624 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
in which they generally fail to reach opposite the origin of the anal. The ventrals are 
scarcely lateral; they are inserted well in advance of the pectorals, or nearly under the 
margin of the preopercle. The rays now generally appear as two in number, though 
a third short one sometimes remains evident. The two long rays (filaments) are free 
from each other distally, and they are rather variable in length, within any one species, 
the upper or outer one, which is the longer, generally reaches to or beyond the origin 
of the anal. The caudal fin varies in shape in all species, as its margin may be round, 
straight, or concave. The differences in the counts of the rays in the dorsal and anal 
fins are shown in the key to the species. 
Pigmentation has become quite general, though variable among specimens of 
any one species. The color of preserved specimens is pale to rather dark brown above, 
and generally silvery below. In life regius and j doridanus (no fresh specimens of chuss 
seen by us) may be bright green to bluish above, and the sides and lower parts bright 
silvery. The extent to which the body is covered with brownish dots varies even 
among specimens of the same species caught in one haul. The black on the distal 
part of the ventrals, present in smaller specimens of jloridanus and chuss, rarely 
remains visible in specimens 40 mm long, and was not seen in any fish 50 mm and 
upward in length. The black on the first dorsal is now quite definitely surrounded 
by white, at least distally, in regius and distinguishes that species from jloridanus 
and chuss in which the black extends nearly or quite to the margin of the fin and is 
not surrounded by white (fig. 138). 
Figure 138,—Urophycis floridanus. From a specimen 40 mm long. 
The fourth species, namely, earlli, is represented by a single specimen 37 mm long. 
This fish does not differ from the other species in the proportions usually calculated. 
However, it has much smaller scales, and the dorsal and anal rays are more numerous. 
(The counts are given in the key to the species.) The mouth is nearly horizontal 
and inferior, as in the other species, and the maxillary reaches almost below the pos- 
terior margin of the eye. The chin barbel is long and slender, even longer than in 
jloridanus, as it exceeds half the length of eye. 
The general color is dark brown, much darker than the darkest specimens of the 
other species, and this color extends on the dorsal and anal fins, only the margins 
posteriorly being pale. In fact, these fins are darker than the body. Only the chest 
and abdomen are silvery. The first dorsal is no darker than most of the second one. 
The caudal fin is dark brown at the base, and the rest of the fin is plain translucent. 
The pectorals and ventrals are brown at the base and colorless elsewhere (fig. 139). 
Specimens 60 to 75 mm long . — The four species discussed in this work; namely, 
chuss, regius, fioridans, and earlli, are all represented among the specimens of this size. 
In general, the characters of the adults, pointed out in the key to the species, can be 
used in separating the species. Therefore, only changes in development are pointed 
out in the following paragraphs. 
