23. soLEA- 475 



the head. Caudal rounded, longer than the head. Greyish : head, 

 body and fins with numerous blackish, irregular, waving, sometimes 

 bifurcate transverse bands, which are broader than the interspaces ; 

 caudal with rounded deep-black spots. The left side uniform white. 

 Pacific coast of Central America. 



a. Fine specimen (58 lines long). Panama. From Mr. Fraser's 



Collection. 

 h, c-e. Adidt and half-grown : bad state. Gulf of Fonseca. Presented 



by Sir J. Richardson. 

 ?/. Eight and a half inches long. From the Haslar Collection. — 



This specimen is not in a good state of preservation, Entirely 



black (perhaps artificially coloured), and has numerous fringes 



on the left side of the snout. 



27. Solea mentalis. 

 D. 61. A. 45. P. 2. L. lat. 95. 



Notrace of a pectoral on the left side ; that on the right quite rudi- 

 mentary, scarcely longer than the eye. The right ventral fin is com- 

 posed of five rays, which are continuous with the anal. A few scales 

 on the nape are enlarged, and nearly twice the size of those on the 

 body. Snout with short fringes on the blind side, but without elongate 

 barbels; the right lower lip with inconspiouous fringes. Mental 

 region very broad ; lower jaw somewhat prominent. The height of the 

 body is contained once and three-fourths in the total length (without 

 caudal), the length of the head thrice and three-fourths. The width 

 of the interorbital space is more than that of the orbit ; the upper eye 

 shghtly in advance of the lower. The longest dorsal rays are in the 

 posterior thii-d of the fin, their length being a little more than one- 

 half of that of the head ; caudal fin rounded, shorter than the head. 

 YeUovidsh-oHve, marbled with brown ; caudal with very small irre- 

 gular brown spots. Blind side uniform yellowish. 



Para. 



a-b. Seven inches long. River Capin (Para). Purchased of Mr. 

 Stevens. 



28. Solea fonseceusis. 



D. 58. A. 44. P. 2. L. lat. ca 85. 



No trace of a pectoral on the left side ; that on the right not much 

 longer than the eye. The right ventral fin is composed of five rays, 

 which are continuous with the anal. Scales on the nape twice or 

 thrice as large as those on the body. The upper part of the snout 

 slightly overlaps the lower jaw. The left anterior part of the head 

 with numerous tentacles ; the right lower Up with very distinct slender 

 fringes ; nostril on the right side in a wide and short tube. The height 

 of the body is contained once and five-sixths in the total length (with- 

 out caudal), the length of the head thrice and a tliird. The width 

 of the interorbital space is less than the diameter of the eye ; the 



