Fakuan — Seventh Report on the Fishes of the Irish Atlantic Slope. 115 



General Bistrihution. — Apparently limited to the east side of the 

 K Atlantic, from 15° N. to 61° IST., at depths of from 250 fathoms 

 {Travailleur and Talisman) to 1,424 fathoms (31. Sars). 



Irish Distribution. — First taken off the Irish coast during the Eoj'al 

 Dublin Society's Fishery Survey in 1890 (Holt, 1892), seven specimens 

 having been trawled in 500 fathoms, 54 miles off Aehill Head. These 

 specimens have been described very fully by Holt and Calderwood (1895). 



In the Helga's, trawlings it was the commonest Macrurid, and occurred 

 regularly between 350 and 700 fathoms, its certain range being 346 to 707 

 fathoms. 



The average number per haid at various depths, estimated as in the case 

 of. Ooryphaenoides rupeMris, were : — 



Depth 





Specimens per 



haul. 



No. 



of hauls 



300^00 



fms. ... 





9-4 







15 



400-500 



„ 





17-4 







11 



500-600 



„ 





178 







21 



600-700 



„ 





7-4 







14 



700-800 



„ 





11-4 







5* 



The apparent increase below 700 fathoms is probably due to the small 

 number of hauls, a large haul of 30 specimens at 720 fathoms, and another 

 of 26 specinrens at 707-710 fathoms, being responsible for bringing up the 

 average. The figures indicate that the lower limit of the range of the species 

 on the S.-W. coast of Ireland has not yet been reached by the Helga. The 

 total number of specimens taken was 872. Specimens of all sizes seem to be 

 uniformly distributed at tlie various depths, the average depth at which the 

 smallest fourteen specimens (11-17 cms.) v/ere taken being 496 fathoms, and 

 the largest ten (34-36 cms.) 452 fathoms. 



Lionurus sclerorhynchus, a species closely allied to L. aequalis, was taken 

 by the Michael Sars Expedition in 1910 (Murray and Hjort, 1912) in 

 50° 22' N. 11° 44' W, at a depth of 1,797 metres, 983 fathoms, the position 

 being very close to the area in which I he Helga worked, but at a greater 

 depth than was explored by her trawl. 



