Flowery Flounder, also known as Peacock Flounder, is a type of lefteye flounder fish. It’s part of the family called Bothidae.
This fish is found in shallow waters across the Indo-Pacific region and some warmer parts of the East Pacific.
Flowery Flounders like to live near the sandy bottoms of coastal coral reefs. They usually stay in shallow water and are bottom-dwelling creatures.
These fish prefer hunting mostly at night but can be active during the daytime too. They often crawl over low rocky reefs and sometimes rest on bare rocks.
Their diet includes other fishes, crabs, and shrimps.
Flowery Flounders are collected by divers for their aquariums. As for keeping them in a reef tank, it’s possible. But be cautious as they might disturb other inhabitants due to their hunting behavior.
Flowery Flounder Interesting Facts
- Flowery Flounder is a bottom-dwelling fish found in warm, shallow waters across the Indo-Pacific region.
- They prefer hunting at night and have a diet consisting of other fishes, crabs, and shrimps.
- These flounders grow up to 20.1 inches (51.0 centimeters) in length and weigh up to 1.8 kg.
- Males have unique features such as longer pectoral rays on their eyed side and spines on their snout.
Flowery Flounder Habitat
Flowery Flounder is a tropical fish found in the Indo-Pacific region. Its range includes South Africa, Hawaii, Easter Island, southern Japan, and Lord Howe Island.
This fish also lives near Revillagigedo, Clipperton, and Cocos Islands in the Eastern Pacific.
Flowery Flounder prefers marine environments near reefs and has a depth range of 3 to 150 meters.
It thrives in warm waters between 30°N to 35°S latitude and 29°E to 70°W longitude.
| Water Temperature: | Unknown |
| Water pH: | Unknown |
| Water Hardness: | Unknown |
Flowery Flounder Physical Characteristics
Size: 20.1 inches (51.0 centimeters)
Flowery Flounder grows up to 20.1 inches (51.0 centimeters) long and weigh up to 1.8 kg. It has no dorsal spines but has 96 to 104 dorsal soft rays and 74 to 81 anal soft rays.
The eyed side of the fish has light-colored spots with dark edges and small scattered dark spots. There are usually three dark spots on its lateral line.
Its dorsal and anal fins have rows of spaced-out dark spots, while its pectoral fins have dark crossbars. This fish has a pale brown or light grey body color.
Males have longer pectoral rays on their eyed side, which can reach as far back as the tail fin. Their scales are weakly ctenoid (toothed) on the eyed side and smooth (cycloid) on the blind side.
They also have short gill rakers and a lower jaw extending below the front edge of the lower eye or slightly further back.
Mature male Flowery Flounders have spines on their snout and upper and lower orbital ridges, as well as short tentacles near their eyes.
The body depth ranges from 1/7th to about 1/25th of its standard length (SL).
Flowery Flounder Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Pleuronectiformes |
| Family: | Bothidae |
| Genus: | Bothus |
| Scientific Name: | Bothus mancus |
| Also Known As: | Flowery Flounder, Peacock Flounder |
| Conservation Status: | Least Concern |