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Show 544 MR. J. T. CUNNINGHAM O N T H E [June 1", In justice to Dr. Giinther I must explain here that in December last, when I first obtained specimens resembling his species A.lophotes, I had some correspondence with him on the subject. After I had informed him of m y belief that they were the males of laterna, and found that he was publishing a paper on Arnoglossus, I requested him to include in his paper m y conclusion and the evidence for it, if he thought the conclusion sound. But he replied that his paper had already been sent to the Secretary of this Society, and that he preferred to leave it as it stood, so that I might publish my observations quite independently. II. ARNOGLOSSUS GROHMANNI, Giinther. It is recorded in Dr. Giinther's paper that hitherto only one specimen of this species has been found in British waters, namely one obtained by the Rev. W . S. Green from a depth of 10 fathoms in the Kenmare River on the S.W. coast of Ireland. I have to record another specimen, which was found by Mr. AV alter Garstang, on March 20th of the present year, among material obtained by the small beam-trawl in Cawsand Bay, Plymouth Sound, at a depth of 4 or 5 fathoms. In nearly all the specific characters mentioned by Dr. Giinther this specimen resembles A. grohmanni. The specimen measures 15*3 cm. in length including the caudal fin, and 5*7 cm. in greatest height. The numbers of fin-rays are :- D. 87, A. 66, P. 10, V. 6, C. 17, thus agreeing very closely indeed with the numbers in Dr. Giinther's specimens. In the shape of the anterior part of the body, the size of the eyes, the character of the mouth and jaws, the form of the lateral line, the characters of the scales, and in colour the specimen agrees with A. grohmanni, and there can be no doubt that it belongs to that species. But in some interesting peculiarities the specimen differs considerably from those described either by Dr. Giinther or any other ichthyologist. The anterior part of the specimen is represented in the accompanying drawing (see p. 545). The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th dorsal fin-rays are elongate, the 2nd being much the longest. The 2nd ray is very nearly as long as the head, being 28 m m . in length, while the head measures*29*5 m m . from the edge of the operculum to the apex of the lower jaw. This ray is therefore considerably longer than in previously described specimens. The same ray is fringed anteriorly and posteriorly by a broad plicated membrane which is quite independent of the rest of the fin, so that the ray presents the appearance of a feather, the broadest part of the fringe being near its proximal end, where it measures 1 cm. in breadth. The breadth of the fringed ray diminishes gradually to zero at the apex. Thus this ray is both longer and its fringing membrane much broader than in Dr. Giinther's specimens. The first ray is short and fringed with a very narrow membrane, which is continued at the base and posteriorly on to the root of the 2nd ray. The 3rd ray is two thirds the length of the head, and very slightly fringed with membrane at its outer part; this ray is sepa- |
