Eobothus ('Dawn flounder') is an extinct genus of flatfish known from China, India and Europe. Its geological range extend through part of the Eocene: some studies date it to the Ypresian stage,[1] while others date it to the Lutetian.[2]
| Eobothus Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| fossil of E. minimus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Family: | Bothidae |
| Genus: | †Eobothus |
| Type species | |
| Eobothus minimus | |
| Species | |
| |
Eobothus is significant as one of the earliest genera of flatfish, one of the last major fish groups to evolve. It closely resembled modern flatfish, with an oval-shaped body about 10 centimetres (4 in) long, surrounded by elongated dorsal and anal fins.[3] In the adult, the eyes were both located on the left side of the head, as in modern species, and the fish would have lain flat against the seafloor on its right side. This was an evolutionary advance from the more primitive Eocene flatfishes Heteronectes and Amphistium, in which the eyes only partially migrated.
References
edit- ^ Sahni A & Choudhary N.K. (1971). "Lower Eocene Fishes from Barmer, South Western Rajasthan". Proc. Indian Natl. Sci. Acad. 38(A): p. 97-102
- ^ Friedman M (2008). "The evolutionary origin of flatfish asymmetry". Nature 454(7201): p. 209-212
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 41. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
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