Peacock flounder
📖 Overview
Inhabits muddy and sandy bottoms . Feeds on small benthic animals . Caught mainly with bottom prawn trawls .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 67 - 72; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 51 - 55. Body brownish, 2 double or tripe ocelli above and below lateral line and 1 on posterior third of straight section of lateral line. Many dark spots and rings scattered on body and median fins. Pectoral fin on ocular side with 12-13 rays. Pelvic fins short based, subequal and sub symmetrical in position, posterior 3-4 rays branched.: short and / or deep.
🌀 Behaviour
Bothus lunatus is well-camouflaged as it lies on the sandy seabed, often partially submerged in the sediment. It is more visible when it swims, which it does in a series of short glides, remaining close to the rippled sand contours of the ocean floor. In the Caribbean, a small octopus, Macrotritopus defilippi, mimics these bursts of swimming activity, a behaviour which might afford it protection from predators large enough to take a bite out of a soft-bodied octopus but too small to tackle a rigid flounder. In the West Indies, Bothus lunatus largely feeds on fishes, which make up 85.7% of its diet by volume, and particularly on herrings in the genus Jenkinsia and the bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus). Another 11.4% of its diet consists of mantis shrimps and 2.9% of octopuses. Bothus lunatus is believed to be an ambush predator, lying concealed on the seabed before darting out to catch any unwary prey that moves too close.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Distinct pairing .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; demersal; depth range 13 - 78 m , usually 15 - 25 m . Tropical West Pacific: Indo-Australian Archipelago.
🌿 Ecology
small benthic animals (Ref
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Ocellated Flounder · Pacific Eyed Flounder · Peacock Flounder |
| 🌍MSA | Sisa Nabi |
| 🇨🇳Chinese | 光亮斑鮃 |
Scientific Synonyms
| Scientific Name | Author | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnoglossus wakiyai | Schmidt | 1931 | Synonym |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 2 records indexed .
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