The peppered flounder (''Paralichthodes algoensis'') 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 Paralichthodidae and the only species of the genus ''Paralichthodes''. 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 sandy and muddy bottoms in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

waters, at depths of up to . Its native habitat is the southeastern Atlantic and the western Indian Ocean, specifically the African coastline from Mossel Bay, South Africa, to Delagoa Bay, Mozambique. It grows up to in length.

Description

The peppered flounder is a right-eyed flounder with an elongated, oval body. Its upper surface is brownish grey with small dark spots and its underside is white. 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 ...

is equally developed on both sides. It has a relatively large, symmetrical mouth.

References

peppered flounder The peppered flounder (''Paralichthodes algoensis'') is a flatfish of the family Paralichthodidae and the only species of the genus ''Paralichthodes''. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy and muddy bottoms in subtropics, subtropical waters, ...

Fish of Mozambique Marine fish of South Africa

Taxa named by John Dow Fisher Gilchrist {{Pleuronectiformes-stub