Poecilopsetta inermis
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Pleuronectfiormes (Flatfishes)
Poecilopsettidae (Bigeye Flounders)
Poecilopsetta
Poecilopsetta inermis
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
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Characters
Elongate and oval in profile, with a relatively large head. Eyes separated by a very narrow ridge, upper eye extends above margin of head, and lower eye is slightly anterior to upper eye. Mouth is small and rather symmetrical. Maxilla extends to pupil of lower eye. Jaw teeth are small and arranged in two rows, with teeth in blind-side jaws larger than those in ocular-side jaws. Gill rakers on first arch are moderately short and stout and number 4 on upper limb and 10 or 11 on lower limb. Gill opening extends above pectoral fin base. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 22%–28%, snout length 3%–4%, eye diameter 7%–9%, upper jaw length 6%–7%, ocular-side pectoral fin length 9%–12%, body depth 40%–46%. Pectoral fin on ocular side has 9 or 10 simple rays. Dorsal fin has 59 to 64 (usually 63 to 65) rays. Ocular-side pelvic fin inserts near ventral midline, slightly anterior to blind-side fin, and is longer than blind-side fin. Anal fin has 51 to 53 (usually 53 to 55) rays. Caudal fin is bluntly pointed. Scales are ctenoid on ocular side and cycloid on blind side. Lateral line on ocular side extends onto caudal fin and has 71 to 76 scales. Lateral line on blind side is absent.
Ocular side is pale yellowish gray, with margins of scale pockets dark. Pectoral fin on ocular side is dark, and dorsal, anal, and ocular-side pelvic fins are blackish with narrow pale bases and white margins. Black blotches are located on middle of dorsal and ventral margins of caudal fin.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Tobago Island in the Lesser Antilles
Eastern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Between 183 and 549 m
Biology
116 mm SL
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018-10-12.
References
Breder 1927
Reid 1934 (as P. albomaculata, in part)
Hoshino 2000
Munroe 2002d
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Gines, H. and F. Cervigón (1967) Exploracion pesquera en las costas de Guyana y Surinam año 1967. Estacíon de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita. Fundacíon La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, no. 29.
Hoshino, K. (2000) Redescription of a rare flounder, Poecilopsetta inermis (Breder) (Pleuronectiformes: Pleuronectidae: Poecilopsettinae), a senior synonym of P. albomarginata Reid, from the Caribbean Sea and tropical western Atlantic. Ichthyol. Res. 47(1):95-100.
Foroshchuk, V.P. and V.V. Fedorov (1992) Poecilopsetta normani -- a new species of flounder (Pleuronectidae) from the Saya de Malha Bank, Indian Ocean. J. Ichthyol. 32(7):37-44.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
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