Lord Howe Island Flounder

Head and body on eyed side tan to grey with many small dark specks and spots. A series of dark spots very close to dorsal and ventral edges of body. About 4 or 5 spots along straight section of lateral line. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fin light coloured with small dark specks. Flaps on eyes of males with dark spots. Blind side of females tan to whitish. Males with distinct bluish black V-shaped mark on blind side. Ventral arm of "V" wider than dorsal arm. Body ovoid, its depth about 1.7 times SL. Head small, snout shorter than eye, profile steep anterior to interorbital area. Head length 3.9 to 4.2 times SL. Interorbital region broad and concave, probably wider in males than females. Males with a rostral spine and several small orbital spines. Both eyes on left side of head, front margin of upper eye over middle of lower eye. Flaps on posterior areas of eyes in males. Mouth small, reaching to below anterior margin of lower eye, length of upper jaw 3.5 to 4.1 times in head length. Teeth of upper jaw biserial, teeth of outer row more widely spaced than teeth of inner row. Teeth in lower jaw uniserial. Gill rakers short. Scales on eyed side with long ctenii. Scales on blind side cycloid. Pectoral fin on eye side with 11 or 12 rays and on blind side with 9 or 10 rays (Ref 42535).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 85 - 88; Analsoft rays: 64 - 69

Lives on silty sand bottoms and feeds on bottom-living animals.

Lives on silty sand bottoms and feeds on bottom-living animals. Only known from specimens collected from divers. Sexually dimorphic characters possibly develop at about 6-7 cm SL.

fisheries: of no interest

分布於西太平洋區，包括台灣及羅得豪島。

通常是用底拖網或底流刺網捕捉，體型較小，一般皆加工作扁魚酥或以下雜魚般利用。

體卵圓形，兩眼均在左側，背緣突起，前部幾近垂直。頭小。吻短鈍；眼間隔極寬具凹陷。口小；上頜骨較短，上頜延伸至下眼前緣下方；無副上頜骨；上頜二行齒尖銳錐狀齒，外列齒間寬於內列齒，下頜齒具一行；腭骨無齒。眼側被強櫛鱗，盲側被圓鱗；背鰭與臀鰭鰭條均被鱗；眼側具側線，盲側無側線。第一鰓弓鰓耙數0+6-8。背鰭鰭條正常，軟條數85-88；臀鰭鰭條正常，軟條數64-69；胸鰭等於或長於頭長，第一鰭條不延長如絲；左右腹鰭不對稱；尾鰭尖圓形。體灰褐色至綠褐色，散佈許多暗色小斑點，另在體側近基底之背、腹緣各具一列暗點，側線直走部具4-5個暗色點，背、臀及尾鰭散布暗色小斑點，尾鰭具黑邊但不具色帶；盲側灰白色，雄魚常具有一大型V型深藍色的圖案。以前常被誤鑑為高本纓鮃(/Crossorhombus kobensis/)。

主要棲息於沿岸砂泥質的海域。肉食性魚類，主要捕食底棲性的甲殼類或是其它種類的小魚。平時不太愛活動，大半時間潛藏在砂泥底中，和棲息的背景環境幾乎完美融合一體，藉以欺敵捕食。