Species: Trichopsetta ventralis, Sash Flounder

Trichopsetta ventralis (Goode & Bean, 1885)

Sash Flounder

Body oval, depth 42-49% of SL; eyes on left side of head, close together, with a spineless crest between them; snout concave on upper side; mouth moderate, ends under middle of eye, ~41% of head length; teeth small, pointed, almost entirely on blind side jaws; 9-11 moderately long, slender lower gill rakers; dorsal rays 89-95; dorsal origin in front of top eye; anal rays 69-75; pectoral fin on both sides, rays not branched, eye side fin shorter 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, blind side fin of male with very long rays; lateral line on eye side only, strongly arched above the pectoral, no branch under lower eye; 63-68 lateral line scales.

Brown; a small dark spot at beginning of lateral line, another on front of pectoral base; a dark blotch at front of straight part of lateral line; front of anal fin of male with dark blotch.

Reaches 20 cm.

Soft bottoms.

Depth range: 30-626 m.

The Gulf of Mexico, the E Caribbean to Brazil.