Species: Etropus cyclosquamus, Shelf Flounder

Etropus cyclosquamus Leslie & Stewart, 1986

Shelf Flounder

Body a deep oval; head short, pointed; space between eyes narrow, with a low ridge; mouth small (<1/3 head length); lower jaws not symmetrical, jaws on blind side arched; teeth small, most on blind side, 1 row on each jaw, none enlarged; 4-8+ 3-6 short, stout gill rakers; dorsal fin rays 75-87; anal fin rays 58-68; pectoral fins on both sides of body, with branched rays, 10 rays; pelvic fins symmetrically positioned on belly, base of eye-side fin on body midline, short bases; lateral line well developed on both sides, straight, no branch under lower eye; body with large accessory scales that cover 3/4 of main scales; snout scaled, with 0 (rarely 1-2) scales before nostrils, snout scales with simple teeth; main scales on eye side rough, on blind side smooth; 36-45 lateral line scales.

Eye side grey to light brown; often with a set of 4-6 distinct dark rings in two rows, above and below the lateral line; three dark blotches along lateral line, strongest one eye-sized, about 1/3 length of body before tail fin; sometimes a bright white blotch at inner base of pectoral fin; blind side white.

Size: to 11.5 cm.

Inhabits soft mud and sand bottoms.

Depth: 10-36 m.

North Carolina to the northern Gulf of Mexico.