Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 2G55 



3025. MICROSTOMUS PAtlFICUS (Lockingtoii). 



(Slippery Sole.) 



Head 4i- in body; depth 2|. D. 102; A. 85; scales 140; eye 3i in head; 

 maxillary 5; pectoral If; greatest height of dorsal 2i; anal 2^; caudal 

 1=; A^ertebrsB 12 4-40 = 52. Body elongate, elliptical; month small, the 

 maxillary reaching just past front of lower eye; teeth long an<l broad, 

 forming a continuous cutting edge, on blind side only, about 10 teeth on 

 lower jaw; eyes very large, nearly twice as long as snout, the upper even 

 with profile above; inteiorbital a narrow scaly ridge; gill opening adnate 

 to shoulder girdle above pectoral; gill rakers short, 8 below angle, 5 or 6 

 very small scarcely developed ones above; scales small, cycloid, not 

 closely imbricated, lateral line nearly straight. Origin of dorsal slightly 

 behind middle of upper eye, caudal truncate or slightly rounded. Color 

 olive brown, blotched on body and lins with darker, all fins blackish 

 toward the ends of the rays. Pacific coast of North America, Monterey to 

 Unalaska, in rather deep water, 15 to 50 fathoms; common. Here de- 

 scribed from a specimen, about 14 inches in lengtb, from Alhatroas Station 

 2927, off the coast of California. This small flounder abounds in deep 

 water about San Francisco, but comes near the shore farther north. It is 

 exceedingly slimy when first taken. The large individuals are considered 

 excellent as food ; the smaller are thrown away. It rarely reaches the 

 weight of a pound. 



Oli/ptoccphalu.t paeifieus, Lockington, Rep. Cal. Com. Fisheries, 1878-79, 43, off Point 

 Reyes, California; LoCKlNGTON, Proc. IT. S. Nat. Miis. 1879, 86; Jordan, Nat. Hist. 

 Aqiiat. Auini., 188, 1884. 



Cynicoglossus paeiflcus, Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1880, 4.')3 : Jordan \- 

 Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1881, 68 ; Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 838, 1883. 



Microstomus paeiflcus, 3oUD\li & Goss, Review Floiintler.s ami Soles, 299, 1889. 



1041. EMBASSICHTHYS, Jordan cV Evermann. 



Embasnclithys, Jordan & Evermann, Check-List Fishes, 500, 1890 [bathxjhius). 



This genus is a ileep sea representative of Microstomus, from which it 

 differs in the increased number of vertebra' (63 instead of 48 to 52). Its 

 fin rays are correspondingly increased, the body is deeper than in Micros- 

 tomus, and it has tcetli on both sides of the jaws, as in (Ihjptocephalus. 

 {ev, in; (ia.66os, for /itrOt's deep; i'x^v?, fish; a fish in the depths.) 



302fi. EMBASSICHTHYS BATHYBIUS (Gilbert). 



Head 4 to 4| in length ; depth 2 to 2i. D. Ill to 117 ; A. 96 to 98 ; verte- 

 bne 14 + 49 =63. Body oval, very thin and deep, the greatest depth at 

 anterior third of body ; upper profile very abrujitly angulated opposite 

 hinder margin of upper pupil, the anterior half of head conspicuously pro- 

 truding beyond general outline. Caudal nearly sessile, the peduncle very 

 short. Mouth small, maxillary about i length of head iii specimens 1 foot 

 long. Teeth broad incisors, slightly notched at tip, nearly equally devel- 

 oped on blind and colored sides, 21 on blind side of lower jaw, 16 on 



