L. gracilis, M. Sars. 1866. from Norway; and they are 

 probably all of them examples either of L. retindahis or of 

 some other species nearly related to it. possibly L. liit- 

 henii in an early stage of development. 



In 1844 Kroyer announced, with a preliminary diagnosis, 

 the occurrence of a "new Lycodes off the coast of Greenland, 

 under the name of L. perspiciUum, and figured it in Gai- 

 mard's Voy. &c. Poiss, pi. 7, but did not furnish a detailed 

 description till 1863. in Naturh. Tidsskr. 3 R. 1 B. Of 

 this species two examples bad been obtained, total length 

 respectively 39 and 65'«"'. the largest of which, preserved 

 in the Copenhagen Museum, 1-r. Liitken kindly per- 

 mitted me to examine. Over the brownish-yellow ground- 

 colour are distributed 8 broad patches, lighter in the middle ; 

 and a whitish Ijand connects the gill-openings. Now. this 

 peculiarity of coloration exhibits so striking a resemblance 

 to that distinguishing the smallest of the typical specimens 

 of L. reticid'atus, also preserved in Copenhagen (total length 

 223'"""). that the identity of the two species cannot but 

 suggest itself. The principal change which this imma- 

 ture example of L. retindutm has undergone, consists in 

 the dark patches characteristic of L. perspiciUum having 

 become less sharply defined, and in their commencing to 

 show indications of the dark reticulai' lines, which, in a 

 more advanced stage of develojjment. are the most i^rom- 

 inent characteristics of coloration in this species. 



The number of fin-rays, which in L. retiadatus, ac- 

 cording to Dr. Liitken. varies in the dorsal between 91 

 and 95. in the anal, between 75 and 76 (in one specimen 

 70), is in L. perspiciUum, according to Kroyer, D. 80, A. 

 65: tlus is certainly a somewhat smaller number; but it 

 may possibly be incorrectly given, which Kroyer himself 

 suggests as not improbable, to a certain extent'; or the 

 development during the further progress of growth of one 

 or two additional vertebr;e and rays might be assumed. 



On the other hand, the want of agreement in the 

 extent of the scaled integument, as compared with that 

 distinguishing adults of L. reficidatits, must unquestionably 

 be ascribed to the immaturity of the individual. The 

 former are scaled on the body as far as the outer third of 

 the pectorals, the whole of the belly and the anterior part 

 of the back being naked, whereas in L. perspiciUum the scales, 

 (a fact of which from my own examination I am convinced) 

 are just beginning to develop over the caudal region, but on 

 the sides of the body they extend to the middle of the 



Naturh. Tidsskr. :'. R. 1 B. p. 291. 



Den norske Nordbavsexpedition. Collett: Fiske. 



Naturh. Tidsskr. :i R. 1 B. p. 291. 



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