The narrow-body righteye flounder (''Nematops macrochirus'') is a
flatfish
A flatfish is a member of the Ray-finned fish, ray-finned demersal fish order (biology), order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the ...
of the family
Pleuronectidae
Pleuronectidae, also known as righteye flounders, are a family of flounders. They are called "righteye flounders" because most species lie on the sea bottom on their left sides, with both eyes on their right sides. The Paralichthyidae are the op ...
. It is a
demersal
The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...
fish that lives on
saltwater bottoms at depths of between . Its natural habitat is the waters of the
Indo-West Pacific, from the
Bali Strait
Bali Strait is a stretch of water separating Java and Bali while connecting the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea. At its narrowest it is wide.
Geography
The Bali Strait is one of the bodies of water surrounding the island of Bali: Lombok Strait ...
to
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
and
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It can grow up to in length.
Etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
& taxonomy
The species name "macrochirus" is derived from the
Greek: "macro" meaning "long", and "chirus" from "kheiros", meaning "hand".
Although Fowler described the long-fin righteye flounder, ''Nematops chui'', in 1934, it has been shown that the morphology of ''N. chui'' overlaps completely with that of ''N. macrochirus'', and that the long-fin righteye flounder is in fact a junior description of ''N. macrochirus'' as described by Norman in 1931.
Description
The narrow-fin right-eye flounder is, as its name suggests, a right-eyed flatfish. It has a slender body, almost three times long as it is wide, with large eyes and a small symmetrical mouth. The eyes have dark
tentacle
In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...
s. The
lateral line
The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...
curves strongly above the
pectoral fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...
, and the
caudal fin
Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...
is pointed. The upper (eyed) side is brown, with indistinct blotches on the fins and darker blotches on the caudal and pectoral fins. The underside is yellowish-white.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:flounder, righteye, narrow-body
narrow-body righteye flounder
narrow-body righteye flounder