554 



Fishery Bulletin 98(3) 



Ocular-side scales ctenoid, often tuberculate, especially 

 on anterior portion of the body around the head and pec- 

 toral girdle; tubercules columnar, narrow from base to tip, 

 up to 10 tubercules on scales of head, fewer on tubercu- 

 late body scales; blind-side scales nearly always cycloid 

 except in ambicolored specimens, never tuberculate, pos- 

 terior scales occasionally with central cteni along lateral 

 midline; broad, flaplike urogenital pore on ocular side, 

 dorsal to anus; anus just anterior to anal-fin origin; color of 

 ocular side varies with substrate, in life olivaceous green- 

 ish brown with various blotches of dark brown and spots 

 of light areas scattered over body, brown streaks in dorsal, 

 anal, and caudal fins, often with a series of four to five 

 large light spots at base of dorsal fin and four similar 

 spots at base of anal fin; in preservation ocular side yel- 

 lowish brown with blotches; blind side bright white to 

 cream in life, cream to yellowish in preservation. Moder- 

 ate sized pleuronectids, reaching a standard length of 600 

 mm (Hart, 1973). 



Description of larvae 



Snout-to-anus length remaining constant during devel- 

 opment, length 32.1-39.3'7r SL; preflexion body slender, 

 body depth increasing with development, sharply after 



flexion, from a depth of 3.8 to 35.7'7c SL; finfolds of moder- 

 ate size; head length increasing with development, sharply 

 after flexion, from a length of 11.6 to 29.3'/( SL; snout 

 length remaining constant during development, length 

 20.5-24.T7c HL; orbit length decreasing with development, 

 from 51.9 to 20.9'/f HL. 



Size at stage of development variable among species 

 (Table 13). Larvae hatching at less than 3.0-4.45 mm; yolk 

 absorbed by 2.7-4.5 mm. Preflexion larvae ranging in size 

 from 3.8 to 6.6 mm; flexion larvae between 6.4 and 11.1 

 mm; postflexion larvae between 10.8 and 18.6 mm. Trans- 

 formation occurring at sizes as small as 10.0 mm; juvenile 

 stage usually attained by 35.0 mm (Table 13). 



Preanal pigment present initially along lower jaw, 

 increasing posteriorly with development. Pigment occur- 

 ring ventrally along gut and dorsally on anus; by flexion 

 a distinct patch of melanophores occurring along the pos- 

 terior edge of the gut, with pigment increasing laterally 

 with development. Pigment may be present or absent on 

 pectoral-fin rays and base. 



Postanal pigment in preflexion larvae may be present 

 as melanophores along distal edges of dorsal and anal fin- 

 folds, but typically with isolated patches along finfolds and 

 pigment spots or patches along distal edges of anal finfold; 

 when present, two to four distinct pigment regions along 



