[31] FLOUNDEES AND SOLES. 255 



Rhombus would take the place of Bothus as the name of this subgenus. 

 Our reasons for considering the Turbot as the type of the genus Pleu- 

 ronectes may be briefly stated : 



In the earliest restriction of the Linnsean genus, Pleuronectes, in which 

 the latter name is retained for one of the subdivisions, the Turbot has 

 been retained as the type. We therefore find ourselves compelled to 

 transfer the name Pleuronectes from the small-mouthed flounders to the 

 present group. 



The genus Pleuronectes, as it appears in the tenth edition of the Sys- 

 tema Naturae, is intended to contain all flat-fishes, 18 of which are 

 characterized and named. 



Omitting foreign species, the following table shows the European 

 species included by Linnaeus, and the generic names which have since 

 his time been specially based on each of these species : 



Hippoglossus Hippoglossus Cuvier, 1817. 



Cynoglossus Glyptocephalus Gottsche, 1836. 



Platessa.. PZatessa Cuvier, 1817; Pleuronectes Swainson, 1839; Pleuronectes Bleeker, 1862. 



Flesus •. Flesus Moreau, 1871. 



Liuiauda Limanda Gottsche, 1835. 



Solea Solea Quensel, 1806. 



Linguatula Pleuronectes Bonaparte, 1846; Citharus Bleeker, 1862; 



Bothus Rafinesque, 1810; Scophthalmus Rafinesque, 1810. 



Rhombus Rhombus Cuvier, 1817 (preoccupied). 



Maxinins Pleuronectes Fleming, 1828 ; Psetta Swainson, 1839 • 



Passer Valenciennes, 1855 (preoccupied). 

 Passer (An abnormal specimen of Flesus. ) 



The first subdivision of the geuus Pleuronectes, after the removal of 

 the soles, seems to have been that of Cuvier. Cuvier subdivides the 

 group into three subgenera, Hippoglossus, Rhombus, and Platessa, re- 

 taining the name Pleuronectes for the group as a whole, but for none of 

 his subdivisions. 



Fleming, next after him, makes use of these subdivisions, but reject- 

 ing the name of Rhombus, he distinctly adopts the generic name Pleu- 

 ronectes for the " Turbot" group. His genera are, therefore, Pleuronectes 

 the " Turbot," Solea the " Sole," Platessa the " Fluke," and Hippoglossus 

 the "Halibut." Pleuronectes maximus, the "Common Turbot," is evi- 

 dently intended as the type of Pleuronectes, as understood by him. This 

 is, so far as we have ascertained, the first restriction of the name Pleu- 

 ronectes, to any group of flounders, and if it be so the name Pleuronectes 

 must go with tbe Turbot and its relatives. In that case it would take 

 the place of the preoccupied name Rhombus, and of the prior but al- 

 most forgotten name of Bothus, unless we see fit to place the Turbot 

 and the Brill in different genera, in which case Bothus should be used 

 for the Brill. 



The next restriction seems to be that of Swainson, in 1839, who indi- 

 cates PL platessa as the type of Pleuronectes. 



Next is the restriction made by DeKay, 1842, who again makes the Tur- 



