Fai{ran — Seventh Report on the Fishes of the Irish Atlantic Slope. Ill 



Macnuids have been described; but until an opportunity arises for comparincr 

 species of various sizes from different localities their identity or otherwise 

 must remain doubtful. 



LeaviuCT aside C. Japoniciis, which appears to be distinguished by the radial 

 arrangement of the rows of spines on the scales, the first to be described was 

 C. paraUdiii,, taken by the Cluilli'injer in the widely separated localities of 

 Japan and Kermadec and New Zealand. Judging from Giinther's description, 

 confirmed by a brief inspection of the specimens in the J'ritish Museum, 

 C. pardlldm is characterized by a great development of spinose scales on the 

 head, including tlie underside, and by the presence of a small number of large 

 spines, with broad bases, on the body scales. The New Zealand specimens, to 

 which Giinther refers as being slightly divergent from the type, seem to vary 

 iir the direction of ]\[. lahiatiis. 



In 1888 Vaillant, working out the collections of the Travaillcur and 

 Talisman expedition, found laige numbers of a long-snouted Macrurid from 

 the N.E. Atlantic off the Senegal coast, the Cape Verde Is., and the Azores. 

 He identified these with Macrttrus Japonicus, Schl., suggesting M. 2Jai'allclus 

 and M. occa as synonyms, but withdrawing M. jjarallelus in the appendix. 

 Shortly afterwards, in 1896, Koehler described Macrurus lahiatus from the 

 Bay of Biscay, distinguishing it from the 31. Japonicus of Vaillant by the 

 form of .the mouth and the more numerous rows of spinules on the scales. 

 Collett in 1905 e.xamined specimens taken by the Michael Sars in the Faeroe- 

 Shetland Channel, and identified them with Vaillant's species, but, recognizing 

 that they were distinct from M. Japonicus of Schlegl, proposed the new name 

 of M. Talisniani. 



Koule (1916) has also proposed a new name (Codorliynclius Vaillanii) for 

 Vaillant's species, which he found in the collections made by the Prince of 

 Monaco off the Azores, and (1919) has published excellent coloured figures of 

 large and small individuals. 



The Hclga's specimens represent a wide range of size, from 11 cm. to 46 cm 

 The smaller specimens agree most nearly with CoUett's description of Macrurus 

 Talismani, but the larger show no adequate grounds for separation from M. 

 lahiatus. The peculiar conformation of the mouth, which Koehler has empha- 

 sized, appears to have been described from a specimen in which the mouth 

 was abnormally protruded ; and an examination of a Helga specimen which 

 was in the same condition showed similar features, but not in such a marked 

 degree as Koehler's specimen. It appears to me safe to conclude that C. 

 lahiatus, C. Talisnmni, and C. Vaillanti are identical, and that consequently 

 the name C. lahiatus should be used. 



