PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. a5 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.—Iorm broadly elliptical, the profile contin- 
uous with the curve of the back; ventral outline from chin to past the 
ventrals nearly straight, the rest of the outline corresponding to the 
dorsal outline. Head moderate, shortish; mouth very oblique, not so 
large asin Paralichthys maculosus; the premaxillaries on the level of the 
pupil when the mouth is closed, the maxillary reaching to the posterior 
border of the eye; maxillary broad ; teeth in a straight row, wide apart, 
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13412 
the lower jaw irregularly alternating large and small. In the upper jaw 
similar, but smaller and less obviously alternating. The middle tooth 
on the blind side in the upper jaw the largest. 
Eyes large, close together, the lower slightly anterior; nostrils of right 
side above and in front of lower eye; upper nostrils turned over on the 
blind side; posterior nostrils largest, with a conspicuous flap. Interorb- 
ital space a narrow, elevated ridge, covered with very small scales; a 
few seales on the posterior part of the maxillary, none on the mandible. 
Preopercle with its posterior margin free, little movable; cheeks and 
opercles densely covered with small, oblong, eycloid scales. Branchios- 
tegals 7. 
Gill-rakers short, blunt, triangular, scarcely one-fourth as long as the 
eye, their edges slightly dentate. There are about 7 of the large ones 
on the middle and lower part of thé gill-arch, some rudiments above. 
(There are about 24 long and slender gill-rakers in Paralichthys maculo- 
SUS.) 
Lateral line without dorsal branch, with a broad curve above the pec- 
torals. Scales quite small, cblong, cycloid, thin and membranecus ; little 
imbricated except behind, and somewhat imbedded in the skin, with some 
smaller supernumerary scales, especially below; scales much smaller 
on the thoracic region than on the sides. Scales of right and left sides 
similar. A series of small scales extending up each ray of the vertical 
fins. 
Lateral line with about 123 scales, pierced by tubes; number of rows 
of scales perhaps a little greater than the number of tubes. 
Dorsal fin beginning just in advance of the middle of the pupil, its 
first ray slightly turned toward the blind side; some of the anterior rays 
qureate ; most of the rays simple; the fin rather low in front, gradually 
becoming higher to a point near the middle of the body, thence regu- 
larly diminishing behind, the last ray being near to the base of the caudal ; 
the caudal peduncle very short; anal fin similar, its highest ray opposite 
the highest of the dorsal; a weak antrorse spine at beginning of anal; 
ventrals shortish, reaching past front of anal; pectoral of right side 
about as long as head, that of left side half as long. Caudal fin some- 
what double-truncate, with rounded angles, the middle rays being pro- 
duced. - 
Fin-rays: Dorsal, 82; anal, 64; ventrals, 7. 
unequal, conical, and blunt at tip, their number about Teeth in 
