Samaridae (''Samariscus corallines'') is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of crested flounders, small flatfishes native to the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

. 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 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 opp ...

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 fish and a lighter pigment on bottom. They have a stabilizing dorsal fin on top of the fish that stems from a point in front of the eyes. They have a basic lateral line organ to detect the movement of the water around them and lack a postcletherium. Samaridae can range between 4 and 23 centimeters at length depending on the species. Samaridae have no spines in their fins with a protruding lower jaw and an asymmetrical nose located on the lower side opposite the eyes.

Habitat

The Samaridae are native to marine areas in the Indo-Pacific region, from South Africa to Hawaii and New Caledonia. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in deep-water

Benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

zones. They are found in saltwater only. Samaridae can also be found near coastal regions with coral reefs up to depths of 150 meters.

Behavior

Locomotion

Samaridae are negatively buoyant and while they are able to swim through the water column, they spend most of their time on the ocean