Description
Also known as Angler Flatfish, Angler Flounder, Bothid Flounder, Flounder.
Found singly, crawling along stony ground, waving its first Dorsal Fin which resembles a crustacean, to attract its prey, over sandy gutters and reef flats, of clear water coastal bays and outer reef lagoons.
They feed on crustaceans and fish.
Length - 12cm
Depth - 1-30m
Widespread Indo-West Pacific
Flatfish, Soles and Flounders are placed in their families by location of their eyes. Their are both left eye and right eye dominant families.
Flatfish bury themselves in sand to hide from predators and use their eyes as periscopes as these can rotate 180 degrees.
During pelagic larval stage these fish are not flat but become so as they grow, their bodies flatten, and one eye migrates across the head next to the other eye. Ref: https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Asterorhombus-cocosensis.html
1 comment
This fish is really cool. i like how it blends in with the sea floor