A flatfish is a member of the ray-finned demersal fish order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of

Perciformes Perciformes (), also called the Percomorpha or Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish. If considered a single order, they are the most numerous order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means ...

. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around the head during development. Some species face their left sides upward, some face their right sides upward, and others face either side upward. Many important

food fish Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ing ...

are in this order, including the flounders, soles,

turbot The turbot (''Scophthalmus maximus'') is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an ...

plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is al ...

, and

halibut Halibut is the common name for three flatfish in the genera '' Hippoglossus'' and '' Reinhardtius'' from the family of right-eye flounders and, in some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish. The word is derived from ''h ...

. Some flatfish can

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

themselves on the ocean floor.

Taxonomy

Over 800 described species are placed into 16 families. Broadly, the flatfishes are divided into two suborders, Psettodoidei and Pleuronectoidei, with > 99% of the species diversity found within the Pleuronectoidei. The largest families are

Soleidae The true soles are a family, Soleidae, of flatfishes. It includes saltwater and brackish water species in the East Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and West and Central Pacific Ocean. Freshwater species are found in Africa, southern Asia, New Guinea, and ...

, Bothidae and Cynoglossidae with more than 150 species each. There also exist two monotypic families (

Paralichthodidae The peppered flounder (''Paralichthodes algoensis'') is a flatfish of the family Paralichthodidae and the only species of the genus ''Paralichthodes''. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy and muddy bottoms in subtropical waters, at depths ...

and Oncopteridae). Some families are the results of relatively recent splits. For example, the Achiridae were classified as a subfamily of Soleidae in the past, and the

Samaridae Samaridae (''Samariscus corallines'') is a family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to mainta ...

were considered a subfamily of the Pleuronectidae.Randall, J. E. (2007). ''Reef and Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands.'' Cooper, J.A.; and Chapleau, F. (1998). ''Monophyly and intrarelationships of the family Pleuronectidae (Pleuronectiformes), with a revised classification.'' Fish. Bull. 96 (4): 686–726. The families

Poecilopsettidae The Poecilopsettidae are a family of flatfish in the order Pleuronectiformes, comprising three genera and 21 species. Species are typically demersal, living on marine bottoms at depths between in the Indo-Pacific and northwestern Atlantic; the ...

, and

Rhombosoleidae Rhombosoleidae is a family of flatfish in the order Pleuronectiformes, comprising nine genera and 19 species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a u ...

were also traditionally treated as subfamilies of Pleuronectidae, but are now recognised as families in their own right. The Paralichthyidae has long been indicated to be paraphyletic, with the formal description of Cyclopsettidae in 2019 resulting in the split of this family as well. The

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of some groups is in need of a review, as the last monograph covering the entire order was

John Roxborough Norman John Roxborough Norman (1898, Wandsworth, London – 26 May 1944, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) was an English ichthyologist. He started as a clerk in a bank. His lifetime affliction with rheumatic fever began during his military service during the ...

's ''Monograph of the Flatfishes'' published in 1934. In particular, ''

Tephrinectes sinensis ''Tephrinectes sinensis'', the Chinese brill, is a species of flatfish in the large-tooth flounder family, Paralichthyidae. It is the only member of its genus ''Tephrinectes''. Like the rest of the large-tooth flounders, it has both eyes on th ...

'' may represent a family-level lineage and requires further evaluation e.g. New species are described with some regularity and

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

likely remain.

Hybrids

Hybrids are well known in flatfishes. The Pleuronectidae, of marine fishes, have the largest number of reported hybrids.Garrett, D.L.; Pietsch, T.W.; Utter, F.M.; and Hauser, L. (2007). ''The Hybrid Sole Inopsetta ischyra (Teleostei: Pleuronectiformes: Pleuronectidae): Hybrid or Biological Species?'' American Fisheries Society 136: 460–468 Two of the most famous

intergeneric hybrid In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents (such as in ...

s are between the

European plaice The European plaice (''Pleuronectes platessa''), commonly referred to as simply plaice, is a species of marine flatfish in the genus Pleuronectes of the family Pleuronectidae. Description The European plaice is characterized, on their dorsal ...

(''Pleuronectes platessa'') and

European flounder The European flounder (''Platichthys flesus'') is a flatfish of European coastal waters from the White Sea in the north to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in the south. It has been introduced into the United States and Canada accidentally th ...

(''Platichthys flesus'') in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

, and between the English sole (''Parophrys vetulus'') and starry flounder (''Platichthys stellatus'') in

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

. The offspring of the latter species pair is popularly known as the hybrid sole and was initially believed to be a valid species in its own right.

Distribution

Flatfishes are found in oceans worldwide, ranging from the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

, through the tropics, to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

. Species diversity is centered in the Indo-West Pacific and declines following both latitudinal and longitudinal gradients away from the Indo-West Pacific. Most species are found in depths between 0 and , but a few have been recorded from depths in excess of . None have been confirmed from the

abyssal The abyssal zone or abyssopelagic zone is a layer of the pelagic zone of the ocean. "Abyss" derives from the Greek word , meaning bottomless. At depths of , this zone remains in perpetual darkness. It covers 83% of the total area of the ocean a ...

hadal zone The hadal zone, also known as the hadopelagic zone, is the deepest region of the ocean, lying within oceanic trenches. The hadal zone ranges from around below sea level, and exists in long, narrow, topographic V-shaped depressions. The cumula ...

s. An observation of a flatfish from the

Bathyscaphe Trieste ''Trieste'' is a Swiss-designed, Italian-built deep-diving research bathyscaphe which reached a record depth of about in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench near Guam in the Pacific. On 23 January 1960, Jacques Piccard (son of the boat ...

at the bottom of the

Mariana Trench The Mariana Trench is an oceanic trench located in the western Pacific Ocean, about east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about in length and in width. The maximum known ...

at a depth of almost has been questioned by fish experts, and recent authorities do not recognize it as valid. Among the deepwater species, ''

Symphurus thermophilus ''Symphurus thermophilus'' is a species of tonguefish notable for being the only flatfish known to be an obligate inhabitant of hydrothermal vents. It is known from several widely dispersed locations in the western Pacific Ocean and occurs in gre ...

'' lives congregating around "ponds" of sulphur at hydrothermal vents on the seafloor. No other flatfish is known from hydrothermal vents. Many species will enter

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estu ...

or fresh water, and a smaller number of soles (families Achiridae and

) and tonguefish ( Cynoglossidae) are entirely restricted to fresh water.

Characteristics

The most obvious characteristic of the flatfish is its asymmetry, with both eyes lying on the same side of the head in the adult fish. In some families, the eyes are usually on the right side of the body (dextral or right-eyed flatfish), and in others, they are usually on the left (sinistral or left-eyed flatfish). The primitive

spiny turbot The spiny turbots are a family, Psettodidae, of relatively large, primitive flatfish found in the tropical waters of the east Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. The family contains just three species, all in the same genus, ''Psettodes''. The common nam ...

s include equal numbers of right- and left-sided individuals, and are generally less asymmetrical than the other families. Other distinguishing features of the order are the presence of protrusible eyes, another adaptation to living on the

seabed The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...

(

benthos Benthos (), also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone.camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

the fish, but sometimes with striking coloured patterns. Some flatfishes are also able to change their pigmentation to match the background, in a manner similar to some cephalopods. The side of the body without the eyes, facing the seabed, is usually colourless or very pale. In general, flatfishes rely on their camouflage for avoiding predators, but some have

aposematic Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste o ...

traits such as conspicuous eyespots (e.g., ''

Microchirus ocellatus ''Microchirus'' is a genus of soles native to the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Species There are currently seven recognized species in this genus: * '' Microchirus azevia'' ( Brito Capello, 1867) (Bastard sole) * '' Microchirus ...

'') and several small tropical species (at least '' Aseraggodes'', ''

Pardachirus ''Pardachirus'' is a genus of soles mainly native to coastal water in the Indo-Pacific. A single species, ''P. poropterus'' is restricted to estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers ...

'' and '' Zebrias'') are poisonous. Juveniles of ''

Soleichthys maculosus ''Soleichthys'' is a genus of small soles native to coastal waters in the Indo-Pacific. Species There are currently eight recognized species in this genus: * ''Soleichthys dori'' J. E. Randall & Munroe, 2008 * '' Soleichthys heterorhinos'' ( ...

mimic MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...

toxic flatworms of the genus ''

Pseudobiceros ''Pseudobiceros'' is a genus of flatworms. Like all flatworms, Pseudobiceros are hermaphrodites. This particular genus engages in penis fencing. When the "winner" touches its penis to the "skin" of the other, insemination occurs, and the "loser" ...

'' in both colours and swimming mode. Conversely, a few octopus species have been reported to mimic flatfishes in colours, shape and swimming mode. The flounders and spiny turbots eat smaller fish, and have well-developed teeth. They sometimes seek prey in the midwater, away from the bottom, and show fewer extreme adaptations than other families. The soles, by contrast, are almost exclusively bottom-dwellers, and feed on invertebrates. They show a more extreme asymmetry, and may lack teeth on one side of the jaw. Flatfishes range in size from ''

Tarphops oligolepis ''Tarphops'' is a genus of large-tooth flounder 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 ...

'', measuring about in length, and weighing , to the Atlantic halibut, at and .

Species and species groups

Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...

* Dab * Sanddab * Flounder *

Halibut Halibut is the common name for three flatfish in the genera '' Hippoglossus'' and '' Reinhardtius'' from the family of right-eye flounders and, in some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish. The word is derived from ''h ...

Megrim The megrim, megrim sole, whiff, or Cornish sole (''Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis'') is a species of left-eyed flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is found in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea between below sea level. It is caught ...

Plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is al ...

* Sole *

Tonguefish Tonguefishes are flatfish in the family Cynoglossidae. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their bodies, which also ...

Turbot The turbot (''Scophthalmus maximus'') is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an ...

Reproduction

Flatfishes lay eggs that hatch into larvae resembling typical, symmetrical, fish. These are initially elongated, but quickly develop into a more rounded form. The larvae typically have protective spines on the head, over the gills, and in the pelvic and pectoral fins. They also possess a swim bladder, and do not dwell on the bottom, instead dispersing from their hatching grounds as

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...

. The length of the planktonic stage varies between different types of flatfishes, but eventually they begin to metamorphose into the adult form. One of the eyes migrates across the top of the head and onto the other side of the body, leaving the fish blind on one side. The larva also loses its swim bladder and spines, and sinks to the bottom, laying its blind side on the underlying surface.

Evolution

In 2008, a 50-million-year-old fossil, '' Amphistium'', was identified as an early relative of the flatfish and

transitional fossil A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains of a life form that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group. This is especially important where the descendant group is sharply differentiated by gross a ...

. In a typical modern flatfish, the head is asymmetric, with both eyes on one side of the head. In ''Amphistium'', the transition from the typical symmetric head of a vertebrate is incomplete, with one eye placed near the top of the head. The researchers concluded, "the change happened gradually, in a way consistent with evolution via

natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Cha ...

—not suddenly, as researchers once had little choice but to believe." Flatfishes have been cited as dramatic examples of evolutionary adaptation. Richard Dawkins, in ''

The Blind Watchmaker ''The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design'' is a 1986 book by Richard Dawkins, in which the author presents an explanation of, and argument for, the theory of evolution by means of natural selecti ...

'', explains the flatfishes' evolutionary history thus:

…bony fish as a rule have a marked tendency to be flattened in a vertical direction…. It was natural, therefore, that when the ancestors of latfishtook to the sea bottom, they should have lain on one ''side''…. But this raised the problem that one eye was always looking down into the sand and was effectively useless. In evolution this problem was solved by the lower eye ‘moving’ round to the upper side.

File:Pleuronectes platessa.jpg, The

is the principal commercial flatfish in Europe. File:Lined sole.jpg, American soles are found in both freshwater and marine environments of the Americas. File:Alaska 2007 071.jpg,

are the largest of the flatfishes, and provide lucrative fisheries. File:Psetta maxima Luc Viatour.jpg, The

is a large, left-eyed flatfish found in sandy shallow coastal waters around Europe. File:Flatfish-lefteyed-flounder.jpg, Flatfish (left‐eyed flounder)

As food

Flatfish is considered a Whitefish because of the high concentration of oils within its liver. Its lean flesh makes for a unique flavor that differs from species to species. Methods of cooking include grilling, pan-frying, baking and deep-frying.

Timeline of genera

ImageSize = width:600px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px Period = from:-65.5 till:15 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:-65.5 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-65.5 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify Colors = #legends id:CAR value:claret id:ANK value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196) id:HER value:teal id:HAD value:green id:OMN value:blue id:white value:black id:white value:white id:cenozoic value:rgb(0.54,0.54,0.258) id:paleogene value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32) id:paleocene value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37) id:eocene value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42) id:oligocene value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48) id:neogene value:rgb(0.999999,0.9,0.1) id:miocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.999999,0) id:pliocene value:rgb(0.97,0.98,0.68) id:quaternary value:rgb(0.98,0.98,0.5) id:pleistocene value:rgb(0.999999,0.95,0.68) id:holocene value:rgb(0.999,0.95,0.88) BarData= bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:NAM2 bar:NAM3 bar:NAM4 bar:NAM5 bar:NAM6 bar:NAM7 bar:NAM8 bar:NAM9 bar:NAM10 bar:NAM11 bar:NAM12 bar:NAM13 bar:NAM14 bar:NAM15 bar:NAM16 bar:NAM17 bar:NAM18 bar:NAM19 bar:NAM20 bar:NAM21 bar:NAM22 bar:NAM23 bar:NAM24 bar:NAM25 bar:NAM26 bar:NAM27 bar:NAM28 bar:NAM29 bar:NAM30 bar:NAM31 bar:NAM32 bar:NAM33 bar:NAM34 bar:NAM35 bar:NAM36 bar:NAM37 bar:NAM38 bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4) bar:periodtop from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''pal ...

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text: Oligocene from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:

Pleist. The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:eratop from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text: Paleogene from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text: Neogene from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q. PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left color:eocene bar:NAM1 from:-55.8 till:-33.9 text: Amphistium color:eocene bar:NAM2 from:-55.8 till:-33.9 text:

Eobothus ''Eobothus'' ('Dawn flounder') is an extinct genus of flatfish from the Eocene epoch of China, India and Europe. ''Eobothus'' is significant as one of the earliest genera of flatfish, one of the last major fish groups to evolve. It closely resem ...

color:eocene bar:NAM3 from:-55.8 till:-33.9 text:

Eobuglossus ''Eobuglossus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived from the early to middle Eocene. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: ...

color:eocene bar:NAM4 from:-55.8 till:-33.9 text:

Imhoffius ''Imhoffius'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived from the early to middle Eocene. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish References

Eocene fish {{pleuronectiformes-stub ...

color:eocene bar:NAM5 from:-55.8 till:-33.9 text: Joleaudichthys color:eocene bar:NAM6 from:-55.8 till:-33.9 text:

Turahbuglossus ''Turahbuglossus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived from the early to middle Eocene. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: ...

color:eocene bar:NAM7 from:-55.8 till:0 text: Scophthalmus color:eocene bar:NAM8 from:-55.8 till:0 text:

Citharus ''Citharus linguatula'', the spotted flounder or Atlantic spotted flounder, is a species of fish in the Citharidae, a family of flounders. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean (off northwest Africa) and the Mediterranean Sea, where it is f ...

color:eocene bar:NAM9 from:-55.8 till:0 text: Psettodes color:eocene bar:NAM10 from:-37.2 till:0 text: Arnoglossus color:oligocene bar:NAM11 from:-33.9 till:0 text:

Bothus ''Bothus'' is a genus of flatfish in the family Bothidae (lefteye flounders) from the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Some species in this genus have spots consisting of blue rings. Species There are currently 16 recognized species in thi ...

color:oligocene bar:NAM12 from:-33.9 till:0 text: Monolene color:oligocene bar:NAM13 from:-33.9 till:0 text: Solea color:oligocene bar:NAM14 from:-28.4 till:0 text:

Buglossidium The solenette or yellow sole, ''Buglossidium luteum'', is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae, and the only member of its genus. It is characterized by its small size, low-slung semi-circular mouth, and regularly placed dark fin rays. ...

color:oligocene bar:NAM15 from:-28.4 till:0 text:

Hippoglossoides ''Hippoglossoides'' is a genus of righteye flounders native to the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. Species There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * ''Hippoglossoides dubius'' Schmidt, 1904 (Flathead flounder) * ''H ...

color:oligocene bar:NAM16 from:-28.4 till:0 text: Lepidorhombus color:miocene bar:NAM17 from:-23.03 till:0 text: Dicologoglossa color:miocene bar:NAM18 from:-23.03 till:0 text:

Paraplagusia ''Paraplagusia'' is a genus of tonguefish. It is indigenous to the Indo-Pacific region, where commonly found in shallow waters on a muddy or sandy bottom. The largest species reaches in length. Species The currently recognized species in this g ...

color:miocene bar:NAM19 from:-23.03 till:0 text: Platichthys color:miocene bar:NAM20 from:-15.97 till:0 text: Achiurus color:miocene bar:NAM21 from:-15.97 till:0 text:

Microchirus ''Microchirus'' is a genus of soles native to the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Species There are currently seven recognized species in this genus: * '' Microchirus azevia'' ( Brito Capello, 1867) (Bastard sole) * '' Microchirus ...

color:miocene bar:NAM22 from:-15.97 till:0 text: Microstomus color:miocene bar:NAM23 from:-11.608 till:-5.332 text:

Evesthes ''Evesthes'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Upper Miocene subepoch. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: ...

color:miocene bar:NAM24 from:-11.608 till:0 text: Citharichthys color:miocene bar:NAM25 from:-11.608 till:0 text:

Monochirus ''Monochirus'' is a genus of small soles. It contains two species; one from the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean, and the second from the South China Sea. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * ''Monochirus hisp ...

color:miocene bar:NAM26 from:-11.608 till:0 text:

Paralichthys ''Paralichthys'' is a genus of large-tooth flounders. Most species are native to the coastal waters of the Americas, but ''P. olivaceus'' is from northeast Asia. The largest species reaches about in length. Species There are currently almost 20 ...

color:miocene bar:NAM27 from:-11.608 till:0 text:

Pleuronichthys ''Pleuronichthys'' is a genus of fish in the family Pleuronectidae found in the Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently 7 recognized species in this genus: * '' Pleuronichthys coenosus'' Girard, 1854 (C-O sole) * '' Pleuronichthys cornu ...

color:pliocene bar:NAM28 from:-5.332 till:0 text:

Atheresthes ''Atheresthes'' is a genus of righteye flounders native to the north Pacific Ocean where both species are important commercially. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * '' Atheresthes evermanni'' Jordan & Starks, 19 ...

color:pliocene bar:NAM29 from:-5.332 till:0 text:

Clidoderma ''Clidoderma'' is a genus of righteye flounders containing one extant species and two described fossil species from Japan. Fossil species Two fossil species are known from the Miocene of Japan. '' C. chitaensis'' Ohe & Kawase 1995 is known ...

color:pliocene bar:NAM30 from:-5.332 till:0 text:

Glyptocephalus ''Glyptocephalus'' is a genus of righteye flounders found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans Etymology The word ''Glytocephalus'' is derived from the Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a co ...

color:pliocene bar:NAM31 from:-5.332 till:0 text: Limanda color:pliocene bar:NAM32 from:-5.332 till:0 text:

Lyopsetta The slender sole (''Lyopsetta exilis'') is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on bottoms near rocky areas at depths of between . Its native habitat is the eastern Pacific coast, from the mouth of the Alsek R ...

color:pliocene bar:NAM33 from:-5.332 till:0 text:

Pegusa ''Pegusa'' is a genus of soles native to the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Pegusa cadenati'' Chabanaud, 1954 (Cadenat's sole) * ''Pegusa impar'' ( E. ...

color:pleistocene bar:NAM34 from:-2.588 till:-0.0117 text:

Chibapsetta ''Chibapsetta dolichurostyli'' is an extinct species of prehistoric right-eye flounder that lived during the Pleistocene epoch in what is now Japan. See also * Prehistoric fish * List of prehistoric bony fish References

Pleistocene fis ...

color:pleistocene bar:NAM35 from:-2.588 till:0 text: Eopsetta color:pleistocene bar:NAM36 from:-2.588 till:0 text:

Isopsetta The butter sole (''Isopsetta isolepis'') is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on soft, silty bottoms in temperate waters at depths between . Its native habitat is the northeastern Pacific, from the ...

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Parophrys The English sole (''Parophrys vetulus'') is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy and muddy bottoms in estuaries and near shore areas, at depths of up to . It reaches up to in length, and can weigh up ...

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Symphurus ''Symphurus'' is a genus of fish in the family Cynoglossidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Most species mainly occur in relatively shallow water, including estuaries. Some species are also found in deeper water, including '' ...

PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -65.5 till: -55.8 color:paleocene text:

from: -55.8 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:

from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text: Oligocene from: -23.03 till: -5.332 color:miocene text:

from: -5.332 till: -2.588 color:pliocene text: Plio. from: -2.588 till: -0.0117 color:pleistocene text:

from: -0.0117 till: 0 color:holocene text: H. bar:era from: -65.5 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text: Paleogene from: -23.03 till: -2.588 color:neogene text: Neogene from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text: Q.

References

Further references

* * Gibson, Robin N (Ed) (2008) Flatfishes: biology and exploitation. Wiley. * Munroe, Thomas A (2005) "Distributions and biogeography." Flatfishes: Biology and Exploitation: 42-67.

External links

Information on Canadian fisheries of plaice
{{Authority control Commercial fish Articles which contain graphical timelines Extant Paleocene first appearances Asymmetry