4-20 



SCANDINAVIAN KISHKS. 



Genus DREPANOPSETTA. 



Bodii of the oidiudi-ji Platessokl foni/. T\i/es set iistudlii <>ii. the rii/lif s/V/c, (unl erm in adult specimens fairly 

 dose to rack other. Jan-teeth pointed and ffencralli/ set in a sin(/le roir in lioth Jans". Lnn-er pharyngeal teeth 

 also pointed, set in tiro rons or" one. No palatine or romerine teeth. The dorsal fn begins above or a little in 

 front of the upper I'lp-. Hind margin of the eainhd fn conre.r. Anal spine present. Seales middle-sized and 



ctenoid. Lider(d line almost straight. 



Tliis genus is very eloselj' related to another, ] 

 Paralichthgs {Pseudorhombus), which contains more nu- 

 nu'r(nis species, and tVoni which it is distinguished | 

 chietiy by its straighter lateral line and by the eyes' } 

 being usually set on the right side. Its geogra])hical 

 extension is Subarctic, chietiy confined to the Pacific, 

 where four species are known. Only one species, of | 

 which tw(j distinct varieties occur, belongs to the basin 

 of the Atlantic. 



With reaard to the generic name it is true that 

 most i-ecent writei's have accepted Hippoglossoides, the 

 name ])r(>i)(ise(l in 1835' by GcrrxsCHE. But besides 

 the fact that the formation of this name, as Malmgren 

 has already observed'', is contrary to the Linnanin rule 

 that "nomina generica in aides desinentia e foro histo- 

 ri(e naturaUs releganda sunt"", it is pi-oposcd by Gott- 



SCHE merely to denote a division of (Juviek's subgenus 

 Hippoglossus. If we should insist, however, upon the 

 retention of this name, and also strictly follow the 

 current rules of nomenclature, the family of the Hali- 

 buts, as it is represented in the Scandinavian fauna, 

 would appear as follows: 



Hippoglossus hippoglossus, Linn., 



Hippoglossus {riatgsomatichthgs) Itippoglossoides, 

 Walb., 



Hippoglossoides platessoides., Fabr., 

 an arrangement no less tautological than confusing. 

 In this case, therefore, we are fully justified in reject- 

 ing the generic name of Hippoglossoides and adopting 

 Drepanopsetta., the name proposed by Gill^ although 

 (.TILL himself subsequently'' withdrew this proposal. 



" Or :ilso, in certain uxotie species, sm inner mw of small teetli on (lie intermaxillary bones. 



'' According- to the observations of others. 



' Wiegni. Arch. f. Naturg.. 1 .Jahrg., 2 Bd., p. Ii54. 



'I (ifvers. Vet.-Akad. Forh. 18fi4, p. 256. 



' LiNN^us, Philos. botan., p. 161, § 226. 



■' Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc, Phil. 1861, App., p. .50. 



" Ibid., 1864, p. 217. 



