Synopsis
Abnormalities in five specimens of pleuronectiform flatfishes (one specimen from the family Soleidae, four from Bothidae) are described. The account of naturally occurring anomalies in the naked sole,Gymnachirus melas, is the first from the western Atlantic for a soleid other thanTrinectes maculatus. Anomalies inG. melas include partial albinism and osteological deformities. A second account of pigment and morphological aberrations is provided forParalichthys albigutta (total ambicoloration, incomplete eye rotation and hooked dorsal fin). Partial ambicoloration is reported for three specimens ofParalichthys lethostigma. Possible causes of abnormalities in flatfishes are reviewed. It is postulated that minimum depth of occurrence of species may be linked to frequency of abnormalities. Anomalies appear to be most frequent in species and families of flatfishes which inhabit shallow coastal or estuarine (<5 m depth) waters.
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Gartner, J.V. Observations on anomalous conditions in some flatfishes (Pisces: Pleuronectiformes), with a new record of partial albinism. Environ Biol Fish 17, 141–152 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00001744
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00001744