Synclidopus Chabanaud, 1943

Randall, John E., 2005, A review of soles of the genus Aseraggodes from the South Pacific, with descriptions of seven new species and a diagnosis of Synclidopus., Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62 (2), pp. 191-212 : 192-193

Synclidopus Chabanaud, 1943

Synclidopus Chabanaud, 1943: 291 .

Type species. Solea macleayana Ramsay, 1881 .

Diagnosis. Dorsal rays 62–66; anal rays 49–53; caudal rays 18–20; pelvic rays 5, the fifth ray of ocular-side fin joined by membrane to base of first anal ray; lateral-line scales 96–113; lateral line extending forward on head to within an eye diameter of upper eye; a second lateral line branching off dorsally on head, about two eye diameters behind upper eye, angling sharply posteriorly about 8 scale rows beneath naked part of dorsal fin, and continuing onto anterior body; body deep, the depth 2.2–2.25 in SL; head short and obtuse, its length 5.25–5.5 in SL; eyes small, 8.1–9.0 in HL; tubular anterior nostril short, not reaching lower eye when laid back; rays of median fins short; anus and genital papilla on blind side, adjacent to base of first anal ray; no pore at base of dorsal and anal rays, and no small pores detected beneath scales of ocular side; vertebrae 36–38; dorsal pterygiophores anterior to fourth neural spine 7; unique colour pattern of many narrow dark bars on ocular side of head and body.

Remarks. The type species of this monotypic genus was first described in Solea Cuvier. Other authors such as Ogilby (1916), Norman (1926), McCulloch (1929), Allen et al. (1976), and Grant (1987) classified it in Aseraggodes Kaup. It is clearly distinct at the generic level from Aseraggodes by having a second lateral line on the ocular side of the head that continues dorsoanteriorly on the body, the deepest body, shortest and most obtuse head, smallest eyes, anus and genital papilla on the blind side, highest number of lateral-line scales (96–113, compared to 53–96 for species of Aseraggodes ), 7 dorsal pterygiophores anterior to fourth neural spine (species of Aseraggodes with 7–16; only one with 7 or 8), and the colour pattern of narrow dark bars. Ogilby (1916) reported the maximum size as 280 mm total length (largest species of Aseraggodes , 192 mm TL).