BOTHINiE 



^31 



Depth of body i J to a little more than twice in the length : length of head 3i to 

 3^. Anterior profile of head a little concave in front of eyes. Diameter of eye 4I to 

 (Vj in length of head : interorbital width 2 to 2J times {^) or a little more than 

 once to 2 j times ($) diameter of eye ; anterior edge of upper eye above posterior 

 edge of lower (young) or farther back ; eyes in the male each with some dermal 

 appendages. Male with a strong spine on the snout, and another in front of lower 

 orbital ridge ; 3 or 4 small spines anteriorly on upper orbital ridge. Maxillary 

 extending to below anterior edge or anterior part of eye, length 2| to 3 in head. 

 Teeth mostly uniserial in both jaws, but with traces of a second row anteriorly. 

 Gill-rakers rather slender and of moderate length, 9 to 11 on lower part of 

 anterior arch. Scales feebly ctenoid or cycloid on ocular side, all cycloid on blind 

 side ; 85 to 90 in lateral line. Dorsal 98-103. Anal 76-80. Pectoral of ocular 

 side with 10 or 11 rays, upper rays greatly prolonged in the mature male, moderately 

 produced in the female. Caudal pointed. Pale brownish, everywhere mottled with 

 grey and brown ; head and body with rounded bluish spots edged with darker ; a 

 diffuse dark blotch at junction of straight and curved parts of lateral line, another 

 on middle of straight portion, and a smaller and less distinct blotch near base of 

 caudal fin ; other faint dusky blotches on head, and a series near upper and lower 

 edges of body ; median fins variegated with bluish grey spots and ocelli, and with 

 some dark blotches ; pectoral with irregular dark brown cross-bars ; lower surface 

 sometimes sprinkled with numerous small brown spots. 



Type. — Not traced. 



Distribution. — Indian Ocean, through the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago to 

 the Pacific ; west coast of Mexico. 



Specimens Examined : 



China. 



Malanipa Isd., iic 



Aneiteum. 



l.ifu, Loyalty Is. 



Samoa. 



Tahiti. 

 Ponape. 

 Christmas Is. 

 Clarion Is 



iff west coast of Mexico. 



Richardson. 



" Challenger.' 



Macgillivray. 



Whitmee. 



Schmeltz. 



Whitmee. 



Godeffroy Mu 



Kirkpatrick. 

 McGregor. 



Also I from the Maldives (Ind. Mus.) ; and i from the Marshall Islands (Mas. 

 Comp. Z06I.). 



This species attains to a length of about i8 inches. 



Pleuronectes spinosus, Schneider, which was later described by Forster as P. 

 pictus. may be this species. The locality was given as Nanoeka Is., New Caledonia. 



The specimen from the Pacific coast of Mexico, described by Jordan and McGregor 

 as Platophrys leopardinus, is young, but almost certainly represents this species. 



8. BOTHUS LEOPARDINUS (Giinther). 



Rhomboidickthys leopardinus, Giinther, 1S62, Cat. Fish., iv, p. 434. 



Parophrys leopardinus, Jordan, 1885, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vii, p. 260. 



Platophrys leopardinus, Jordan and Goss, 1889, Rep. U.S. Com. Fish., xiv, (1886), p. 26S ; Jordan 



and Evermann, 1898, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., xlvii (3), p. 2666 ; Garman, 1899, Mem. Mus. Comp. 



Zoo]., xxiv, p. 225. 

 ? Platophrys leopardinus, Kendall and Radcliffe, 1912, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., xxxv, p. 160, pi. viii, 



fig. 2. 



Depth of body if in the length, length of head 3|. Anterior profile of head concave 

 in front of eyes. Diameter of eye 3^ in length of head ; interorbital width about 

 equal to diameter of eye ; anterior edge of upper eye above middle of lower. No 



