Brownmargin Flathead

The brownmargin flathead has an elongated, moderately flattened body with a large flattened head with two ridges on its lower edge and large eyes. These have a simple lappet on their irises. It has a large semicircular mouth which extends to the level of the front of the eye. there are typically two spines on the preoperculum, with a very small third spine occasionally present, the upper spine is the longest almost reaching the edge of the operculum. There is a weak preorbital spine which is frequently lacking. The supraorbital ridge is typically smooth at the front and has between seven and ten 7-10 small spines on its rear. The suborbital ridge has two spines under eye and three or four spines to the rear of the eye. The first dorsal fin contains seven or eight spines with an additional very small separate spine to its front and has a short base. The second dorsal fin contains eleven or twelve soft rays and has a moderately long base, the front rays are the longest but are a little shorter than the longest spine in the first dorsal fin. The anal fin contains eleven soft rays and is almost parallel to the second dorsal fin and has a slightly longer-base. The rear margin of the caudal fin is truncate on the upper lobe and rounded on the lower lobe. …

The brownmargin flathead is endemic to the northern continental shelf of Australia where it has been recorded only from the Arafura and Timor Seas. It is a demersal species found at depths down between 1 and 110 m (3 ft 3 in and 360 ft 11 in) over soft substrates.