Species profile
Atlantic Peacock Flounder
Bothus lunatus
At a glance
Atlantic Peacock Flounder (Bothus lunatus) is an IUCN Least Concern bony-fish species with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.
Confirmed by 1 research-grade iNaturalist observations, concentrated in Florida.
Notable details
- Can change its skin color and pattern to match sand, rubble, or coral in just a few seconds.
- Both eyes migrate to the left side of the body as the fish transforms from larva to juvenile.
- Reaches up to about 45 cm (18 inches) and lives on sandy and rubble bottoms across the Caribbean.
- Males have a distinctively elongated pectoral fin ray used in courtship displays.
- Research has shown it can mimic artificial checkerboard patterns placed on the seafloor.
Where Atlantic Peacock Flounder are seen
Background
The plate fish, Bothus lunatus, is a flounder in the genus Bothus, found in the warmer parts of the Atlantic including the Caribbean. Its typical habitat is sandy plains near coral reefs and it is able to change its colouring to make it well-camouflaged in this environment. It is sometimes known as the peacock flounder, a name also given to the closely related Bothus mancus from the Indo-Pacific.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Atlantic Peacock Flounder article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other bony fish on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.