Bothidae

Lefteye flounders
Scaldfish, Arnoglossus laterna
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Pleuronectiformes
Suborder:	Pleuronectoidei
Family:	Bothidae Regan, 1910
Genera
Arnoglossus Asterorhombus Bothus Chascanopsetta Crossorhombus Engyophrys Engyprosopon Grammatobothus Japonolaeops Kamoharaia Laeops Lophonectes Monolene Neolaeops Parabothus Perissias Psettina Taeniopsetta Tosarhombus Trichopsetta

Lefteye flounders are a family, Bothidae, of flounders. They are called "lefteye flounders" because most species lie on the sea bottom on their right sides, with both eyes on their left sides. A helpful reminder when trying to recall the family name for this fish is that "Bothidae (Both o' dey) eyes are on the same side o' dey head."^[1] The family is also distinguished by the presence of spines on the snout and near the eyes.^[2]

Lefteye flounders vary considerably in size between the more than 160 species, ranging from 4.5 cm (1.8 in) to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length. They include such economically important species as the Japanese halibut.^[2]

• 

  Scaldfish (Arnoglossus laterna) larva

• 

  Wide-eyed flounder, Bothus podas

• 

  Laeops macrophthalmus

• 

  Monolene atrimana

• 

  Deepwater flounder, Monolene sessilicauda

• 

  Sash flounder, Trichopsetta ventralis

See also

• Pleuronectidae, the righteye family of flounders

References

1. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Bothidae" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
2. Chapleau, Francois & Amaoka, Kunio (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 224–225. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.