Neolaeops Amaoka, 1969

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

Genus Neolaeops Amaoka, 1969

Neolaeops Amaoka, 1969:148 . Type species: Laeops microphthalmus von Bonde, 1922 .

Diagnostic features. Body elongate elliptical, strongly compressed. Tip of isthmus below posterior margin of lower eye. No sexual dimorphism in dorsal profile of head, interorbital width, and head spines. Caudal peduncle narrow. Both eyes separated by narrow ridge. No rostral, orbital and mandibular spines.

Mouth medium in size; maxilla extending to or slightly beyond anterior margin of lower eye. Teeth on both jaws small, uniserial; anterior teeth enlarged, canine-like. Gill rakers slender and smooth. Scales very small, deciduous, cycloid on both sides. Lateral line on ocular side with short curved section above pectoral fin; lateral line absent on blind side.

Dorsal- and anal- fin rays simple. Pectoral fin on ocular side not elongate, starting at tip of isthmus; first ray on blind side opposite to fourth ray on ocular side. Vent on blind side just in front of origin of anal fin, and urogenital pore on ocular side opposite to vent. Caudal skeleton composed of four plates including parhypural and three hypurals, without deep clefts.

Remarks. Neolaeops resembles Laeops and Japonolaeops in the elongate body, the caudal skeleton without deep clefts, no sexual dimorphism and very small scales. It differs from Laeops in the presence of teeth on both jaws on both sides of body and in the larger mouth, and from Japonolaeops in having uniserial teeth on both jaws, a larger mouth and more abdominal vertebrae.