Species: Trichopsetta melasma, Spotfin Sash Flounder

Trichopsetta melasma Anderson & Gutherz, 1967

Spotfin Sash Flounder

Body oval, depth 39-43% of SL; eyes on left side of head, close together, with a spineless crest between them; snout concave on upper side, deeply notched before top eye; mouth moderate, ends under pupil of lower eye; male with spine on lower jaw, another on snout above top lip, another before front rim of each eye; teeth small, pointed, almost entirely on blind side jaws; 9-11 long, slender lower gill rakers; dorsal rays 98-104; dorsal origin in front of top eye; anal rays 80-85; pectoral fin on both sides, rays not branched, eye side fin longer than blind side fin; eye side pelvic fin with base about equal to that of blind side fin, situated on body midline, its origin slightly behind that of blind-side fin and well behind lower eye; male with greatly elongate blind side pelvic fin; lateral line on eye side only, strongly arched above the pectoral, no branch under lower eye; 84-94 lateral line scales.

Brown; a strong round dark blotch at junction of curved and straight parts of lateral line; blind side dusky; male with dark blotch.at front of anal fin.

Reaches 30 cm.

Soft bottoms.

Depth range: 135-300 m.

The Bahamas; the NE and SW Caribbean.