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| From 1st Trip: King Harbor, Redondo Beach |
Pleuronichthys coenosus
Description
Mouth: small, terminal; narrow gape; asymmetrical; maxillary extends to below the forepoint of the lower eye; thickened lips; teeth mainly on the blind side of jaws.
Body: caudal peduncle deep; caudal fin rounded; dorsal and anal fins high; the first five to six dorsal rays begin on the blind side; small spine before anal fin; pectorals bluntly pointed; lateral line slightly curved over pectoral region then straight; accessory dorsal branch long.
Color: dark brown to black on the eyed side; creamy white on the blind side; dark spot mid-body on eyed side; similar spot on mid-caudal fin; dark curved bar at the base of the caudal fin (last two features look like a ‘C’ and an ‘O’).
Biology
Depth: up to 350 m.
Habitat: both soft and hard substrates; eelgrass habitats; young are more common in shallow waters; can adjust colouration to substrate.
Season: Hart (1973) lists hatching of eggs at 13.8ºC after 12 days; suggesting that spawning occurs late spring to summer.
Diet: polychates, molluscs, and crustaceans.
Predators: not determined.
Distribution: Mexico, to Baja, California to Alaska.
Other common names
Spotflounder, Popeye Sole, Muddy Flounder
