2654 Bulletin //, United States N'ational Museum. 



and its allies by its greatly increased number of vertebra^ a cliaracter 

 accompanied by a similar increase in the number of fin rays. It is close 

 to (nyptoccphalus, but the lack of the cavernous structure of the bones 

 of the head, a structure peculiar to the species of that genus, sufiiciently 

 distinguishes it. {/u-iupoi, small; drojua, mouth.) 



a. Dorsal rays 85 to 93; anal rays 70 to 76; Lead very small, about 5 in lengtli; eye 4 



in head. Kitt, 3024. 



aa. Dorsal rays 102; anal ray 8.5; head 4J in length ; eye 3 in head. pacificus, 3025. 



3024. MR'R08T0MIIS KITT (Walbaum). 

 (Smear D.vb.) 



Head 5:1^ in length ; depth 2^. D. 85 to 93; A. 70 to 76; scales 130; caudal 

 1^ in head; pectoral 1|. Body moderately elongate; mouth small, the 

 niaxillarv not reaching to front of lower eye; teeth on blind side conical, 

 rather compressed and blunted, 11 to 13 on either jaw ; eyes close together, 

 the lower slightly in advance; gill rakers short, not numerous. Origin 

 of dorsal above middle of Tipper eye, its rays larger in the posterior half 

 of body; pectorals about equal in size; no spine before anal; caudal 

 rounded; head, except snout, entirely scaled; scales cycloid; lateral line 

 with a small curve ; vertebr;e 13 -f- 35=48. Color dull yellowish, blotched, 

 and with dark spots, especially over the chest and along the base of anal 

 fin; dark blotches and spots on anal, caudal, and ventral fins; dark base 

 to pectoral, which lias also some cloudy markings. (Day.) Seas of the 

 ur)rth of Europe in rather deep water, south to Cornwall. Eecorded by 

 Steiiidachuer (as ririironides glll>), from the sea between Iceland and 

 Greenland. This small iloimder is rather common in the waters of north- 

 ern Europe. It reaches the length of a foot or more, and is said to be 

 excellent as food. Like its congener, Microstomiis pacificus, this species 

 is very slimy in life. PIruronrctcs f/iUi, as described by Dr. Steindach- 

 ner, seems to differ from Microstomus kitt only in the larger head, which 

 is but 4f in the length to base of caudal. It is probably not specifically 

 distinct from the latter. Only a single specimen, 10^ inches long, is 

 known. (En.) (The specific name "Mit," given by Walbaum on the 

 authority of Jago's description, should be adopted for this species. Ac- 

 cording to Day, the species is still called "kitt" on the coast of Cornwall.) 



lihondms Icevis cornuhiensis, Jago, in Ray, "Syu. Pise, 162, tab. 1, fig. 1, 1713." 



The Smear Dab, Pennant, British Zoology, ui, 230, pi. 41, 1776. 



I'leuroncctes A-!7<, Walbaum, Artedi Pisciuni, ni, 120, 1792, after Kay; the description in 



part contused with that of Lepidorhomhtis. 

 rietii onectes Icevis, Shaw. Gen'l Zool., iv, 299, 1803. 



Pleiironectes qnenscli, H<"ilhc"ill, liohnsliins Fiske, iv, 59, 1821, Bohuslans, S'weden. 

 Pleuronectes (juadridens, FAiiRiCius, Kongl. Dan.sk. Vid. Selsk. Ai'haiidl., i, 39, 1824, Iceland. 

 Microstomus latidens, Gottsche, Archiv fur Naturgsch. 1835, 150, Zealand. 

 Pleuronectes gilli, Steindachxer, Ichth. Notizen, vn, 40, 1868, Polar Sea north of Iceland. 

 Pleiironectes microcephalus, Donovan, British Fishes, n, pi. 42, 1802; Gunther, Cat., iv, 



447; Steindachner, Ichtb. Beitr., viii, 47; Day, Fishes Great Britain, n, 28. pi. 102; 



CoLi.ETT, Norges Fi.skc, 145, and of recent European writers generally. 

 Pleuronectes microstomus, Faber, Isis, 886, 1828. 



Platessa microcephala, Fleming, British Auim., 198, 1828, and of numerous writers. 

 Cynorjlossatnierocephala, Bonaparte, Catalogo Metodico Pesci Eut., 48, 1845. 

 Microstomus kitt, Jordan & Goss, Ilevicw of Flouiider.s and Soles, 1886, 298. 



