370 
Fishery Bulletin 113(4) 
Figure 1 1 
The lectotype of Sebastes mystinus, USNM 27085, 249 mm SL, collected by David Starr Jordan in 
1880 off San Francisco Bay, California. Scale bar indicates 50 mm. 
28-29 vertebrae in S. ciliatus, and a small or absent 
symphyseal knob versus a pronounced one. It is fur- 
ther distinguished from S. melanops by having a blue- 
gray trunk with large gray blotches, versus a darker 
black or gray trunk with irregular areas of dark pig- 
mentation ranging from speckling to blotches in S. 
melanops, and by having dark dorsal-fin membranes 
without dark spots, versus the presence of such spots. 
Sebastes mystinus is distinguished from S. diaconus 
by a steel-blue to greenish-blue body coloration with 
large, distinct dark blotches versus a dark blue-brown 
to blue-gray body with a light, speckled pattern that 
characterizes S. diaconus. It is further distinguished 
from S. diaconus by the following set of character 
states in individuals over -150 mm SL: ventral mar- 
gin of head and ventrum generally rounded, giving 
the body a more ovoid appearance, versus the flat ven- 
trum of S. diaconus ; symphyseal knob short and not 
prominent (length of dentary symphysis 2. 6-5. 7% HL) 
versus well-developed (4. 0-7.0% HL). Although these 
ranges overlap, symphyseal knob length differs diag- 
nostically among specimens of equal size over 150 mm 
SL. This measurement can be diagnosed by reference 
to allometric plots (Fig. 6A). 
Description 
Description based on 68 specimens, 45.7-324.0 mm SL. 
Counts and measurements of lectotype and ranges, av- 
erages, and standard deviations for all specimens are 
provided in Table 3. Values in parentheses are modes 
for meristic counts and means of all specimens for mor- 
phometric ratios. 
Dorsal-fin spines XXII to XXIV (XXIII) [1 with XXV], 
rays 13-17 (15); anal-fin spines III, rays 8-9, rarely 10 
(9); pectoral-fin unbranched rays 9 or 10, rarely 11 (10), 
branched rays 7-9 (8), total pectoral rays 16-19 (18); 
pelvic-fin spines 1; pelvic-fin rays 5; total caudal-fin 
rays 38-40 (40); dorsal segmented caudal rays 8; ven- 
tral segmented caudal rays 8; dorsal procurrent caudal 
rays 11-12 (12); ventral procurrent caudal rays 11-12 
(11); total vertebrae 26, rarely 27; anterior gill rakers 
30-39 (33); posterior gill rakers 21-27 (25); scales cte- 
noid; lateral-line pores 42-52 (48); scales in lateral se- 
ries on midline 54-68 (58). 
Body deep and ovoid; depth at pelvic-fin origin 28.8- 
40.8% SL (35.3% SL); depth at anal-fin origin 23.0- 
34.1% SL (29.7% SL); depth at dorsal-fin origin 28.4- 
39.8% SL (34.3% SL). Dorsal margin of head slightly 
rounded (Fig. 6B); head length 29.9-36.4% SL (33.6% 
SL); head depth 53.8-73.8% HL (61.5 HL); eye moder- 
ately large, orbit diameter 17.3-30.4% HL (24.6% HL), 
bony ridge extending over anterodorsal margin of orbit; 
interorbital ridge wide and convex, interorbital width 
18.1-32.0% HL (26.3% HL); suborbital depth 4. 0-8. 9% 
HL (6.0% HL); snout length 16.5-28.2% HL (20.9% HL). 
Nostrils anterior of mid-orbit, anterior nostril circular 
with wide spatulate nostril flap that extends to poste- 
rior side of posterior nostril when depressed, posterior 
nostril ovoid and larger than anterior nostril, posterior 
nostril without flap; cranial spines usually absent ex- 
cept for weak nasal spines, additional weak head spines 
have been rarely reported (Love et al., 2002). Terminal 
mouth with moderate gape, posterior tip of maxilla 
extending at least to vertical through center of orbit 
and at maximum to vertical through posterior margin 
of pupil, posterior margin of maxilla flat to minimally 
rounded. Jaws when closed forming dorsally slanted 30° 
angle to midline of body; upper jaw length 36.5-46.8% 
HL (41.8% HL), premaxilla with 2 broad patches of 
small unorganized conical teeth near symphysis, teeth 
forming 2-3 rows that terminate one-third premaxilla 
length before posterior tip of premaxilla, palatine and 
vomer with patches of minute conical teeth; anterior 
tip of lower jaw level with or slightly anterior to up- 
per jaw when mouth closed, not exaggerated in larger 
