Description of two new species of flounders (<I>Parophrys ischyrus</I> and <I>Hippoglossoides elassodon</I>), from Puget's Sound

276 PKOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

"Ventral

:

Length 12

Distancefrom snout 39

Dorsalrays (ca) 12

Analrays (ca) 16

Numberofscales inlongitudinal series 45

Numberofpbospborescentspots. 33

Santa Barbara,

Cal., July_15,ISSO.

l>E!i$CRIPTIOIV

OF TWO

^{^JE.'W}

SPECIES OF FI.OIJNDEKS (PAROPHRVS ISCHYRL'S AND

HIPPOC;i.OSSOI]>ES EliASSODOlV,) FROITI

PUGET'S SOUND.

By DAVID

S.

JORDAIV

aoid

CHARLES H. (GILBERT.

Parophrys ischyrus, sp. nov.

Body

rhombic-oblong,lessdeep thaniuPlaticlithys stellatusorLepido])- setta hilineata,

and

with the

head more

ijointed

and

protruding,butless so than in Parophrysvetulus.

Body

tapering from the middle to the

head and

tail, the four boundinglinesbutlittle curved

and

quite regu- lar. Caudal pedunclestrong,compressed,andratherlong.

Head

com- parativelylong, a slight angle over the eye,

and

thesnoutprotruding

and

notobtuse. Lips full,simple.

Mouth

moderate, oblique,thelower

jaw

slightlyprojecting

and somewhat more

developed

on

the blindside,

5 ^1.05

Teeth about,,, ^{'^,}. innumber.

10

+

^2U

Teeth in one ^series,rather close set,

some

on both sidesof the jaw.

but

more numerous

on the blind side,

somewhat

irregular in length,

some

of

them

movable. In formthe teeth are

somewhat

compressed

and

incisor-like

and

bluntish, but not as notablj^ so as in

some

related species.

Ko

teeth,on

vomer and

^palatines.

Maxillary reaching past the front of the orbit, nearly to the pupil.

Anterior nostril

w

itlia flap. Posterior nostril almost simple.

Tongue

free.

Eyes

ratherlarge, the upi)er directedupward, the lower slightly iu advanceof the other.

An

area coveredwith smooth skinin

and

be- hind orbit of ui^per eye.

Interorbital space rather broad,

somewhat

elevated mesially, con- tinuous, with a slightly

marked

ridge above the opercle

and

forking forwards, thelowerbranch endingin abluntprominence.

Snout behind nostrils, interocular ridge,

and

posterior part of head coveredwith scales like those on the body,but smaller

and

rougher.

Preorbitalverynarrow, naked. Skinofhead continuous over theedge of the preopercle. Gill-openings above not continued forward. Gill- rakers short, slender,

and

weak, about 12 belowthe angle of thearch.

Branchiostegals seven.

Lower

pharyngeal bones separate, each with

two

rowsof coarse,bluntteeth.

Scales moderate in size, thick

and

firm, adherent, not closely imbri- cated, anteriorly separated. Those on the tail oblong

and

a little im-

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 277

bedded, those on the head

and

anterior regions rather regularly arranged, butnot close together.

Scales strongly ctenoid everywhere, each with a semicircle of six to ten upward-directedspiunleson its posterioredge. Those onthe

head and body

are similar, the former being a little smaller

and

rougher, especiallybehindtheeyes, wheretheyare

somewhat

stellate.

Left or blindsideofthe

body

uniformlyscaled like theeyedside, the scales similar

and

almostas strongly ctenoid. Preopercle nearly smooth.

Rest ofhead with small rough scales, similar to thoseonthe right_side, butfarther apart.

Caudal, middle part of dorsal

and

anal,

and

bases of pectorals

and

ventrals with small rough scales in series, runningiipthe rays on the right side.

On

the blind sidethe baseof the caudal with small rough

scales. Otherfinsnaked.

Laterallineconspicuous, itsscales less rough thanthe others; avery slight curve anteriorly, otherwise straight.

A

distinct short accessory lateral line on both sides, extending to aboutthe tenth dorsal ray.

A

series ofpores around lower eyebehind.

No

enlarged scales alonglat- eral line or at the bases of thefins.

Laterallinewithabout88 pores; about 80scalesina longitudinalseries

above thelateralline.

Dorsalfinbeginningoverthe pupil,its firstraysturnedslightlytoward the blind side, lowin front, the rays regularly increasingtobehind the middleofthebody,thensimilarlydiminishing.

Anal

^finsimilarlyformed, preceded

by

an antrorse spine. Highest rays of dorsal

and

analabout equal

and

nearly half thelength of the head.

Caudalfin large,

somewhat

double-truncate, themiddleraysproduced Pectoral a little

more

than half the length of the head, thaton

bUnd

side shorter. Ventralsreaching to anal.

Kays

ofdorsal and anal all simple.

Dorsalruys, 70-7C; anal, 52-57; ventrals, G.

Eyes and

coloron the right side.

Color abovelight olive-brown, vaguely clouded with light

and

dark Fins reddish-brown; afewroundish

dusky

blotcheson dorsalandanal, resembling in positionthe black vertical barsfoundin Platichthysstel- latiis. Pectoral

and

caudal tippedwithdusky. Blindside white, either immaculateorelsewithsmallroundrustyspots. Leftside ofhead some- times rusty tinged.

Thisspecies is

known

to us fromfourexamples obtained with a^seine intheharborof Seattle,

Washington

^Territory.

We

place it tempora- rily inthegenus Paro^hrys,inasmuch asithasthe technicalcharacters atpresent assignedto that genus,i.e., the small

mouth

withbluntuni- serial teeth,

and

thestraight lateral linewithitsaccessory dorsalbranch.

The

character of cycloid scales assigned to ParopJirys needs modifica- tion, asin Parophrysvetulusmostofthe scalesonthe cheeks andtailare slightly ctenoid.

278 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Itis, however,evident that thereis

no

specialafSuityexistingbetween the present species

and

Paroplirys vetulus,

and

no very close relation between either

and

Lepidopsetta isolepis Lockington, which,

by

its tech- nicalcharacters,

would

be alsoa Parophrys.

The

nearest natural ally of Paroplirys ischyrus is perhaps Lepidopsetta MUneata,

and

thepresent arrangementis tobe accepted onlyuntiltherelationsofthese formscan be more fullyinvestigated.

Eippoglosscideselassodon, sp. nov.

Body

oblong-elliptical, strongly compressed, the dorsal

and

ventral outlines regularlyaiul iirettj strongly arched. Caudal i)eduncle

mod-

erate, about aslongas deep

and

growing widerbehind.

Head

rather large, bluntish, its upjjer profile continuous with the outlineof the back. Depressionover the eye slight.

Mouth

compara- tively large, veryoblique, the upper

jaw somewhat

concave in outline, the lower correspondingly convex, the gape considerablywider onthe blindsidethanonthe rightside.

Lower

jawrather strongly protruding, with a considerable syraphyseal knob. Maxillary rather narrow, reach- ingto opposite themiddleof the pupil orbeyond, the maxillaryonthe blind side

much

longerthan the other. Premaxillaryanteriorlyonthe levelofthe interocular space.

Upper jaw

with asingle seriesof smallconical teeth, which are not verysharp. Theseteeth are

somewhat

largerinfrontthanonthe sides,

and

also

more

widely set.

Everywhere

they are quite small,

much

smaller than in Hippofjlossoides jordani,

and

not largerthanin H. exilis.

Lower jaw

with a single seriesof ratherclose-setteeth similar to those in the upperjaw,or slightlj^larger; thoseonthe sides smallerthanthe anterior teeth.

Kumber

ofteeth about ^"^

^^.

2i) -f 35

Eyes

large, nearlyeven in front, the

upper

eye directed

somewhat

upward, butnot reaching the dorsalline. Interorbital space anarrow sharp ridge, with about

two

rows of minute scales; 10 to 15 rows of scales in

an

oblique series on the cheeks.

A

series of

mucous

pores around lower eye behind. Preorbital narrow. Anteriornostrilwith a ratherlongflap, posterior with a slighttube

Gill-rakers long, slender,

and

straight,15 to 17 belowthe angle ofthe arch, theirinnermargins feebly dentate. Pyloric coeca 4.

Scalessmall,firm, lessreadilydeciduouseven thaninS.jordani,rough to thetouch, withthe spiuules short

and

firm. Scaleson head similar,

but

more

imbedded,those on the taillarger

and

rougher

Scalesonblindsidesmall, mostlj'smooth,exceptonthecaudal pedun-

cle,wheretheyare larger

and

roughctenoid, like thescaleson the right side.

The

scales along thebase of the dorsal

and

anal

and

those near thelateralline

more

orlessctenoid. Scalesalongleftsideofheadsmall, non-imbricate, those onthe preopercleand posterior partof thecheeks

becoming

obsolete.

The amount

of roughness on the scales below is

subjectto considerablevariation.

PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES

NATIO>^AL

MUSEUM. 279

Lateral line'veryprominent, as in

H.

exills, the tnbes coarse, their

number

(88 to92) less than that ofthe transverse_{seriesofscales.'} Scales: 41 to50; 110 to 120; 35 to44.

Lateral line slightly rising anteriorly,but without arch.

No

acces- sory lateral line.

Eays

of all the fins on the eyed side (except the- posterior part of dorsal

and

anal)

and

of the caudalon the left side coveredhigh

up

with seriesof narrowctenoid scales.

Fins well developed, offirm texture, thetipsof the rays protruding.

Dorsal fin beginning immediately in frontof thepupil, its anterior rays low,the others regularly increasing backwards to a point

much

behindthe middleofthefin,thenbecomingrapidlyshorter, the highest rays nearly half the length of thehead

and more

than the length of the caudal peduncle.

Anal

^fin preceded

by

a spine, itshighest rays opposite to or in front ofthose of the dorsal

and

equal to them, the others rapidly shortened.

Caudal long, double-truncate or convex, the middlerays considerably produced, as in

H.

exiliSy

more

than in

H.

jordani.

Pectoral fin half the length of the head, that on blind side shorter.

Yentrals moderate, reaching pastfront of anal, their inner rays short- ened.

Dorsalrays, 77to 84^; anal rays, 59 to 03; ventrals, 0.

Color light olivaceous brown, nearly uniform on the body. Fins grayish, obscurely'

and

irregularly blotched with dusky. Blind side plain.

This speciesdiffersfrom Hijipof/lossoidesjordaniand

H.

eiills,thetwo species thusfar

known

fromthe Pacific coast of theUnited States, in thepresence ofbutasingleroic of teethintheupper jaw.

From

U. jor- dani it further differs in the

much

smaller teeth, fewer fin rays,

and more

convexcaudal.

From R.

exilis the smallscales

and

firmertexture at once distinguish it. Its nearest relative is probably theAtlantic species,Hippoglosmides platessoides, which hasalarger

number

of rays inthevertical fins.

Hippoglossoides elassodon is

known

to us

by

about 20 examples of different sizes, all obtained with hook

and

line from the wharves at Seattle

and

Tacoma,in

Washington

Territory.

280 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM.

Table ofproportionatemeasurements.

Species

.

Locality

.

Parophrysiscliynis. Hippoglossoideselassodon.

Seattle.

Inches and lOOths.

lOOths of length.

Seattle.

Inches and lOOths.

lOOths of length.

Seattle.

Inches and lOOths.

lOOths of length.

Tacoma.

Inches lOOths and

I

of lOOths. length.

Extremelength

Lengthtoendofmiddle caudalrays.

Body:

Greatest height Least heightoftail

Lengthofcaudal peduncle Head:

Greatestlengtli

"Widthof intiTorbitalarea Leuiitli oflijii^i-stgill-raker Lengthofmaxillary (fromtip

ofsnout)

Lengthof maxillary (fromtip of snout, blindside)

Lengthofmandible Distance from snoutto orbit.^.

.

Diameterof orbit Dorsal

:

Distance from snout Heightatlongestray Anal:

Distance fromsnoiit Heightatlongestray Caudal

:

LengthofmiddU' rays Lengthof externalrays Pectoral,length

Ventral,length

Dorsal rays ^,

Analrays

Ventral rays ^,

Numberoftubesinlateralline

Numberoftransverserows Numberofcacal ajipendagcs

17.05 14.30

14.20 11.50

9.75 7.80

9i

26i

45*

9|

9i 31

n

14J

Xi.2

19

14*

22*

41 9i 10^

30 1 3i 13

16*

5'

14

40 15 23J 22 17 11 77 59 6 926 120

12.90 10.50

29 1 3 12 14 15 7 6i 14 36i 13i 22 19 14 11 84 61 6 90 110

Astoria,

Oreg., June 16,1880.

ON

TSIE OE.NITAL.IA

OF

ilIAr.E EOI^!^ AIVD

TUEIR

SEXUAL.

CHAR.

ACTERS.'

By

S.

TH. CATTIE,

Ariilieim,

HoSland.

As

is well

kuown, Darwin

t has called attention tothe experience of Giinther that the females of fishes arein almost all cases largerthan the males. This

was

perhaps the reason thatSyrski, in 1874,| in in- vestigating-thereproductive organs of eels, directedhisattention

more

especially to the smallerindividuals,where he

was

fortunatein finding

what

iscalled

by many

the organs of S;^Tski,

and

also consideredto be the male genital api^aratus. Afterwards,in a variety which is

known

*UeberdieGenitalien dermiinnliclieiiAaleundilireSexualunterscliiede,vonS. Th.

Cattie, Phil.iiat. Caud.,Decent anderRealschule zuArnheim (Holland). Extracted, from the Zoologischer Anzeiger,7tli June, IS30,pp. 275-279. Translated byJ. A.

Eyder.

tCh. Darwin, Descent ofMan, translatedinto German by Cams, part ii,p. 5 et seq.

tAbhandl. d.kais. Akad.d.Wissenscb., Wien,Ai)rilHeft, 1874.