— 107 — JOHS. SCHMIDT 



15. Molva elongatd (Risso), Mediterranean ling (Chart VII) 



§ 1. Remarks on the identification 



The eggs and the earliest postlarval stages of this species are unknown as yet. The 

 somewhat older postlarval stages are distinguished chiefly by their extremely slender form, 

 by the shape of the postanal pigment bars , by the pigment on the anal and 2nd dorsal 

 lins being arranged in a continuous broad stripe and by the very high number of vertebrae 

 (according to our investigations : 34—36 + 46—50, in all 82—84). 



Further reference may be made to my earlier descriptions and figures (Eaniceps rani- 

 nus and Molva elongata, 1907). 



§ 2. General features of the occurrence 



The Chart VII, on which the fry of Molva molva and M. hijrkelange are also included, 

 applies to the months April — September and represents only the postlarval fry. 



Only the older postlarval stages (ca. 2'/ä— 6 cm. long) were found and these only in 

 May and June. From this we may conclude that spawning takes place in early spring or 

 perhaps already in winter. 



All the specimens found were pelagic, so that the fry of this species up to a size of 

 6 cm. at least are pelagic. 



All the specimens were taken over depths of 1000 meters or more, so that this 

 species spawns in the neighbourhood of or beyond the lOOO-meter line, and to judge from 

 the temperature at the places where the fry were taken, not in water under ca. 9° in 1000 

 meters depth. 



With regard to the depth under the surface at which the pelagic fry of this species 

 occur, the tables show that most specimens were taken in hauls with 300 — 100 meters 

 wire out, thus at an appreciable distance under the surface. From the observations at a 

 single station (67, 1906) we see however, that the pelagic stages may occur close to the 

 surface, as a single specimen was taken there in a haul with only 10 meters wire out. 

 As to the depths in which the small fry live the observations are insufficient to deter- 

 mine; these refer only to the somewhat older stages (2i/s — 6 cm. in length). 



§3. The geographical distribution 



This species has hitherto only been known from the Mediterranean , where according 

 to all available information (Kisso, Moreau etc.) it is common and from there I have seen 

 some young bottom stages taken by the Zoological Station at Naples, from which they 

 were kindly sent me by Dr. C. G. J. Petersen. 



The only statement referring to the occurrence of Molva elongata within our region 

 is one by Holt and Byrne ^ in their report on the deep-water trawlings of the Irish 

 research-steamer "Helga" S. W. of Ireland, during which a single specimen of a deep-water 

 ling was obtained and referred with some doubt to M. elongata. From the distribution of 

 the fry of M. elongata and byrkelange as found by us, it might be expected that the Irish 

 specimen belonged to the former of these species. 



> B. W. L. Holt and L. W. Byrne, First Report on the Fishes of the Irish Atlantic Slope (Fish- 

 eries. Ireland, Sei. Invest., 1905, II (1906) p. 24). 



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