DESCRIPTION OF A NEW FLOUNDER (PLATYSOMATICHTHYS STOMIAS), FROM THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA.

By DAVID S. JORDAN and CHARLES H. GILBERT. Body extremely elongate for the family, thin, and strongly compressed. Head rather long and slender; the snout somewhat pointed. Mouth extremely large and oblique, the lower jaw included; the maxillary very long and slender, reaching much beyond the eye, its length about half that of the head. Premaxillary in front above the level of the lower eye. Teeth in the upper jaw anteriorly long, slender, and wide-set. Some of the teeth very freely depressible, the larger ones scarcely movable. Posteriorly the teeth are much smaller, close-set, and fixed in two rows; the inner row continuous with the larger anterior series, the outer row extending outside of some of the enlarged teeth.

Teeth in the lower jaw very sharp and slender, long, and wide-set, alternating with shorter ones, which are very freely depressible. Outside of the larger teeth is a series of small, fixed, close-set teeth. The larger teeth in each jaw are distinctly arrow-shaped. Pharyngeal teeth apparently in one row.

Eyes large, dextral, their anterior margins about even with each other; the upper eye larger and directed obliquely upward. A conspicuous ocular ridge about the upper eye, becoming continuous with the lateral line. Interorbital space narrow, not half the width of the eye, scaly, as is the space in front of it. Cheeks wide, the posterior edge of the preopercle free. Opercle rather short and weak. Premaxillary protractile, capable of little protrusion. .

Gill-rakers long and strong, about 4+ 13 in number, the longest more than half the diameter of the eye.

Scales very small and thin, irregularly arranged, their margins weakly ciliated, in about 135 transverse series; about 100 tubes in the course of the lateral line. The lateral line is nearly straight, gently ascending in front. No accessory lines. Scales on blind side similar.

Dorsal fin beginning just behind the middle of the eye, its rays low, especially anteriorly, its greatest height considerably behind the middle. Caudal fin somewhat forked. Anal fin higher than the dorsal, its highest rays about midway. No spine before anal. Caudal peduncle long and slender, about as long as the maxillary. Pectoral fins short, the one on the right or eyed side longest, its length nearly equal to that of the maxillary. Ventral fins very short, reaching just past the vent. Fin rays: D. 101; A. 85.

Color plain brown, with darker punctulations. Left side white, the many dark points giving it a soiled appearance. Fins dusky.

This species is known to us from one example over a foot long, bought in the San Francisco market, and taken just outside the Golden Gate. It doubtless reaches a much larger size, and the adult is probably less slender than this example.

It differs from its congener, the Greenland Halibut, Platysomatichthys hippoglossoides, of the North Atlantic, in the slenderer body, larger mouth, longer gill-rakers, and narrow interorbital space, but the two appear to agree in all respects of generic value.

We regret the necessity of using the clumsy and inappropriate generic name Platysomatichthys for these fishes instead of the name Reinhardtius proposed by Professor Gill. The former name, although later in date, has priority of definition.*

*In a paper written later, but by accident printed earlier (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, 51), we have recognized this species as the type of a distinct genus, Atheresthes.

ROSACEUS), FROM THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA.

By DAVID S. JORDAN and CHARLES H. GILBERT. Body rather elongate, deepest at the shoulders; the profile thence to the occiput convex, the occipital and interorbital region considerably depressed; body tapering backwards from the shoulders into a short and slender caudal peduncle.

Head small, thick, the snout blunt. Mouth rather large, little oblique, the lower jaw included; maxillary slightly passing the vertical from the front of the orbit; premaxillary anteriorly on a level with the inferior margin of the pupil. Eye very large, its diameter about one-third the length of the head; interorbital region very broad. Lower lip with a narrow frenum, above which its margin is narrowly free.

Teeth large, in a single row, much as in Cymatogaster frenatus, but blunter, slightly compressed and truncate at tip, somewhat incisor-like, the edge, however, entire.

the sides of the lower jaw.

12
8

Teeth few and distant, about ; none on

They are larger, blunter, and more wide-set

than in Cymatogaster aggregatus.

Scales on the cheeks in three series below.

Gill-rakers small and weak, much as in Cymatogaster aggregatus, curved and apparently smooth.

Scales large, but rather smaller than in any of the related species, 50 in the course of the lateral line.

Spinous dorsal high; the first spine two-fifths the length of the highest; the sixth to tenth of nearly equal height, and higher than the soft rays. Anal fin with the base oblique and convex, the spines rather strong, more or less curved, as in Abeona.

Caudal fin narrow, forked for more than half its length, the lobes rather pointed. Pectoral fins small, not reaching to the tips of the ventrals, which attain the anal.

Fin rays: D. X, 18; A. III, 20.

Color in alcohol silvery, strongly flushed with rose-red, darker above. Top of head orange. A very distinct oblong chocolate-colored spot above the lateral line at the origin of the soft dorsal fin. Another much smaller one just below the end of the soft dorsal. Fins immaculate, slightly tinged with reddish. In life the color was silvery, with the rosy flush less distinct.

This species is known from a single specimen found by Mr. W. N. Lockington in the San Francisco market. A few others have since been obtained from sweep nets in deep water.

In its relations it is intermediate between the species which we have taken to be Brachyistius frenatus Gill and the common Cymatogaster ag gregatus. The frenum of the lower lip is too little developed in the large. scaled Embiotoroids (Abeona, Cymatogaster, "Brachyistius") to be used for generic distinction. Abeona is well set off by the tricuspid teeth, but the dentition of Cymatogaster and Brachyistius is essentially the same, the slightly more incisor-like form of the teeth in Brachyistius being scarcely definable as a generic character.

The numbers of fin rays do not afford very good generic characters, as will be seen by the following enumeration:

We therefore provisionally refer the present species, with Brachyistius frenatus, to the genus Cymatogaster.

DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF DEEP-WATER FISH (ICICHTHYS LOCKINGTONI), FROM THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA.

By DAVID S. JORDAN and CHARLES H. GILBERT.

Icichthys gen. nov.

Allied to Icosteus Lockington, but the body lower and more elongate, not compressed at the bases of the vertical fins. Head moderate; eyes lateral; mouth terminal, little oblique, with small, sharp teeth in one series, in the jaws only. Gill-openings very wide, continuous. Gillrakers long. Pseudobranchiæ present. Branchiostegals 7. Body entirely scaly. Lateral line continuous, unarmed. Bases of fins without spinules.

Dorsal and anal fins long and low, composed of soft rays only. Pectoral fins moderate. Ventral fins small, thoracic, I, 5. Pyloric cœca about 6, large. Bones all very flexible, cartilaginous.

The scaly body fully distinguishes this species from Icosteus, with which singular geras its affinities are intimate, although the known species do not resemble each other closely.

(Etymology: zw, to yield or submit; 70s, fish-in allusion to the flexible skeleton.)

Icichthys lockingtoni sp. nov.

Body oblong, moderately elongate, somewhat compressed, the caudal peduncle rather slender.

Head moderate, compressed, with vertical cheeks, rather broad and slightly convex above, the snout abruptly descending, hence bluntish in profile. Profile nearly straight from upper part of snout to the nape. Mouth moderate, little oblique, the slender maxillary scarcely widened at the tip, extending to rather below the front of the pupil, the anterior edge of the premaxillary on the level of the lower rim of the eye. Lips thin. Upper lip not protractile. Premaxillary tapering backward, not forming the whole margin of the upper jaw. Maxillary behind slipping entirely under the membranous edge of the preorbital. Preorbital rather Proc. Nat. Mus. 80-20 Sept. 28, 1880.