The bay whiff (''Citharichthys spilopterus'') is part of the family

Paralichthyidae Large-tooth flounders or sand flounders are a family, Paralichthyidae, of flounders. The family contains 14 genera with a total of about 110 species. They lie on the sea bed on their right side; both eyes are always on the left side of the head, ...

. This family is known as "left-eye flounders". They are one of the most common flatfish of the Gulf of Mexico. They are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

ambush predators with the ability to camouflage themselves on or just below the surface. They are often solitary animals with few individuals. They vary in color from light to dark in life and are brownish in color after death. They have two dark spots on the caudal peduncle and a light spot under the pectoral fin. The average size of the Bay whiff is 15 cm and the maximum recorded length is 20 cm. The lateral line is straight along the body. It has a large mouth. The

opercle The operculum is a series of bones found in bony fish and chimaeras that serves as a facial support structure and a protective covering for the gills; it is also used for respiration and feeding. Anatomy The opercular series contains four bon ...

on the blind side has no

cirri Giovanni Battista Cirri (1 October 1724 – 11 June 1808) was an Italian cellist and composer in the 18th century. Biography Cirri was born in Forlì in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy. He had his first musical training with his brother ...

. Their

pelvic fins Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

are also asymmetrical.

Diet

Not much is known about its feeding habits but what is known is that they feed mainly on zooplankton and zoobenthos. Cannibalism has been reported among smaller juveniles.

Habitat

The bay whiff lives along the bottom of coastal waters in depths from forty fathoms to twenty fathoms. They have a high salinity tolerance and have been found near freshwater areas as low as 0.9 psu to coastal waters exceeding 35 psu.

Reproduction and life cycle

Spawning season for ''C. spilopterus'' vary with location. Water temperature is a main reason for this reason for this variation. Populations in Brazil spawn from March to May and November, the North Carolina season is restricted to February and March, and Puerto Rico fishes spawn from November to May, and the peak of spawning occurs in both winter and spring in Louisiana. In Florida, the large presence of juveniles in May suggests a spring spawning season.

Distribution

They are found throughout the western Atlantic from New Jersey through the Caribbean to Brazil. They are distributed throughout the Gulf of Mexico and move into the bays and shallow waters during the warmer months of the year.

Other species mistaken for the bay whiff

Three similarly-sized species of ''

Citharichthys ''Citharichthys'' is a genus of flatfish in the large-tooth flounder family, Paralichthyidae. They have both eyes on the left sides of their heads. They are native to the oceans around the Americas, with a single species, ''C. stampflii'' off the ...

'' have been found and are similar to the bay whiff. The Gulf Stream flounder, ''C. arctifrons''; the sand whiff, ''C. arenaceus''; and the spotted whiff, ''C. macrops''.4

Diet

Habitat

Reproduction and life cycle

Distribution

Other species mistaken for the bay whiff

References

Further reading