Species: Syacium ovale, Oval flounder
snout =/> eye
no notch before eye
Syacium ovale (Günther, 1864)
Oval flounder
Body height 39-48% of SL; head length 26-30% of SL; snout with smooth concavity, but no notch, before top eye; snout length before top eye < 24% of head length, =/ > eye diameter; eyes on left side (uncommonly on right side); eyes ~ parallel, close, width between them < 6% of head length; mouth of moderate length, top jaw on eye side 32-38% of head length, ends under mid-eye; jaws on blind side not arched; fixed teeth in 2 rows in upper jaw, 1 row lower jaw; 7-9 short, fat, serrated lower gill rakers; dorsal rays 83-91, front rays not elongated; 64-71 anal rays, none elongated; pectoral fin 59-71% head length in both sexes; base of eye side pelvic on midline of body; tail base not narrow, 33-45% of SL); urinary papilla on blind side, immediately behind anus; lateral line not extending onto head, starts at corner of operculum, relatively straight; 52-58 lateral line scales; scales very rough in eye-side, smooth an blind side.
Color variable from more or less uniform brown to brown with numerous dark spots that extend onto median fins.
Size: to about 25 cm.
Inhabits flat sand bottoms between 9 and 40 m.
Depth: 10-90 m.
Southern Baja and the Gulf of California to Peru; the Revillagigedos Islands.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom only
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
-
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- No data
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- All species
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- TEP endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 25
- Depth Range Min
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- 10
- Depth Range Max
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- 90
