considered complete when the lateral line can be 

 discerned and scale formation has begun. 



Distribution.— Fitch (1963) reported that the 

 range for this species was from Alaska to San 

 Quintin, Baja California. Miller and Lea (1976) 

 gave an extended southern range limit to 25 mi 

 north-northeast of Cedros Island (lat. 28"47.5'N, 

 long. 114'57.0'W). Egg and larval material in our 

 collections was taken off the entire coast of 

 California over a broad band of stations, from 

 nearshore to 150 or more miles offshore ( Figure 5). 

 Lack of egg and larval material off Baja Califor- 

 nia, despite the intensive coverage of these waters 

 by CalCOFI surveys, indicates a more northerly 

 distribution for young stages than for adults. 



Pleiirouichthys coeuosiis Girard 

 (C-O turbot) 

 Figures 6, 7 



Literature.— YinM (1940) described and illus- 

 trated a series of eggs and four reared larvae of P. 

 coenosus which he mistakenly identified as P. de- 

 currens. The larvae illustrated were newly 

 hatched to 9 days old, ranging in size from 3.88 to 

 4.72 mm. 



Distinguishing characters. — This species is dis- 

 tmguished by having 13 (rarely 12) precaudal ver- 

 tebrae and a total of 37-39 vertebrae. The larvae 

 are larger than comparable stages of//, guttulata 

 and other species oi Pleuronichthys except P. de- 

 currens. Pigmentation patterns discussed below 

 will al.so separate P. coenosus from other species 

 treated in this work. 



Pigmentation. — Preflexion larvae are charac- 

 terized by having opposing, similar appearing, 

 pigment clusters on the dorsal and ventral finfolds 

 posterior to the anus, and by small melanophores 

 dotting the margin of the otherwise unpigmented 

 posterior tip of the tail (Figure 6A, B). The rest of 

 the body is heavily pigmented, with the exclusion 

 of the undifferentiated pectoral fin and the ventral 

 half of the head. 



Flexion (6.2-7.8 mm NL) and postflexion larvae 

 (7.1-11.4 mm SL) show an increase anteriorly of 

 the finfold pigment and an increase in pigmenta- 

 tion on the lower region of the head (Figure 6C, D, 

 E). A distinctively narrow, unpigmented zone 

 along the hypurals persists through late flexion 

 specimens, but is subsequently pigmented in 



129° 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 77. NO, 1 

 125° 121° 



40' 



35' 



30' 



25' 



20° 



44° 



40° 



35° 



30° 



106° 



Figure 5.— Distribution of eggs and larvae of Pleunmichthyn 

 decurrens examined in this study. (Triangles represent eggs, 

 open circles larvae, and closed circles eggs and larvae.) 



FICIRE 6. — Larval stages o( Pleuromchthys coenosus: A. 3.7 

 mm; B. 5.9 mm; C. 6.1 mm; D. 7.8 mm; E. 8.9 mm. 



116 



