158 



mod Nord, end til Trondlijenisfjordeii i Norge. Ved de 

 engelske Kyster er den ikke sjelden, men den forekonnner 

 idethele sparsommere lænpere mod Nord; i Kattegat er 

 den intetsteds talrig. og den gaar. saavidt bekjendt. ikke 

 ind i Østersøen. 



I Norge er den iuuden paa adskillige Lopaliteter. 

 talrigst i Christianiatjorden. hvor den saagodtsom daglig i 

 Hostmaanederne sees paa Fisketorvene ; nndertiden kunne 

 2U — 50 Individer erholdes i det samme Dræt. Ved Lan- 

 dets Vestkyst er den idethele sparsom; forst i 1875 blev 

 den med Sikkerhed fundet ved Bergen, ligesom et Par In- 

 divider ere erholdte ved Florø og ved Christiansund. Nord- 

 havs-Expeditionens Individer vare. som ovenfor na^vnt. fra 

 Lofoten og Finmarken, og vare optagne fra en Dybde 

 af indtil 150 Favne; disse ere de nordligste Punkter, fra 

 hvilke Arten hidtil vides erholdt (71" N. B.). ligesom den 

 hidtil ikke. saavidt vides, er observeret paa større Dybde, 

 end den ovenfor anførte. 



Ved de egentlig arctiske Ølande er den endnn ikke 

 jjaavist; derimod forekommer den atter jiaa Østkysten af 

 Nord-America. hvor den i 1872 fandtes første Gang. og 

 senere (i 1877) optoges i stort Autal udeufor Kysterne af 

 New England-8taterne. af U. S. Fish-Gommission. paa en 

 Dybde af indtil W) Favne. Den horer saaledes blandt 

 denne Families Dvbvandsfornnn-. 



shores of Europe, but the species had not previously been 

 observed farther north than the Drontheira Fjord. ( )n the 

 English coast it is anything but a rare tisli; in the Catte- 

 gat it nowhere occurs abundantly, anil it does not enter 

 the Baltic. 



In Norway, it is met with in several localities, more 

 jiarticularly the CHiristiania Fjord ; and may almost dayly 

 during the autumn months be seen exposed for sale in 

 the tish-markets ; from 20 to 50 individuals are sometimes 

 lirought up at a single liaul. Off the western shores of 

 this country the species is on the whole but rarely met 

 with; indeed its occurrence off Bergen was not ascertained 

 with certainty till 1S75; one or two individuals have like- 

 wise been obtained near Floro and Christiansund. The 

 specimens brought home by the North Atlantic Expedition — 

 taken at a depth of 1 50 fathoms — were, as previously ob- 

 served, from Lofoten and Finmark, the most northerly 

 localities and the greatest depths in which the species is 

 as yet known to have been UR't with (71" N.). 



On the islands in the Polar Sea the species has not 

 been shown to occur; it inhabits however" the eastern shores 

 of North America, where it was first observed in 1872. and 

 subsequently (1877) captured, in large numbei-s. off the coast 

 of the New England States, by the U. S. Fish-C'omuiission. at 

 depths reaching VH) fathoms. Hence it must be classed 

 among the deep-sea forms of tliis family. 



Fam. Ophidiidae. 



Greii. I?liofliclitli;\-s, Coll. 1878 (n. gen.). 

 Fiirh. Vid. Selsk. Chra. IsTS, Xo. 14, p. !•!! (li<T8). 



Leffcmef forholdsvis høji^ iidcn Skjæl eVer Side- 

 lime^ halvt g fenne msic/i iff t, hag Bugliulen sicevkt sam- 

 mentrykt. Hovedet hredf og tykt: (Jaudalen distinct:, 

 blot ved Roden iilvoxef Analcn og Dorsalen. Anus 

 foran Pecloralerne^i lige tinder GJcellesj^alten. Ven- 

 tralerne beståa af 2 lange Filamenter., fistvoxede 

 iil Tungehem't^i og kløvede i sin ydre Halvdel. 

 Analen begynder langt bagenfor Anus: Dorsalen 

 enkelt. Tænder tilstede paa Mellemkjæverne og i 

 Underkjæven. Gjællelaagene uvæbnede. 



Den norske Nordhavsexpeditiun. Collett; Fisk'_'. 



Fam. Ophidiidæ. 



Gren. PJhocliclitli.vs, Coll. 1878 (u. gen.). 

 Fnrh. Vid. .Selsk. Chra. IsTS, X,,. 14, p. !HI (1878;. 



Body comparatively deejj, loiihout scales oi' lat- 

 eral line, semi-iranslucent.1 posterior to the abdom- 

 inal cavity much compressed. Head broad and 

 thick: caudal fn di-'^tinct, at the base only connate 

 with ihe anal and dorsal. The vent placed an- 

 terior to the pectorals, immediately beneath the branch- 

 ial oiJening. _ The ventral s consisting of two long 

 filaments attached to the hyoid bone, the cvterior 

 half bifid. Tlie ancd originating a considerable 

 distance 'posiericjr to the vent. The dorscd .single. 

 Teeth on ihe internta.riUary and ihe lower j'aiv. 

 Opercles u narined. 



.'U 



