FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 



249 



9. Lower side of head with large open mucous pits; 100 or more rays in the long left-hand (dorsal) fin.. Witch, p. 285 

 Lower side of head lacks open mucous pits; fewer than 90 rays in the long left-hand (dorsal) fin 10 



10. Lateral line arched behind the gill opening Yellow-tail, p. 271 



Lateral line nearly straight 11 



11. Top of the head between the eyes rough with scales— Winter flounder (including the Georges Bank flounder) p. 276 

 Top of the head between the eyes naked and smooth Smooth flounder, p. 283 



Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus fish but is hidden by the skin in old fish. The 



(Linnaeus) 1758 two pectoral fins are of different shapes, the one 



, „„ „„„ „„„ on the upper (eyed) side of the fish being obliquely 



Jordan and Everrnann, 1896-1900, p. 2661. • . , , ., \, ~ ,, , • , ? , , 



pointed while tne fin on the lower side is rounded. 



Description. — This is not only the largest of The rather small ventral fins, which are situated 

 flatfishes, but is one of the best characterized; ' n lront of the pectorals and are separated from 

 its most obvious distinctive characters, apart from the anal by a considerable space, are alike. Hab- 

 its size, being the fact that it lies on the left side; 21 but, like other flatfishes are scaly on the whole 

 that its mouth gapes back as far as the eyes, and bead and body and they are very slimy with mucus, 

 is armed with sharp curved teeth; that the rear Color. — The halibut is chocolate to olive or 

 edge of its tail fin is concave, not rounded; that its slaty brown on the eyed (upper) side. Young 

 two ventral fins are alike; and that its lateral line nsn arc paler, and are more or less mottled, while 

 is arched abreast of the pectoral fin. Furthermore l ar g° ones ar e more uniform and darker, some- 

 it is a narrower fish, relatively, than most of our times almost black. The blind (lower) side usu- 

 fiatfishes (only about one-third as broad as it is a Hy is P^e white in small fish, but large ones are 

 long) but is very thick through, and its eyes are often more or less blotched or clouded below with 

 farther apart than they are in most of the other gray (known by fishermen as "grays"). Occa- 

 flounders. sionally a halibut is taken the blind side of which 



The dorsal (long) fin (98 to 105 rays) commences is marked with patches of the same color as the 



abreast of the eye and runs back the whole length eyed side. And we have seen one medium-sized 



of the fish, broadening but slightly for the first fish in which the rear third of the lower surface 



third of its length and then abruptly, to narrow was uniform dark brown. 



again toward the caudal peduncle. The anal fin Size. — Only swordfish, tuna, and some of the 

 is similar to the dorsal fin in shape but is shorter larger sharks reach a greater size than the halibut, 

 (73 to79rays), originates close behind the pectorals, among (iulf of Maine fishes for while reports of 

 and is preceded by a sharp spinelike extension of specimens as large as 600 to 700 pounds have 

 the post-abdominal bone, which projects in young usually l>een looked on as exaggerations we are 

 glad to be able to give at least one record of a 



« Left-handed halibut have been caught, occasionally. Gulf of Maine halibut ill this Weight class. The 



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... 



Figure 123. — Halibut {Hippoglossus hippoglossus) , Eastport, Maine. From Goode. Drawing by H. L. Todd. 

 210941—53 17 



