Scophthalmidae
7 species
The Scophthalmidae are a family of flatfish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Fish of this family are known commonly as turbots, though this name can refer specifically to Scophthalmus maximus, as well. Some common names found in species of this family are turbots, windowpanes, and brills.
Cladistic analysis reveals that this family is a monophyletic group.
Of all the scophthalmids, the largest species (Scophthalmus maximus) reaches approximately one meter in length. Some species in the family have been historically fished commercially (predominantly the brill flatfish and the turbot flatfish, S.rhombus and S. maximus respectively).
Turbots are benthic animals and can be found in both Marine and Brackish environments, but not in freshwater. While certain flatfish can be found in the other regions, Scophthalmidae are native to the North Atlantic, as well as the Baltic, Mediterranean, and Black seas. According to Fishes of the Word and excluding one species located in the Western Atlantic, all other scophthalmids reside in the general Northeastern Atlantic region. However, mapping out a specific organism's changes in habitat over their lifespan would be rather complex. Environmental events can displace fish or incline them to leave their home ranges. All fishes, including scophthalmids, also face predation risks and prey scarcity, as well as the complexities of spawning behaviors. While true, movements of the species can be tracked for instances of displacement as well as seasonal cycles of migration–both of which “appear to be triggered by changes in water temperature, light, current velocity, and irregular episodic events.”
The movement of water is crucial to the species as it is a primary form of transportation. All stages of the flatfish (from larval, juvenile, to adult) use the elliptic and cyclic nature of Earth's tides in locomotion. The rising tide carries individuals shoreward and during the ebb tide they can exit the water column and sink to the bottom. This is crucial to energy expenditure, especially in migratory events between feeding and spawning grounds that take place every year. During migrations tidal cycles are primary in determining the vertical displacement of flatfish in the water column, while on feeding and spawning grounds these behaviors are more influenced by the diel cycle. The location of turbots is cryptic and multivariable, consisting of a mixture of both these cycles, an internal “clock” mechanism, and other factors such as turbulence, hunger, and magnetic fields.
But with all said and done, the flatfish don't go too far. The anatomy of these organisms is intrinsically negatively buoyant, making them sink in the absence of currents and upwellings. To preserve energy, this is their natural state. They are rather sedentary and the fish spend most of their time on bottom substrates.
The Scophthalmidae are a family of flatfish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Fish of this family are known commonly as turbots, though this name can refer specifically to Scophthalmus maximus, as well. Some common names found in species of this family are turbots, windowpanes, and brills.
Cladistic analysis reveals that this family is a monophyletic group.
Of all the scophthalmids, the largest species (Scophthalmus maximus) reaches approximately one meter in length. Some species in the family have been historically fished commercially (predominantly the brill flatfish and the turbot flatfish, S.rhombus and S. maximus respectively).
Turbots are benthic animals and can be found in both Marine and Brackish environments, but not in freshwater. While certain flatfish can be found in the other regions, Scophthalmidae are native to the North Atlantic, as well as the Baltic, Mediterranean, and Black seas. According to Fishes of the Word and excluding one species located in the Western Atlantic, all other scophthalmids reside in the general Northeastern Atlantic region. However, mapping out a specific organism's changes in habitat over their lifespan would be rather complex. Environmental events can displace fish or incline them to leave their home ranges. All fishes, including scophthalmids, also face predation risks and prey scarcity, as well as the complexities of spawning behaviors. While true, movements of the species can be tracked for instances of displacement as well as seasonal cycles of migration–both of which “appear to be triggered by changes in water temperature, light, current velocity, and irregular episodic events.”
The movement of water is crucial to the species as it is a primary form of transportation. All stages of the flatfish (from larval, juvenile, to adult) use the elliptic and cyclic nature of Earth's tides in locomotion. The rising tide carries individuals shoreward and during the ebb tide they can exit the water column and sink to the bottom. This is crucial to energy expenditure, especially in migratory events between feeding and spawning grounds that take place every year. During migrations tidal cycles are primary in determining the vertical displacement of flatfish in the water column, while on feeding and spawning grounds these behaviors are more influenced by the diel cycle. The location of turbots is cryptic and multivariable, consisting of a mixture of both these cycles, an internal “clock” mechanism, and other factors such as turbulence, hunger, and magnetic fields.
But with all said and done, the flatfish don't go too far. The anatomy of these organisms is intrinsically negatively buoyant, making them sink in the absence of currents and upwellings. To preserve energy, this is their natural state. They are rather sedentary and the fish spend most of their time on bottom substrates.
