Gulf Flounder, Paralichthys albigutta
Gulf Flounder, Paralichthys albigutta. Fish caught off the Dunedin Causeway, Dunedin, Florida, September 2011. Length: 25 cm (9.8 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of Ryan Crutchfield, Tampa, Florida.
Gulf Flounder, Paralichthys albigutta. Fish caught from coastal waters off Bradenton, Florida, March 2016. Length: 43 cm (17 inches). Catch, photograph, and identification courtesy of George Brinkman, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
The Gulf Flounder, Paralichthys albigutta, is a member of the Sand Flounder or Paralichthyidae Family, that is also known as the Summer Flounder and in Mexico as lenguado panzablanca. Globally, there are twenty-one species in the genus Paralichthys, of which six are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean.
The Gulf Flounder is a flatfish that has an elongated oval bodies with a depth that is 36% to 42% of standard length. They vary in color to match their substrate, however, most are chocolate brown. They have numerous splotches and spots on their upper body surface with three prominent ocellated spots forming a triangle: two located posteriorly of the pectoral fins and one found inside the base of the caudal fin on the lateral line. Their fins match their body color. Their blind side is off-white. Their eye are on the left side. They are sexual dimorphic with females having eyes set closer together and males having longer pectoral fins. They have a short pointed head and parallel eyes with a flat space in-between. Their upper head profile is straight. They have a large mouth that ends under the rear eye, with one row of teeth on both jaws and large canines in the front. Their anal fin has 53 to 63 rays; their caudal fin is doubly concave with a short blunt point; their dorsal fin has 71 to 85 rays; their pectoral fins are present on both sides of their body with the eye-side fin being short and rounded; and, their pelvic fins are of equal size and have symmetrical bases. They have 9 to 12 lower gill rakers. Both sides of their body are covered with small smooth scales and their lateral line is arched and extends onto their head and branches to the upper eye and below the lower eye.
The Gulf Flounder is a demersal species that is found in a wide variety of coastal habitats including brackish waters, tidal creeks, bays, estuaries, beaches, muddy and sandy bottoms, and near-shore rocky bottoms near structures at depths up to 130 m (425 feet). They reach a maximum length of 71 cm (2 feet 4 inches) and 9.1 kg (20 lbs) in weight. They are opportunistic and well-camouflaged ambush sight predators that lie in wait half submerged on the ocean floor. They consume crustaceans and small fish. The Gulf Flounder is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Gulf Flounder is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic and found in all waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They are not found along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.
The Gulf Flounder is most likely confused with the Southern Flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma (larger in size; lacks three distinct ocellated spots on eye-side).
From a conservation perspective the Gulf Flounder is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are targeted by recreational anglers utilizing light spinning tackle and live mud minnows, live finger mullet, live or frozen shrimp, cut bait or jigs. Along the Gulf Coast of the southern United States they are caught in coastal waters and offshore at distances up to 200 miles and are regulated with length and daily bag limits. They are caught commercially with gill nets, hook and line, trammel nets and gill nets. They are considered to be a quality food fish.