414 ME. E. W. L. HOLT — STUDIES IN [May 1, 



Molua dipterygia, Smitt, Hist. Skand. Fishes, ed. ii. p. 521, 

 pi. xxvi. fig. 3. 



Introduction. 



The specific name adopted by Collett and Lilljeborg originated 

 with "Walbanm (' Petri Artedi sveci Genera Piscium,' 1792, p. 135), 

 and is therefore older than Nilsson's name, the date of which is 

 1832. Professor Smitt identifies the fish with the Gadus diptery- 

 (jius of Pennant (Introd. Arct. Zool. ed. ii. vol. i. p. cxxiv), which 

 is not inclnded in the synonymy by the other Scandinavian authors 

 referred to. 



The retention of Nilsson's name, as the earliest in post- 

 Linnaan literature, is justified by the rules of scientific nomencla- 

 ture, and, since it is used in Giinther's catalogue and in the 

 'Challenger' monograph, appears to be for the convenience of 

 British readers. 



At the time this paper was written the only dra^ving of the 

 species with which I Mas acquainted was that given by Strom {op. 

 cit.). The work of this author is sufficiently rare, and his figure, 

 though accurate enough, is merely a small outline. One of my 

 chief objects was therefore to put forward a recognizable figure in 

 a pubhcation easy of access to British readers, M'hile at the same 

 time extending the known horizontal range of the species, and 

 recording certain anatomical peculiarities which had escaped the 

 notice of previous writers. 



Within the last few months, however, ichthyological literature 

 has been enriched by the appearance of Professor Siuitt's new 

 edition of Pries, Ekstrom, and Suudevall's ' History of the Scandi- 

 navian Pishes.' This contains a description, with figure, of the 

 species under consideration. 



The text, as I think, is not so complete as to render my o\^'n 

 remarks altogether superfluous, the more especially since only 

 Skandinavian examples were known to the author, while the figure 

 differs from all examples known to me in rather important details 

 (to be referred to below ). It being too late to so far rewrite my 

 remarks as to incorporate tlie whole of the necessary references to 

 Smitl's work in the text, 1 have interpolated them chiefly in the 

 form of notes. 



The resemblance borne by the Mediterrauenn form, M. elongata 

 (Eiss())\ to the species now under discussion has attracted the 

 attenti(m of Lilljeborg, who gives a careful co.iparison of the 

 meair-urenients of specimens of each species. He notes that a 

 different-e exists in the texture of the scales, and is unable to 

 establi>h their complete identity. It would appear, from his 

 description, that the Mediterranean form approaches the Paroe 

 and Iceland specimens of M. ahyssorum in the reduction of the 

 caudal peduncle, a point in Mhich it difi'ers somewhat from Skan- 

 dinavian examples. "While inclined to suppose that the characters 



^ Lctta t'lovcjata, Eisso, Faun. Eur. Merid. iii. p. 217, fig. 47 ; Costa, Faun, 

 del regno di Kapoli, Pcsc. i. p. 15, tav. xxxviii. 



