684 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
the trunk is distinctly compressed, and its depth in- 
creased by two longitudinal dermal folds, one at the 
middle of the back and one at the middle of the belly, 
both of inconstant height and occurrence, the former 
always small, but the latter sometimes almost as deep 
as the body. The depth of the body at the middle of 
the trunk, including these dermal folds, may rise in 
the females to at least 2'8 % of its length. 
In adult specimens the middle carina of the plates 
on the body is extremely indistinct, and the grooves 
that otherwise radiate (vertically) from this carina, 
are for the most part effaced and exchanged for 
small, round or square hollows, which at the middle 
of the central plates of the body, are arranged in 
vertical rows, a distinct trace being thus left of the 
original grooves. The hind part of the head, the fore- 
head, and the opercula, which are without carina?, are 
also punctated more or less irregularly with similar 
cavities. 
The length of the head in proportion to the length 
of the body is less here than in any of the other Scan- 
dinavian Syngnatliince. In specimens about 2 dm. long 
the length of the head may still measure rather more 
than 6 % (according to Kroyer even & 1 / 2 %) of that 
of the body; but in older specimens this percentage 
sinks to 5 l / 2 or even a little less. While this change 
is taking place, the length of the snout increases from 
about 41 % to 46 Va 0/0 of that of the head, and the 
longitudinal diameter of the eye decreases from about 
V 2 to about 3 / 10 of the length of the snout. The form 
of the snout is also remarkable for its fairly prominent 
dorsal margin and broad ossa symplectica, the muzzle, 
when seen from the side, thus showing scarcely any 
break from the rest of the head, and also tapering evenly 
forwards and being only slightly turned up at the tip. 
The least depth of the snout, just behind the articula- 
tion of the lower jaw, measures about V 3 of its length, 
varying, however, between 30 and 38 % thereof. The 
tip of the lower jaw falls short of the upper margin 
of the tip of the snout, and in this species as in the 
preceding and the following ones the length of the 
lower jaw 7 is about equal to the longitudinal diameter 
of the eyes. 
The dorsal tin is of fairly uniform height, or a 
little higher at the middle, and its height in proportion 
to the length of the body is about the same as in the 
preceding species (about 2 %); but its base is shorter 
(about 10 — ll 2 / 3 % of the length of the body"), and 
its position entirely different. In the males the distance 
between its beginning and the tip of the snout is about 
45* — 48 % of the length of the body, in the females 
52 — 53 V 2 % thereof. The vent is also situated far back, 
though it lies further forward in relation to the dorsal 
fin, generally below r the beginning of the second third 
thereof. In the males the distance bettveen the vent 
and the tip of the snout is about 48° — 52 %, in the 
females 55 d — 58 % of the length of the body. These 
proportions bring about a more striking difference be- 
tween the sexes, namely that in the males of this spe- 
cies the length of the trunk behind the gill-covers is 
less, in the females greater than the length of the tail. 
The coloration of the living fish, according to Fries, 
is olive-green above, with a. dash of yellow 7 below 7 . The 
sides are marked with rows of numerous, often round, 
small, bluish wdiite spots, and the gill-covers are cross- 
ed by fine streaks of a handsome azure blue, wdiich 
are interrupted by the branchiostegal membrane, but 
continued a little w r ay along the sides of the body. 
The iris is brownish red according to Malm, silvery 
wdiite according to Ekstrom, with fine, gray and coarser, 
red spots. In coloration the sexes are hardly dis- 
tinguishable ; but according to Ekstrom the colours 
of the male are darker and dirtier. 
In Sweden the Straight-nosed Pipefish is quite as 
common as the Deep-nosed species, in some localities 
even commoner; and both species generally occur to- 
gether. In the Baltic this species was known even to 
o 
Artedi from the coast of Angermanland, and according 
to Mela it penetrates to the head of the Gulf of Fin- 
land. On the Norwegian coast it is unknown north of 
Trondhjem Fjord, but in the south of Norway it is as 
common as in Sw r eden. In Kiel Bay, according to 
Heincke, it is less common than the Deep-nosed Pipe- 
fish. On the English coast and the north -w r est coast 
of France it seems to be less common than in Scan- 
dinavia; but in the Bay of Biscay, according to Moreau, 
a In the smallest of KrOyer’r specimens, however, this percentage was 12'3. 
b According to Moreau, however, 4 1 . 
c This percentage may also occur, however, in females of the preceding species, and according to Moreau it may be 45 in this species. 
d According to Kr0Yer 54. 
