Flatfishes
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Flatfishes
A flatfish is a member of the ray-finned demersal fish order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around the head during development. Some species face their left sides upward, some face their right sides upward, and others face either side upward. Many important food fish are in this order, including the flounders, soles, turbot, plaice, and halibut. Some flatfish can camouflage themselves on the ocean floor. Taxonomy Over 800 described species are placed into 16 families. Broadly, the flatfishes are divided into two suborders, Psettodoidei and Pleuronectoidei, with > 99% of the species diversity found within the Pleuronectoidei. The largest families are Soleidae, Bothidae and Cynoglossidae with more than 150 species each. There also exist two monotypic families (Paralichthodidae and Oncopteridae). Some families ar ...
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Samaridae
Samaridae (''Samariscus corallines'') is a family of crested flounders, small flatfishes native to the Indo-Pacific. The family contains four genera with a total of 29 species. Taxonomy Samaridae is one of eight families a part of the SuperFamily Soleioidea. This SuperFamily is of the suborder Pleuronectoidei within the order Pleuronectiformes. Samaridae were formerly classified as a subfamily of Pleuronectidae. Anatomy and Morphology Young flat fish are bilaterally symmetrical until they reach between 5 and 120mm in length when one eye shifts from the lower side to the upper side until it is adjacent to the other eye. Adult flat fish swim and lie on the side without eyes. Adult Samaridae are not bilaterally symmetrical but do have symmetrical pelvic fins. They have a highly compressed body with eyes that bulge above the body surface which allows them to see out while buried beneath a surface. Samaridae have countershaded coloring with a darker pigment on the top of the fi ...
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Halibut
Halibut is the common name for three flatfish in the genera '' Hippoglossus'' and ''Reinhardtius'' from the family of right-eye flounders and, in some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish. The word is derived from ''haly'' (holy) and ''butte'' (flat fish), for its popularity on Catholic holy days. Halibut are demersal fish and are highly regarded as a food fish as well as a sport fish. Species A 2018 cladistic analysis based on genetics and morphology showed that the greenland halibut diverged from a lineage that gave rise to the Atlantic and Pacific halibuts. The common ancestor of all three diverged from a lineage that gave rise to the genus '' Verasper'', comprising the spotted halibut and barfin flounder. * Genus '' Hippoglossus'' ** Atlantic halibut, ''Hippoglossus hippoglossus'' – lives in the North Atlantic ** Pacific halibut, ''Hippoglossus stenolepis'' – lives in the North Pacific Ocean * Genus ''Reinhardtius'' **Greenland halib ...
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Scophthalmidae
The Scophthalmidae are a family of flatfish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.Chanet, B. (2003)Interrelationships of scophthalmid fishes (Pleuronectiformes: Scopththalmidae).''Cybium'' 27(4) 275-86. Fish of this family are known commonly as turbots, taxo''Scophthalmidae''at http://www.eol.org. though this name can refer specifically to '' Scophthalmus maximus'', as well. Some common names found in species of this family are turbots, windowpanes, and brills. Cladistic analysis reveals that this family is a monophyletic group. Of all the scophthalmids, the largest species ('' Scophthalmus maximus'') reaches approximately one meter in length. Some species in the family have been historically fished commercially (predominantly the brill flatfish and the turbot flatfish, ''S.rhombus'' and ''S. maximus'' respectively). Taxonomy The ''Scophthalmidae'' family is composed of two main clades, four genera, and eight species. The four gener ...
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Camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier, and the leaf-mimic katydid's wings. A third approach, motion dazzle, confuses the observer with a conspicuous pattern, making the object visible but momentarily harder to locate, as well as making general aiming easier. The majority of camouflage methods aim for crypsis, often through a general resemblance to the background, high contrast disruptive coloration, eliminating shadow, and countershading. In the open ocean, where there is no background, the principal methods of camouflage are transparency, silvering, and countershading, while the ability to produce light is among other things used for counter-illumination on the undersides of cephalopods such as squid. Some animals, such as chameleons and o ...
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Ray-finned Fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines (rays), as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish). These actinopterygian fin rays attach directly to the proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the link or connection between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles). By species count, actinopterygians dominate the vertebrates, and they constitute nearly 99% of the over 30,000 species of fish. They are ubiquitous throughout freshwater and marine environments from the deep sea to the highest mountain streams. Extant species can range in size from ''Paedocypris'', at , to the massive ocean sunfish, at , and the long-bodied oarfish, at . The vast majority of Actinoptery ...
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Tonguefish
Tonguefishes are flatfish in the family Cynoglossidae. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their bodies, which also lack a pelvic fin. This family has three genera with a total of more than 140 species. The largest reaches a length of , though most species only reach half that size or less. They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and estuaries, though some species are found in deep sea floors, and even a few in rivers. ''Symphurus thermophilus'' lives congregating around "ponds" of sulphur at hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. No other flatfish is known from hydrothermal vents. Scientists are unsure of the mechanism that allows the fish to survive and even thrive in such a hostile environment. See also *List of fish families This is a list of fish families sorted alphabetically by scientific name. There are 525 ...
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Plaice
Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is also widely fished recreationally, has potential as an aquaculture species, and is kept as an aquarium fish. Also commercially important is the American plaice. The term ''plaice'' (plural ''plaice'') comes from the 14th-century Anglo-French ''plais''. This in turn comes from the late Latin ''platessa'', meaning flatfish, which originated from the Ancient Greek ''platys'', meaning broad. Plaice species European plaice The European plaice (''Pleuronectes platessa'') is a right-eyed flounder belonging to the family Pleuronectidae. It is a commercially important flatfish that lives on the sandy bottoms of the European shelf. It ranges geographically from the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean. European plaice are characterised by their smoo ...
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Turbot
The turbot (''Scophthalmus maximus'') is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important food fish. Turbot in the Black Sea have often been included in this species, but are now generally regarded as separate, the Black Sea turbot or kalkan (''S. maeoticus''). True turbot are not found in the Northwest Atlantic; the "turbot" of that region, which was involved in the so-called "Turbot War" between Canada and Spain, is the Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot (''Reinhardtius hippoglossoides''). Etymology The word comes from the Old French , which may be a derivative of the Latin ('spinning top') a possible reference to its shape. Another possible origin of the Old French word is from Old Swedish , from 'thorn' + 'stump, butt, flatfish', which may also be a reference to its shape (compare native English halibut). Ea ...
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Sole (fish)
Sole is a fish belonging to several families. Generally speaking, they are members of the family Soleidae, but, outside Europe, the name ''sole'' is also applied to various other similar flatfish, especially other members of the sole suborder Soleoidei as well as members of the flounder family. In European cookery, there are several species which may be considered ''true soles'', but the common or Dover sole ''Solea solea'', often simply called ''the sole'', is the most esteemed and most widely available. Etymology of the word The word ''sole'' in English, French, and Italian comes from its resemblance to a sandal, Latin ''solea''. In other languages, it is named for the tongue, e.g. el, γλώσσα, german: Seezunge, nl, zeetong or ', hu, nyelvhal, es, lenguado, zh, 龍脷 ("dragon tongue"), ar, لسان الثور lisan Ath-thawr (for the common sole) meaning 'the tongue of ox' in Qosbawi accent. A partial list of common names for species referred to as sole include: ...
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Flounder
Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, though all are in the suborder Pleuronectoidei (families Achiropsettidae, Bothidae, Pleuronectidae, Paralichthyidae, and Samaridae). Some of the better known species that are important in fisheries are: * Western Atlantic ** Gulf flounder – ''Paralichthys albigutta'' ** Southern flounder – ''Paralichthys lethostigma'' ** Summer flounder (also known as ''fluke'') – ''Paralichthys dentatus'' ** Winter flounder – ''Pseudopleuronectes americanus'' * European waters **European flounder – ''Platichthys flesus'' ** Witch flounder – ''Glyptocephalus cynoglossus'' * North Pacific ** Halibut – ''Hippoglossus stenolepis'' ** Olive flounder – ''Paralichthys olivaceus'' Eye migration Larval flounder are born with one eye on each side o ...
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