Laeops kitaharae (Smith & Pope, 1906)

Amaoka, Kunio & Ho, Hsuan-Ching, 2019, The lefteye flounder family Bothidae (Order Pleuronectiformes) of Taiwan, Zootaxa 4702 (1), pp. 155-215 : 194-196

Laeops kitaharae (Smith & Pope, 1906)

Kitahara’s flounder; kērÉľ

Figures 7 D–E; Table 10

Lambdopsetta kitaharae Smith & Pope, 1906:496 (Type locality: Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan).

Laeops tongkongensis Chen & Weng, 1965 (type locality: Tungkang [Dong-gang] fish market, Taiwan). Shen, 1983:32; Shen in Shen et al., 1993:571; Shen & Wu, 2012:752.

Laeops kitaharae: Chen & Weng, 1965:67 ; Shen, 1983:31; Shen in Shen et al., 1993:570; Shen & Wu, 2012:752.

Laeops parviceps (not of Günther): Chen & Weng, 1965:62; Shen, 1983:33; Shen in Shen et al., 1993:571; Shen & Wu, 2012:753.

Laeops guentheri (not of Alcock): Chen & Weng, 1965:66; Shen & Wu, 2012:752.

Laeops lanceolata (not of Franz): Chen & Weng, 1965:68.

Laeops variegate (not of Franz): Chen & Weng, 1965:69.

Laeops nigrescens (not of Lloyd): Chen & Weng, 1965:64.

Specimens examined. NMMB-P21087 (1, 130.8), Dong-gang, Mar. 30, 2014 ; NMMB-P22229 (1, 149.2), Donggang, 21 Jan. 2015 ; NMMB-P23185 (1, 125.5), Ke-tzu-liao, 22 Apr. 2014 ; NMMB-P23188 (1 female, 134.5) , NMMB-P23268 (4, 121.2–130.7), 18 Mar. 2016 ; NMMB-P23269 (5, 120.3–139.9), Dong-gang, 28 Feb. 2016 ; NMMB-P23270 (1, 132.2), Ke-tzu-liao, 28 Feb. 2016 ; NMMB-P23280 (1, 120.0), Dong-gang, 16 Apr. 2016 ; NMMB-P23283 (4, 103.2–128.5), Ke-tzu-liao, 3 Apr. 2016 ; NMMB-P24846 (1, 148.3), Ke-tzu-laio, 2 Apr. 2015 . Large among of specimens deposited in NMMB-P.

Diagnostic features. D 103–117; A 87–92; P 12–15; C 2–3+11–13+2–4=17; LLs 90–105; GR 0–5+5–8=6–12; ert. 11–12+39–42=50–53.

Body elongated and strongly compressed, greatest near anterior 1/4 part of body, its depth highly variable (28.5–36.9% SL). Caudal peduncle narrow, its depth 5.7–6.8% of SL. Head extremely small, head less than 1/2 of body depth (14.9–18.4% SL); front of head almost straight or with shallow concavity above middle of upper eye. Snout extremely short, snout length about half of eye diameter. Eyes small, diameter much larger than upper-jaw length; upper eye extremely close to dorsal margin of head. Interorbital space narrow; inner margins of eyes with high bony ridge extending from anterior margin of lower eye to posterior interorbital space.

Mouth extremely small, asymmetrical, twisted to blind side, upper-jaw length on ocular side 3.1–3.9% SL; maxilla extending to anterior margin of lower eye; lower jaw extending beyond tip of upper jaw. Teeth absence on ocular side of both jaws, many small teeth on blind side curved inward, in narrow bands. Gill rakers on lower limb very small and pointed, smooth; none or some small rakers on upper limb.

Scales very small and deciduous, cycloid on both sides. Dorsal and anal fin rays slender, fin membranes very weak and easily broken except for basal parts; first two rays not detached from remainder of fin. Pectoral fin on ocular side very short, a little longer than half of head (9.2–12.3% SL); that of blind side relatively short. Caudal fin round and slender, its length about equal to HL.

Coloration. Ocular side of body uniformly pale brownish without distinct blotches or spots, snout dark; distal half of dorsal, anal and caudal fins, and of pelvic fin on ocular side black; blind side of body uniformly yellowish white.

Size. Reaching 149 mm SL in Taiwan; up to 164 mm SL in Japan ( Amaoka 1969).

Distribution. Western and southwestern Taiwan; South China Sea to southern Japan, and Korea ( Amaoka, 2016).

Remarks. Laeops tongkongensis Chen & Weng, 1965 is synonymized with Laeops kitaharae (Smith & Pope, 1906) based on the examination of the type specimens of both species for this study. We cannot separate L. tongkongensis from L. kitaharae based on the diagnosis of both species provided in the key of Chen & Weng (1965). The body depth of type series of L. tongkongensis are 28.3–29.8% SL versus 34.5% SL in holotype and 28.5–36.9% SL in Taiwanese specimens of L. kitaharae . The head length of type series of L. tongkongensis are 15.5–16.2% SL, versus 17.2% SL and 14.9–18.4% SL, respectively, of Laeops kitaharae . Moreover, both species could not be discriminated in counts and other morphometric characters. As a consequence, L. tongkongensis is recognized as a junior synonym of L. kitaharae .

In addition, eight species in the genus Laeops were reported from Taiwan ( Chen & Weng, 1965). They probably also represent Laeops kitaharae , which is known for its broad morphological variations in proportional measurements ( Amaoka, 1969). The pictures of L. kitaharae shown by Shen & Wu (2012) represent a reversal specimen of Plagiopsetta glossa .

Figures

FIGURE 7. A. Japonolaeops dentatus, NMMB-P 23281, 130 mm SL. B–C. Kamoharaia megastoma, NMMB-P 17856, 186.6 mm SL(B) and NMMB-P21088, juvenile, 105 mm SL (C). D–E. Laeops kitaharae, NMMB-P21087, female, 130.8 mm SL (D) and NMMB-P22276, male, 150 mm SL (E).