Orr and Matarese: Revison of the genus Leptdopsetta Gill, 1862 



551 



Systematics 



Genus Lepidopsetta Gill, 1862 



Leptdopsetta Gill, 1862:330 (type species Platich- 

 thys umbrosus Girard, 1856 [originally cited 

 as Psettichthys umbr-osiis but subsequently cor- 

 rected by Gill (1864)], by monotypy). 



Diagnosis 



Pleuronectid genus Lepidopsetta is distinguished 

 by the following combination of characters in adults: 

 lateral line with a high arch, 6-8 scale rows between 

 highest point of arch and base of arch over the pec- 

 toral fin; supratemporal branch of lateral line with 

 a moderately elongate posterior extension of up to 

 35 pored scales; mouth small, maxilla extending to 

 anterior quarter of ventral orbit; expanded anteri- 

 ormost anal pterygiophore ("anal spine") present, 

 often projecting beyond body wall in damaged spec- 

 imens; supraorbital pores present; scales on ocular 

 side often tuberculate, especially on the head and 

 anterior portion of body; scales on blind side always 

 cycloid anteriorly. 



Lai-vae are distinguished from other pleuronec- 

 tid genera by the following combination of char- 

 acters: dorsal and anal finfold pigment present, 

 1-3 postanal bars (2-4 distinctive pigment regions 

 along dorsal midline), a series of ventral midline 

 melanophores, absence of slashlike hypaxial pig- 

 ment along the postanal body, few to many pigment 

 spots around the notochord tip, and 37-44 total 

 myomeres (Table 12). 



Description of adults 



Body ovate, gi-eatest depth 31.7-61.0'7f SL, scales 

 above lateral line 25-45, scales below lateral line 

 27-67; head acute to rounded, length 21.8-32.97f SL; 

 dorsal margin of head concave to nearly linear, snout 

 length 3.1-6.2'7f SL ( 12.1-22.47^ HD: mouth small, 

 premaxilla with fleshy lips and prominent, broad- 

 based posterior lobe, maxilla extending to anterior 

 rim of ventral orbit, ocular-side maxilla shorter 

 than blind-side maxilla, ocular-side maxilla length 

 20.4-32.5' J HL. bhnd-side maxilla length 22.2-41.29f 

 HL; ocular-side mandible length 34.4-50.07f HL. 

 about equal in length to blind-side mandible; teeth 

 conical and slightly lobate or truncate, largest are 

 anterior becoming gradually smaller posteriorly, 

 fewer on ocular-side premaxilla and dentarv. 4—10 on 

 ocular-side premaxilla, 20-27 on blind-side premax- 

 illa, 8-15 on ocular-side dentarv, 20-29 on blind-side 

 dentary; gill rakers of first arch moderately slender 

 to broad and robust, 6-14 total, 1-6 on upper and 

 4—9 on lower arch; gill rakers of second arch broad 

 and robust, 6-14 total, 0^ on upper and 5-13 on 

 lower arch; dorsal orbit round (nearly equal to eye 

 length ) to elliptical ( posterior rim elongate and much 

 greater than eye length), orbit lenth 22.2-34.77f HL, 



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08 



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Morphometries 



o blilneata 



 mochlgarei 



4 polyxystra n. sp. 



-0.5 



05 



PC2 



Meristics 



1 5 



B 



-6-4-2 2 



PC1 



Morphometries vs Meristics 



-5 



PCI (Meristics) 



Figure 2 



Plots of principal component scores for morphometric and meristic 

 characters for Lepidopsetta species: L. bilineata (circle I, L. moch- 

 lgarei (square), L. polyxystra n. sp. (triangle). (A) Morphometric 

 characters only; (B) meristic characters only; (C) morphometric 

 characters (PC2) versus meristic characters (PCI I. 



