732 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



short and deep; pectoral fin of left side wanting, that of right 

 side small or obsolete; ventral rays three or four, the ventral 

 fin of the colored side long, connected with the anal by a mem- 

 brane. This strongly marked genus contains numerous species^ 

 '^ll very closely related, and nearly all American. 



368 Achirus fasciatus Lac^p^de 

 Afiverican Sole; Hogchoker 



Achirus fasciatus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 659, 662, 1803, Charles- 

 ton; Jordan & Goss. Rep. U. S. F. C. 1886, 315, 1889; Bean, Bull. Am. 

 Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 373, 1897; H. M. Smith, Bull. U. S. F. 0. 1897, 108, 

 1898; Eugene Smith, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 41, 1898; Mearns, 

 Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 322, 1898; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. Ill, 2700, 1898; IV, pi. OCCLXXXVII, fig. 948, 1900; 

 Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 110, 1900. 



Pleuroncctes mollis Mitchill, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 9, 1814; Trans. Lit. &, Phil. 

 Soc. N. Y. I, 388, pi. II, fig. 4, 1815. 



Achirus mollis De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 303, pi. 49, fig. 159, 1842; 

 Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 206, pi. XXXII, fig. 1, 1867; Bean, Bull. 

 U. S. F. C. VII, 134, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 244, 1890. 



Achirus lineatus Cuvier, R§gne Anim. ed. 2, II, 343, 1829, and of various 

 American authors. 



Form a well rounded oval, regular in outline; head small, its 

 length about one fourth of standard body length; the depth of 

 the body equals one half of the total length; eyes minute, close 

 together on right side of head; mouth small, curved; lateral line 

 distinct, straight; dorsal fin continuous from snout to caudal; 

 ventral connected by membrane with anal, the latter then con- 

 tinuous to caudal; caudal peduncle broad, the fin thumb-shaped;, 

 body everywhere densely scaled; anterior dorsal rays scaled;, 

 about 75 rows of scales along lateral line. D. 55; A. 40; Y. 4. 



General color olive browm; body and fins with numerous black 

 spots and clouded areas; usually from six ^to eight vertical 

 narrow cross bands of black; left side whitish, usually much 

 mottled with dark spots and shadings. 



This is called hogchoker, cover clip, or cover, calico and Ameri- 

 can sole, the name calico is used on the New Jersey shore oppo- 

 site New York. The American sole has a wide distribution along 

 our east coast, but is not important for food, and sometimes 

 proves very inconvenient to pigs, as may be inferred from one 



