Psettina Hubbs, 1915

Amaoka, Kunio & Ho, Hsuan-Ching, 2019, The lefteye flounder family Bothidae (Order Pleuronectiformes) of Taiwan, Zootaxa 4702 (1), pp. 155-215 : 203

Genus Psettina Hubbs, 1915

Psettina Hubbs, 1915:456 . Type species: Engyprosopon iijimae Jordan & Starks, 1904.

Diagnostic features. Body elliptical. Tip of isthmus below posterior margin of lower eye or slightly in front. No sexual or ontogenetic dimorphism of dorsal profile of head. Both eyes separated by a ridge or very narrow concavity; interorbital width same in both sexes. No rostral, orbital and mandibular spines, except rarely short obtuse rostral and mandibular spines in mature males.

Mouth small; maxilla extending to anterior margin of lower eye. Teeth on both jaws small, not enlarged anteriorly; teeth on upper jaw uniserial or biserial, those on lower jaw uniserial. Gill rakers few, small, slender and smooth. Scales small, not deciduous, ctenoid on ocular side with row of long ctenii along posterior margin; cycloid on blind side. Lateral line on ocular side curved above pectoral fin, absent on blind side.

Dorsal- and anal-fin rays simple, none elongated. Pectoral fin on ocular side not elongated in both sexes. Pelvic fin on ocular side starting at tip of isthmus; first ray on blind side opposite to fourth ray on ocular side. Caudal skeleton with four plates, including parhypural and three hypurals, without deep clefts.

Remarks. Psettina is recognized by its rather small and elliptical body, ctenoid scales with a row of long spines along posterior margin, caudal skeleton without deep clefts, no sexual differences in rostral and orbital spines, interorbital width, shape of dorsal profile of body and coloration.

There are currently 10 species recognized in Psettina , all restricted to the Indian and Western Pacific oceans; four species are recognized in Taiwan.