Edit: let me preemptively be a pedant to myself and say that “sub-…-species” is wrong because “bilaterally symmetrical animals” is not a species. Flounder is itself a species AFAIK, not a sub-species of anything. It is a descendant of the common ancestor of all bilaterally symmetrical animals. There, now surely no one will find anything to be pedantic about :D
I appreciate that information. However, flounders themselves are not bilaterally symmetrical. I have caught many dozens of them and it’s pretty easy to tell that they are not.
Isn’t it referring to during development? Like as they’re forming, they are bilateral? I haven’t taken developmental biology in many years, so I’m maybe wrong.
They’re only bilateral when they’re very young. And even then, everyone is just focusing on the eyes. The body of the fish is also not exactly bilateral. Just fillet a flounder of any age (or watch a video on it) and you’ll see.
In the tree of life, flounders are a sub-sub-…-sub-species of bilaterally symmetrical animals: https://www.onezoom.org/life/@Holozoa=5246131?otthome=%40_ozid%3D1&highlight=path%3A%40Apionichthys_finis%3D3640785&highlight=path%3A%40Bilateria%3D117569#x2913,y-2310,w8.2796
Edit: let me preemptively be a pedant to myself and say that “sub-…-species” is wrong because “bilaterally symmetrical animals” is not a species. Flounder is itself a species AFAIK, not a sub-species of anything. It is a descendant of the common ancestor of all bilaterally symmetrical animals. There, now surely no one will find anything to be pedantic about :D
I appreciate that information. However, flounders themselves are not bilaterally symmetrical. I have caught many dozens of them and it’s pretty easy to tell that they are not.
Flounders are born symmetrical; eye migration happens as they transition to the juvenile stage of growth.
Oh, I know. It’s very interesting. But when people imagine a flounder, they generally don’t imagine a juvenile unless juvenile has been specified.
Isn’t it referring to during development? Like as they’re forming, they are bilateral? I haven’t taken developmental biology in many years, so I’m maybe wrong.
They’re only bilateral when they’re very young. And even then, everyone is just focusing on the eyes. The body of the fish is also not exactly bilateral. Just fillet a flounder of any age (or watch a video on it) and you’ll see.
They are born (or hatch too lazy to look up) and their eyes move later once they get larger.
Yeah. I just wasn’t sure at what point things are considered to be bilateral or otherwise.
I thought it may have been during the development process, but can’t remember.
Just like starfish!
Forego the illusion of species and families. It’s taxa all the way down.