14.S4. JAPANESE FLOUNDERS AND SOLES— JORDAN ct STA RKS. 229 



or a little concave; its width equal to the vertical diameter of upper 

 eye. Nostrils of eyed side close together, just in front of lower eye, 

 and ending in tubes; the posterior tube short and broad, the anterior 

 long and slender. Nostrils of blind side farther apait, the posterior 

 one not ending in a tube, the anterior in a wide fleshy tube having a 

 valve at its orifice and broadly fringed around its entire edge with 

 tentacles; blind side of head witli tentacles which are nuich larger 

 toward the ventral edge. 



Origin of dorsal on front of head just above tip of hook of upper 

 jaw. Dorsal or anal not joined to caudal; ventral rather broadly 

 united to front of anal; caudal rounded, not angulated at tips of outer 

 rays. Scales everywhere ctenoid; the lateral line extending a short 

 distance on head but not reaching to ujjper eve. 



Color dark slate gray, marked with irregular, indefinite spots, more 

 or less round, or forming obscure broken rings, the largest about twice 

 the diameter of eye and composed of black on the posterior margins 

 of scales in small groups. These are arranged more or less definitely; 

 3 or -1 on lateral line and several along body near base of dorsal and 

 anal fins. The latter in small specimens interspaced with small white 

 spots, slightly out of line with the black ones, and nearer the base of 

 the fins. Other smaller spots are scattered o\gv the head and bod3% 

 and some specimens show slight traces of liglit vermiculations. All 

 of the fins thickly spotted with small irregular spots of various sizes 

 in sharp contrast with the nearly colorless surrounding areas. 



Here described from specimens from Wakanoura, the lai'gest 135 

 nun. in length. Other specimens from Tokyo, Tsuruga, Misaki, 

 Kobe, and Nagasaki. It is common in sandy bays of southern Japan. 



{jcqjon leus^ Japanese.) 



31. ASERAGGODES Kaup. 

 Aseragyodes (' Kaup, Wiegmann's Art-hiv., 185S, p. 103 {gutUdatus). 



This genus is allied to Solea and other genera of European soles, 

 difl^^ering from all these in the entire absence of pectoral fins. The 

 ventral fins are nearl}^ sj^nimetrical, that of the eyed side being free 

 from the anal. Vent nearly on the median line of abdomen. Scales 

 ctenoid; e3'es and color on the right side; dorsal and anal free from 

 caudal. Small fragile soles of the East Indian region, the fin ra^'s 

 fewer, the snout less hooked than in the genus Amate. Ra3's of dor- 

 sal and anal scaleless or nearly so. 



(«, without; ff)]payyGD6ij5, full of pores.) 



«This genus is thus defined by Kaup: "Achiren ohne Poren au den verticalen 

 Flossen. Caudal rund und bestimmt getrennt. Mehr oblonger form." {Guttulatm, 

 poropterus, and hartzfeldi. ) 



