Lepidology of the Adult Pleuronectiform Fishes of Puget Sound, Washington"'2

An analysis of scales from flatfishes of Puget Sound was accomplished by using such morphological characters as radii, circuli, markings between circuli, position of focus, and ctenii. Twelve regions for selecting scales were used, 6 from the eyed side and 6 from the blind side. The plastic impression method proved satisfactory for analyzing scale characteristics. The occurrence of the cycloid and ctenoid scales on 12 body regions is presented. A key based on the morphological scale characteristics was designed to distinguish the species of flatfishes found in Puget Sound.