| Peppered flounder | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Pleuronectiformes |
| Family: | Pleuronectidae |
| Genus: | Paralichthodes |
| Species: | P. algoensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Paralichthodes algoensis (Gilchrist, 1902) |
|
The peppered flounder, Paralichthodes algoensis, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae 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 of up to 100 metres (330 ft). Its native habitat is the southeastern Atlantic and the western Indian Ocean, specifically the African coastline from Mossel Bay, South Africa, to Delagoa Bay, Mozambique. It grows up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in length.[2][3]
The peppered flounder is a right-eyed flounder with an elongated, compressed oval-shaped body. Its upper surface is brownish grey with small dark spots, and its underside is white; the lateral line is equally developed on both sides. It has a relatively large and symmetrically developed mouth.[2][3]