326 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



as may be illustrated by the following data from 

 my note book of three drags with a commercial 

 shrimp trawl on June Ifi, 1932, in Apalachicola 

 Bay, just off St. George Island, near West Pass. 

 The first drag of the trawl lasting 1 hour, on a 

 nuiddy bottom with occasional patches of sand, 

 yielded, among other fishes, 7 specimens of Para- 

 Jichth-i/s lethonfigma, 20 to 28 cm., and 2 P. alii- 

 r/ufta 14.5 and 15 cm. After the first trawl was 

 landed it was immediately put overboard and the 

 drag continued in the same direction but on a 

 stretch where the bottom was chiefly hard. The 

 second drag lasted 30 minutes and the yield of 

 Paralichthys was 11 specimens of alhigutfa, 9 to 

 21.5 cm., and 2 lethostigma, 19.5 and 23.5 cm. A 

 third drag lasting 45 minutes, begun approxi- 

 mately at the point where the preceding drag was 

 ended and continued in the same direction, the 

 bottom having changed again to mud, yielded 3 

 specimens of P. lethostigma, 22.5 to 29.5 cm. and 

 none of alhif/vffa. These observations made in 

 Apalachicola Bay were corroborated, in a general 

 way, on numerous other occasions. The species 

 seems to be common throughout its range where 

 the bottom is favorable for its existence. 



Size. — This is a comparatively small species. 

 The usual size is under 10 inches. The largest 

 specimen known at pi-esent is that recorded by 

 Jordan and Swain from Cedar Keys, Fla., 39 cm. 

 (15 inches). 



Distinctive characters and I'eJationshJp. — The 

 great majority of specimens may be readily recog- 

 nized by the distinctive color pattern, the presence 

 of three very prominent spots, considerably more 

 prominent than the other spots on the body. 

 These three spots form the angles of an imaginary 

 scalene triangle, the apex of which is on the lat- 

 eral line about three-quarters of the distance from 

 the gill opening to the base of the caudal fin, the 

 other two angles being above and below the lateral 

 line, on a somewliat oblique base falling a little 

 behind the posterior angle of the curve in the lat- 

 eral line. This distinctive color pattern is pres- 

 ent in specimens as small as 17 mm. Individual 

 fish are frequently found in which the color pat- 

 tern is not saliently distinctive, the three spots 

 are either fainter and hardly ocellated approach- 

 ing thus to the color of Jethostigma, or there are 

 supernumerary ocellated spots posteriorly some- 

 Avhat as in dentatus^ Such individual fish may be 



distinguished by the fin ray, gill raker and scale 

 counts. For a discussion of the proper placement 

 of infrequent specimens at the border line see 

 page 282. 



Biology. — No special investigation of the biol- 

 ogy of this species has ever been made, and conse- 

 quently there is little data extant in regard to it. 

 Hildebrand and Cable (1931: 469) report that "a 

 few female Paralichthys alhigidtiis with large roe 

 were seen in October and November." Young fish 

 taken by J. C. Pearson on the coast of Texas, dur- 

 ing 1927, measured as follows : February 23, Lu- 

 guna Madre, 4 specimens, 41, 42, 45, and 47 mm. ; 

 March 16, Hog Island, 5 specimens, 17, 29, 33, 42, 

 and 52 mm.; March 30, Corpus Christi Pass, 2 

 specimens, 18 and 61 mm. The spawning season 

 is, therefore, probably in late fall or in winter. 

 The data given by Hildebrand and Cable in regard 

 to \o\mg Paralichthys at Beaufort, and discussed 

 in this paper under dentatus, also include the 

 ]iresent species. As in the other species of Para- 

 lichfhys it evidently spawns offshoi-e. 



Economic importance. — This species is evi- 

 dently of minor economic importance in the 

 southern States, the common commercial flounder 

 there being lethostigmM. Most specimens over 15 

 inches in length that are obtained by spears are 

 of the latter species. While the relative quanti- 

 ties of the two species in the catch are unknown at 

 present, not being distinguished by the fishermen 

 or dealers when selling flounders, the numbers of 

 aJhigiitta entering trade channels are not large. 

 On a visit to the French Market in New Orleans, 

 only one specimen of the present species, about 

 15 inches long, was observed, although the stalls 

 were then abundantly supplied with lethostigma. 

 An examination of the catch brought in by the 

 giggers in Apalachicola, Fla., for several days in 

 succession, revealed only one small specimen of 

 alhigutta which was thrown away; all the others 

 being lethostigma. 



Pseiidoihowlms ocellaris .Jordan and Gilbert (in part), 

 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1: 370, 1879 (Beaufurt, N. C). 



Pgciiflorhombiis deiiiatiis Jordan nnd Gilbert (In part), 

 ibid. (Beaufort. N. C). — Goode and Bnan (in part), ibid. 

 2: 123, 1870 (U.S.N.M. 4887 from Florida belongs to this 

 sppcies. In tlieir accompanying table of measurements 

 an<l counts this specimen bears the heading, '•(ilhUjutta 

 t.vpe"). 



Paralichthys alhifjiitta Jordan and Gu-bert, ibid. 5: 

 302, 1RS2 (I'ensacola. Fla.; Beaufort, N. C). — Jordan 

 and UiLiiEUT, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 16: 823, 1SS3 (South 



