570 



Fishery Bulletin 98(3) 



rakers of second arch 7-10 total. 1 on upper and 6-9 

 on lower arch; eyes relatively large, dorsal orbit slightly 

 longer than eye length, orbit length 26.1-34.7 (30.1)% 

 HL, eye length 21.4-30.0 (25.3)'7f HL; ventral eye length 

 21.6-31.1 (25.5)'7f HL; interorbital a narrow ridge, up to 

 2 scales at narrowest portion, 1.3-4.2 (2.7)'/f HL; cheek 

 with 10-15 scales, length 28.6-35.0 (31.1)'^7, HL, depth 

 14.8-25.5 (19.7)% HL; preopercular pores 8-13; ocular- 

 side suborbital pores 22-38; blind-side suborbital pores 

 10-20; lateral line pores 95-119. lateral-line arch rela- 

 tively long, 53.7-69.9 (62.7)% HL, its depth 23.8-35.7 

 (30.9)% its length; both anterior and posterior supratem- 

 poral branches relatively short, anterior pores 3-12, pos- 

 terior pores 6-22; supraorbital canal short, reaching only 

 to the posterior rim of the dorsal orbit at about the inser- 

 tion of dorsal-fin rays 5-6, pores 1-3: ocular-side pectoral- 

 fin length 12.6-17.4 (14.6)% SL (47.9-60.2 (55.6)% HL); 

 blind-side pectoral-fin length 7.9-11.7 (9.6)% SL (30.3-42.8 

 (36.5)% HL); ocular-side pelvic-fin length 7.4-11.8 (9.8)% 

 SL (31.8-43.5 (37.4)% HL); dorsal fin with 73-82 rays, 

 height 1 1.2-14.7 ( 12.9)% SL, in specimens with 75-81 rays 

 supported by 71-77 pterygiophores, typically 8 or rarely 

 9 anterior to first neural spine; anal fin with 56-65 rays, 

 in specimens with 56-63 rays supported by 57-61 pteryg- 

 iophores; caudal peduncle relatively deep, least caudal 

 peduncle depth 9.7-14.0 (11.0)% SL (36.2-50.3 (42.2)% 

 HL; 105.1-172 (124.3)% caudal peduncle length), greatest 

 caudal peduncle depth 12.0-14.6 (13.2)% SL (44.7-56.0 

 (50.5)% HL); caudal peduncle length 7.8-10.3 (8.9)% 

 SL (27.5-39.4 (34.1)% HL); caudal-fin length 18.8-25.1 

 (21.2)% SL. Vertebrae 39-42, with 11 precaudal and 28-31 

 caudal. 



Scales on head, pectoral region, and those scattered pos- 

 teriorly on ocular side slightly rough and having columnar 

 tubercles in larger adults. Small spines present in small 

 adults. 



In life, blind side of adults translucent to white with 

 glossy highlights along edges of myotonies (Amaoka et al., 

 1983, Fig. 220 as L. bilineata: Amaoka et al., 1995, Fig. 

 524 as Pleuronectes bilineatus).When preserved, blind side 

 uniform creamy white to yellow-brown. Ocular side brown- 

 ish with faint yellow highlights around small dark spots 

 near bases of dorsal and anal fins and at midline (Amaoka 

 etal., 1995, Fig. 524). 



Remaining description as for genus. Largest specimen 

 examined 280.3 mm (USNM 77130). Maximum size 

 reported 400 mm SL (Sakamoto, 1984b). 



Description of juveniles 



No juveniles were examined for this study. Juveniles are 

 not described in available literature. 



Description of larvae 



No larvae were examined in our study. The following 

 description is based on Okiyama and Takahasi ( 1976, 

 based on 3 specimens of 4.12-8.59 mm) and Pertseva- 

 Ostroumova (1961; number and size of specimens exam- 

 ined not stated). 



Snout-to-anus length 32.8-37.0% SL, decreasing with 

 development according to Pertseva-Ostroumova, 1961 

 (34.2-32.5% SL); body depth 9.0-17.0% SL, increasing 

 with development; head length 15.0-20.0% SL, increasing 

 with development; orbit length 41.0-28.0% HL, decreases 

 with development. Total myomeres 41-43. 



Hatching occurring at relatively large sizes, at 3.95-4.48 

 mm (Yusa, 1958); flexion beginning by 8.9 mm (Fig. B of 

 Okiyama, 1988); postflexion size between 10.6 mm and 

 15.3 mm (Figs. C and D of Okiyama, 1988); transformation 

 occurring at sizes larger than 15.3 mm (Fig. D of Okiyama. 

 1988). 



Preanal pigment (Fig. 20, based on Okiyama, 1988) pres- 

 ent initially along lower jaw, extending ventrally along gut 

 to anus. By flexion, melanophores appearing on pectoral- 

 fin rays; pectoral-fin rays and base not pigmented in all 

 earlier developmental stages; pectoral fin pigmented more 

 heavily than L. polyxystra n. sp. by later stages (Pertseva- 

 Ostroumova, 1961). 



Postanal pigment of preflexion larvae in prominent 

 patches of melanophores along finfold edges, three along 

 dorsal and two along anal finfold, becoming more dispersed 

 and less prominent with development; three distinct pig- 

 ment patches along the dorsal midline, anterior patch 

 begins at about myomere 20-22, posterior patch begins at 

 about 33-36, and caudal patch, which aligns with a ven- 

 tral patch to form a caudal bar, begins in the range of myo- 

 meres 40-44; these dorsal midline patches align vertically 

 with the two posteriormost dorsal and both ventral fin- 

 fold patches; a series of melanophores may occur along the 

 postanal ventral midline (additional descriptions cannot 

 be found in the literature); additional pigment spots above 

 and below the notochord tip. 



Distribution 



Lepidopsetta mochigarei ranges in the western Pacific 

 Ocean from the east coast of Korea, Yoglin Bay, in the Sea 

 of Japan (Kim and Youn, 1994) to Iturup Island of the 

 Kuril Islands in the southern Okhotsk Sea (Nikiforov et 

 al., 1983), and to the west coast of northern Japan. Larvae 

 have been collected in March along the coast of northern 

 Honshu in the Sea of Japan (Okiyama, 1988). 



Habitat 



Adults have been collected over the continental shelf spawn- 

 ing may occur in depths of about 120 m lOkada, 1955). 



Life history 



Fecundity ranges from 510.000 to 550,000 eggs (Okada. 

 1955). Spawned eggs are demersal and adherent, about 

 0.87-0.95 mm in diameter (Yusa, 1958; Pertseva-Ostrou- 

 mova, 1961); oocytes at maturation stage IV were 0.440- 

 0.655 mm in diameter (Nikiforov et al.. 1983). Spawning 

 occurs from December to June in waters around Hokkaido 

 and the southern Kuril Islands (Minami, 1995). Embry- 

 onic and larval development to about 5.0 mm has been 

 described bv Yusa (1958). 



