Kingdom Animalia Family Pleuronectidae Genus Nematops Order Flatfish | Class Actinopterygii Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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Similar Flatfish, Deepwater dab, Indonesian ocellated flounder, Remo flounder, Gray flounder | ||
The small-mouth righteye flounder, Nematops microstoma, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on saltwater bottoms from depths of 304 metres (997 ft). Its natural habitat is the tropical waters of the southwest Pacific. It can grow up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length.
Contents
Range
As of 2011 the small-mouth righteye flounder has been discovered at only two locations, both in the southwest Pacific: the Admiralty Islands, where it was first described by Albert Günther in 1880, and the Gilbert Islands.
Description
The large-scale right-eye flounder is, as its name suggests, a right-eyed flatfish. It has a slender body, 2.3 times long as it is wide, with a short pectoral fin.
Diet
The diet of the large-scale right-eye flounder consists of small zoobenthos organisms.
Nomenclature
The species name, microstoma, is derived from the Greek μικρὸς (mikros), meaning "small", and στόμα (stoma), meaning "mouth".