NO. 1484. JAPANESE FLO UNDERS AND SOLES— JORDA N .t- STA RKS. 227 

 Family II. SOLEID.E. 



SOLES. 



Body oblong or elongate, usually scaly; mouth very small, much 

 twisted toward the eyed side; the teeth in villiform bands, very small 

 or obsolete; eyes small, close together, with or without a bony ridge 

 between them; edge of preopercle adnate, concealed by the skin and 

 scales; gill openings narrow, the gill membranes adnate to the shoulder 

 girdle above; pectoral tins small or wanting; ventral tins small, one or 

 both sometimes wanting; small fishes, living on sandy bottoms, simi- 

 lar to the Pleuronectidm in structure, but nuich degraded, the tins and 

 teeth having lost many of their distinctive <|ualities. The vertebra? 

 are usually in increased numbers. They are numerous in the warm 

 seas, and those of sufficient size are valued as food. In Japan they 

 are collectively known as Usinoshita (cow-tongue). The SoWmm are 

 quite unlike the Cynoglossinx^ and are perhaps independently derived 

 from a tlounder ancestry. 



KEY TO GENERA. 



a. Dorsal and anal free from caudal; eyes and color on the right, side. 



h. AcHiRiN.E. — Ventral lins unsymnietrical, that of the eyed side extending along 

 ridge of abdomen, more or less united to the anal; vent to the left of median 

 line; lateral line single. 



c. Body broad-lanceolate; upper jaw prolonged in a long hook, surrounding 



lower jaw; scales cycloid; pectoral fins obsolete Ainate, 80 



bb. SoLEiN.^c. — Ventral fins nearly symmetrical, each with short base and free from 

 anal; vent on median line; lateral line single; upper jaw moderately hooked. 



d. Scales ctenoid; rays of dorsal and anal fins scaleless or nearly so; no pectoral 



fins Asernggodt',^, 31 



dd. Scales cycloid; vertical fins scaleless; no pectoral fins; snout little hooked. 



Ijiarhiriis, 82 

 aa. Dorsal and anal joined with the caudal. 

 e. Synapturni.k.— Eyes and color on the right side; ventrals free from anal; body 

 broad. 

 /. Scales ctenoid; left pectoral rudimentary, reduced to a small flap; body with 



black crossbars Zebrias, oo 



ff. Scales cycloid; pectorals rudimentary; first dorsal ray prolonged ; body cross- 

 barred Empia, 34 



ee. Cynoglossin-e.— Eyes and color on the left side; eyes very small, close 

 together; body lanceolate; no pectoral fins; scales ctenoid. 

 g. Lateral line present, on the left side. 



h. Lips with tentacles or fringes; blind side without lateral line, a depression 

 taking its place. 



i. Left side with two lateral lines, right side with one Pnraplagmia, 35 



ii. Left side with three lateral lines, rightside without lateral line. . Vs-inosita, 36 

 hh. Lips without fringes. 



j. Lateral lines, two on the left side, one on the right Cynoglossus, 37 



jj. Lateral lines, three on the left side (two in young), one on the 



yiqYiI AreliscKS, 38 



gg. Lateral line wanting; ventral of eyed side only present, free from anal; lips 

 without fringes Symphurus, 39 



