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Species: Paralichthys tropicus, Tropical Flounder

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

flat space between eyes
large mouth, 1 row canines both jaws
D 69-80; A 57-64
small, asymmetric ocelli - body, D, A y C
lower gill rakers 10-13
LL arched, 95-98

Paralichthys tropicus Ginsburg, 1933

Tropical Flounder

Body oval, elongate (43-48% of SL); eyes on left side, relatively small; space between eyes flat, and narrower than an eye; upper profile of head slightly concave above eyes; mouth large, ends behind rear edge of lower eye; teeth are large canines, in a single row on each jaw; 10-13 lower gill rakers; dorsal rays 69-80, its origin slightly before front edge of top eye, front rays not elongated; 57-64 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, 11 rays; bases of pelvics symmetric, base of neither fin on body midline; urinary papilla on eye side, immediately behind level of anus; tail fin with a blunt point; eye-side scales smooth and small, 95-98 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 dorsal, anal and tail fins with asymmetric eye-sized ocellated spots, plus smaller dark and light spots.

Size: 50 cm.

Habitat: mud and sandy bottoms.

Depth: 1-183 m.

The SW to SE Caribbean, also in Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Beach
  • Mud
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent only
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
IUCN Red List
  • Data deficient
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 50
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 183