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Freckled Righteye Flounder

Freckled Righteye Flounder

Psammodiscus Ocellatus

Quick Facts

Scientific namePsammodiscus Ocellatus

Other namesIndonesian Ocellated Flounder, Ocellated Flounder

FamilyAustral Righteye Flounder / Rhombosoleidae

Distribution

Habitat & AU DistributionCoastal waters, bays, sandy bottoms

The Freckled Righteye Flounder is a small, flat fish that lives on sandy seabeds off the coast of north-western Australia. It grows to about 15 cm long, roughly the length of a hand.
In Australia, it has been recorded from Exmouth Gulf up through the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Its range also extends to Indonesia.
Like all flatfish, the Freckled Righteye Flounder has both eyes on the same side of its head. As the fish grows from a tiny larva, one eye gradually shifts across so that both eyes end up facing upward.
It lives close to the seabed, resting on sandy patches on the bottom. It can be found anywhere from shallow coastal water down to about 200 m.
Lying flat on the sand makes it easy to overlook. Like other flounders, it likely relies on camouflage to stay hidden from both prey and predators.
The “righteye” part of its name comes from which side the eyes end up on. In this group of flounders, both eyes sit on the right side of the body.
Flounder young hatch as typical-looking fish larvae with one eye on each side. The shift in eye position happens as the larva develops. By the time the fish settles to the bottom, its body shape has already transformed.
Like other small flatfish living on sandy bottoms, it probably feeds on small bottom-dwelling animals such as worms and tiny crustaceans.
Small flatfish like this one are likely eaten by larger fish that hunt close to the seabed. Lying still on the sand is their main defence.

Species Interaction

Freckled Righteye Flounder: A Species Science Has Barely Met

Research & Rare Encounters

The Freckled Righteye Flounder is so rarely encountered that almost nothing is documented about how people interact with it. Where it does appear, it is as a specimen of scientific interest, a poorly known flatfish whose biology and distribution remain subjects for future research.

Species
Sustainability

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Teleostei
Order: Pleuronectiformes
Family: Pleuronectidae
Genus: Psammodiscus
Species: Psammodiscus ocellatus

Conservation Status

The conservation status of the Freckled Righteye Flounder has not been assessed by the IUCN or listed under Australia’s EPBC Act. As a relatively obscure flatfish, it has not been the subject of dedicated stock assessments or formal threat evaluations, and its population size and trends are unknown.