The Citharidae or largescale flounders are a small

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 maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, tho ...

s with four genera. Three genera are restricted to the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

, while ''

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 fo ...

'' is from the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

and East Atlantic (off northwest Africa). There are a total of seven species. Species reach lengths ranging between . Taxa include: *Subfamily Brachypleurinae **Genus ''Brachypleura'' ***''

Brachypleura novaezeelandiae ''Brachypleura novaezeelandiae'', the yellow-dabbled flounder or yellow citharid, is a species of citharid flounder native to the western and central Indo-Pacific. It occurs at depths from and is of minor importance to commercial fisheries. ...

'' – yellow-dabbled flounder **Genus ''Lepidoblepharon'' ***''

Lepidoblepharon ophthalmolepis ''Lepidoblepharon ophthalmolepis'', the scale-eyed flounder, is a species of citharid flounder found in the western Pacific Ocean, where it is found at depths from . This species grows to a total length of . This species is the only known memb ...

'' – scale-eyed flounder *Subfamily Citharinae **Genus ''

Citharoides ''Citharoides'' is a genus of citharid flounders native to the Indian and West Pacific Oceans. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Citharoides macrolepidotus'' C. L. Hubbs, 1915 (branched-ray flounder) * ''Citharoi ...

'' ***''

Citharoides axillaris ''Citharoides'' is a genus of citharid flounders native to the Indian and West Pacific Oceans. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * ''Citharoides macrolepidotus'' C. L. Hubbs, 1915 (branched-ray flounder) * ''Citharoid ...

'' ***''

Citharoides macrolepidotus ''Citharoides'' is a genus of citharid flounders native to the Indian and West Pacific Oceans. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Citharoides macrolepidotus'' C. L. Hubbs, 1915 (branched-ray flounder) * ''Citharoi ...

'' – branched ray flounder ***''

Citharoides macrolepis ''Citharoides'' is a genus of citharid flounders native to the Indian and West Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Souther ...

'' – twospot largescale flounder ***''

Citharoides orbitalis ''Citharoides'' is a genus of citharid flounders native to the Indian and West Pacific Oceans. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Citharoides macrolepidotus'' C. L. Hubbs, 1915 (branched-ray flounder) * ''Citharoi ...

'' **Genus ''Citharus'' ***''

Citharus linguatula ''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 fo ...

'' – spotted flounder

References

* Joseph S. Nelson: ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' by the American Ichthyology, ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classificat ...

''. John Wiley & Sons, 2006, .

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q378142 Pleuronectiformes Marine fish families Taxa named by Albert Günther