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XLVIIL 



NOTES ON A SUCKING-FISH (Liparis vulgaris, Flem.), NEW TO 

 IEELAND. By K. F. SCHAKFF, Ph. D., B. Sc. 



[Read February 10, 1890.] 



The occurrence of this little fish, on the Irish Coast was first 

 recorded in the Ordnance Survey Memoir of the County of 

 Londonderry (vol. i., Notices, p. 14). The locality given for 

 it is simply " Lough Foyle and Larne." 



Thomson, in his Natural History of Ireland (vol. iv. p. 221), 

 mentions having examined eight specimens in the Ordnance Col- 

 lection labelled Liparis vulgaris, but he found them all to belong 

 to L. montagui, a closely allied species. 



Having recently had an opportunity of critically examining 

 and cataloguing the collections of Irish fishes in the Dublin 

 Museum, in which the Ordnance Survey collections have been 

 incorporated, I found among the latter a jar of specimens labelled 

 " Liparis montagui" Seven of these specimens undoubtedly belong 

 to L. vulgaris, Flem., which species may now figure on the list of 

 Irish Fishes, though recorded by Thomson as doubtfully present, 

 for he says : " it would be desirable if the other specimens alluded 

 to from these different quarters were closely examined ; but until 

 this be done, and L. vulgaris be positively found among them, or 

 be obtained elsewhere, it had better be omitted from our Cata- 

 logue." 



Both these species of sucking-fish have a small circular disc on 

 the under side of the body, by means of which they are able to attach 

 themselves to stones or sea- weeds. Apart from a slight difference 

 in the respective sizes of the two species, the nature of the disc 

 seems to be the only safe criterion by which they may be distin- 

 guished. In L. vulgaris the disc is more oval than in L. montagui, 

 and is composed of eleven flat papillae, while in the latter species 

 it has thirteen. L. vulgaris moreover has a number of irregular, 



