Paralichthyidae

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Wikipedia

Large-tooth flounders
Temporal range: Miocene–present
Summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Carangiformes
Suborder: Pleuronectoidei
Family: Paralichthyidae
Regan, 1910
Type genus
Paralichthys
Girard, 1858
Genera[1]

See text

Large-tooth flounders or sand flounders are a family, Paralichthyidae, of flounders.[1][2] 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, while the Pleuronectidae usually (but not always) have their eyes on the right side of the head.[3]

They are found in temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.[4] Several species are important commercial and game fishes, notably the California halibut, Paralichthys californicus.

Taxonomy

The following genera are placed in this family:[5]

One extinct fossil genus is known in †Evesthes from the Late Miocene of California, USA.[6]

Bigeye flounder, Hippoglossina macrops

Phylogenetic analyses have long indicated the non-monophyly of this family,[7] and two lineages have been consistently apparent. Termed groups, the two groups were named after genera: a Cyclopsetta group and a Pseudorhombus group.[8] The "Cyclopsetta group" was formally described as Cyclopsettidae in 2019, consisting of four genera: Cyclopsetta, Etropus, Citharichthys, and Syacium.[8] Molecular phylogenetic evidence indicates that Paralichthyidae in this sense is sister to Pleuronectidae and Cyclopsettidae is sister to Bothidae.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Paralichthyidae". FishBase. October 2012 version.
  2. ↑ Kells, V.; and Carpenter, K. (2011). A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes from Maine to Texas. ISBN 978-0-8018-9838-9
  3. ↑ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Paralichthyidae Regan, 1910". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  4. ↑ "Paralichthyidae" World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2014-1-26.
  5. ↑ Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Paralichthyidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  6. ↑ California Academy of Sciences (1890). Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco : California Academy of Sciences.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  7. ↑ Pardo, Belén G.; Machordom, Annie; Foresti, Fausto; Porto-Foresti, Fábio; Azevedo, Marisa F. C.; Bañon, Rafael; Sánchez, Laura; Martínez, Paulino (2005-12-30). "Phylogenetic analysis of flatfish (Order Pleuronectiformes) based on mitochondrial 16s rDNA sequences". Scientia Marina. 69 (4): 531–543. Bibcode:2005ScMar..69..531P. doi:10.3989/scimar.2005.69n4531. hdl:10347/22903. ISSN 1886-8134.
  8. 1 2 Campbell, Matthew A.; Chanet, Bruno; Chen, Jhen-Nien; Lee, Mao-Ying; Chen, Wei-Jen (September 2019). "Origins and relationships of the Pleuronectoidei: Molecular and morphological analysis of living and fossil taxa". Zoologica Scripta. 48 (5): 640–656. doi:10.1111/zsc.12372. ISSN 0300-3256. S2CID 202856805.
  9. ↑ Berendzen, Peter B.; Dimmick, Walter Wheaton (August 2002). McEachran, J. D. (ed.). "Phylogenetic Relationships of Pleuronectiformes Based on Molecular Evidence". Copeia. 2002 (3): 642–652. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2002)002[0642:PROPBO]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0045-8511. S2CID 86091999.