306 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



Paralichthiis fenuindezianus Steindachner, Faun. 

 Chilen. 3: 20S (Zool. Jahrb. supp., bd. 6), 1905 (Juan 

 Fernandez, Chile). — Norman, Monogr. Flatfishes, p. 87, 

 1934 (after Steindachner). 



PARALICHTHYS ADSPERSUS 



(PLATE 8) 



Diagnosis. — Scales ctenoid on eyed side, typi- 

 cally cycloid on blind side (sometimes ctenoid 

 scales present on caudal peduncle and adjacent 

 hind part of body) ; 63 to 81. Accessory scales 

 present ; fii-st occurring in specimens of about 100 

 nnn. ; appearance with respect to size varying in- 

 dividually, becoming very numerous with increase 

 in size. Total number of gill rakers on outer arch 

 22 to 27, the majority ha\dng 25 or 26 ; 7 or 8 on 

 upper limb, mostly 7; 15 to 19 on lower limb. 

 Anal rays 54 to 61, 57 or 58 in the majority of 

 individuals; dorsal rays 68 to 76. Pectoral rays 

 usually 12 or 13, sometimes 11 (12 on both sides 

 in 5 specimens, 13 in 3, 11 in 1, 12 on blind side and 

 13 on eyed side in 2, 13 on blind side and 12 on the 

 other in 1. 11 on blind side and 12 on the other 

 in 1). Origin of dorsal over space between an- 

 terior margin of eye and that of pupil in speci- 

 mens 70 to 118 mm., over anterior margin of eye 

 or nearly there in specimens 205 to 388 mm. Max- 

 illary about reaching to a vertical through pos- 

 terior margin of pupil in specimens 72 to 118 mm., 

 to posterior margin of lower eye or slightly past 

 that in specimens 205 to 388 mm. Head compara- 

 tively long. Body rather deep. Caudal usually 

 becoming more or less biconcave in larger speci- 

 mens, sometimes nearly rounded in large fish also. 

 Sinistral. 



Color. — Rows of spots more or less irregular, 

 appearing like seven longitudinal rows in some 

 specimens; many of the spots more or less ocel- 

 lated ; the three spots forming the larger triangle 

 usually rather more prominent than the other 

 spots. The ocellated spots are present in the larg- 

 est specimen examined, 388 mm. Some of the 

 spots frequently are more or less characteristically 

 ring-like, the center being to some extent pigment- 

 less or but sparsely pigmented. Underside of fins 

 sprinkled with tiny dark dots, somewhat as in H. 

 ohlonga but not so profuse. White spots fre- 

 (juently present ut bases of dorsal and anal fins, but 

 not so well marked as in calif orniciis. 



Specimens examirwd. — Callao, Peru; P. O. 

 Simmons, 2 specimens, 205-388 mm. (53490) ; R. 



E. Coker, 3 specimens, 239-276 mm. (77713 and 

 77715) ; R. C. Murphy, Callao market, 1 specimen 

 284 nnn. (7273 A. M. K H.). Chincha I., Peru, 

 R. C. Murphy, 3 specimens 37-45 mm. (7911 

 A. M. N. H.) ; R. C. Murphy, Oct. 26, 1919, 1 speci- 

 men 275 mm. (7290 A. M. N. H.). Mollendo. 

 Peru, R E. Coker, 1 specimen 245 nun. (77716). 

 Tome, Chile, Albatross, 3 specimens 72-86 nun. 

 (77390). Lota, Chile, Feb. 15, 1888, Albatross, 6 

 specimens 90-118 mm. (77391) . Total number of 

 specimens studied 20, 37 to 388 mm., in length. 



Geographic distribution. — The material exam- 

 ined covers the range from Callao. Peru, to Lota. 

 Chile; existing records also include this range and 

 San Juan I. Extant records of '■'■Paralichthys 

 adspersus'''' from the Pacific coast of Mexico and 

 Panama apparently are based on specimens of 

 Paraliehthys ivoolmani (p. 313). 



Size. — The largest specimen examined, from 

 Callao, Peru, is 388 mm. (15 inches) long, includ- 

 ing the caudal fin. However, this may not repre- 

 sent the maximum for the species since those ex- 

 amined are museum specimens, and collectors 

 usually select the smaller examples for preserva- 

 tion. 



Distinctive characters and relationship. — Of 

 the other species of the subgenus Paraliehthys oc- 

 curring on the coast of South America, adspersus 

 may be distinguished from fernandezianiis, hil- 

 getidorfU and schmitti by its more numerous gill 

 rakers. From microps it differs in the more an- 

 terior insertion of the dorsal. This species is very 

 near to califotwcus differing from the latter 

 chiefly in having a deeper body, there being no 

 intergrades between the two species in this char- 

 acter (table 8). The gill rakers in adspersus are 

 less on the average than in calif amicus, and the 

 fin rays are more numerous; but there is consider- 

 able intergradation in those characters (tables 1 

 to 5) . P. adspersus is always sinistral, while cali- 

 fornicus is often also dextral. This species inter- 

 grades with aesttutrius in every character studied, 

 except the structure of the scales in the larger 

 specimens. Individual fish of these two species 

 are separable only when they reach a size of about 

 200 mm., such specimens having the scales on the 

 eyed side ctenoid in adspersus and all or almost all 

 cycloid in aestuanus (p. 310). 



Economic importance. — This is evidently a food 

 fish on the coast of South America, and some of the 



