Vol. 5] 



Gilbert. — Evesthes jordani. 



409 



From the above facts of description and the following meas- 

 urements it seems fairly assured that this fish, on account of its 

 strongly compressed body, broadly diamond-shaped outline, un- 

 symmetrical head, twisted skull, both eyes on the same side, and 

 strong teeth, is a flounder, and belongs to the Pleuronectidae. 

 It is apparently ancestral to the present sub-families of Hippo- 

 glossinae, finding its nearest allies among living genera in Para- 

 liehthys, Velifracta [Tephritis) and other tropical forms of the 

 Hippoglossinae, the group dd of Jordan & Evermann (Fishes 

 N. M. America 111, p. 2606), which contains the allies of Para- 

 lichthys and Pseudorhombus. These allies of Paralichthys are 

 all normally sinistral, but in several of the Pacific species, Para- 

 Uehthys calif 'or nic us, with the allied genera, Xystrenrys, Hippo- 

 glossina, Velifracta, V erasper, and Psettodes, the eyes are as 

 often on the right side as on the left. In the true Hippoglos- 

 sinae, the eyes are always on the right side. In the Psettinae 

 they are always on the left. 



If this specimen had the eyes on the right side, as I believe 

 is the case, it cannot be allied to Bothus, nor can it belong to 

 the Psettinae. On the other hand, its small number of vertebrae 

 separates it widely from the Hippoglossinae proper. We are 

 therefore forced to range it with the occasionally dextral allies 

 of Paralichthys, and to these, in general, its skeleton shows 

 greatest resemblance. 



The small number of fin-rays seen in Evesthes (D. 64, A. 42) 

 is approached by the California species Hippoglossina stomata 

 (D. 68, A. 53) and by the bastard halibut of California (D. 70, 

 A. 55 ) . In Velifracta sinensis the number is still further re- 

 duced (D. 46, A. 35). In Psettodes erumei we have D. 50, A. 40. 

 The nearest living ally of Evesthes is probably Hippoglossina, 

 with which it seems to agree in the insertion of its dorsal, and 

 Paralichthys. The small number of vertebrae in Evesthes 

 shows that the species was an inhabitant of warm seas, and 

 doubtless a shore fish. The number of vertebrae (33) corre- 

 sponds nearly to that found in Bothus minimus (31) and to the 

 number (31) in Pleuronectes (Psetta) maximus. In the true 

 halibut (Hippoglossus) there are 50, and in the brill (Bothus 

 rliombus) there are 36. The minute Bothus minimus probably 



