REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF IxXLAND FISHERIES. 165 



" In another car were placed mature males and females which spawTied 

 naturally April 15. The larvae hatched April 22. On May 10 these 

 ranged from 5.2 to 6.7 mm. in length. 



"The larvae of 5 mm. (11 days old) are externally symmetrical and, as 

 far as can be seen, favor neither side in swimming. Between the 

 lengtlis of 5 and 6 mm., some of the more critical changes take place. 

 The left eye assumes a mediafidorsal position; the tail becomes 

 heterocercal in shape; the fish, in swimming, begins to favor the left 

 side. A fish between 5.5 and 6 mm., when at rest, will invariably 

 rest on the left side. 



"After reaching a length of 6 mm., the greatest growth is in depth, and 

 while all larvse of 5 mm. are about the same depth (1 to 1.1 mm.), 

 those of 6 mm. vary from 1.2 to 3 mm. in depth. When the young 

 fish has reached this stage, it is never seen near the top of the water 

 unless the bottom of the car has been excessively disturbed." — 

 (Quoted from notebook of W. E. Sullivan.) 



194. Liopsetta putnanii (Gill). Eel-hack Flounder. 



Geog. Dist.: Atlantic coa.st of North America from Rhode Island to 



Labrador. Common along coast of northern Massachusetts and 



northward. 

 Season in R. I.: The Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, has 



a specimen from "Providence." 

 Reproduction: The remarkable sexual differences existing in this 



species have been described by Bean (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1878, 345). 

 Size: Ten inches. 



195. Lophopsetta maculata (Mitchill). Window-pane; Sand-dab. 



Geog. Dist.: Atlantic coast of United States, Nova Scotia to South 

 Carolina. Cornish (1907) reports specimens from Canso. 



Season in R. I. : Present the year round, abundant from April to October. 

 In Narragansett Bay this species is taken in considerable numbers in the 

 beam-trawls in winter. Specimens taken December 22, 1908, just 

 south of Plimi Beach Light; January 1, 1907, near Gould's Island, 

 East Passage. It is also taken in fyke nets with flatfish about the 

 first of March. 



Reproduction: Spawns in May and Jime. The eggs are buoyant, non- 

 adhesive, 1-24 of an inch in diameter, they hatch in eight days in 

 water 51° to 56° F. (Smith, 1889). 



Food: Fishes and Crustacea. 



