History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

198 FISHES. MALACOPTERYGIOUS. Platessa.fins not reaching so closely to the tail. D. 68, A. 53, C. 16. According to MrHanmer, its flesh is inferior to the sole ; and he adds, it is common in thespring, upon the coast, near Plymouth.G-en. XLVIII. PLATESSA. Fluke.—A row of obtusecutting teeth in each jaw.anal fin. Tail rounded.A spine at the beginning of the103. P. vulgaris.Plaise.— Body smooth. A row of sixtubercles on the head.Passer aureus, Men: Pin. 187-Sibb. Scot. 24—Passer Bellonii, Will Ich.96—Pleuronectes Platessa, Linn. Syst.i. 456. Penn. Brit. Zool. iii.228.— S, Fluke, Dutch Plaise—Common.Length about a foot. Above olivaceous, with reddish spots; beneathiwhite. Scales small, impressed, and adherent. Mouth small lower ;jaw longest.D. 72, P. 11, V. 6, A. 54.— Spawns in February.104. P. Flesus. Flounder. — Body smooth. A band ofsmall sharp spines on the side line, and at the junction of thedorsal and anal fins with the body.Passer niger, Merr. Pin. 187— Lsevis, Sibb. Scot. 24.— P. fluviatilis,Will. Ich. 98 Pleuronectes linea laterali aspera, spinulis ad radicespinnarum in latere oculato. Artedi, Ich. Desc. 59—PI. Flesus, Linn.Syst. i. 457. Perm. Brit. Zool. 229.— iii. S, Mayock-fleuk—Common.Length about a foot. Colour olivaceous, occasionally marbled with brown,sometimes whitish, yellowish, or rosy. Scales very small, adherent. Lateralline elevated and denticulated on the head ; and bent over the gills.Mouthsmall. D. 60, P. 12, V. 6, A. 42, C. 18—This species is more frequently to bemet with at the mouths of rivers than any of the genus. A sinistral varietysometimes occurs.105. P. Limanda. Dab.— Scales, with ciliated margins.Passer asper, Will. Ich. 97—Pleuronectes squamis asperis; spina adanum, Art. Ich. Desc. 58.—Pleur. Limanda, Linn. Syst. i. 457- Penn.Brit. Zool. iii. 230 S, Saltie—Common.Length seldom reaching to a foot. Colour above brownish, frequently withdarker clouds. Scales large. Mouth wide. D. f73, P. 11, V. 6, A. 63, C. 15.In season for the table in spring. Spawns in May.106. P. microcephalics.— Body oblong.Head small. Mouthdiminutive.Lateral hue a little incurvated.Smear Dab, Penn. lxii— Brit. Zool. iii. 230—Pleuronectes microcephalus, Don-Brit. Fishes, t. Sand-fleuk, Neill, Wern. Mem. i. 537.Length about a foot. Colour above, dusky-brown ; beneath, white. Lipsprotruded. Scales small, smooth. Lateral line a little incurvated over thepectoral fin. D. 90, P. 7, V. 6, A. 73, C. 17- The Smear-Dab of Pennant appears,from the description, to be similar to the P. microcephalus of Donovan ;but the figureof the former author, differs, in all its characters, from the onegiven by the latter. 1 1 may be stated, that, in the last edition of the BritishZoology, the original figure of the Smear-Dab is suppressed while a new ;representationof a fish under the same title is given, which bears little resemblanceto the former, while it makes a near approximation, in the shape ofthe head, to Donovan's figure.In shape, the original figure of the Smear-Dab in the Brit. Zool. t. Ixi. resembles the Pleuronectes punctatus.