340 



Fishery Bulletin 102(2) 



neous with Tilesius's material, this specimen probably did 

 not serve as the example for Tilesius's (1813) illustration. 

 The illustration is of the left side of a whole fish, whereas 

 MNHN 8670 is the dried skin and head of the right side. 

 Counts and measurements taken from the original descrip- 

 tion and compared with the specimen indicate that it is 

 improbable that the left side of this individual was the 

 subject of the illustration. The counts provided by Tilesius 

 (1813) include D XIII, (soft rays not given); A III, 8; PI 18; 

 lateral-line pores 43. MNHN 8670 differs in counts of anal- 

 fin rays (9) and in lateral-line pores (49). Although the sym- 

 physeal knob is reduced and the anal-fin margin is strongly 

 slanted posteriorly in the Tilesius illustration, MNHN 8670 

 has a strong symphyseal knob and a perpendicular anal-fin 

 margin with a distinctly pointed tip (Fig. 2, A and B). 



Sebastes variabilis (Pallas, 1814) 

 Dusky rockfish 



Figs. 1-3, 5; Tables 1-8 



Perca variabilis Pallas, 1814:241 (original description, 



three? specimens; lectotype hereby designated, MNHN 



8670, dried skin, sex unknown, 343.7 mm. "mari Ameri- 



cam borealum"; other syntypes apparently lost). 

 Sebastes variabilis: Cuvier, in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 



1829:547 (new combination). 

 Sebastichthys ciliatus: Jordan and Jouy, 1881:8 (in part, 



new combination). 

 Sebastodes ciliatus: Jordan and Gilbert, 1883:658 (in part, 



new combination). 

 Sebastosto/nus ciliatus: Eigenmann and Beeson, 1894:388 



(in part, new combination). 

 Sebastes ciliatus: Westrheim, 1973:1230 (in part, new 



combination). 



Material examined 



A total of 253 specimens, 48.0-430.8 mm, including the 

 lectotype listed above, were examined. See Appendix for 

 additional catalog numbers and locality data. 



Diagnosis 



A species of Sebastes with the following combination of 

 character states: body light yellow to greenish brown to 

 gray, typically greenish brown, with orange flecks vari- 

 ously present on sides, particularly light ventrally above 

 anal-fin base and on ventral pectoral-fin rays; peritoneum 

 light gray to jet black; symphyseal knob strong; extrin- 

 sic swimbladder muscle with a single section of striated 

 muscle, lacking anterior fascia, otherwise of type I (a-z) 

 of Hallacher (1974); lateral-line pores 43-54, lateral-line 

 scales 47-63; pectoral-fin rays 16-19; anal-fin rays 7-9; 

 dorsal-fin rays 13-16; vertebrae 28-29 (11-12 + 16-18). 



Description 



D XIII-XIV, 13-16; A III, 7-9; PI 16-19, 7-11 simple; 

 lateral-line pores 43-54, scales 47-63; gill rakers 32-37 



110-11 + 22-26); vertebrae 28-29 ( 11-12 + 16-18) (one of 

 ten specimens with 27 vertebrae, with one caudal vertebra 

 bearing two neural and two haemal spines). Meristic fre- 

 quency and statistical data are presented in Tables 2-4. 



Morphometric data and statistics are presented in 

 Tables 1 and 4. Body relatively deep, especially at nape, 

 depth at pelvic-fin base 29. 2-40. 91 SL: profile of dorsal 

 margin of head steep to nape above anterodorsal margin 

 of gill slit, flattening to dorsal-fin origin. Mouth large, 

 with posterior end of maxilla extending beyond pupil to or 

 beyond posterior rim of orbit, maxilla length 42.7-54.01 

 HL; symphyseal knob strong with blunt tip, lower-jaw 

 length 52.8-62.71 HL; mandibular pores of moderate 

 size. Cranial spines weak, in large adults covered by flesh, 

 head smooth. Nasal spines invariably present; parietal 

 ridge invariably present and small spine typically pres- 

 ent; postocular and tympanic spines typically absent or 

 obsolete in adults (weak postocular spines present on at 

 least one side in 29.71 and weak tympanic spines present 

 on at least one side in 50.61 of specimens examined) are 

 typically present in juveniles. Interorbital region wide, 

 22.5-30.41 HL, strongly convex; parietal ridges weak, 

 and area between ridges slightly convex; preopercular 

 spines 5, directed posteroventrally; two opercular spines, 

 upper spine directed posteriorly, lower spine directed 

 posteroventrally; posttemporal and supracleithral spines 

 present; lachrymal spines rounded, small; dorsal margin 

 of opercle nearly horizontal; lower margin of gill cover 

 with small spines: posteroventral tip of subopercle and 

 anteroventral tip of interopercle rugose or with 1 or 2 

 small spines. 



Dorsal-fin origin above anterodorsal portion of gill slit; 

 dorsal fin continuous, gradually increasing in height to 

 spine IV or V and decreasing in height to spine XII; spine 

 XIII much larger, forming anterior support of soft dorsal 

 fin; membranes of spinous dorsal fin moderately incised, 

 less so posteriorly; soft dorsal fin with anterior rays lon- 

 gest, posterior rays gradually shortening. Anal-fin spine 

 II shorter than III (5.8-13.6 vs. 9.5-15.61 SL), anterior 

 rays longest on soft rayed portion of anal fin, posterior rays 

 gradually shortening, posterior margin perpendicular 

 to body axis or with slight posterior slant, anterior ray 

 tips directly ventral to posterior tips, anterior tip of anal 

 fin typically pointed. Pectoral fins with ray 10 longest, 

 extending to or slightly anterior to vent, fin-ray length 

 23.5-31.01 SL, fin base to ray tip length 24.2-35.11 SL; 

 fin-base width 9.4-11.21 SL. Pelvic fins extend about 601 

 of distance from pelvic-fin base to anal-fin origin, falling 

 well short of vent, ray length 19.2-29.21 SL, spine length 

 44.9-70.71 ray length. Caudal fin slightly emarginate, 

 length 15.4-26.91 SL. Vent positioned below dorsal-fin 

 spine 10, 2.2-7.01 SL from anal-fin origin. 



Lateral body scales with many (ca. 5-7) accessory scales 

 in posterior field. Maxilla and underside of mandible com- 

 pletely scaled; suborbital region scaled; branchiostegal 

 rays scaled. 



Gill rakers long, 11.6-19.91 HL, and slender on first 

 arch, longest raker in joint between cerato- and hypobran- 

 chials, length of preceding and succeeding rakers progres- 

 sively shorter; rudiments absent. Pseudobranchs 36-38. 



