EDIBLE EISHES OE NEW SOUTH WALES. 163 



PLAGUSIA r^'ICOLOR. 



I'lagusia unicolor, Macleay, Catal. Aiistr. Eish. ii. p. 138, 1S81. 



Lemon Sole. 



E. Ti. D. 107-109. A 81-S5. Y. 4. C. 8. L. lat. 102-105. L. tr. 22/23. 



Yert. 9/42. 



Length of tead 5 00-5-40, height of body 4-00-4-25 in the total length. 

 Eyes small, the upper eye half of its diameter in advance of the lo'sver, which 

 is situated in front of the angle of the mouth, and whose diameter is from 

 3-50-3-80 in the length of the snout, which is 2-25-2-33 in that of the head : 

 interorbital space narrow, about one third of the diameter of the orbit, 

 slightly concave. A tubular nostril in front of the lower eye on the left side, 

 and a similar one vertically above the anterior angle of the mouth on the right 

 side. Rostral hook of moderate length, extending slightly beyond the lower 

 eye. Cleft of mouth crescentic. Lower lip and anterior moiety of upper 

 lip on the colored side fringed with stout papillae. A distinct band of 

 small teeth in the lower jaw on the blind side, and a few scattered minute 

 teeth on the posterior half of the upper jaw of the same side. The dorsal 

 fin commences in front of the upper eye ; a single ventral fin confluent with 

 the anal, which commences beneath the posterior margin of the gillcovers ; 

 •caudal small and pointed, one third of the length of the head. Head and body 

 scaly, the scales on the colored side uniformly and finely ctenid, those on the 

 blind side with a semicircular ctenid patch on the middle of the posterior 

 margin : fins scaleless. Two lateral lines on the left side, separated at their 

 point of greatest distance by sixteen longitudinal series of scales, the lower 

 -one extending in an almost straight line from the tip of the snout to the base 

 of the caudal fin, the upper from the posterior dorsal rays to the tip of the 

 rostral hook following the curvature of the body, the two joined above the 

 opercles by a short line traversing eleven scales ; other more or less eccentric 

 lines run from the median line downwards across the opercular region, from 

 the chin to the inferior angle of the gill-opening, and from the base of the 

 rostral hook to the interorbital space ; right side without lateral line. 



Colors — Upper side pale yellowish-brown, the body ornamented with round 

 spots of an even lighter shade : fins profusely ornamented with brown and 

 milk white spots, the latter disappearing in alcohol ; below bluish-white. 



'We have included this species in the present work in the belief that with 

 proper appliances it will be found to be common along the greater part of 

 our seaboard, and because its flesh is firm and delicate. It is rarely taken by 

 the seine, as it buries itself so deeply in the sand, and is so strongly com- 

 pressed, that the ground rope of that net passes over it except in accidental 

 cases ; with the trawl, however, we have known it to be cajDtured on several 

 occasions, when the net was worked on shallow sandy flats, such being the 

 only localities which they affect. Even if the small size of the mouth, and 

 the shape of the elongated snout would allow of it, the nature of their food 

 would prevent them taking any bait which would be likely to be offered to 

 them ; their stomachs generally contain a quantity of sand, among which are 

 found numerous f oraminif era, entomostraca, and such like minute organisms. 



On our coast they inhabit sandy beaches and banks, on which there is but 

 a moderate depth of water ; they occur as far to the south as WoUongong, 

 and doubtless become more plentiful as we proceed northwards. It is also 

 included by Saville Kent in his list of the food fishes of Queensland, but he 

 gives no information as to the extent of its range on that coast. We have 

 also seen an example from Lord Howe Island. 



The Lemon Sole grows to a length of twelve inches. 



