Crested flounder
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Lophonectes gallus Günther, 1880 |
The crested flounder, Lophonectes gallus, is a lefteye flounder of the genus Lophonectes, found around south eastern Australia, and New Zealand, in shallow enclosed waters such as estuaries, harbours, mudflats, and sandflats, in waters less than 240 m in depth. Their length is from 10 to 20 cm.
The crested flounder is a lefteye flounder meaning it has both eyes on the left side of the head and lies on its right side. It has the typical flattened oval shape of the flounder with the dorsal and anal fins forming a fringe around most of the body. The anterior dorsal fin rays are greatly elongated, especially in the male. They swim by means of slight undulations of their fins and the outer edges of the body, keeping in contact with the bottom and seeming to "slide".
The colouring is grey on the back with many small dark spots.
The crested flounder eats worms, small crustaceans, and organic matter found in sand and mud. Like the witch it is not a popular foodfish.
[edit] References
- "Lophonectes gallus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
