The southern (or armless) flounders are a small
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
, Achiropsettidae, 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 found in
Antarctic
The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
and sub-Antarctic waters. There are four
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
, each with one species.
The bodies of southern flounders are greatly compressed, with both
eye
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...
s on the left side of their heads. 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 separate, and 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 ...
s are rudimentary or entirely absent; none of the fins has spines. 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 straight and well-developed. The family varies considerably in size, from of ''
Pseudomancopsetta andriashevi
''Pseudomancopsetta andriashevi'', the Pygmy flounder, is a species of southern flounder known from deep waters off of the southern coast of Chile as well as from around the Crozet Islands and Prince Edward Islands where it occurs at depths of fr ...
'' to the length of ''
Neoachiropsetta milfordi''.
Little is known of the habits of the species in this family.
See also
*''
Paralichthys lethostigma
''Paralichthys lethostigma'', the southern flounder, is a species of large-tooth flounder native to the East Coast of the United States and the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is a popular sport fish and is the largest and most commercially valuable ...
'', another species of a different order also sometimes called a "southern flounder"
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1288014
Achiropsettidae