Plate fish

Bothus lunatus · The plate fish is a flounder living on sandy plains near coral reefs in the warmer parts of the Atlantic, including the Caribbean.

Also called Peacock flounder, Atlantic peacock flounder, Solefish.

Plate fish
Photo: Dan Schofield, CC BY 4.0
Plate fish
Photo: R Vasconcellos, CC BY 4.0
Plate fish
Photo: Waielbi, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCarangiformes
FamilyBothidae
GenusBothus
SpeciesBothus lunatus

Where it lives

Sandy seabeds and reefs from Bermuda and Florida through the Caribbean to Brazil.

Fun facts

  • Both of its eyes sit on the same side of its head, perched on short thick stalks.
  • It can change its skin colour to match its surroundings in just two to eight seconds.
  • A small Caribbean octopus copies its darting swimming bursts, possibly to trick predators into leaving it alone.
  • Fish make up 85.7% of its diet by volume, especially herrings and bigeye scad.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).