Nr. 9] 



CONTRIB. TO THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE FISHES 



37 



In the following I shall give some measurements oi" the 

 capsules: 



Right capsule: 

 Length between the terminal 



discs 25 cm. 



Maximal breadth 11 



Length of the apical 



tubes 2 



Length of the basal 



tubes 3 



Left capsule: 

 Length between the terminal 



discs 26 cm. 



Maximal breadth 11.3 - 



Length of the apical 



tubes 2 



Length of the basal 



tubes 3 



The yolk in each capsule formed an almost circular disc of 

 abl. 6.5 cm. in diameter and was surrounded by a transparent 

 gelatinous mass. 



Male. Total length 174. r. cm., maximal breadth 123.5 cm. 

 Dislance from the anus to the end of tail 77 cm. On the dorsal 

 side of the tail was only seen the middle series of spines. A 

 ([uile big spine was found between the dorsal lins. Distance 

 from the base of 2. dorsal lin to point of the tail 11 cm. Thus 

 the tail end is comparatively longer in the male than in the 

 female. The pterygopods reached abt. 2 cm. into 1. dorsal lin. 

 On the 11 /n 1916 I boughl 2 egg capsules, which a lisher- 

 man had tåken out of a R. nidrosiensis, caught on the same 

 day in the Munkholm deep. 



2. capsule: 



Total weight 230 gr. 



L. between terminal 



discs . 18. f, cm. 



Maximal breadth .... 10.2 



Maximal thickness ... 4.5 



L. of apical tubes . . . 2.6 - 



L. of basal tubes .... 3.o - 



1. capsule: 



Total weight 238 gr. 



L. between terminal 



discs 18.2 cm. 



Maximal breadth .... 10.3 - 

 Maximal thickness ... 4.5 - 

 L. of apical tubes. . . . 2.3 - 

 L. of basal tubes .... 3.o - 



The yolk was milk-white in a transparent gelatinous mass. 

 In none of the egg capsules heie deseribed there was any rna- 

 croscopic development of the embryo. 



It is hardly likely thai the terminal tubes in R. nidrosiensis 

 are of any imporlance as means of attachment. There is, more- 

 over, bul liltle need of such, as this spedes, being a deep-water 

 form, would doublless deposil ils eggs in fairly deep water. Il 

 is otherwise with R. radiata, the eggs of which are found in 

 comparatively shallow water, and would thus need some such 

 arrangement as Ihe hooked basal tubes provide, in order to 

 prevent their being washed up on dry land. Some writers 

 have expressed the opinion thai R. macrorhyncus Rak. R. 



nidrosiensis Collett. I have not seen the former and can thus 



