192 
SCANDINAVIAN DISHES. 
The coloration of Lilljeborg’s Cottus is essentially 
the same as that of young Cotti in general and espe- 
cially like that of young Father-Lashers. It is pale 
yellow, with four or five broad, black, transverse bands 
over the head and back, the last two or three extending 
over the caudal region down to the ventral side and 
more or less confluent. The fins are crossed by rows 
of grayish brown spots. 
Lilljeborg’s Cottus is known from the shallower 
spots on the coast of Norway up to Trondhjem Fjord, 
from Bohuslan and from the Faroe Islands. According 
to Malm’s observations in Bohuslan, it “generally lives 
at about the same depth as Cottus scorpius; but as the 
latter is most often found in the Zostera region and C. 
bubalis in the Laminaria region, it would appear that 
C. Lilljeborgii prefers the Corallina region.” Of the spe- 
cimens belonging to the Royal Museum two were taken 
by Lecturer Olsson on the coast of “Bohuslan, 1869,” to- 
gether with Cottus bubalis, and another by Professor S. Lo- 
ven in Gullmaren. Malm mentions eight specimens from 
Bohuslan, belonging to Gothenburg Museum ; but whether 
the species is common there, we can hardly judge as yet. 
Cottus Lilljeborgii is of no economic importance, 
but is all the more interesting from a scientific point of 
view, for most of the characters assigned to it above, 
Length of the body expressed in millimetres.. 
„ ,, „ head in % of the length of the body 
„ „ „ maxillary hones.. „ ,, ,, „ „ „ „ „ 
„ „ „ lower jaw „ „ „ ,, ,, „ „ „ 
Longitudinal diameter of the eye ,, „ ,, ,, ., „ „ „ 
Distance between the first dorsal fin and the tip of the snout „ „ ,, ,, „ „ „ 
„ „ „ beginning of the first dorsal fin and 
that of the second „ „ ,, „ „ „ 
Base of the second dorsal fin ,, „ ,, ,, „ „ „ „ 
Length of the ventral fins „ „ „ „ „ 
Distance between the insertion of the ventral fins and the 
beginning of the anal fin ,, ,, „ ,, „ ,, ,, 
Distance between the tip of the snout and the beginning of 
the anal fin „ „ „ „ „ ,, „ „ 
Base of the anal fin „ „ ,, ,, „ „ „ „ 
Least depth of the tail :. „ „ „ „ ,, „ ,, 
Least breadth of the interorbital space in % of the length of the maxillaries 
Length of the maxillaries in % of the base of the second dorsal fin 
„ „ „ lower jaw „ „ „ „ „ „ „ ,, „ ,, 
I Least depth of the tail in % of the longitudinal diameter of the eye 
correspond to the highest stages of development in the 
preceding species, but are combined with a retention of 
the spinous, larval dress of the latter. So closely related 
to each other are these two species, that one might rea- 
sonably regard Lilljeborg’s Cottus as a Father-Lasher 
which had adopted in youth the characters of the adult 
state. This opinion, however, is refuted by the differ- 
ence which lies in the above-mentioned shortening of 
the occipital ridges and in the smaller number of rays 
in the ventral fins, the former circumstance indicating 
a. special approach towards Cottus claviger. As long as 
a constant difference exists, we must, of course, retain 
the species in the system as distinct. In other respects 
we see, according to the table given below, that, where 
in Cottus Lilljeborgii the proportion is highest — e. g. 
in the length of the maxillary bones relatively to the 
length of the body — Cottus bubalis approaches it by 
the increase of the proportion with age. Again, where 
in the former species the proportion is comparatively 
low — e. g. in the relative lengths of the base of the 
second dorsal fin and of the body — we find in Cottus 
bubalis, both in the male and in the female, that the 
proportion sinks with age, more or less regularly, but 
still distinctly. The table also shows the relations between 
these two species and their near relative Cottus claviger. 
Cottus bubalis. 
Cottus Lillje- 
borgii. 
Cottus claviger. 
Behring I. 15th Aug., 1879. 
Bohusliin. S. Loven, 
1871. 
Bohuslan, Humlesiicken, 
16th April, 1887. 
H. Steohfelt. 
to 
o 
cc 
cc FI 
P 1 2. 
B' 
Cp 
ct 
crq 
O 
B' 
i— *■ 
co 
O 
C/D 
C/3 
O 
3 
Bohusliin, Kristineberg 
1885. 
Kola Peninsula. Waideguba, 
28th September, 1877. 
LI. Sandeberg. 
The Baltic. Mdrlio, Nov. 
1883. Eksteom. 
The Sound. Raa 1882. 
Trybom. 
Bohusliin, July, 1835. 
I 1 ’. SUNDEVALL. 
w 
c 
p? 
CO 
GTi 
O 
O 
c« 
O 
Bohuslan. S. Loven. 
d 1 
a* 
c? 
d 71 
9 
9 
9 
9 
0* 
9 
d 1 
26.2 
63 
66 
70 
125 
71 
133 
139 
160 
41 
47 
257 
30.9 
30.i 
31. s 
33.7 
33.6 
29.6 
33.8 
32.4 
33.9 
31.6 
31.5 
34.2 
10.7 
ll.i 
11.8 
lO.o 
12.4 
10.6 
12.4 
12.6 
13.s 
14.6 
14.o 
13.6 
13.7 
14.6 
16.o 
16.i 
16.8 
14.i 
15.o 
15.8 
16.9 
17.5 
16.6 
16.8 
9.6 
7.9 
7.9 
7.4 
7.o 
5.7 
6.2 
6.i 
6.2 
8.8 
8.9 
5.6 
30.6 
29.o 
31.8 
30. o 
31.6 
28.6 
31.7 
30.2 
31.2 
29.5 
28.7 
32.3 
19.x 
17.4 
19.7 
20. o 
19.8 
18.7 
20.3 
20.i 
16.6 
17.i 
21.3 
17.5 
25.9 
28.6 
27.3 
24.7 
24.o 
28.2 
24.0 
23.8 
25.o 
23.4 
25.5 
24.9 
11.4 
16.o 
16.7 
17.i 
20. o 
15.5 
15.0 
13.0 
14.3 
12.2 
12.7 
15.i 
21.3 
21.9 
22.7 
24.3 
23.2 
31.4 
26.3 
25.2 
23.i 
25.6 
25.7 
33.o 
45.8 
47.6 
45.8 
48.6 
51.6 
48.7 
52.6 
50.3 
50.6 
51.7 
51.i 
53.4 
19.i 
20.5 
18.2 
20. o 
19.2 
18.3 
15.9 
18.0 
17.5 
14.6 
16.6 
17.5 
6.8 
6.0 
6.0 
6.1 
6.o 
6.3 
6.6 
6.o 
5.8 
6.6 
5.9 
6.6 
46.4 
42.9 
41.o 
50. o 
35.5 
34.7 
33.3 
30. o 
34.i 
33.3 
27.3 
31.4 
41.2 
38.8 
42.8 
40.4 
51.7 
37.5 
51.5 
42.7 
55.o 
62.5 
55.o 
54.7 
53.o 
51.i 
57.7 
65.3 
70. o 
50. o 
62.5 
53.6 
67.5 
75.o 
65.0 
67.6 
72.0 
76.o 
76.9 
82.6 
84.i 
112.5 
107.3 
98.8 
93.o 
75,o 
66.7 
117.2 
