334 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



live in shallow water and migrate in deep water 

 to attain growth. 



Size. — The largest specimen on record appears 

 to be that by Longley, 415 mm., taken olT Tortugas. 



Distinctive characters and relationship. — Tliis 

 species is not easily separable from the three com- 

 mon east coast species. The number of dorsal and 

 of anal rays overlaps that of dentatus or letho- 

 ^tigma and alhigutta. respectively. The apex of 

 the curve for sqiia?m?e7ifus falls at the region 

 where the extremities of the curves of the other 

 three species overlap, being somewhat nearer to 

 those of aJhigvtta. To a lesser extent this is also 

 true of the gill rakers. In the specimens counted 

 there is no intergi-adation between sqnam'Uentii-s 

 and denfatus with respect to the number on the 

 lower limb, and a slight intergradation between 

 this species and lethostigma with respect to the 

 total number. However, more intergrades may 

 well be expected when more specimens of squaim- 

 lenfus are examined. The scale count of sqtu/mi- 

 lentus is markedly high; it does not intergrade 

 with a]T)igiitta; intergrades with le.tho stigma and 

 is massed at tlie upper extremity of distribution of 

 dentatus. The body is notably deep. Wlien all 

 the characters are considered there should be no 

 trouble in distinguishing sqxiamilentus. It is sep- 

 arable from albigutta by the number of scales 

 (table 1), aided — in case of specimens near the 

 border line — by its depth and to a lesser extent 

 by the other meristic characters and by color. Its 

 separation from dentatus and lethostlgma inay be 

 best accomplished by the depth, the variation in 

 this character in squamitentus being fairly dis- 

 continuous in the specimens measui-ed (table 8), 

 as compared with the other two species. The 

 depth character is greatly aided by the number of 

 gill rakers, to a lesser extent by the number of 

 fin rays and to some slight extent by the number 

 of scales. The interorbital is not as wide as in 

 Jethosfigma. The differences between squamUen- 

 tus and tropicus are discussed on page 328. It 

 differs from the other four species in having nota- 

 bly few accessoi-y scales. 



The general physiognomy of sq'uumilent'us is 

 such that specimens usually may be identified at a 

 glance. The 5 small fish from Corpus Christi 

 Pass were distinguished by sight as being differ- 

 ent than either lethostigma or alhigutta, on a pre- 

 liminary identification, before a detailed stud}' of 



the specific characters was made, and not having 

 any idea at the time what species they may repre- 

 sent. The features which chiefly draw attention to 

 the present species are the deep body and the dis- 

 tinctive color. They show a certain characteristic 

 "fly specky" appearance. It should be noted, how- 

 ever, that medium sized specimens of albigutta and 

 large specimens of lethostigma are also rather 

 deep-bodied and hardly separable from squami- 

 leiitus on sight. The color also is not radically 

 different than in the related species. 



On account of its intermediacy in some impor- 

 tant characters, the precise relationship of squami- 

 lentus is rather obscure. It is probably most 

 nearly related to lethostigma. 



Paralichthiis squamilentiis Jordan and Gilbert, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. 5: 303, 1882 ( Pensacola, Fla. ) .—Jordan 

 and Gilbert, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 16: 823, 1883 (West 

 Coast of Florida to South Carolina).— Bean, Bull. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus. 27: 431, 1884 (Pensacola). — Jordan and Goss, 

 Kept. U. S. Coinm. Fish., 1886: 248, 1889 (South Atlantic 

 and Gulf coasts of United States). — Henshall, Bull. U. S. 

 Fish. Comm. 9: 382, 1891 (Egmont Key, Fla.).— AIcCok- 

 MiCK, Rept. U. S. Comm. Fish., 1895: 176, 1896 (Biscayne 

 Bay, Fla.). — Jordan and Evermann, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 

 47 (3): 2631, pi. 374, fi;,'. 923, 1S9S (Pensacola, Fla.; 

 Charleston, S. C. ). — Norman. Monograph Flatfishes, p. 76. 

 tig. 42, 1934 (Pensacola and Dry Tortui-'as, Fla.). — Long- 

 ley, Carnegie Inst. Washington Pub. 535: 39, 1941 

 (Tortugas, Fla.; 4i5-110 fathoms). 



SPECIES OF DOUBTFUL RELATIONSHIP 



No specimens are available of the following spe- 

 cies. Judging by extant accounts the generic affil- 

 iations of these species are somewhat doubtful ; but 

 their names were associated by authors with Para- 

 lichthys. They are treated here under the original 

 names pending further research and a definite de- 

 cision regarding their generic status. 



PARALICHTHYS TRIOCELLATUS 



The essential characters in the original author's 

 account (101.5) based on a specimen from Ilha 

 Rasa, Brazil, are as follows : Scales largely ctenoid 

 (not stated whether on one only or on both sides), 

 48. Accessory scales absent. Gill rakers 1 on up- 

 per limb, 8 on lower limb. A. 69, D. 86. Dorsal 

 origin over anterior margin of eye. Interorbital 

 much reduced. Head 28.5 ; depth 44.5 ; maxillary 

 2 in head. Prepeduncular spot present, ocellated ; 

 two other ocellated spots on a vertical about mid- 

 way between base of caudal and posterior margin 



