Species: Paralichthys tropicus, Tropical Flounder

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.