Species: Paralichthys squamilentus, Broad Flounder

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.