Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2533 



976. BOREOGADUS, Giinther. 

 Boreogadus, GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., iv, 336, 1862 (fabricii). 



This genus is closely allied to Pollachius, the body more slender, the 

 caudal fin more deeply forked, and the teeth in both" jaws slender, sharp, 

 wide set, in 1 or 2 series. Small codfishes of the Arctic, (fiopsiog, 

 northern; Gadus.) 



2902. BOREOGADUS SAIDA (Lepechin). 



Head 3 ; depth 5| ; eye 4 in head ; snout 3^ ; interorbital space 4 ; gill 

 rakers 9 to 13 + 30 to 32. D. 13-14-20 ; A. 16-21. Body slender, little com- 

 pressed; head long, rather pointed, the lower jaw projecting; barbel 

 minute; maxillary reaching middle of pupil; mandible 2 in head; teeth 

 in upper jaw in 1 series, except in front, when the row is double; teeth in 

 lower jaw uniserial; teeth nearly uniform in size, sharp, and wide set; 

 teeth on vomer few, similar to those in jaws. Gill rakers numerous, long 

 and slender, the longest eye ; vent slightly before second dorsal ; caudal 

 peduncle slender, rounded, its depth scarcely more than - eye. Pectorals 

 reaching vent, 1| in head; ventrals ], the second ray exserted for f its 

 length; first dorsal highest; front of second dorsal midway between tip 

 of snout and base of caudal. Caudal forked for a distance equal to | eye, 

 the tips rounded. Color plain brownish, silvery below, the body with fine 

 black points, most numerous above ; dorsals and caudals dusky, the rays 

 blackish distally, their edge narrowly white; anal similarly colored, pale 

 at base; pectorals uniform dasky, pale-edged; ventrals somewhat dusky; 

 peritoneum blackish. Length 6 to 8 inches. Arctic seas of Asia and 

 America, from Greenland to Siberia; generally common in the far North, 

 but rare in Bering Sea and south of Greenland. Here described (by Mr. 

 Norman B. Scofield) from specimens from Davis Straits and Melville Bay, 

 Greenland, the largest 6f inches long, and from specimens taken by Mr. 

 Scofield at Point Barrow, Port Clarence, and Herschel Island. There is 

 no difference between Greenland and Alaskan specimens. The range of 

 fin rays is D. 12 to 15-12 to 15-18 to 22 ; A. 15 to 18-20 to 22. Concerning 

 its habits Mr. Scofield observes: 



" This fish appears to be quite abundant north of Bering Straits. It was 

 especially brought to our notice by its habit of hiding in small holes in 

 the floating ice, from which it was dislodged by our steamer striking and 

 turning over the blocks of ice. This floating ice was usually in 7 fathoms 

 of water and 1 or 2 miles from the coast. At Herschel Island we took 

 it with the seine in shallow water along the beach. Lucieu H. Turner 

 reports it from St Michaels, where he took it through the ice in February, 

 and was told by the natives that it appeared there only in winter. Accord- 

 ing to Richardson it spawns in Greenland in February, laying its eggs in 

 the seaweeds along the shore under the 'ice." According to Richardson, 

 in Northumberland Sound, " when hotly pursued by the Beluga or white 

 whale, it has been observed, in its endeavors to escape, to leap by hun- 

 dreds on the ice." (Eu.) (saida, Russian name.) 



