378 PROCEEDINCiS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxiii. 



Family PLEURONECTID^. 



VERASPER VARIEGATUS (Teiiiminck and Schlegel). 



Tokyo (Otaki; Anmfrnss). 



VERASPER MOSERI Jordan and Gilbert. 



Itiirup Island; Hakodate {Alhatross). 



VERASPER OTAKII Jordan and Snyder, new species. 



Type.—^o. 49396, U.S.N.M. 



Locality. — Tokyo, Japan. Collector, K. Otaki. 



Description. — Head 3| in length; depth of caudal peduncle, 10^; 

 longitudinal diameter of lower orliit, tt in head; length of snout, 5^; 

 maxilhuy, 2i; width of interorbital space, 6 in diameter of eye; height 

 of longest dorsal rays, 2f in head; anal ra^^s, 2f ; ra^^s of right pectoral, 

 If; ventral, 3i; number of dorsal rays, 86; anal, OS; pectoral, 11, 

 Number of scales in lateral line: On eyed side, 92; on l^lind side, 98, 



Body dextral, dorsal outline a little more convex than ventral. 

 Mouth wide, oblique; outline of gape strongly curved; maxillary 

 reaching a vertical from posterior edge of pupil; symphyseal knob 

 small. Teeth of both jaws small, growing larger anteriorly; those of 

 the upper jaw in two series, the inner ones small, the outer larger and 

 canine-like; teeth of lower jaw in a single series. Gill rakers, 6+ IT; 

 rather slender, leng-th of longest contained tt times in maxillary. 

 Anterior nostril with a dermal flap which extends to posterior edge of 

 second nostril. Anterior margins of eyes opposite each other. Inter- 

 orbital space narrow, convex. Lateral line arched above pectoral, the 

 width of arch equal to length of pectoral. Right side of body and 

 head, except snout, lower jaw, and a small space near vent, covered 

 with small, strongly ctenoid scales; left side of body with smooth 

 scales; on })oth sides of body are small, elongate scales wedged in 

 between the larger ones; rays of dorsal, anal, and caudal fins with 

 small scales; posterior edge of maxillary with a few small scales. 

 Dorsal lin beginning over anterior edge of pupil; each ray with a 

 small, projecting tilament; anal with a naked spine at its insertion; 

 rays with filaments; dorsal and anal ending opposite each other; edge 

 of caudal blunth" angidar. Upper rays of right pectoral longest; pec- 

 toral of blind side shorter, its length contained 2t{ in head, its middle 

 raj's longest. Color in alcohol, brownish; head with an indistinct 

 dark spot just below angle of preopercle; two similar spots on a line 

 behind upper eye; body with six well-defined dark spots with indis- 

 tinct light markings, arranged 3 above and 3 below lateral line; of the 

 anterior pair, the upper is a little in advance of the lower one, others 

 opposite each other; two indefinite spots above, the lateral line, just 

 posterior to angle of opercle; fins without spots; snout on l)lind side 

 with a transverse black blotch, which is continued on the lower jaw. 



