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Species: Paralichthys squamilentus, Broad flounder

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

flat space between eyes
body deep
large mouth, 1 row canines both jaws
D 76-85; A 59-65
no ocelli
blind side dark
lower gill rakers 10-12
LL arched, 104-117

Paralichthys squamilentus Jordan & Gilbert, 1882

Broad flounder

Body oval, deep, 50% (48-59%) of SL; head length 27-35% of SL; eyes on left side; narrow and flat between eyes; upper profile of head straight; mouth large, ends under rear edge of lower eye in adults; top jaw 42-50% head length; teeth are large canines, in a single row on each jaw; gill rakers 3-4 (3-5) + 10-12 (9-12); dorsal rays 76-85; 59-65 anal rays; pectoral fins on both sides of body, with branched rays, eye-side fin short (not reaching to straight part of lateral line) and rounded; pelvic fins with symmetric bases, base of neither fin on body midline, fins same size; urinary papilla on eye side, immediately behind level of anus; tail with a blunt point; eye-side scales smooth and small, 104-117 on lateral line; lateral line well developed on both sides, extending onto head, with branches to upper eye and below lower eye, strongly arched over pectoral fin.

Eye side brown; body and fins with diffuse dark spots and blotches; a broad area along upper and lower body profiles of eye side sprinkled with dark dots, center of body largely without dots; blind side dusky in large fish.

Size: 46 cm.

Habitat: sandy bottoms.

Depth: 7-230 m.

N Carolina to the western Gulf of Mexico.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Beach
  • Sand & gravel
  • Mud
  • Soft bottom only
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species.
  • West Atlantic Endemic
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent
  • GC endemic
  • Continent only
  • All species..
  • Extends North of GC
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 46
Depth Range Min
  • 7
Depth Range Max
  • 230