Author: Rafinesque, 1810
Arnoglossus imperialis Rafinesque, 1810
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Arnoglossus imperialis (Rafinesque, 1810) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: snout shorter than diameter of eye. Eyes separated by a bony ridge, the lower eye a little in advance of the upper. Dorsal finrays 95-106; anal finrays 74-82; in males the second to sixth and in females the second to fifth dorsal finrays thickened and prolonged. Lateral line with 51-66 scales. Colour: eyed side greyish or brownish with irregular darker markings; fins with some small spots or blotches; males with distinct black spot on posterior part of pelvic fins; in females, this spot present but greyish and often indistinct. Size: to about 25 cm SL.
Habitat: on sandy or muddy bottoms down to 350 m. Food: small fishes and invertebrates. Reproduction: in spring.
Distribution: eastern Atlantic, from Scotland southward. Elsewhere, south to Angola and in western Mediterranean.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Petersen, l9O9: fig. 26-29 | Kyle, 1913: 80 | Padoa, 1956b: 800-804.
Otoliths (sagitta). Bauzá-Rullán, 1958b: 117.