| OCR Text |
Show 42 DR. A. GUNTHER ON [Jan. 14, Arnoglossus lophotes. Dorsal rays. Anal rays. Dry typical specimen no. 1 95 77 „ no. 2 96 76 no. 3 102 81 Lundy Island specimen in spirit 99 79 Specimen from Palermo ,, 98 75 Arnoglossus grohmanni. Specimen from Kenmare River in spirit .. 86 64 „ Dalmatia ,, .. 85 65 „ Nice no. 1 „ . . 84 64 ,, ,.2 ,, 88 61 ,, ,,3 „ 88 62 „ 4 „ 84 65 It is difficult to understand why Mr. Day in his paper makes reference whatever to the most striking distinctive character, viz. the prolonged dorsal rays. Bonaparte and Canestrini distinctly say that in A. grohmanni the second dorsal ray is prolonged, and so it is in the six specimens before me, in the youngest as well as oldest. In A. lophotes the four or five anterior rays are prolonged ; and there is no difference in this respect in the five specimens before me, in the smallest as well as in the largest. No author mentions a prolongation of fin-rays in the common British species of Scald-fish, Arnoglossus laterna, which, besides, has a conspicuously smaller eye than A. lophotes (see Plate III. figs. B, C), as may be seen from the following measurements :- A. laterna. A. lophotes. Total length 187 mm. 174 mm. Horizontal diameter of eye 7\ mm. 9| mm. Total length 120 mm. 136 mm. Horizontal diameter of eye . 5| mm. 8 mm. Also the maxillary is somewhat shorter in A. lophotes than laterna. I add now a complete diagnosis of A. grohmanni, drawn up from specimens preserved in spirit:- D. 84-88. A. 61-65. P. 9. L. lat. 51. The greatest width of the body is contained twice and one third in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head four times. The upper profile of the head descends rapidly downwards, there being a considerable space between the upper eye and the upper profile. Eyes of moderate size, one fourth of the length of the head and equal to the length of the snout; eyes separated by a sharp ridge, the lower somewhat in advance of the upper. Mouth oblique and rather narrow, with prominent lower jaw and with the maxillary not extending to below the middle of the eye. The length of the maxillary is one |
