Flounder habitat conditions. River flounder - Platichthys flesus (and other types of flounder)

Flounders, or right-sided flounders (Pleuronectidae) are representatives of the family from the class of ray-finned fish, belonging to the order Flounders. The composition of this family includes six dozen species of fish with a characteristic appearance.

Description of flounder

A peculiarity of representatives of the Flounder family is the location of the eyes on the right side of the head, due to which such fish are called Right-sided flounders. However, so-called reverse or left-sided flounder forms are sometimes found. The pelvic fins are symmetrical and have a narrow base.

General characteristics of all types of the family:

flat body;
elongated dorsal and anal fins with numerous rays;
asymmetrical head;
protruding and closely spaced eyes that function independently of each other;
the presence of a lateral line passing between the eyes;
slanted mouth and sharp teeth;
shortened caudal peduncle;
blind light side covered with rough and durable skin.

Flounder eggs are characterized by the absence of a fat drop, are floating, and the entire development process occurs in the water column or its upper layers. All five species of flounder spawn bottom-type eggs.

Appearance

Regardless of the taxon, all flounders prefer a bottom lifestyle, live at depth and are characterized by a flattened thin body oval or diamond-shaped.

River flounder (Platichthys flesus) includes Star flounder, Black Sea flounder and Arctic flounder:

Star flounder (Platichthys stellatus) is a species with reverse left-sided eyes, a dark greenish or brown color, wide black stripes on the fins and spiked star-shaped plates on the eye side. Average length body is 50-60 cm with a body weight of 3-4 kg;
Black Sea Kalkan (Scophthalmidae) is a species distinguished by its left eye position, round body shape and many tuberous spines that are scattered on the surface of the sighted brown-olive side. The length of an adult fish is more than a meter with an average weight of 20 kg;
Arctic flounder (Liopsetta glacialis) is a cold-resistant species with an elongated oval body of a uniform dark brownish color with brick-colored fins.

Sea flounder feels comfortable in salty waters. Such species are characterized by a very large variation in size, body shape, fin color, and location of the blind and sighted sides:

Sea flounder (Pleuronectes platessa) is a basal taxon with a main color of brown-green and the presence of reddish or orange spots. Representatives of the species grow up to 6-7 kg with a maximum size of within a meter. The species has developed mimicry;
Southern White-bellied And northern flounder belong to the sea bottom fish, often growing up to 50 cm. A feature of the appearance is the presence of an arched diluted lateral line, the milky color of the blind side, the eye part is brown or wheat-brown;
Yellowfin flounder (Limanda aspera) is a cold-loving species, distinguished by the presence of scales with spines and a rounded brown body framed by yellow-golden fins. The maximum size of an adult fish is approximately 45-50 cm with an average weight of 0.9-1.0 kg;
Halibuts are represented by five species, the largest of which grow up to 4.5 meters with an average weight of 330-350 kg, and the smallest representative is the arrow-toothed halibut, which very rarely gains weight more than 8 kg with a body length of 70-80 cm.

Far Eastern flounder is a collective name that unites a dozen taxa, the so-called flat fish. This species includes yellowfin, star and white-bellied forms, as well as two-lined, proboscis, long-snouted, halibut, yellow-bellied, warty and other flounders.

Character and lifestyle

Flounder leads a predominantly solitary and bottom-dwelling lifestyle. Representatives of the family very skillfully camouflage themselves into the surrounding landscape (mimicry). Such fish spend a significant part of their time lying on the surface of the aquatic soil or burying themselves up to their eyes in various bottom sediments. Thanks to this very rational natural camouflage flounder manages not only to catch prey from a kind of ambush, but also to hide from larger aquatic predators.

Even despite some slowness and apparent clumsiness, the flounder is simply accustomed to moving slowly along the ground, which is caused by wave-like movements. However, if necessary, flounder becomes easy excellent swimmer. Such a fish takes off almost instantly, and over relatively short distances it can easily reach fairly high speeds.

In forced situations, the flounder literally “shoots” its entire flat body several meters at once in the required direction, releasing a very powerful stream of water into the bottom using the gill cover located on the blind side of the head. While a thick suspension of sand and silt settles, the energetic fish has time to grab its prey or quickly hide from a predator.

How long does flounder live?

Average life expectancy of flounder under the most favorable conditions external conditions is about three decades. But in real life Rare members of the family can live to such a respectable age and most often die en masse in industrial fishing nets.

Sexual dimorphism

Male flounder differ from females noticeably in their smaller size, significant distance between the eyes, and longer first rays of the pectoral and dorsal fins.

Types of flounder

The sixty currently known species of flounder are grouped into the main twenty-three genera:

Spiny flounder (Acanthopsetta), including Spiny flounder (Acanthopsetta nadeshnyi) or Reliable flounder;
Arrowtooth halibut (Atheresthes), including Asian halibut (Atheresthes evermanni) and American arrowtooth halibut (Atheresthes stomias);
Sharp-headed flounder (Cleisthenes), including Herzenstein's flounder (Cleisthenes herzensteini) and Sharp-headed flounder (Cleisthenes pinetorum);
Warty flounder (Clidoderma), including Warty flounder (Clidoderma asperrimum);
Eopsetta, including Eopsetta grigorjewi or Far Eastern flounder, and Jordan's Flounder (Eopsetta jordani) or California Eopsetta;
Long flounder (Glyptocephalus), including Red flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus), Far Eastern long flounder (Glyptocephalus stelleri) or Steller's smallmouth;
Halibut flounder (Hippoglossoides), including Japanese halibut (Hippoglossoides dubius) or Japanese flounder, Northern halibut (Hippoglossoides elassodon) and Ruff flounder (Hippoglossoides platessoides), and Bering Sea flounder (Hippoglossoides robustus);
Halibuts (Hippoglossus), or turbots, including Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis);
Two-colored flounder (Kareius) and Two-lined flounder (Lepidopsetta), which includes White-bellied flounder (Lepidopsetta mochigarei) and Northern two-lined flounder (Lepidopsetta polyxystra);
Limanda, including Yellowfin Flounder (Limanda aspera), Yellowtail Flounder (Limanda ferruginea) and Ruffed Flounder (Limanda limanda), Longsnout Flounder (Limanda punctatissima) and Sakhalin Flounder (Limanda sakhalinensis);
Arctic flounder (Liopsetta), including the Northern flounder (Liopsetta putnami);
Oregon flounder (Lyopsetta);
Smallmouth flounder (Microstomus), including Microstomus achne, Smallhead flounder (Microstomus kitt), Pacific smallmouth and Microstomus shuntovi;
River flounders (Platichthys), including Star flounder (Platichthys stellatus);
Flounder (Pleuronectes), including Yellow sole (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus);
Hardhead flounder (Pleuronichthys), including Pleuronichthys coenosus, Horned flounder (Pleuronichthys cornutus);
Spotted flounder (Psettichthys);
Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes), including Yellowstripe flounder (Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini), Schrenk's flounder (Pseudopleuronectes schrenki) and Japanese flounder (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae).

Also distinguished are the genus Dexistes and the genus Embassichthys, represented by the Deep-sea Embassichthys bathybius, the genus Hypsopsetta and Isopsetta, Verasper and Tanakius, Psammodiscus and Marleyella, Parophrys ) and Black Halibuts (Reinhardtius).

This is interesting! Halibut is a representative of the largest flounder in size and inhabits the depths of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and the lifespan of such a predatory fish can be half a century.

Range, habitats

Platichthys stellatus is a typical inhabitant of the northern waters of the Pacific Ocean, including the Sea of Japan, the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Chukchi Sea. Freshwater forms inhabit lagoons, lower reaches of rivers and bays. Representatives of the species Scophthalmidae are found in the northern part of the Atlantic, as well as in the waters of the Black, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. Besides marine environment, flounder of this species feels excellent in the lower reaches of the Southern Bug, Dnieper and Dniester.

Increase in water salinity Sea of Azov and the shallowing of the rivers flowing into it allowed the Black Sea flounder to spread to the mouth of the Don River. Representatives of a very cold-resistant Arctic species inhabit the waters of the Kara, Barents, White, Bering and Okhotsk seas, and are also found everywhere in the Yenisei, Ob, Kara and Tugur, where such fish prefer soft muddy soils.

The basic marine taxon lives in slightly and highly saline waters, preferring a depth of 30-200 m. Representatives of the species are important objects of commercial fishing, and also inhabit the waters of the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Barents, White and Baltic seas, and some other seas. Southern white-bellied flounder inhabit coastal zone Primorye and is found in the water area Sea of Japan, and adult representatives of the northern subspecies prefer the waters of the Okhotsk, Kamchatka and Bering seas.

This is interesting! Thanks to their rich species diversity and incredible biological flexibility, all flatfish have very successfully acclimatized to areas along the entire Eurasian coast and in the waters of inland seas.

Yellowfin flounder is currently widespread in the Seas of Japan, Okhotsk and Bering Seas. Such fish are quite numerous within Sakhalin and the western coast of Kamchatka, where they prefer to settle at a depth of 15-80 meters and adhere to sandy soil. Halibuts live in the Atlantic, inhabiting the extreme waters of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, including the Barents, Bering, Okhotsk and Japan seas.

From time to time, our diet needs to include dishes from fish, seafood, and healthy algae. The selection in today's stores allows you to diversify the table and try many previously unfamiliar dishes. One of these familiar strangers is the flounder fish. Let's try to figure out the benefits and harms of flounder for the body.

Flounder is a unique fish phenomenon, a master of adaptation, an example of mimicry, and is of significant gastronomic interest. Since there are many species of it, it is difficult to answer what the flat fish is called - sea or river - both sea and river individuals are equally flat, spending most of their lives in the bottom layer, absorbing small crustaceans.

This mysterious predator lives in the waters of northern Norway, by the way, which is where it got its name, and off the coast North Africa. Wherever the fish live, they are all very similar to each other. Perfectly adapting to water of any degree of salinity, it is found in the brackish waters of sea bays, rising there with the tidal wave, in freshwater shallow pools, but mother flounder prefers to spawn in the salty waters of real seas.

Appearance of a predator

Fry of flounder, sea or river fish, are no different from other fish children - eyes on both sides of the body, the body is swift, not flattened. However, reaching the period of maturation, the fry acquires character traits a flat bottom fish, whose eyes, for ease of observation, shifted to one side, the body, framed by fins, was spread out along the bottom. The side facing the surface acquires a brownish color, merging with the surrounding landscape, while the bottom remains light, hard and rough due to constant friction about the bottom.

The sizes of different types of fish are also different - from 4.5 cm weighing up to 20 g and up to two-meter giants. The most common fish are medium-sized, up to half a meter long and weighing about half a kilogram. It is from such individuals that wonderful fillets are obtained, and then delicious dishes.

To get the most out of a flounder dish, you should first choose a specialized store with a good reputation. The products of such stores usually come from official, environmentally friendly fishing grounds. Next step- choose quality fish at the market counter. The predator is easily recognizable by its flattened body, eyes shifted to one side and different skin color on the bottom and top.

It is incorrect if a round carcass has been repeatedly frozen and thawed - fresh freezing is determined by the cleanliness of the fish's eyes and their transparency. Important indicator- the color of the gills even in frozen fish is pink, light crimson. You should look at the skin - clean, shiny, without ice crystals and strange spots, it indicates good quality goods. And the smell - fresh fish smells of iodine and the sea.

Benefits for the body

Non-trivial flounder and in the kitchen it remains an ambiguous fish. Being very tasty in itself, flounder meat is considered a dietary product - its calorie content does not exceed 90 kcal per 100 g of product, does not contain carbohydrates, and is low-fat. High protein content, easily digestible by humans. A whole bouquet of minerals, rare metals, and vitamins makes flounder meat medicinal, solving many age-related problems.

Regular use of this truly magical product gives the following results:

improves skin quality, strength of teeth, bones, hair;
reduces blood cholesterol levels;
supports the functioning of the heart muscle and blood vessels;
increases the brain's ability to concentrate;
Helps overcome depression and chronic fatigue.

It has been proven that medicinal properties flounder meat contributes prostatitis prevention, cardiovascular diseases, reduce the likelihood of developing cancer. Flounder and especially its caviar are irreplaceable in cases of iodine deficiency, anemia, iron deficiency anemia. Very good to feed healthy fish children.

It is quite enough to eat flounder dishes a couple of times a week, without trying to absorb all its richness at once. We must not forget that the most healthy foods may not be useful in some cases.

Possible harm

First and foremost contraindication I have an allergy to seafood. Possible harm fish depends not on its varieties, but on the correct storage, culinary processing preparations, method of preparation. As a result of violation of cooking technology harmful properties can appear. Should be paid Special attention for such moments:

over-salted flounder can cause excess fluid to accumulate in the body;
You should not eat dried flounder if you have gastrointestinal diseases;
smoked, salted, dried, dried fish is contraindicated for older people;
You need to be especially careful when preserving this fish at home.

People with diseases of the thyroid gland, liver, and kidneys should limit or completely abandon the flat bottom predator - excessive amounts of fat during frying, saturation of fibers with carcinogens during smoking, and personal intolerance to protein can lead to serious troubles.

Carcass cutting and preparation

Specifics of bottom fish in the hardness of her skin, especially the lower part. It’s not difficult to cut up a carcass; you don’t need to peel the scales; it’s better to remove the skin after cutting off the head and fins around the entire frozen carcass. Then carefully trim the skin in the tail with a knife and remove the entire hard layer.

It’s great if the store offers ready-made fillets, fresh or frozen. There are many recipes for cooking flounder; it can be fried, stewed, simmered, simmered with vegetables, or baked. Common to any cooking method is low heat and low oven temperature. The meat cooks quickly, and extreme temperatures will make it tough.

Flounder delicious, prepared in any known way. It is enough to fry the tender meat for a few minutes on each side, and to maintain its shape, just dip it in batter before frying.

It is better to fry flounder meat in a not very hot frying pan so that the meat does not become rough. There is no need to add a lot of spices to flounder dishes; only lemon juice is a safe bet. The best composition sauce - tomato, wine, lemon, horseradish, basil. It is better not to cook sea flounder over high heat - the soft meat will boil and lose its attractiveness.

To muffle the smell of iodine when cooking broth, the skin must be removed from the fish before it is cooked. You can remove the characteristic smell of the sea by soaking the carcass in milk.

It is good to serve flounder whole, boil or bake potatoes, serve boiled rice and vegetables. The side dish can be changed with each serving. As an addition - thinly sliced cheese, mushrooms, seafood.

"Royal" recipe in the oven

We offer a quick and hassle-free recipe for baked flounder, accessible to the most inexperienced housewife.

It is enough to wash the fish thoroughly, trim fins and dry with a paper towel. Make several shallow diagonal cuts on the surface and rub the carcass with salt.

Grease the baking tray vegetable oil, place the fish and bake for 5 minutes. at a temperature of 220. Then remove the baking sheet, pour the juice of half a lemon over the carcass, reduce the oven temperature to 180 and bake the dish for another 20 minutes.

All that remains is to take out the finished fish and place it on a dish. The final touch is to spread a pre-prepared mixture of finely chopped dill and parsley on the warm fish, mixed with softened butter. You can add black pepper to taste, and boiled rice as a garnish.

This recipe with a sprig of rosemary is often called “royal” because the dish looks beautiful and is very tasty.

Storage conditions

There is no need to store the prepared carcass in the refrigerator for more than a few hours; if necessary, put it in the freezer. If stored for a long time, it will lose its taste.

The finished flounder dish will keep in the refrigerator for about two days, but be sure to cover it with a lid or cling film so that a specific smell does not spread.

Any sea fish is very tasty, including flounder. Benefits and harms to the body are determined based on scientific research and human experience.

Attention, TODAY only!

Flounder is a special genus of fish in the flounder family. Moreover, there is a river and sole, they live in seas and rivers, respectively. This is very amazing fish, because she has a flattened body that is turned on its side.

Description and varieties

All flounders have a flat body. The lower part is one of the sides of the fish, which has moved as a result of undergoing metamorphosis, which is characteristic of all flatfishes. The lower part can be compared to sandpaper: it is very rough from constant contact with the bottom of the reservoir, there are no eyes here. The eye on this side moves to the other, since it is bad to observe what is happening with one eye.

The upper part of the fish contains the pectoral fins. There is also an eye that has moved from the bottom side. Flounder has a pigment that allows it to imitate any surface. This is necessary for the fish in order to hide at the bottom from predators who like to feast on it. If you put a flounder on a chessboard, then light and dark spots, as on the board.

There are two main types of flounder: river flounder and sea flounder. Externally, the fish are very similar to each other, but they may differ in size and body weight. There is a wide variety of flounder species within the genus, but the largest one is caught at sea. She weighed more than a hundredweight, and her body length was 2 meters. River flounder grows up to 50 centimeters and reaches a weight of 2 kilograms, and sea flounder grows up to 60 centimeters and weighs 7 kilograms. But in the photo they look about the same.

Of course, everyone who sees this type of fish for the first time is interested in the question: why is flounder flat? This is necessary in order to lead a benthic lifestyle and burrow into the ground as much as possible, imitating its structure, otherwise the fish will serve as food for predators. The young flounder swims vertically, and appearance he has an ordinary one, familiar to us. However, as the fish grows older, it undergoes a metamorphosis, and it already swims sideways, and all parts of the body are displaced for a more convenient existence.

Distribution and habitats

Marine, as well as river species flounder have various places a habitat. Sea fish lives mainly in waters Atlantic Ocean. But it is also common in the White, Northern and Okhotsk Seas. River flounder can live both in the sea and in rivers, where they can swim quite far. This fish lives in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, in the rivers flowing into them, as well as in the Yenisei. They even highlight special kind flounder: Black Sea.

Black Sea flounder is shown in the photo. She is valuable commercial fish, which fishermen love to hunt. Black Sea flounder, like any other, prefers to lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle. It is preferable for her that the soil be loose enough to burrow into it easily. But thanks to the ability of mimicry, this is not so important: how many colored stones there are on the bottom, the number of colors will be conveyed by the upper surface of the fish.

Diet

Flounder feeds very variedly. It can be classified as a predatory fish. The basis of nutrition consists of worms, mollusks and small crustaceans. But small fish that swim near the shelter are also often eaten. The fish does not like to leave it, so as not to become prey itself. The photo shows how she jumps up to catch passing prey.

Despite the fact that flounder is a predator, fishermen prefer to use natural bait. To do this, they take worms or shellfish meat. For a fish to pay attention to its potential prey, it must be right under its nose. Otherwise, she is unlikely to come out of hiding, even to eat.

Reproduction

Flounder breeds between February and May. This variation in timing is due to the fact that the habitat is quite wide, and in each case the fish has its own period of time when active spawning occurs. Despite the fact that flounder prefers to live alone, it gathers in schools for spawning. Sometimes several varieties of flounder mix in schools, and then crossing of different species can occur.

Flounder reaches sexual maturity at 3-4 years. During the spawning period, it spawns from several hundred to several million eggs. The amount of caviar depends on the type and size of the fish. The eggs can withstand incubation period, which is equal to 11 days, after which the fry hatch. The fry's left eye is on the left side, and the right eye is on the right: everything is like in ordinary fish.

After hatching, the fry feed on zooplankton, and as they grow, they feed on more nutritious food. Gradually the left side turns into the lower part, from which the eye moves to the right side. Very rarely the right side becomes the lower part. What this is connected with is still unknown to science.

Flounder is very strange fish, which had to go through a long evolutionary path. Thanks to its features, it is almost invisible on the bottom, but experienced fishermen can force it to grab the hook by teasing the “bottom” with a tasty bait.

(synonyms, obsolete names, subspecies, forms: European river comb, glossa, flounder)

Numerous family of flounder fish unites flounder, in which both eyes are located on the right side; During metamorphosis, the left eye moves from the left side to the right. The exception is river flounder, whose eyes are often on the left side of the body

In general, the flounder family is widely widespread in the warm and temperate waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and it is most numerous in the first of them. Most species live on the bottom at shallow depths, but some are also found at greater depths on the upper continental shelf. Some species, especially Greenland halibut, and to a lesser extent Atlantic halibut, sometimes live in the middle layers of the sea and are active swimmers and hunters. In these species, the upper eye is located closer to the edge of the head, which provides them with a wider view. Their teeth are strong and well developed on both sides of the jaws. Five species of flounder are known in northern European waters, one of which river flounder lives in fresh water, but does not reproduce there.

Appearance and morphology. U river flounder eyes often on the left side; the head and jaws are relatively small, the eyes are medium in size. Eye side dull brown or greenish brown colors with blurred reddish spots; “blind” side of matte white. Teeth better developed on the jaws on the blind side. Small but sharp fins stretch along the bases of the dorsal and anal fins. spines.

Scales with smooth edges, the lateral line is straight, covered with spines. The anal fin has 35-46 rays. Length up to 51 cm, weight up to 3 kg.

Taxonomy. Sometimes crossed with sole, the hybrids are equally reminiscent of the parent forms.

Lifestyle. Lives on sandy and muddy soils. In coastal areas, this flounder makes feeding migrations to the shore during high tides, and returns back at low tides. She is most active at night.

Nutrition. River flounder feeds on bottom invertebrates, worms, crustaceans, and prefers shrimp. Juveniles consume small crustaceans such as amphipods and juvenile brown shrimp.

Reproduction. Spawns in the sea in spring at depths from 25 to 40 m; eggs, larvae and juveniles are pelagic, and with a length of 1.5-3 cm they sink to the bottom. Juveniles in early stages (the size of a postage stamp) live closer to the shore and are numerous in the intertidal zone.

Spreading. The species is widespread in the seas of Europe and lives in waters from the intertidal zone to a depth of 55 m. It is also found in rivers and lakes connecting to the sea. It is found in fresh water bodies in the north of its range, where the water is cooler.

Economic importance. IN Northern Europe, especially in the Baltic Sea, this flounder is fished, but it does not have much commercial significance. It is an object of sport fishing, as it lives close to the shore.

Other types of flounder.

Sea flounder - Pleuronectes platessa

In appearance it is a typical flounder. As a rule, both eyes on the right side of the head; the head and jaws are relatively small, the eyes are medium in size. The teeth are better developed on the jaws on the blind side. The edges of the scales are smooth, the lateral line is straight. On the head between the upper part of the gill slits and the eyes there is a row of 4-7 bone plaques. The anal fin has 48-59 rays.

colors with large bright red or orange spots; the blind side is pearly white. In some cases it reaches length 91 cm and masses 7 kg, but usually the length of sea flounder does not exceed 50 cm and weight 1.1 kg.

Bottom fish, the most numerous on sandy soil, although it is found on muddy and pebble soils at depths from 0 to 200 m, it is most common at depths of 10-15 m. Juveniles 2 cm long (immediately after metamorphosis) live at shallower depths from coastline up to 10 m, it can often be seen in the littoral zone. Adults also perform feeding migration into the tidal zone with sandbanks.

Feeds sea flounder are mollusks and organisms that burrow into the ground, the respiratory siphons of which reach the surface. The jaws of this flounder, with larger teeth on the blind side, are well adapted to hunting such animals. IN large quantities also eats crustaceans and worms, less commonly brittle stars and gerbils.

Spawns at the beginning of the year, from January to March, concentrating in certain areas at depths of 20-40 m. First, the eggs float at the surface, hatching occurs on the 10-20th day, depending on the temperature. Larvae and juveniles remain at the surface for 4-6 weeks and transition to a benthic lifestyle at 10-17 mm in length, when both eyes are on the same side and other internal changes are complete. By this time, the juveniles are usually already transported by the current to shallow coastal areas.

Sea flounder is the most important commercial species of flounder of Northern Europe. It is caught mainly by trawls and seines, as well as by line and set nets. Intensive fishing for this species has led to the fact that large individuals are now found extremely rarely, since the life cycle of sea flounder is long, sexual maturity occurs in females at the age of 3-7 years, and in males at 2-6 years; life expectancy is 30 years.

Flounder common object sport fishing.

European smallmouth flounder - Microstomus kitt

Body slightly less wide than that of the sea flounder, but thicker and fleshier. Head small, almost five times less than body length; very small mouth with lips stretched forward. Scales with a smooth edge, the body is smooth to the touch; there is a slight bend in the lateral line above the pectoral fin.

Eye side warm brown colors with mahogany colored markings and yellow and green spots. Length up to 66 cm, weight up to 1 kg.

This flounder has great habitat in Northern Europe, but reaches large numbers only in certain areas. Lives both on sandy, pebble and rocky bottoms, and in some cases on muddy bottoms at depths of 40 to 200 m, most often on banks far from the shore. However, small specimens are caught near the shore.

Spawns in spring and summer at a depth of 100 m, the eggs and larvae are pelagic, the juveniles remain in the water column, and when they are 3 cm long, they sink to the bottom. Sexual maturity in males occurs at the age of 3-4 years, in females 4-6 years. Life expectancy is up to 17 years.

Feeds European smallmouth flounder are primarily polychaetes, but also consume various types of crustaceans and molluscs, although the choice of prey is limited due to the small size of the mouth.

This is a fairly valuable food fish, fishing which is carried out by trawls. Most of the catch taken in European waters ends up on the British market. Sports fishermen, as a rule, do not catch it.

Atlantic long flounder - Glyplocephalus cynoglossus

A very slender, narrow-bodied fish with eyes on the right side. Head small, eyes quite large, mouth small. The lateral line makes a slight bend above the pectoral fin. Scales small, slightly jagged and very fragile, especially on the ocular side. There are mucus cavities on the blind side of the head.

Eye side smooth brown or grey-brown colors, there are dark spots on the fins, pectoral fin dark. The “blind” side is white. Maximum length 55 cm, usually about 35 cm.

deep sea a species that lives in the lower part of the continental shelf at depths from 300 to 900 m or more. Prefers muddy or muddy-sandy bottom, most numerous in the deep fjords of Norway and the Faroe Islands.

Feeds bottom invertebrates, mainly small crustaceans and worms.

Spawns in summer, eggs and juveniles in the early stages of development float near the surface. At a length of 4-5 cm, the juveniles switch to a bottom lifestyle. The growth rate is quite slow, sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years, and life expectancy is up to 14 years.

This flounder has some commercial importance in Northern Europe, especially off the coasts of Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Sweden. More often it is caught by trawls.

European turbot flounder (ruffe flounder) - Hippoglossoides platessoides

Slender narrow-bodied fish. Eyes on the right side, head quite small and mouth large (the edges of the jaws reach the middle of the eye). The eyes are large, their diameter longer snout. The lateral line above the pectoral fin is slightly curved. Scales relatively large; thin teeth on the edges of the scales make the surface of the eye side very rough. The middle rays in the caudal fin are the longest.

Eye side uniform light brown colors sometimes with a yellowish tint; the “blind” side is white. Length up to 48 cm, usually about 30 cm.

Numerous a species that lives at fairly great depths in the lower part of the continental shelf on fine sand or silt. It reaches its greatest abundance at depths from 40 to 180 m, although the range of habitat depths is from 4 to 400 m. At greater depths it is found in the southern part of its range.

Spawns in spring; eggs and larvae up to 2-3 cm long are pelagic. Post-larval development occurs in deeper layers than larval development, and at a length of 3.5-4.5 cm, the juveniles sink to the bottom. Puberty occurs at the age of 2-3 years, and at more northern regions at 7-10 years old. Life expectancy is 17-20 years, and it is longest in females.

The flounder family includes many species of fish with different habits and habitats, but they also have common features. All of them lead a bottom lifestyle, prefer to live at depth and have a flattened body shape in the form of an oval or diamond. All members of the flounder family are a delicacy that is loved by many people. Knowing where flounder lives, experienced fishermen can easily find and catch it.

All types of flounder are bottom-dwelling, prefer to live at depth and have a flattened body shape.

Description of individuals

Representatives of the flounder family live on average 20−30 years and have a rather unusual and interesting view, which makes it possible to distinguish it from other varieties of fish. The main distinguishing features are the following:

At birth, fish fry have the same structure and appearance as all other fish. But gradually irreversible metamorphoses occur, which lead to a shift of the mouth and eyes to the right side of the head.
After transformation, the fish turns over to the blind side, which gradually atrophies and begins to be used by flounder as a flat belly for the convenience of lying on rocks and the bottom. But in river flounder, the changes occur in the reverse order - the eyes and mouth move to the left side of the head.
To survive in the sea and river, the fish has learned to adapt to any landscape and change body color. Because of this, it is often called the “water chameleon.”
Freshwater flounder
Numerous species of river flounder choose their habitat as slightly salted and fresh water bodies. It is distinguished by a rounded body and numerous spines along its perimeter. The sighted side may be light brown to olive in color with numerous spots. Grows up to 3 kg in weight and 50 cm in length.
In order for its masonry to develop fully, fish need to constantly receive a large number of oxygen from the water column, which is achieved through the regular drift of individuals, but this is only possible in salt water, due to its density. In fresh water bodies, the larvae settle to the bottom and die. For this reason, flounder goes to the sea to spawn.
Most often, fish use for these purposes Baltic waters. Therefore, another name for it is Baltic flounder. It is widespread in the coastal zone.

River flounder chooses both slightly saline and fresh water bodies as its habitat.
Star individual
The habitat of this species of flounder is northern waters Pacific Ocean. The freshwater form is most often located in lagoons, bays and lower reaches of rivers. The star-shaped species is represented by individuals with left-sided eyes. It has a dark color and wide dark stripes on the fins.
It got its name from the star-shaped spiked plates on the sighted side of the body. It is most often called the Pacific river flounder. Its dimensions in most cases do not exceed 60 cm and weighs 4 kg. But fishermen tell cases when this species grew up to 90 cm and gained weight of more than 9 kg.

The star-shaped appearance is represented by individuals with left-sided eyes
Black Sea Kalkan
This fish looks very much like flounder, but belongs to a different family - Scophthalmidae. Found in the North Atlantic, Black, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. Often individuals of the Kalkan grow up to a meter in length and reach a weight of 20 kg.
Distinctive feature is left position eye, rounded body shape and big number spines located over the entire surface of the sighted side of the body.
But the fish feels great not only in sea water, it is found at the mouth of the Don, Dnieper, and Southern Bug. Here you can also find a smaller variety - the Azov diamond, which does not grow more than 40 cm in length.

polar fish
This species of river flounder is represented by fairly large individuals with an elongated, dark-colored body and brown fins. Most often it can be found in the Kara, Barents and Bering seas.
Fish spawn at winter time. Reproduction occurs under ice at sub-zero water temperatures. During the warm season, she gains weight and tries to stay in fresh waters Yenisei, Ob and Turuga.

For marine species flounders are the most characteristic different sizes, shades of the sighted and blind side, different shape body
Marine variety
Salt water is home to many species of flathead fish. They feel great both in shallow water and in great depth. All of them are characterized by very different sizes, shades of the sighted and blind sides, as well as different body shapes.
The most popular is the common sea flounder, which lives in slightly and highly saline waters at a depth of more than 200 meters. This individual is the most desired prey of fishermen. Basic color of flounder dark green with small orange or red flecks. It can reach one meter in length and 7 kg in weight. It perfectly knows how to blend into the bottom and hide from predators.
Bottom or white-bellied
It is also called sea bottom fish. A distinctive feature is the forked lateral line and sharp fin. The blind side is painted milky, and the sighted side is most often represented by a brownish-brown color.
In nature, there are two varieties:
Southern white-bellied flounder, which lives in Primorye and the Sea of Japan.
Northern - found in the Okhotsk, North and Bering Seas.

Common and arrowtooth halibut
This species of flounder lives from the Atlantic to the North Arctic Ocean. Largest size noted in white halibut living in Pacific Ocean. It grows up to 450 cm in length and reaches a weight of 350 kg.

A distinctive feature of the halibut is the same color on the sighted and blind sides.
A distinctive feature of this species of flounder is the same color on the sighted and blind sides. The smallest representative of the species is the arrow-toothed halibut, which weighs only 7 kg and does not grow more than 80 cm.
Most fishermen consider halibut a real delicacy. But black fish is especially valued, which differs not only in the color of its scales, but also in the shade of its flesh.

Lifestyle
Due to the diversity of species and the ability to quickly acclimatize flounder is widespread throughout the Eurasian continent and is found in inland seas. Most of them adapt well to fresh or slightly salted water bodies with access to the sea. Knowing where the flounder is found, fishermen go hunting and return with a wonderful catch.
In general, the fish leads a solitary lifestyle, perfectly able to merge with the bottom. Quite a lot of time it remains motionless at the bottom or buried in the ground. This is a kind of camouflage method, which perfectly helps to hunt and protect against predators.

Flounder leads a solitary lifestyle, perfectly able to merge with the bottom
Flounder seems to be a rather clumsy and slow fish. But she is actually a very good swimmer. On short distances it is capable of reaching quite high speeds.
Swimming near the bottom, it raises a suspension of silt and sand behind it, thereby remaining unnoticed predatory fish and managing to catch the prey.

Depending on where the flounder lives, it can feed at night or during the day. Most often, small animals become food for it. Adults feed on small fish, larvae, crustaceans and caviar, but most of all flounder loves shrimp and capelin.
The eyes are located on one side of the head, so the fish can successfully gnaw shellfish from the soil without suffocating. And its jaws are so strong that it successfully cracks the shells of crabs and mollusks. The high value of flounder is due to the fact that it feeds mainly protein foods.
Spawning time
Each species spawns at its own time. It is influenced by water temperature, length daylight hours and maternal nutrition. But most often this process occurs from February to May.
Puberty of fish occurs at 7 years of age. One female can produce quite a lot of eggs. It lays eggs most often in coastal areas. But just as often, females lay eggs at depth. Due to the fact that there is no need to secure the masonry, it develops well, floating in deep layers of salt water.
After two weeks, the fry are born, which have an oblong and symmetrical shape. The fry feed on zooplankton and small benthos.