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Species: Bothus maculiferus, Mottled Flounder

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

body not v deep
profile convex before lower eye
front edge top eye over center lower eye
body: blue rings
D 90-105; A 70-80
7 lower gill rakers
male pectoral - v long top rays
LL arched, 82-83

Bothus maculiferus (Poey, in Jordan & Goss, 1860)

Mottled Flounder

Body oval, its depth 50-55% of SL; front profile convex, without distinct notch; space between eyes flat and much wider than eye (especially in male), lower eye well before upper, front edge of upper over center of lower; eye diameter <23% of head length and shorter than snout; eyes with well developed tentacles in adult; mouth moderate, ends under front half of eye; teeth small, on both sides of both jaws; 6-8 (usually 7) lower gill rakers; dorsal rays 90-105; anal rays 70-80; pectoral rays not branched, eye-side fin 8-10, male with upper rays greatly elongate (to tail base) on eye side; 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 82-83; lateral line on eye side only, strongly arched above the pectoral, no branch under lower eye.

Body pale grey, with scattered pale blue to gold rings on body; a dark blotch behind lateral line arch and a larger one on the lateral line at about mid-body.

Size: reaches 25 cm.

Habitat: sand bottoms and seagrass flats.

Depth: 0-102 m.

Bermuda to Brazil.

Note: Bothus ellipticus from Cuba is a synonym.


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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
  • Submerged vegetation
  • 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)
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 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
  • 25
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 102