40 



EINAR LEA. 



[REP. OF THE "MICHAEL SARS" NORTH 



Measurements of the angle formed by the wire with the 

 surface of the water enable us to determine the maximum 

 depth that may be attained by such a net, and judging 

 from experiments made at stations where the depth of 

 water was known, it seems probable that the nets were 

 dragged at a depth of from 1 h to 1 /z of the length of 

 wire but, and for the sake of simplicity the latter figure 

 has been adopted in compiling. 



It may be supposed that the surface waters and the 

 greater depths beyond 500 metres were more thoroughly 

 investigated than the intermediate depths between 50 and 

 500 metres, because surface hauls were far more numerous 

 and larger nets were used in the greater depths, but still 

 the majority of the species came from the intermediate 

 depths referred to. 



The table below shows that only two species were caught 

 at the surface, although hauls at the surface were much 

 more frequent than at depths of 50 and 100 metres, 

 where respectively 6 and 8 species were taken. As com- 

 pared with the two species from the surface no fewer than 

 twenty-five species were taken beneath the surface. This 

 can hardly be accidental, and we are forced to the conclu- 

 sion that most of the species live below the surface in 

 the North Atlantic. In the literature concerning muraenoid 

 larvae only the following eight species are authoritatively 

 recorded from the surface: — 



Leptocephalus diptycluis, Eigenmann and Kennedy (9) 



— latus, — — 



lanceolatus, Schmidt (30), Blegvad (1). 



Number of larvae taken at different depths. 



Species 



Silk nets, 

 1 metre in diameter 



Young- 

 fish trawl 

 159 m 



Silk-net 



3 k m in 



diam. 



300—400 



metres 



Young- 

 fish trawl 

 500 m 



Silk-net 



3 A m in 



diam. 



750 m 



Young- 

 fish trawl 

 net 3 m 

 in diam. 

 1000- 

 1300 m 



Large net 



3 m in 



diam. 



1500 m 



m 



50 m 



100 m 



Leptocephalus 





















— Anguillae vulgaris 





16 



14 



9 



2 



3 











— Synaphobranchi pinnati . . . 



— 



5 





1 





3i) 



2 



— 



— 



Histiobranchi inf emails .... 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— Cyematis atri 



— 



— 



— 



4 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— ■ 



Congri vulgaris 



— 



— 



— 



2 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— mystacis 



— 



— 



3 



17 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— balearici 



83 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— spinocadux 



— 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— polymerus 



1 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— Michael-Sarsi 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— splendens 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— enchodon 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— euryurus 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



I 2 ) 



— 



1 



— 



— similis 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— proboscideus 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— dolichorhynchus 



— 



■ — 



2 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 





— 



1 







6 



— 



1 







— - 







— Saurenchelydis cancrivorae . . 



— urosema 



— 



4 



2 



2 



- 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— canaricus 



— megacara 



— small nr. 1 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— „ 2 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— , 3 



— 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— mysticus 



— 



— ■ 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



Gastrostomi Bairdii 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



— 



1 



— 



Number of individuals of all species.. 



84 



28 



26 



44 



4 



8 



2 



5 



— 



Number of species 



2 



6 



8 



11 



3 



4 



1 



5 



— 



J ) One of these larvae may possibly have been taken at a depth of 200 m., according to the label in the tube. 

 2 ) This larva may possibly have been taken at a depth of 200 m, according to the label in the tube. 



