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Species: Bothus ocellatus, Eyed Flounder

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

body deep
eyes large
D 76-91; A 58-68
C 2 spots, 1 beside other
LL arched, 70-78

Bothus ocellatus (Agassiz in Spix & Agassiz, 1831)

Eyed Flounder

Body a deep oval, its depth 61-67% 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 longer than snout; eyes with poorly developed tentacles in adult; mouth moderate, ends under front half of eye; teeth small, on both sides of both jaws; 8-10 (usually 9) lower gill rakers; dorsal rays 76-91; anal rays 58-68; pectoral rays not branched, eye-side fin 8-10, upper rays 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 70-78; lateral line on eye side only, strongly arched above the pectoral, no branch under lower eye.

Brown to tan; body strongly marked with brown to tan rosettes, those in 3 dark clusters along the lateral line; base of tail fin with a pair of dark spots, one on each side.

Size: reaches 16 cm.

Habitat: sand bottoms.

Depth: 1-150 m.

New York to southern Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Brackish
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Estuary
  • 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 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)
  • Temperate (>35N)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 16
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 150