GENUS PARALICHTHYS GIRARD 

 The Bastard Halibuts 



Body oblong; mouth large, oblique, each jaw with a single 

 row of usually slender teeth which are more or less enlarged 

 anteriorly; no teeth on vomer or palatines; gillrakers slender; 

 scales small, weakly ctenoid or ciliated; lateral line simple, with 

 a strong curve anteriorly; dorsal fin beginning before the eyes, 

 its anterior rays not produced; both ventrals lateral. 



Species numerous, found in all warm seas. Many species 

 inhabiting both coasts of America and the eastern and southern 

 coasts of Asia. 



a. Gillrakers in large numbers, about 9+20; califoniiciLS, 526 



aa. Gillrakers less numerous, about 5 or 6+ 11 to 21;. -denia/us, ^26 

 aaa. Gillrakers few, shortish and wide-set, about 2 or 3+8 to 10 



in number. 



b. Body ovate, more or less compressed and opaque. 



c. Dorsal rays numerous, 85 to 93; A. 65 to ']}. Jethostigmus, 527 

 cc. Dorsal rays in moderate numbers, 70 to 80; A. 54 to 61; 



albigutttis, 527 

 bb. Body oblong, strongly compressed, semitranslucent; 



oblongus, 528 



The Monterey or bastard halibut, P. californicus, reaches a 

 length of 3 feet and a weight of 50 or 60 pounds and is com- 

 mon on the California coast from Tomales Bay to Cerros Island. 

 It is one of the most common food-fishes of that coast where 

 it takes the place occupied by the summer flounder on the Atlan- 

 tic side. It lives in shallow water, the young abounding near 

 shore. It does not rank high as a food-fish, the flesh of the 

 large ones being tough and coarse, while the young are inferior 

 to most of the so-called Pacific soles. 



The summer flounder or plaice, P. dentatiis, is, next to the 

 halibut, the most important of all the flatfishes on our Atlantic 

 Coast. It is abundant from Cape Cod to the Carolinas. It reaches 

 a length of nearly 3 feet and a weight of about 15 pounds. It 



526 



