Abstract
THE Norway bullhead, Acanthocottus lilljeborgi (Collett, 1875), is a marine cottid (Teleostei-Scleroparei) endemic to the European boreal region. It closely resembles A. bubalis (Euphr.) (= Cottus bubalis Euphr.) in general appearance, wide attachment of branchiostegous membrane to isthmus, number and arrangement of opercular spines, and possession of a small barbel at each corner of the mouth, but is readily distinguished from A. bubalis by the presence of a second longitudinal row of ossicles, dorsal and parallel to that along the lateral line, a difference in pelvic fin formula (I2 instead of I3) and smaller maximum size (60 mm. against 170 mm.)1. The distribution and development of A. lilljeborgi have been reviewed by Bruun2,3. Demersal juveniles and adults of this small fish are not often taken, and most records refer to pelagic postlarvæ. Outside British seas, the species is known from the south and west coasts of Iceland, the Faeroes, Rockall Bank, Great Fisher Bank, the Norwegian coast to 65° N., and the Skagerrak and Kattegat.
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References
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MILLER, P. Acanthocottus lilljeborgi (Collett) in British Seas. Nature 184, 1162 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/1841162a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1841162a0
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