Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2655 



3025. MICROSTOMUS PAC1FICUS (Lockington). 

 (SLIPPERY SOLE.) 



Head 4 in body; depth 2$. D. 102; A. 85; scales 140; eye 3 in head; 

 maxillary 5; pectoral 1;|; greatest height of dorsal 2; anal 2; caudal 

 If; vertebrae 12 -f 40 = 52. Body elongate, elliptical; mouth small, the 

 maxillary reaching just past front of lower eye; teeth long and broad, 

 forming a continuous cutting edge, on blind side only, about 10 teeth on 

 lower jaw; eyes very large, nearly twice as long as snout, the upper even 

 with profile above; iuterorbital a narrow scaly ridge; gill opening adnate 

 to shoulder girdle above pectoral; gill rakers short, 8 below angle, 5 or 6 

 very small scarcely developed ones above; scales small, cycloid, not 

 closely imbricated, lateral line nearly straight. Origin of dorsal slightly 

 behind middle of upper eye, caudal truncate or slightly rounded. Color 

 olive brown, blotched on body and fins with darker, all fins blackish 

 toward the ends of the rays. Pacific coast of North America, Monterey to 

 Unalaska, in rather deep water, 15 to 50 fathoms; common. Here de- 

 scribed from a specimen, about 14 inches in length, from Albatross Station 

 2927, off the coast of California. This small flounder abounds in deep 

 water about San Francisco, but comes near the shore farther north. It is 

 exceedingly slimy when first taken. The large individuals are considered 

 excellent as food ; the smaller are thrown away. It rarely reaches the 

 weight, of a pound. 



Glyptocephalus pacificus, LOCKINGTON, Rep. Cal. Com. Fisheries, 1878-79, 43, off Point 

 Reyes, California; LOCKINGTON, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1879, 86; JORDAN, Nat. Hist. 

 Aqnat. Anim., 188, 1884. 



Cynicoglossua pacificus, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1880, 453: JORDAN <fc- 

 GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1881, 68 ; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 838, 1883. 



Microstomus pacificus, JORDAN & Goss, Review Flounders and Soles, 299, 1889. 



1041. EMBASSICHTHYS, Jordan & Evermann. 



Embassichthys, JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check- List Fishes, 506,1896 (bathybius). 



This genus is a deep sea representative of Microstomus, from which it 

 differs in the increased number of vertebrae (63 instead of 48 to 52). Its 

 fin rays are correspondingly increased, the body is deeper than in Micros- 

 tomus, and it has teeth on both sides of the jaws, as in Glyptocephalus. 

 (er, in; fta66o^ for /?aOt>sdeep; i^v^ fish; a fish in the depths.) 



3026. EMBASSICHTHYS BATHYBIUS (Gilbert). 



Head 4 to 4| in length ; depth 2 to 2. D. Ill to 117 ; A. 96 to 98 ; verte- 

 brae 14 + 49 =63. Body oval, very thin and deep, the greatest depth at 

 anterior third of body ; upper profile very abruptly angulated opposite 

 hinder margin of upper pupil, the anterior half of head conspicuously pro- 

 truding beyond general outline. Caudal nearly sessile, the peduncle very 

 short. Mouth small, maxillary about length of head in specimens 1 foot 

 long. Teeth broad incisors, slightly notched at tip, nearly equally devel- 

 oped on blind and colored sides, 21 on blind side of lower jaw, 16 on 



