Vol. XXIV, pp. 209-214 October 31, 1911 



' PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



SOME NOTES ON FISH SCALES. 

 BY T. D. A. COCKERELL. 



Last summer, thanks to the Bureau of Fisheries, I was enabled 

 to continue my work on fish scales at Woods Hole, where I 

 obtained much interesting material not previously available. 

 Thanks to Dr. F. B. Sumner, Dr. Hugh M. Smith, Dr. B. W. 

 Evermann and others, I have before me a remarkable collection 

 of fish scales, which will form the subject of a report later on. 

 In the meanwhile, the following notes are offered. They were 

 written and sent for publication before I knew how much mate- 

 rial I was to obtain, or that means would be found for the 

 publication of a detailed illustrated report. 



PLEURONECTID.E AND SOLEID.E. 



The following table will serve for the separation of the scales of a -eries 

 of flat-fishes, all in the collection of the Bureau of Fisheries Station at 

 Woods Hole, except Platophrys constellatus, which is from the collection 

 of the Bureau in Washington. 



A. Scales ctenoid on both side- (Soleidse). 



A.pical teeth large and few (6 or 7 on upper, 3 to 5 on lower side), 

 with a well-marked zone of large reticulations at their base . 



Achirus I 'meatus (L. ). 



Xo such zone of reticulations at the base of the teeth 1. 



1. Scales narrow, with 8 to 20 basal radii Solea solea (L. ). 



Scales larger and broader, with over 30 basal radii 



Symphurus piger (Goode and Bean). 



Gulf Stream. 

 < If these, the Achiras must be considered the most modified. The three 

 genera represent the subfamilies Achirime, Soleinee and Cynoglossinae. 



B. Scales ctenoid above, cycloid on the lower (blind) side 

 (Pleuronectidse). 



3S— Peoc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXIV, 1911. (209) 



o 



