| Pleuronectidae Temporal range:
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| European plaice, Pleuronectes platessa | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Suborder: | Pleuronectoidei |
| Family: | Pleuronectidae Rafinesque, 1815 |
| Subfamilies and genera[1] | |
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Genus †Chibapsetta
Subfamily Hippoglossinae
Subfamily Microstominae
Subfamily Pleuronectinae
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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.[1] The Paralichthyidae are the opposite, with their eyes on the left side. A small number of species in Pleuronectidae can also have their eyes on the left side, notably the members of the genus Platichthys.[2][3][4]
Their dorsal and anal fins are long and continuous, with the dorsal fin extending forward onto the head. Females lay eggs that float in mid-water until the larvae develop, and they sink to the bottom.[5]
They are found on the bottoms of oceans around the world, with some species, such as the Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, being found down to 2,000 m (6,560 ft). The smaller species eat sea-floor invertebrates such as polychaetes and crustaceans, but the larger righteye flounders, such as H. hippoglossus, which grows up to 4.7 m (15 ft) in length,[6] feed on other fishes and cephalopods, as well.
They include many important commercially fished species, including not only the various fish called flounders, but also the European plaice, the halibuts, the lemon sole, the common dab, the Pacific Dover sole, and the flukes.
The name of the family is derived from the Greek πλευρά (pleura), meaning "rib" or "side", and νηκτόν (nekton), meaning "swimming".
Classification
The family has four subfamilies:
- Atheresthinae – one genus with 2 species
- Hippoglossinae – 9 extant species in seven genera
- Microstominae – 9 species in two genera
- Pleuronectinae – 36 species in 14 genera
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Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus -
Greenland halibut, Reinhardtius hippoglossoides -
American plaice, H. platessoides -
Witch, Glyptocephalus cynoglossus -
Lemon sole, Microstomus kitt -
Common dab, Limanda limanda -
English sole, Parophrys vetulus -
Pacific sand sole, Psettichthys melanostictus
See also
- Bothidae, the lefteye family of flounders
References
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Pleuronectidae". FishBase. October 2012 version.
- ^ Eschmeyer W.N.; Herald, E.S.; and Hammann, H. (1983). A Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes. Peterson Field Guides. ISBN 978-0-618-00212-2.
- ^ Muus, B.J; Nielsen, J.G.; Dahlstrøm, P.; Nyström, B.O. (1991). Sea Fish. ISBN 978-87-90787-00-4.
- ^ Bailly, Nicolas (2015). "Pleuronectidae Rafinesque, 1815". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
- ^ Chapleau, Francois & Amaoka, Kunio (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-12-547665-2.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Hippoglossus hippoglossus". FishBase. June 2009 version.
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