Common Name
Slipper Sole
Year Described
Miranda-Ribeiro, 1915
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 54-60
Anal Fin: 40-45
Pectoral Fin: 1 (rudimentary)
Pelvic Fin: 4 on ocular side, 5 on blind side (continuous with anal fin)
Deep and elliptical in body shape. Body and dorsal/anal fins with small ctenoid scales. Skin not loose. Mouth tiny and subterminal. Jaws with villiform teeth on blind side of jaws only. Eyes relatively large (1.8-2.5 times in snout length). Opercular opening very small, interbranchial foramen absent. Fimbriae present on mouth margin, blind side of head, anterior dorsal/anal fin rays, and on body.
Color
Variable: pale to dark brown with up to 10 very narrow crossbands (sometimes made up of small spots, sometimes continuous). Fainter small spots are often present on rest of body, with 4 larger diffuse blotches made up of darker smaller spots (usually near dorsal/anal fin bases). Darker spots along lateral midline. Fins with numerous spots or blotches.
Size
Common to 12cm SL. Maximum size to 18cm SL.
Habitat
Shallow waters over mud or sand, including estuaries, lagoons, swamps, and freshwater rivers.
Range
South America: Suriname to SE Brazil.
References
Munroe, T.A. 2002. Achiridae (pp 1925-1933). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and sea mammals. FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5.