Marine Science 2016
38 x 64 x 3 in (h x w x d)

Honorable Mention, 2016

A late-stage metamorphosing Southern flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, one of many flatfish species, was photographed at 45 days post-hatching when it is just over 1 centimeter in length. Flatfishes undergo a physiologically stressful metamorphosis in their transition from the larval to juvenile life stage. Larval flatfishes are born symmetrical, with one eye on either side of their skull, but during metamorphosis, one eye migrates for multiple days over the top of the head. Eventually both eyes reside permanently on one side of the body while the flatfish lays on its side on the sediment. The first successful spawning of Southern flounder for aquaculture took place at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute's Fisheries and Mariculture Lab in Port Aransas in 1978 under Dr. Connie Arnold. Today, research at UTSMI FAML is looking into the effects of Southern flounder broodstock nutrition on offspring quality to aid in stock enhancement efforts along the Texas coast.

Credit:
Corinne Burns
Marine Science Graduate Student

Exhibited by:

Texas Science

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