I.—Distribution of Shore Fishes.
The principal types of Shore-fishes are the following:—
| CHONDROPTERYGII— | ||
| Holocephala | 4 | species |
| Plagiostomata— | ||
| Carchariidæ (part.) | 12 | „ |
| Scylliidæ | 30 | „ |
| Cestraciontidæ | 4 | „ |
| Spinacidæ (part.) | 8 | „ |
| Rhinidæ | 1 | „ |
| Pristiophoridæ | 4 | „ |
| Pristidæ | 5 | „ |
| Rhinobatidæ | 14 | „ |
| Torpedinidæ | 15 | „ |
| Rajidæ | 34 | „ |
| Trygonidæ | 47 | „ |
| ACANTHOPTERYGII— | ||
| Percidæ (part. incl. Pristipomatidæ) | 625 | „ |
| Mullidæ | 35 | „ |
| Sparidæ | 130 | „ |
| Squamipinnes | 130 | „ |
| Cirrhitidæ | 40 | „ |
| Heterolepidina | 12 | „ |
| Scorpænidæ | 120 | „ |
| Cottiæ (part.) | 100 | „ |
| Cataphracti (part.) | 20 | „ |
| Trachinidæ | 100 | „ |
| Sciænidæ | 100 | „ |
| Sphyrænidæ | 15 | „ |
| Trichiuridæ | 17 | „ |
| Elacate | 1 | „ |
| Nomeidæ (part.) | 5 | „ |
| Cyttidæ | 8 | „ |
| Stromateus | 9 | „ |
| Mene | 1 | „ |
| Carangidæ (part.) | 130 | „ |
| Kurtidæ | 7 | „ |
| Gobiodon | 7 | „ |
| Callionymina | 30 | „ |
| Discoboli | 11 | „ |
| Batrachidæ | 14 | „ |
| Pediculati (part.) | 11 | „ |
| Blenniidæ | 90 | „ |
| Acanthoclinidæ | 1 | „ |
| Teuthididæ | 30 | „ |
| Acronuridæ | 60 | „ |
| Hoplognathidæ | 3 | „ |
| Malacanthidæ | 3 | „ |
| Plesiopina | 4 | „ |
| Trichonotidæ | 2 | „ |
| Cepolidæ | 7 | „ |
| Gobiesocidæ | 21 | „ |
| Psychrolutidæ | 2 | „ |
| Centriscidæ | 7 | „ |
| Fistulariidæ | 4 | „ |
| Acanthopterygii Pharyngognathi— | ||
| Pomacentridæ | 150 | „ |
| Labridæ | 400 | „ |
| Embiotocidæ | 17 | „ |
| Anacanthini— | ||
| Gadopsidæ | 1 | „ |
| Lycodidæ | 15 | „ |
| Gadidæ (part.) | 50 | „ |
| Ophidiidæ (part.) | 40 | „ |
| Pleuronectidæ | 160 | „ |
| Physostomi— | ||
| Saurina (part.) | 16 | „ |
| Salmonidæ (part.) | 7 | „ |
| Clupeidæ (part.) | 130 | „ |
| Chirocentridæ | 1 | „ |
| Chilobranchus | 1 | „ |
| Murænidæ (part.) | 200 | „ |
| Pegasidæ | 4 | „ |
| Lophobranchii | 120 | „ |
| Plectognathi— | ||
| Sclerodermi | 95 | „ |
| Gymnodontes | 83 | „ |
| CYCLOSTOMATA— | ||
| Myxinidæ | 5 | „ |
| LEPTOCARDII | 2 | „ |
| 3587 | species. |
These types of Shore fishes are divided among the following oceanic areæ:—
- I. The Arctic Ocean.
- II. The Northern Temperate Zone.
- A. The Temperate North Atlantic.
- 1. The British district.
- 2. The Mediterranean district.
- 3. The North American district.
- B. The Temperate North Pacific.
- 1. The Kamtschatkan district.
- 2. The Japanese district.
- 3. The Californian district.
- III. The Equatorial Zone.
- A. The Tropical Atlantic.
- B. The Tropical Indo-Pacific.
- C. The Pacific Coast of Tropical America.
- 1. The Central American district.
- 2. The Galapagoes district.
- 3. The Peruvian district.
- IV. The Southern Temperate Zone.
- 1. The Cape of Good Hope district.
- 2. The South Australian district.
- 3. The Chilian district.
- 4. The Patagonian district.
- V. The Antarctic Ocean.
As with freshwater fishes, the main divisions of the Shore-fish faunæ are determined by their distance from the equator, the equatorial zone of the Freshwater series corresponding entirely to that of the Shore-fish series. But as Marine fishes extend farther towards the Poles than Freshwater fishes, and as the polar types are more specialised, a distinct Arctic and Antarctic fauna may be separated from the faunæ of the temperate zones. The two subdivisions of the Northern temperate zone in the Freshwater series are quite analogous to the corresponding divisions in the Coast series. In the Southern Hemisphere the Shore-fishes of the extremity of Africa form a separate district of the temperate zone, whilst the Freshwater fishes of South Africa were found to be tropical types. The Marine series of the Southern temperate zone is also much more diversified than the Freshwater series, and admits of further subdivision, which, although in some degree indicated in the Freshwater series, does not entirely correspond to that proposed for the latter.
I. Shore Fishes of the Arctic Ocean.
The Shore fishes clearly prove a continuity of the Arctic circumpolar fauna, as the southern limit of which we may indicate the southern extremity of Greenland and the Aleutian Archipelago, or 60° of lat. N.
Towards the North, fishes become less in variety of species and fewer in number of individuals, and only very few genera are restricted to this fauna.
The highest latitude at which Shore fishes have been observed is 83° N. lat. The late Arctic Expedition collected at and near that latitude specimens of Cottus quadricornis, Icelus hamatus, Cyclopterus spinosus, Liparis fabricii, Gymnelis viridis, and Gadus fabricii. This number probably would have been larger if the difficulties of collecting fishes in those high latitudes were not almost insuperable for the greater part of the year.