Yes, a very severe case of Maxillary Hypoplasia, but what syndrome caused such a severe deformity in that fish?
Cruzons? Possibly, since the eye structure of that fish appears to be somewhat enlarged. The apparent flat and recessed forhead of that fish is caused by bicoronal synostosis or brachycephaly during early childhood development. This type of suture fusion is a tell-tale sign of Cruzons or even Apert syndrome, however, this is difficult to diagnose in fish since the maxillofacial composition of a fish differs from that of humans. Is it genetic? My guess is no, since Cruzons can be an autosomal dominant genetic condition which would mean that a hatchery worker bred a mutatated fish.......God, I'd hope not! Most likely a fresh mutation with no affected parents.
My Dx:
Coffin-Lowry syndrome
Why? The symptoms of Coffin-Lowry syndrome are more severe in males and so far all or most of the fish I've seen with maxillofacial abnormalities have been males. The symptoms include maxillary hypoplasia, palpebral fissures (downslating eyefolds, look closely at the picture of the fish...you'll see them), hypertelorism (hard to tell from the profile picture), and large ears and eyebrows. Do fish have eyebrows?
Actually, suffice to say a "lateral line", but do fish have ears? Mental retardation is often included with Coffin-Lowry syndrome, however, it is nearly impossible to diagnose retardation in fish.......hatchery fish are stupid, but are they retarded?
It all stems from a defective gene on the X chromosome. I believe that it is a direct result of inbreeding.
We need to stop using fish stocks from the Appalachain Mountain strains! They are tainted! I hope you guys bonked that fish and threw it away. Intentionally wasting fish is illegal, however, this fish should be disposed of and
never allowed to pass on any of it's genes. It's not genocide when it comes down to deformed fish.....it's common sense.
BTW, Isaac, how would you perform a Lefort III maxillary osteotomy/advancement on a fish? Their skeletal structures and sutures are night and day to that of humans. How would you perform osteogenic distraction on a fish? Skeletal traction? Osteotomy?