Their dorsal and anal fins are long and continuous, with the dorsal fin extending forward onto the head.
They are found on the bottoms of oceans around the world, with some species, such as the Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, being found down to 2,000 m. The smaller species eat sea-floor invertebrates such as polychaetes and crustaceans, but the larger righteye flounders, such as H. hippoglossus, which grows up to 2.4 m, feed on other fishes and cephalopods as well.
They include many important commercially fished species, including not only the various fish called flounders, but also the European plaice, the halibuts, the lemon sole, the common dab, the Pacific Dover sole, and the flukes.
Classification
In some classifications the subfamilies Paralichthodinae, Poecilopsettinae, and Rhombosoleinae are raised to the level of families.According to FishBase there are 101 species in 41 genera and five subfamilies:
- Subfamily Eopsettinae
- Genus Atheresthes
- Kamchatka flounder, Atheresthes evermanni Jordan & Starks, 1904.
- Arrowtooth flounder, Atheresthes stomias (Jordan & Gilbert, 1880).
- Genus Eopsetta
- Shotted halibut, Eopsetta grigorjewi (Herzenstein, 1890).
- Petrale sole, Eopsetta jordani (Lockington, 1879).
- Subfamily Hippoglossinae
- Genus Clidoderma
- Roughscale sole, Clidoderma asperrimum (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846).
- Genus Hippoglossus
- Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus (Linnaeus, 1758).
- Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis Schmidt, 1904.
- Genus Reinhardtius
- Genus Verasper
- Barfin flounder, Verasper moseri Jordan & Gilbert, 1898.
- Spotted halibut, Verasper variegatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846).
- Subfamily Hippoglossoidinae
- Genus Acanthopsetta
- Scale-eye plaice, Acanthopsetta nadeshnyi Schmidt, 1904.
- Genus Cleisthenes
- Sôhachi, Cleisthenes herzensteini (Schmidt, 1904).
- Cleisthenes pinetorum Jordan & Starks, 1904.
- Genus Hippoglossoides
- Flathead flounder, Hippoglossoides dubius Schmidt, 1904.
- Flathead sole, Hippoglossoides elassodon Jordan & Gilbert, 1880.
- American plaice, Hippoglossoides platessoides (Fabricius, 1780)
- Bering flounder, Hippoglossoides robustus Gill & Townsend, 1897.
- Subfamily Lyopsettinae
- Genus Lyopsetta
- Slender sole, Lyopsetta exilis (Jordan & Gilbert, 1880).
- Subfamily Paralichthodinae
- Genus Paralichthodes
- Peppered flounder, Paralichthodes algoensis Gilchrist, 1902.
- Subfamily Pleuronectinae
- Tribe Isopsettini
- Genus Isopsetta
- Butter sole, Isopsetta isolepis (Lockington, 1880).
- Tribe Microstomini
- Genus Dexistes
- Rikuzen flounder, Dexistes rikuzenius Jordan & Starks, 1904.
- Genus Embassichthys
- Deepsea sole, Embassichthys bathybius (Gilbert, 1890).
- Genus Glyptocephalus
- Witch, Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Blackfin flounder, Glyptocephalus stelleri (Schmidt, 1904).
- Rex sole, Glyptocephalus zachirus Lockington, 1879.
- Genus Hypsopsetta
- Diamond turbot, Hypsopsetta guttulata (Girard, 1856).
- Hypsopsetta macrocephala Breder, 1936.
- Genus Lepidopsetta
- Rock sole, Lepidopsetta bilineata (Ayres, 1855).
- Dusky sole, Lepidopsetta mochigarei Snyder, 1911.
- Northern rock sole, Lepidopsetta polyxystra Orr & Matarese, 2000.
- Genus Microstomus
- Slime flounder, Microstomus achne (Jordan & Starks, 1904).
- Lemon sole, Microstomus kitt (Walbaum, 1792)
- Dover sole, Microstomus pacificus (Lockington, 1879).
- Microstomus shuntovi Borets, 1983.
- Genus Pleuronichthys
- C-O sole, Pleuronichthys coenosus Girard, 1854.
- Ridged-eye flounder, Pleuronichthys cornutus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846).
- Curlfin sole, Pleuronichthys decurrens Jordan & Gilbert, 1881.
- Ocellated turbot, Pleuronichthys ocellatus Starks & Thompson, 1910.
- Spotted turbot, Pleuronichthys ritteri Starks & Morris, 1907.
- Hornyhead turbot, Pleuronichthys verticalis Jordan & Gilbert, 1880.
- Genus Tanakius
- Willowy flounder, Tanakius kitaharae (Jordan & Starks, 1904).
- Tribe Pleuronectini
- Genus Kareius
- Stone flounder, Kareius bicoloratus (Basilewsky, 1855).
- Genus Limanda
- Yellowfin sole, Limanda aspera (Pallas, 1814).
- Yellowtail flounder, Limanda ferruginea (Storer, 1839).
- Common dab, Limanda limanda (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Longhead dab, Limanda proboscidea Gilbert, 1896.
- Sand flounder, Limanda punctatissimus (Steindachner, 1879).
- Sakhalin sole, Limanda sakhalinensis Hubbs, 1915.
- Genus Liopsetta
- Arctic flounder, Liopsetta glacialis (Pallas, 1776).
- Far Eastern smooth flounder, Liopsetta pinnifasciata (Norman, 1926).
- American smooth flounder, Liopsetta putnami (Gill, 1864).
- Genus Parophrys
- English sole, Parophrys vetulus Girard, 1854.
- Genus Platichthys
- European flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758).
- Starry flounder, Platichthys stellatus (Pallas, 1788).
- Genus Pleuronectes
- European plaice, Pleuronectes platessa Linnaeus, 1758.
- Alaska plaice, Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus Pallas, 1814.
- Genus Pseudopleuronectes
- Winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Gill, 1864).
- Littlemouth flounder, Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini (Schmidt, 1904).
- Pseudopleuronectes obscurus (Herzenstein, 1890).
- Cresthead flounder, Pseudopleuronectes schrenki (Schmidt, 1904).
- Marbled flounder, Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae (Günther, 1877).
- Tribe Psettichthyini
- Genus Psettichthys
- Subfamily Poecilopsettinae
- Genus Marleyella
- Comb flounder, Marleyella bicolorata (Basilewsky, 1855).
- Marleyella maldivensis Norman, 1939.
- Genus Nematops
- Narrow-body righteye flounder, Nematops chui Fowler, 1934.
- Large-scale righteye flounder, Nematops grandisquama Weber & de Beaufort, 1929.
- Long-fin righteye flounder, Nematops macrochirus Norman, 1931.
- Small-mouth righteye flounder, Nematops microstoma Günther, 1880.
- Nematops nanosquama Amaoka, Kawai & Seret, 2006.
- Genus Poecilopsetta
- Poecilopsetta albomaculata Norman, 1939.
- Deepwater dab, Poecilopsetta beanii (Goode, 1881)
- Coloured righteye flounder, Poecilopsetta colorata Günther, 1880.
- Poecilopsetta dorsialta Guibord & Chapleau, 2001.
- Poecilopsetta hawaiiensis Gilbert, 1905.
- Poecilopsetta inermis (Breder, 1927).
- Poecilopsetta macrocephala (Breder, 1936).
- Fowler's large-scale righteye flounder, Poecilopsetta megalepis Fowler, 1934.
- African righteye flounder, Poecilopsetta natalensis Norman, 1931.
- Poecilopsetta normani Foroshchuk & Fedorov, 1992.
- Poecilopsetta pectoralis Kawai & Amaoka, 2006.
- Tile-colored righteye flounder, Poecilopsetta plinthus (Jordan & Starks, 1904).
- Alcock's narrow-body righteye flounder, Poecilopsetta praelonga Alcock, 1894.
- Poecilopsetta vaynei Quéro, Hensley & Maugé, 1988.
- Poecilopsetta zanzibarensis Norman, 1939.
- Subfamily Rhombosoleinae
- Genus Ammotretis
- Shortfin flounder, Ammotretis brevipinnis Norman, 1926.
- Elongate flounder, Ammotretis elongatus (Yarrell, 1839).
- Tudor's flounder, Ammotretis lituratus (Richardson, 1844).
- Ammotretis macrolepis McCulloch, 1914.
- Longsnout flounder, Ammotretis rostratus Günther, 1862.
- Genus Azygopus
- Banded-fin flounder, Azygopus pinnifasciatus Norman, 1926.
- Genus Colistium
- New Zealand brill, Colistium guntheri (Hutton, 1873).
- New Zealand turbot, Colistium nudipinnis (Waite, 1911).
- Genus Oncopterus
- Genus Pelotretis
- Southern lemon sole, Pelotretis flavilatus Waite, 1911.
- Genus Peltorhamphus
- Speckled sole, Peltorhamphus latus James, 1972.
- New Zealand sole, Peltorhamphus novaezeelandiae Günther, 1862.
- Peltorhamphus tenuis James, 1972.
- Genus Psammodiscus
- Indonesian ocellated flounder, Psammodiscus ocellatus (Starks & Thompson, 1910).
- Genus Rhombosolea
- Yellowbelly flounder, Rhombosolea leporina Günther, 1862.
- New Zealand flounder, Rhombosolea plebeia (Richardson, 1843).
- Black flounder, Rhombosolea retiaria Hutton, 1873
- Greenback flounder, Rhombosolea tapirina Günther, 1862.
- Genus Taratretis
- Derwent flounder, Taratretis derwentensis Last, 1978.
References
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Last updated on Tuesday May 27, 2008 at 09:35:35 PDT (GMT -0700)
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