On the northern rockling Ciliata septentrionalis (Collett) in the Plymouth area

• Published in: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
• Main Author: Dando, P. R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1975
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Norway; Iceland; Northern Norway
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s002531540001780x; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S002531540001780X

The known range of the northern rockling, Ciliata septentrionalis , extends from Iceland and northern Norway in the north to Plymouth in the south (Wheeler, 1965). This species has probably been confused with the five-bearded rockling, C. mustela (L.), in the past (Wheeler, 1969) and this together with the small size of the fish, enabling it to escape through the mesh of most trawls, may explain the paucity of records and knowledge of the species. Brook, (1885, 1888) described the egg and larval development of C. mustela but the egg and larva of C. septentrionalis have not been described. It is probable that the abundance of both these species can only be estimated by a combination of fecundity studies and egg and larval counts.