of the Sea-devil (Lophius piscatorius). 191 



the name of Lophius eurypterus (Vet. Akad. Handl. 1844, p. 63, 

 tab. 3. figs. 1-3), a species which we find adopted by Professor 

 Nilsson in his work ' Skandinavisk Fauna/ iv. Fisk. p. 251. 



The books referred to being written in Swedish and not easily- 

 accessible, we give a copy of the figures (figs. C and D), from which 

 it will at once be seen (and this is a point of importance) that the 

 view of the fish represented is the most depressed one possible. 

 In consequence of this, the lateral view shows only a portion of 

 the pectoral fin, the other being retracted below the abdomen ; 

 and moreover, the portion shown is scarcely intelligible if com- 

 pared with the view given from above. The ventral fin is ex- 

 panded and carried forward. 



I extract the following notes from the very detailed descriptions. 



The head is described as broader than long, less depressed 

 than in Lophius piscatorius, — its length (from the extremity of 

 the snout to the posterior margin of the gill-cover) being one- 

 half of that of the remainder of the body, the caudal fin not 

 included. The dorsal spines are comparatively short, the length 

 of the first being only one-half of that of the second, or one- 

 fifteenth of the total length of the fish : the first terminates in 

 a transverse cylindrical knob, which is provided with minute 

 cilia ; the two others have alternate fringes on both sides. The 

 spines which form the continuous dorsal are similarly fringed ; 

 and the rays of the soft dorsal project very slightly beyond the 

 membrane. The pectoral is exceedingly broad, and extends 

 beyond the origin of the anal. The ventral also is broad, and 

 can be expanded like a fan. "The disproportion of this fin, 

 however, in the two individuals observed is very remarkable; 

 it is nearly twice the length in the larger one that it is in the 

 smaller, or its length is to that of the fin of the smaller one as 

 5 : 3, relatively to the total length of the individuals. The 

 pectoral, also, is absolutely as well as relatively larger in this 

 specimen than in the one figured — a difi'erence by which, per- 

 haps, the sexes are distinguished." 



During my last visit to Frankfort, Dr. Riippell showed me 

 several small specimens of a Lophius, collected by himself at 

 Messina, which, after a careful comparison with mature ones, I 

 declared to be the young of L. piscatorius, in spite of their ap- 

 pai'ent dissimilarity — an opinion which had been entertained by 

 Dr. Riippell from the time they first came into his hands. Having 

 since compared those specimens and the account of Dilben and 

 Koren with a sketch fortunately made by Dr. Riippdl on the 

 spot, and kindly presented to me, 1 have now not the slightest 

 doubt that L. eurypterus is identical with the Frankfort speci- 

 mens, and that both are the young of L. piscatorius. Every one 

 who has had a specimen of the Sea-devil in his hand knows the 



