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Species: Bothus lunatus, Peacock flounder

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

body deep
notch before lower eye
front edge top eye over rear edge lower eye
body: blue rings
D 91-99; A 70-76
9 lower gill rakers
male pectoral top rays not v long
LL arched, 83-95

Bothus lunatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Peacock flounder

Body a deep oval, its depth 54-59% of SL; front profile with distinct notch before lower eye; space between eyes flat and much wider than eye (especially in male), lower eye well before upper, front edge of upper over rear edge of lower; eye diameter <23% of head length and shorter than snout; eyes with poorly developed tentacles in adult; mouth small, ends under front half of eye; teeth small, on both sides of both jaws; 8-10 (usually 9) lower gill rakers; dorsal rays 91-99; anal rays 70-76; pectoral rays not branched, eye-side fin 11-12, upper rays not greatly elongate in male; eye-side pelvic fin with origin under lower eye, with much longer base, situated on body midline, its origin before that of blind-side fin; lateral-line scales 83-95; lateral line on eye side only, strongly arched above the pectoral, no branch under lower eye.

Brown with numerous variable-sized blue curved spots and rings on eye side; 3 dark blotches along lateral line; large fish with dark bars on eye side pectoral.

Size: reaches 45 cm.

Habitat: seagrass and mangroves, sandy bottoms, also on rock and coral.

Depth: 0-120 m.

North Carolina to Brazil and Ascension Is & the tropical E Atlantic.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Brackish
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Rocks
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Corals
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Mangrove
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Estuary
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Bony fishes
  • Data
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • All species.
  • Transatlantic (East+West Atlantic)
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends North of GC
  • Island (s)
  • Extends South of GC
  • Continent
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • All species..
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 120
Length Max
  • 45