Bothidae
| Lefteye flounders | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scaldfish, Arnoglossus laterna | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Pleuronectiformes |
| Suborder: | Pleuronectoidei |
| Family: | Bothidae Smitt, 1892 |
| Type genus | |
| Bothus Rafinesque, 1810 |
|
| Genera | |
|
Arnoglossus |
|
Lefteye flounders are a family, Bothidae, of flounders. They are called "lefteye flounders" because most species lie on the sea bottom on their right sides, with both eyes on their left sides. A helpful reminder when trying to recall the family name for this fish is that "Bothidae (Both o' dey) eyes are on the same side o' dey head."[1] The family is also distinguished by the presence of spines on the snout and near the eyes.[2]
Lefteye flounders vary considerably in size between the more than 160 species, ranging from 4.5 cm (1.8 in) to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length. They include such economically important species as the Japanese halibut.[2]
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Scaldfish (Arnoglossus laterna) larva
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Wide-eyed flounder, Bothus podas
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Deepwater flounder, Monolene sessilicauda
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Sash flounder, Trichopsetta ventralis
See also[edit]
- Pleuronectidae, the righteye family of flounders
References[edit]
- ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Bothidae" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
- ^ a b Chapleau, Francois & Amaoka, Kunio (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., eds. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 224–225. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
