Which flounder is this?

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MartinNorway78

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Scuba Instructor
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Location
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Hi

I really cannot decide what to believe about this fellow...is it a moses sole, a leopard flounder or something else?

Any help would be appriciated. The shot is taken quite shallow at 6 meters in a sandy slope at the exit of Moray Garden, Dahab.

moses_3.jpg
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moses_2.jpg
[/IMG]

I thought it was a moses sole to begin with, but the "spiky" edges dont seem to fit with the more rounded shape of the moses sole as it is pictured in Helmut Debelius' "Red Sea Reef Guide"....Any suggestions?
 
I'm not an expert, but based on my Lieske and Myers book, I'd vote for the panther/leopard flounder (Bothus pantherinus). It has eyes on its left side whereas the moses sole has eyes on the right. It looks to me, especially in the second photo, that the top gills are closest to the viewer and that this might be a left-sider. Also, like you mention, the flounder looks spikier than the moses sole, especially the bit near the head.

I just got back from Dahab a few days ago, so these guys have been on my mind. :)
 

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