Genus: Engyophrys, Spiny Flounder, Flounders

ENGYOPHRYS

FLOUNDERS

Body a wide oval; eyes on left side of head, close together, with a crest between them with 1-2 backward pointing spines; with tentacles on rear edges of eyes (may be lost in large males); mouth small, not reaching past front of eye; teeth small, pointed, almost entirely on blind side jaws; gill rakers few, short , 4-7 lower rakers; dorsal origin just in front of top eye, 74-83 rays; pectoral fin on both sides, rays not branched, eye-side fin larger; eye side pelvic fin base on body midline, its length equal to that of blind side, and its origin slightly behind that of blind side fin, and well behind lower eye; lateral line on eye side only, strongly arched above the pectoral, no branch under lower eye; scales rough on eye side, smooth on blind side; 68 or less scales on lateral line; dorsal fin scaled on blind side.

A neotropical genus with 3 species; 1 W Atlantic species in our region.