Family PARALICHTHYIDAE

Paralichthyidae

© Copyright D.F. Hoese.

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

Introduction

The Paralichthyidae currently comprise 16 genera and around 105 species (Nelson 2006), with two genera and 13 species known from Australian waters.

Sand flounders occur in tropical and temperate regions of the world, living in coastal embayments and on the continental shelf to depths of at least 200 metres. Their eyes are generally on the left side of the head. They are of medium size, generally less than 50 cm.

This group was separated from the Bothidae by Hensley & Ahlstrom (1984) and many workers still place the only Australian representatives, species of the genus Pseudorhombus, in the Bothidae.

Many of the species, as currently recognised, are widely distributed and a thorough taxonomic revision is needed. Little work has been done on the group since Norman (1934). Temperate Australian species are treated in Gomon (1994) and all species known from Australia are treated in Amaoka & Hensley (2001).

General References

Amaoka, K. & Hensley, D.A. 2001. Paralichthyidae. pp. 3842-3862 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.

Gomon, M.F. 1994. Family Bothidae. pp. 844-850, figs 747-752 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.

Gomon, M.F. 2008. Family Paralichthyidae. pp. 806-807 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. [806]

Hensley, D.A. & Ahlstrom, E.H. 1984. Pleuronectiformes: relationships. pp. 670-687 in Moser, H.G. et al. (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Special Publication 1: 1-760

Hoese, D.F. & Bray, D.J. 2006. Paralichthyidae. pp. 1826-1830 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [1826]

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.

Norman, J.R. 1934. A Systematic Monograph of the Flatfishes (Heterosomata) Psettodidae, Bothidae, Pleuronectidae. London : British Museum Vol. 1 459 pp. 317 figs.

Common Name References

Amaoka, K. & Hensley, D.A. 2001. Paralichthyidae. pp. 3842-3862 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218. [3842] (Sand Flounders)

History of changes