43^ 



FLATFISHES (HETEROSOMATA) 



rounded or with narrow, blunt terminal cusps, arranged in series along each edge, 

 with a few teeth between these rows. Scales cycloid on both sides of body ; 85 to 

 ikS in lateral line. Blind side of head nearly entirely scaled. Lateral line with a 

 vcr)- low curve above the pectoral tin. Dorsal 55-65 ; first ray deeply split and 

 almost entirely free, next 2 or 3 rays decreasingly so, remainder mostly forked or 

 branched distally : highest rays i| to 2^ in length of head. Anal 38-47. Sectoral 

 of ocular side with 11 to 13 rays (9 or 10 branched), length i| to i J in that of head, 

 .interior ray of pelvic of ocular side inserted behind level of posterior edge of lower 

 eye. Caudal with 18 rays (12 branched), a little rounded ; caudal peduncle i? to 

 li times as deep as long. Browni.sh or greyish ; young sometimes with small white 

 spots ; distal part of pectoral fin darker ; blind side whitish. 



Type. — British Museum (Nat. Hist). Reg. No. 42. 10. 12. 2. 



Distribution. — Australia (')' ; New Zealand ; Auckland Islands. 



Specimens Examined : 



(;oo , 



Tvpp of 

 monopus 



(260 ,, 



(210 ,. 



(160-265 lui"). 



(250 mm.), skeleton 



(^25 „ ). 



(62 ., ). 



(430 ,, ). 



(380 ,, ), stuffed. 



Holotype (■>.). 



Australia (?). 



Bay of Islands. 

 Xew Zetland. 



Wellington Harbour. 



Wellington. 



South side of Cook Str 



Timaru. 



Dunedin HarlxMir. 



Richardson. 



Smith. 

 Owen. 

 Hutton. 



Archey. 

 Otago Mas. 



Bo:, eiiia )ioi'it-zeelandirr, originally described from 3 specimens from I^ake EUes- 

 niere, which now appear to have been lost, may be this species or R. leponna. These 

 were ambicolorate examples, and differ from typical .specimens of Rhonibosolea in 

 ha\'ing two pelvic fins of equal size. 



Apsetta thompsoni , the type of which also seems to have disappeared, is almost 

 certainly a reversed example of this species. The two pelvic fins are equally developed." 



3. RHOMBOSOLEA LEPORINA, Gunther. 

 JYkllow Belly. 1 



Khumbosolea lepor 



. Giinthe 



1862, Cat. Fish., 



Fische, p. 2S7 ; Hutton. 



1926, Biol. Res. " Endeavoi 



p. 28. 

 Khombosolca flesnidc! . Hutton. 1S76, T 

 Khombosoka millart. Waite, 1911, Re. 



1921, N.Z. J. Sii. Tech., iv, p. 12: 



Kner, 1869, Reise " Nova 



3, Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst., v, p. 268, pi. .\i, tig. 833 ; Norm; 

 , V, p. 283; Phillipps, 1927, N.Z. Mar. Dept., Fish. Bull., 



Proc. N.Z. Inst., vi 

 rUerburv (X.Z.) Mu 

 i.nnson and .Anderb 



,p. 213. 



, 1. p. 20i, pi. .\xxvi 



1, 1. 121, Bull. N.Z. Ho 



; Phillipps, 

 rd Sci. Art, 



Depth of body 2 to 2 J m the length, length of head 33 to 4. Shape of body ovate ; 

 upper profile of head straight or a little convex. Snout not produced, longer than 

 eve, diameter of which is 6:^ to 7J in length of head and i J times to twice the inter- 

 orbital width. Maxillary extending to below anterior edge of eye or not quite as 

 far, length on ocular .side 3I to 4, on blind side 3} to 3^ in that of head ; lower jaw 



' Records of this species from Victoria and from Tasmania are probably incorrect. The specimen 

 believed to be from Australia in the British Museum collection, presented by Sir J. Richardson, has 

 a somewhat more slender and less rhomboidal body than the remainder, but is otherwise identical. 

 It IS doubtful whether this species really occurs in .-Vustralian waters. 



= For a more detailed account of BnuYiita and Apsclta see Xonnan (1926, 'Biol. Res. 

 '■ lindeavour" '. v, p. 27M) ; see also pp. 26, 29 of the present work. 



