Diagnostic characters: distinguished from other pleuronectids by: head spination: early development of preopercular spines; pigmented supraocular crest; pigment pattern without bands; two dorsal patches with a lack of ventral pigment; head and snout blunt.
Pigment: pigment on midbrain, spreading with development to dorsal surface of head, lower jaw, opercle; dorsally on gut, spreading laterally with development; two dorsolateral patches which, with development, meet and increase in size to cover caudal peduncle posteriorly.
Sequence of fin development: caudal, dorsal and anal, pelvics, pectorals. |