47 
A CAT-FISH NEW TO BRITISH SEAS. 
By E. L. GILL, M.Sc. 
(Reprinted from Traits, of the Newcastle Nat. Hist. Soc .) 
On July 25th, 1900, Mr. Andrew Thomson, fishmonger, of 
Elswick Road, brought to the Museum a large cat-fish which had 
been landed that morning at North Shields, where the fishermen 
said that its like had never been seen before. Its most obvious 
point of difference from the common catfish (Anarrhichas lupus, 
Linn.) was in colour ; instead of being slate-green with dark bars 
it was of a uniform grey-brown or dark stone colour, finely mottled 
and streaked with white. Its snout also was not quite so blunt 
as in the common species, the dorsal fin was very low, thick and 
fleshy, and the tail very small. Its total length was 4 feet 1 inch. 
With the kind assistance of Mr. C. T. Regan, of the British 
Museum, the fish was identified as an example of an Arctic species 
of cat-fish, Anarrhichas latifrons, Steenstrup and Ilallgrimossn — 
(A. denticulalus, Kroyer *). This species is known chiefly from 
within the Arctic Circle, and it had never previously been recorded 
from British waters. Mr. Thomson has ascertained for us that 
the present example was caught 15 miles east-north-east from 
Tynemouth bar, in 50 fathoms of water (s.s. “ Nellie,” skipper 
E. A. Lang). 
The most important characteristic of this species from a 
systematic point of view is the size and arrangement of the teeth. 
These are much smaller than in A. lupus, and the vomerine teeth 
in the middle of the roof of the mouth do not extend so far back 
as the palatine series at the sides; in A. lupus exactly the opposite 
arrangement is found. A cast of the entire fish was taken, and 
the head is preserved at the Museum. 
• See Jordan and Evermann. Bulletin of the U.S. National Museum, No. 47, p. 2446. 
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