BOTHIDAE


Asterorhombus intermedius, 10.5 cm SL
(from Noth Sulawesi, Indonesia; photo by Seishi Kimura)


Asterorhombus intermedius
(Bleeker, 1865)
Intermediate Flounder

D 77-85; A 55-63; P1 10-13 (eyed side), 8-10 (eyeless side); P2 6; LL 46-57; GR 0 + 6-11.

Body ovoid, strongly compressed. Snout long, longer than eye diameter. Mouth moderate, reaching to below or just behind anterior margin of lower eye; teeth on jaws small, pointed. Both eyes on left side of head; interorbital space narrow, concave. Gill rakers wide, palmate, with tooth-like spines on margins. First dorsal-fin ray free from 2nd ray, elongate, with broad deeply indented membrane. Scales small, ctenoid on eyed side, cycloid on eyeless side. Lateral line on eyeless side absent. Color: eyed side of body brownish with many dark or black blotches; eyeless side of body whitish. Size: maximum length 15 cm. Distribution: Indo-Pacific, from Red Sea to Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Remarks: inhabits sandy and muddy bottoms. Marketed fresh or dried.