Cape Scaldfish
Arnoglossus capensis
Southern flounder
Paralichthys lethostigma
About
The southern flounder lies flat on the seabed, both eyes on one side of its head, watching the water above for a meal to pass by. It grows up to 83 cm long and is one of the largest flounders in the western Atlantic.
- Length
- 50 cm · max 83 cm
- Weight
- max 9.3 kg
- Depth
- up to 43 m
How to tell it apart
Flatfish generally look alike, so check which side the eyes are on: a mirror-image fish with both eyes on the right is a different species.
Appearance
This flatfish has a flat, oval body with both eyes on its left side, the side that faces up as it lies on the bottom. Its skin is brown with faint, pale spots and blotches that do not form clear rings.
Habitat
Southern flounder live over mud bottoms in estuaries and coastal waters down to about 43 m. They tolerate low salt levels well and are sometimes found in brackish or even fresh water near river mouths.
Diet
Young flounder eat small invertebrates on the bottom. Adults switch to a diet of mostly fish, along with crabs and shrimp, hunting from the seabed and just above it.
Breeding
Adults leave the estuaries to spawn offshore in fall and winter. Older, larger fish tend to start this spawning migration earlier than younger ones, and females grow faster and live longer than males.
Is it dangerous?
harmless
Did you know?
Its species name, lethostigma, is Latin and Greek for "death of spots" - a nod to how it lacks the bold, eye-like spots that many other flatfish carry.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
