SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 191 



FAUNISTIC NOTES. 

 By Andrew Scott. 



Young Fishes, Leptocephalus morrisii — Plate V. 



A perfect specimen of tlie tape worm form of the 

 Lejitocejihalus stage of the conger eel was found by a 

 local fisherman on April 30th, 1906. The fish was dis- 

 covered in a small pool of water, left by the receding tide, 

 on the shore, on the east side of Foulney Island. The 

 Leptocephalus was living when captured, but as the 

 fisherman had no means of keeping it alive it soon died. 

 The man handed the specimen over to me soon after he 

 got it. It was then fresh and perfectly transparent, 

 quite soft and flexible. It was so transparent that 

 ordinary print could be easily read through it when 

 placed on a piece of newspaper. In extreme length it 

 measured 118 mm. The weight of the fish after removing 

 the superfluous water was 1*2 grammes, and its volume 1*5 

 cubic centimetres. The greatest dorso-ventral height of 

 the body was 9 mm., and it was broadest about 65 mm. 

 from the tip of the snout. The myotomes were fairly 

 distinct, and 151 were counted. The fish was colourless, 

 with the exception of a row of black specks along each 

 side of the ventral margin of the anterior half. There 

 was also a similar row of specks along the lateral line, 

 beginning near the greatest height and extending to the 

 tail. The black specks appeared to be placed at the 

 junction of the myotomes, and were very crowded towards 

 the tail. The presence of this rare form so far inshore 

 is apparently unusual. The specimen captured was 

 probably only a wandering individual, as no more have 

 been seen. The figure is from a photograph, and 

 represents the natural size of the fish. 



