[67] FLOUNDERS AND SOLES. 291 



xx. Scales not all cycloid, some of those along lateral line, along the base of 

 dorsal and anal and on sides of head and abdomen ciliated, otherwise as in 

 the preceding. D. 62 to 66. A. 46 to 48. Light brownish, with yellow 



spots. (Gottsche) Var. pseudoflesus, 81 (b). 



bb. Snout not projecting, not forming a distinct angle above eye ; tubercles on rid^e 

 above opercle at base of lateral line, coarser than in PI. -platessa, and 

 about five in number ; a small tubercle behind upper eye ; scales small, cy- 

 cloid in all specimens examined. Head, 3f; depth, 2. D. 68. A. 50. Lat. 

 1. 78. Color, grayish, mottled with paler and with round black spots; fins 



very dark Quadkituberculata, 82. 



cm. Teeth in jaws small, conical, well-separated, not forming a continuous cutting 

 edge ; a stellate scale or tubercle at the base of each ray of dorsal and anal • 

 lpwer pharyngeals rather narrow, each with four or five«rows of teeth. 

 (Flesus Moreau.) 

 c. Body oblong-elliptical, a small angle above eye. Head, 31 in length ; depth, 

 21; vertebra? 12 + 24 = 36 Flesus, 83. 



y. Sides of head and anterior portion of lateral line with coarse stellate scales 

 or tubercles ; smaller ones on sides of abdomen, the scales otherwise cycloid j 

 granular ridge above opercle usually without tubercles. D. 60 to 62. A. 

 39 to 45. Color brownish, irregularly mottled, the blind side rarely spotted 

 with darker Var. flesus, 83 (a). 



yy. Sides of head and lateral line nearly or quite destitute of tubercles, the 

 scales all cycloid except those at the bases of the fin-rays and a few about 

 the eyes ; ridge above opercle usually with one or two rugose prominences. 

 D. 62 to 64. A. 41 to 48. Color, dark-brown, often marbled with darker 

 the blind side usually with irregular dark spots Var. glabra, 83 (b). 



81. PLATESSA PLATESSA. 



(The Plaice.) 

 [Plate XV.] 



a. Var. j)latessa. 



Pleuronectes No. 1, Artedi, Genera, etc. 



Pleuronectes platessa Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, 1758, 269 (after Artedi) (and of the 

 early copyists). Giinther, iv, 440 (Firth of Forth ; Brighton ; Bohnslan), 

 Day, Fish. Great Britain, ii, 25, pi. ci (and of recent writers generally). 



Scophthalmus diurus Eafinesque, Indice di Ittiologia Siciliana, 1810, 53 (based on the 

 Quarrelet of Rondelet). 



Platessa vulgaris Fleming, British Anim., 198, 1828 (and of numerous authors). 



Pleuronectes latus Cuvier, Regno Animated, ii, 1828 (deformed example, France). 



Pleuronectes borealis " Faber, Isis, 1828, 863" (Iceland). 



b. Var. pseudoflesus (variety?). 



Platessa pseudoflesus Gottsche, Wiegmann's Archiv, 1835, 143 (German Ocean). 

 Pleuronectes pseudoflesus Giinther, iv, 441 (copied). 



Habitat — Coasts of northern Europe, south to Italy. 



This is one of the most common of the flat-fishes of Europe, and is, 

 next to the halibut and the turbot, the one of most importance as a food- 

 fish. It reaches usually a weight of five or six pounds, although speci- 



