Pleuronectidae, also known as righteye flounders, are a family of

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, thou ...

s. 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 opposite, with their eyes on the left side. A small number of species in Pleuronectidae can also have their eyes on the left side, notably the members of the genus '' Platichthys''. Their dorsal and

anal 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 ...

s are long and continuous, with the dorsal fin extending forward onto the head. Females lay eggs that float in mid-water until the larvae develop, and they sink to the bottom. They are found on the bottoms of oceans around the world, with some species, such as the

Atlantic halibut The Atlantic halibut (''Hippoglossus hippoglossus'') is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. They are demersal fish living on or near sand, gravel or clay bottoms at depths of between . The halibut is among the largest Teleostei, teleost (bon ...

, ''Hippoglossus hippoglossus'', being found down to . 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 in length, feed on other fishes and

cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...

s, as well. They include many important commercially fished species, including not only the various fish called

s, but also the European plaice, the halibuts, the lemon sole, the common dab, the Pacific Dover sole, and the flukes. The name of the family is derived from the Greek πλευρά (''pleura''), meaning "rib" or "side", and νηκτόν (''nekton''), meaning "swimming".

Classification

The family has four subfamilies: * Pleuronectinae – 27 genera and about 60 species in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

(includes

Eopsettinae The Eopsettinae are a subfamily of fish in the family Pleuronectidae. Genera * ''Atheresthes ''Atheresthes'' is a genus of righteye flounders native to the north Pacific Ocean where both species are important commercially. Species There are ...

, Hippoglossinae,

Hippoglossoidinae The Hippoglossoidinae are a subfamily of fish in the family Pleuronectidae. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''hippos'', "horse", ''glossa'', "tongue", and ''eidos'', "form, likeness". Genera * '' Acanthopsetta'' * ''Cleisthenes' ...

, and

Lyopsettinae The slender sole (''Lyopsetta exilis'') is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on bottoms near rocky areas at depths of between . Its native habitat is the eastern Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast, from the mouth ...

recognized by some as valid subfamilies) * Paralichthodinae – one species off southern Africa *

Poecilopsettinae The Poecilopsettidae are a Family (biology), family of flatfish in the order Pleuronectiformes, comprising three genera and 21 species. Species are typically demersal, living on seawater, marine bottoms at depths between in the Indo-Pacific and ...

– three genera and about 20 species in tropical and subtropical oceans * Rhombosoleinae – nine genera and about 20 species in the Southern Hemisphere In some classifications, the last three subfamilies are raised to the level of families. Image:Hippoglossus hippoglossus.jpg,

, ''Hippoglossus hippoglossus'' Image:Reinhardtius hippoglossoides.jpg, Greenland halibut, ''Reinhardtius hippoglossoides'' Image:Hippoglossoides platessoides.jpg, American plaice, ''H. platessoides'' Image:Glyptocephalus cynoglossus.jpg, Witch, ''Glyptocephalus cynoglossus'' Image:Microstomus kitt 1.jpg, Lemon sole, ''Microstomus kitt'' Image:Limanda limanda.jpg, Common dab, ''Limanda limanda'' Image:Parophrys vetulus 1.jpg,

English sole The English sole (''Parophrys vetulus'') is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy and muddy bottoms in estuaries and near shore areas, at depths of up to . It reaches up to in length, and can weigh ...

, ''Parophrys vetulus'' Image:Psettichthys melanostictus.gif,

Pacific sand sole The Pacific sand sole (''Psettichthys melanostictus''), also known as simply sand sole, is a flatfish species inhabiting the northeastern Pacific waters where it lives on sandy bottoms. The only species in the genus, ''Psettichthys'', it ranges f ...

, ''Psettichthys melanostictus'' Image:Poecilopsetta beanii.jpg,

Deepwater dab The deepwater dab (''Poecilopsetta beanii'') is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a bathydemersal fish that lives on bottoms at depths of . It can reach in length. Its native habitat is the western Atlantic and Caribbean, from New E ...

, ''Poecilopsetta beanii'' Image:Rhombosolea retiaria by Frank Edward Clarke 2.jpg,

Black flounder The black flounder (''Rhombosolea retiaria'') is a flatfish of the genus ''Rhombosolea'', found around New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses� ...

, ''Rhombosolea retiaria''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q647087 Marine fish families Taxa named by Georges Cuvier Fish of Korea

Classification

See also

References