168 
BULLETIN OP THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
78. Limanda ferruginea (Storer). Sam ! dab; Rusty dab. 
Platessa ferruginea Storer, Rept., Fish., Mass., 1539, p. 141, PI. II; Cape Ann, Mass. 
Myzopsetta ferruginea Uhler and Lugger, 1876, cd. I, p. 95; ed. II, p. 79. 
Limanda ferruginea Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2644, PI. CCCLXXVII, fig. 929. 
“Head 4 in length; depth 2^; D. 85; A. 62; scales 100. Body ovate-elliptical, strongly 
compressed; teeth small, conical, close set, in a single series on each side in each jaw, about 11+30 
in the lower jaw; snout projecting, forming a strong angle above upper eye, with the descending 
profile; gill rakers of moderate length, very weak, not toothed; eyes moderate, 4 in head, the 
lower slightly in advance of upper, separated by a high, very narrow ridge, which is scaled posteriorly 
and is continued backward as an inconspicuous but rough ridge to the beginning of the lateral line; 
scales imbricate, nearly uniform, those on right side rough, ctenoid, those on left side nearly or 
quite smooth; scales on body rougher than on cheeks; caudal peduncle short, higher than long; 
dorsal inserted over middle of eye, its middle rays highest; pectoral less than two-fifths length of 
head; caudal fin rounded; anal spine present; lateral line simple, with a rather low arch in front, 
the depth of which is barely two-fifths the length; a concealed spine behind ventrals; ventral of 
colored side partly lateral, the other wholly so; anal spine strong. Brownish olive, with numerous 
irregular reddish spots; fins similarly marked; left side with caudal fin, caudal peduncle, and margins 
of dorsal and anal fins lemon yellow.” (Jordan and Evermann.) The fin counts given by other 
authors show a range for the dorsal of 76 to 85 rays and for the anal 57 to 63 rays. 
This species was not seen during the present investigation. It is known from Chesapeake 
Bay only from a record by Uhler and Lugger (1876), who state that it occurs occasionally in the 
southern part of the bay. The rusty dab is distinguished from the other flounders of Chesapeake 
Bay by having its eyes and color on the right side, together with a small mouth and an arched 
lateral line. 
The food of the rusty dab, according to Bigelow and Welsh (1925, p. 498), consists chiefly of 
the smaller crustaceans, such as amphipods, shrimps, schizopods, etc., and likewise of the smaller 
shellfish, both univalves and bivalves, and of worms. It is also known to eat small fish. 
Spawning is reported to take place on the New England coast all summer, a single female 
spawning over a considerable period of time, as only a small part of the eggs ripen simultaneously 
in any one fish. The eggs are spherical, buoyant, transparent, and from 0.87 to 0.94 millimeter in 
diameter. Incubation extends over a period of about five days at a temperature of 50° to 52° F. 
Metamorphosis — i. e., the twisting of the skull and the migration of the left eye to the right side, 
which becomes the colored side — is reported to be completed at a length of about 14 millimeters. 
The maximum size reported for this species is 21 z /i inches. This northern species is of com- 
mercial value from New York northward. However, it is considered less valuable, because of its 
thin body, than the winter flounder. It evidently is an extremely rare species in Chesapeake Bay 
if, in fact, it occurs there at all at the present time. 
Habitat . — Northern shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence; northern Newfoundland to Virginia; 
apparently rare south of New York. 
Chesapeake localities.— (a) Previous record: “Occasional in the southern part of Chesapeake 
Bay.” (Uhler and Lugger, 1876.) ( b ) Specimens in collection: None. 
60. Genus PSEUDOPLEURONECTES Sleeker. Winter flounders 
Body oblong, with firm flesh; mouth small; teeth in a single series, close-set; lateral line 
nearly straight; scales strongly ctenoid on eyed side, firm and regularly imbricated; fin rays with 
scales. 
79. Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum). Winter flounder; “Halibut”; “Holibut.” 
Pleuronecles americanus Walbaum, Artedi, Piscium III, 1792, p. 113; New York. 
Pseudopleuronectes americanus Uhler and Lugger, 1876, ed. I, p. 94; ed. II, p. 79; Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 2647 
PI. CCCLXXIX, fig. 933. 
Head 3.4 to 4.4; depth 1.75 to 2.55; D. 62 to 69; A. 46 to 53; scales 77 to 83. Body eliptical, 
varying greatly in depth; dorsal and ventral outlines about evenly curved; head rather small; snout 
pointed, 4.6 to 5.2 in head; eye 3.05 to 4.9; mouth small; the jaws unsymmetrical; maxillary on the 
right side reaching anterior margin of the lower eye, 3.45 to 4.45 in head; teeth small, present only 
on the left side of each jaw; gill rakers rather short, about eight on lower limb of first arch; lateral 
