CITHARIDAE


Brachypleura novaezeelandiae, 8.5 cm SL
(photo by Seishi Kimura)


Brachypleura novaezeelandiae
Günther, 1862
Widemouth Largescale Flatfish

D 65-77; A 41-50; P1 11-13 (eyed side), 10-13 (eyeless side); P2 I, 5; LL 28-33; GR 5-6 + 7-10.

Body somewhat elongated, elliptical, strongly compressed. Mouth large, arched, reaching to or beyond center of lower eye but not reaching to posterior margin of lower eye; teeth on jaws slender, pointed, arranged biserially; anterior teeth in upper jaw enlarged; vomer with small sharp teeth. Both eyes on right side of head; upper eye placed anterior to lower eye. Preopercular margin not hidden by skin. Gill rakers stump shaped in upper branch, slender in lower branch. Some anterior dorsalfin rays elongate in males, not in females; caudal fin with rounded margin and 13-14 unbranched rays. Scales large, deciduous, ctenoid on eyed side, cycloid or weakly ctenoid on eyeless side; scales around caudal peduncle 32-38. Color: body of eyed side yellowish brown; eyeless side of body whitish. Size: maximum length 14 cm. Distribution: eastern Indian Ocean and West Pacific Ocean, from Maldives to northern Australia and New Guinea, north to Philippines. Remarks: found on sand and mud bottoms. Marketed fresh.