The Sand Flounder Family – Paralichthyidae

There are currently TWENTY-FOUR members of the Sand Flounder or Paralichthyidae Family, six from the Atlantic Ocean, seventeen from the Pacific Oceanand one from both the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Oceans,  are presented in this website:

FROM THE ATLANTIC (6):

FROM THE PACIFIC (17):

FROM THE ATLANTIC AND THE PACIFIC (1):

The Sand Flounder or Paralichthyidae Family are flatfish that include the Sanddabs and Flounders that has one hundred fourteen global members that have been placed in fourteen genera. Of these twenty-one species in six genera are found in the Atlantic Ocean; nineteen species in eight genera are found in the Pacific Ocean; and, one species is found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They are known in Mexico as lenguados areneros. They have variable shapes with oval to elongated highly flattened disc-like bodies. The majority are left-eyed but some species have reversals with as many as 50% of their population being right-eyed. They can have either a straight or an arched lateral line that is highly visible on both sides of the body.

The Sand Flounders are a uniform brown or gray on their eye side and many have spots, blotches, or ocelli. They are capable of rapidly changing color to match their background. Their blind side is typically off-white. The rear portion of the body is dark in some males. The majority of Sand Flounders are less than than 25 cm (10 inches) in length, however a few measure up to 150 cm (5 feet 0 inches). They have heads with an asymmetrical protractile mouth and a prominent lower jaw. Their anal and dorsal fins are not attached to their caudal fin. Their dorsal fin is long and originates above their upper eye. They have pectoral fins on both sides of their body and symmetrical pelvic fins with short bases also on both sides of their body. None of their fins have spines. Their lateral line varies from species to species; it is highly arched in Hippoglossina, and the majority of Paralichthys and Xystreurys, and is straight in Citharichthys, Cyclopsetta, Etropus, and Syacium. Some species are sexually dimorphic with differences in fin lengths. Their gender can easily be determined by holding them up to the light – females have long ovaries that extend back into their tail whereas males do not. Reproduction is oviparious with planktonic eggs and larvae.

The Sand Flounders are bottom-dwelling predators, usually burrowing partially or almost entirely in sand or soft mud. Most feed on or near the bottom, but some of the larger species will rise off the bottom to capture prey. Most reside in shallow water but a few can be found at depths of less than 183 m (600 feet). Larger specimens are considered to be an excellent human food fish and are sold commercially. They are caught via trawling, seining, and hook-and-line and marketed fresh, frozen, or as a component of fish meal. One species, the California Halibut, is a major targeted species by recreational anglers. They have been dated to 7.6 million to 8.6 million years via fossils discovered in Southern California.