Fauran — Seventh Report on the Fishes of the Irish Atlantic Slope. 1 07 



only slightly compressed, its width at the first dorsal being about two-thirds 

 of the heiglit. 



The variations in the proportions of the body with age seem to be 

 inconsiderable. There is a slight proportional increase in the height of the 

 body, which, in specimens of 15 cm. in length, is about f of the length of the 

 head, and in a specimen of about 40 cm. is almost f. 



C coelorhynchv.s does not seem as liable to the loss of the tip of ils tail as 

 some other species of Macrurids, and it may be possible to fix a definite 

 relation between the length of the head and the total length. The measure- 

 ment of five apparently perfect specimens of from 27'7 cm. to 35 9 cm. gave 

 an average of 470 : 100 as the proportion of total length to length of head; 

 and of three smaller specimens of 12 to 16 cm., whose measurements are 

 given by Holt and Byrne (1908), the average is 490 : 100. This may 

 indicate either that the rate of growth of the body is slightly checked, or 

 that loss of the caudal extremity in very small specimens is not perceptible 

 at a later stage. 



Between the ventral tins is a scaleless oval depression, black in colour. 



Scales (PI. VII, fig. 2) of moderate size, covered with small, strong spines, 

 sloping backwards in more or less regular slightly radiating lines, the number 

 of the spines increasing with age. There are five scales in a transverse 

 series between the first dorsal and the lateral line, and fourteen to fifteen 

 between the lateral line and vent. 



Fin rays : 1st Dorsal, II + (8-9). Pectoral, 18-20. Ventral, 7. 



Dorsal spine smooth. 



Colour dull, silvery grey on the sides and back', blackish on the throat 

 and abdomen in the neighbourhood of the pelvic fins, which are dark. 



The following measurements were taken from specimens captured by the 

 Helgct: — 



cin. cm. 



Total length, ... 28-0 30 + a; 



Length, of head, ... 5-8 (3-4: 



Length of snout, ... 1-9 2-1 



Width of head, ... 3-0 



Inter-orbital width, 14 



Length of eye, ... 20 



Greatest height of body, 3-6 4-3 



Tip of snout to 1st dorsal, (i-0 7(3 



Tip of snout to aual, 8-1 9-7 



Vent to isthmus, 3-7 4G 



General Distribution rather limited. This species is found in the 

 Mediterranean and, in the Atlantic, for about 20'^ to N". and S. of the Straits 



R.I.A. PKOC, VOL. XXXVI, SECT. B. [Q] 



CUl. 



cm. 



36-0 



37-5 + X 



8-2 



8-6 



2-U 



2-4 



4-7 



4-8 



1-85 



2-2 



2-9 



3-2 



5-(i 



6-5 



9-4 



10-3 



12-7 



13-0 



5-0 



6-6 



