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Species: Syacium micrurum, Channel Flounder

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

elongate
eyes not wide apart
top eye not well behind bottom eye
large female: between eyes < 15% lower eye
small female: snout 82% length before top eye
female: 2 dark blotches on LL
male: no blue lines on snout
male: long top pectoral rays

Syacium micrurum Ranzani, 1842

Channel Flounder

Body an elongate oval, height 40-43% of SL; eyes on left side, lower distinctly before upper, fairly close set (width between them <50% of diameter of lower eye in large males); large females: between eyes < 15% diameter of lower eye; small females: snout 83 (80-92)% length before top eye, between eyes < 15% diameter of lower eye; head length 26-28% of SL; snout with a notch before top eye; snout length 83 (80-92)% of distance from snout tip to top eye;mouth large, ends under middle lower eye; fixed teeth in 2 rows on upper jaw, 1 row on lower jaw, front teeth larger than side teeth; 82-92 dorsal rays; 64-74 anal rays; pectoral fins on both sides of body, with branched rays, eye-side pectoral with first 2 rays elongate in males; pelvic fins symmetrically positioned on belly, base of eye-side fin on body midline, short bases; urinary papilla on blind side, immediately behind anus; scales rough on eye side, smooth on blind side; 54-68 lateral line scales; lateral line well developed on both sides, not extending onto head, relatively straight.

Eye side grey-brown, female with 2 diffuse dark blotches on lateral line, one under laid-down pectoral, the other just before tail base.

Size: 30 cm.

Habitat: sand and mud bottoms.

Depth: 10-412 m, but usually in less than 100 m.

S Carolina to 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
  • Mud
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Mobile benthic worms
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 30
Depth Range Min
  • 10
Depth Range Max
  • 412