8 Mindeskrift for J. Steenstrup XIV. 



It should be stated, that this is not the first time, that a postlarval stage of Gadi- 

 culus argenteus Guichenot, non auctorum, has been mentioned and figured. In his meri- 

 torious work on the young stages of the Mediterranean fishes L. Fage (1910, pp. 29 — 31) 

 gives a description and figure of a Gadus postlarva, taken by the Oceanographical In- 

 stitute of Monaco, which with some doubt he refers to the Mediterranean Gadus minu- 

 tus^). The reasons, which induced him to do so, were the same as those which led me 

 in the beginning to beUeve, that the postlarval stages in question belonged to "le ca- 

 peian". From Fage's description and figure, however, it is quite evident, that his post- 

 larva belonged to Gadiculus argenteus Guichenot. Enumeration of the vertebrae would 

 have shown at once here, that there could be no question of "le capeian", and I am also 

 glad to be able to report, that Dr. Fage has later independently arrived at the conjec- 

 ture, that his postlarva belongs to Gadiculus argenteus; this is seen in a copy of his paper, 

 which he has sent me, where, under the figures on p. 30, he has written "Gadiculus argenteus?'''' 



As already mentioned, Collett (1901) lays stress on the unusually great distri- 

 bution for a Gadoid, right from the coasts of Sudan to the Trondhjems Fjord. 



As we have now proved, that "Gadiculus argenteus auctorum" is not a systematic 

 unit, but consists of 2 different species, the next question is, to endeavour to fix their 

 relative distribution. For this purpose the postlarval, pelagic material of the "Thor" 

 Expeditions is obviously better qualified than the comparatively few available data 

 regarding the bottom-stages. 



To judge from the "Thor" material, Gadic. argenteus Guichenot within the region 

 investigated seems to be commonest in the Alboran Sea between the Spanish south coast 

 and North Africa, thus in the neighbourhood of the Straits of Gibraltar. On the other 

 hånd, Gadic. Thori has undoubtedly a centre of distribution in the Atlantic off the north- 

 ern part of the British Isles. It will be seen from my earlier work (1909, Chart I), that 

 very considerable numbers occur in these waters, for example, 532, 334, 314 specimens 

 in hauls of half an hour's duration. And I can remember noting with surprise, when 

 working along the west coast of Europe both in 1905 and 1906, that Gadiculus distinctly 

 decreased in numbers from north to south, so that already S. W. of Ireland only com- 

 paratively few specimens were taken per haul. This would be very remarkable, if the 

 species, as generally believed, is of more southern origin. As we now know, that we 

 approach here the southern boundary for the northern Gadiculus Thori, this condition 

 is very easily understood. 



^) I may remark here, that in the spring of 1913 some coUections, I had arranged to be 

 made in the Mediterranean, yielded postlarval specimens of "le capeian". These prove to be 

 nearly related to Gadus minutus and Esmarki from northern waters and are totally different from 

 Gadiculus argenteus. In his excellent paper of 1911 Fage has proved that the northern and the 

 Mediterranean '^Gadus minutus" are different species and that the last-named should bear the name 

 Gadus capelaniis. 



