Peacock flounder

Description

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.Bothus lunatus has a laterally flattened body and orientates itself so that its right side is underneath and its left side is uppermost.Both eyes are on this upper surface and project on short thick stalks.The body shape is rounded and the dorsal and anal fins nearly surround the body.The former has 92 to 99 soft rays and the latter 71 to 76.The pectoral fins are long and often erect.An average adult length is about 35 cm (14 in),with a maximum length of 46 cm (18 in).The upper surface of this flounder is some shade between grey,brown and tan with small blue spots and circular blue markings,the head and fins also being spotted and speckled with blue.There are two or three rather diffuse dark patches on the lateral line.The fish can vary its background colour to make it closely resemble that of its surroundings and thus camouflage itself as it lies on the seabed.Fish in this genus are able to change their colouring in two to eight seconds.