Pacific eyed flounder

Bothus constellatus is a flounder of the family Bothidae, order Pleuronectiformes, with both eyes on the left side of the body ^[1],[2]. It lives in the eastern Pacific from Baja California to Peru and reaches the Galapagos Islands ^[3]. It is a soft-bottom fish growing to 157 mm in total length, and in Peru it is registered as platija ^[2]. Its global IUCN Red List category is Least Concern ^[4].

Jordan described the species in 1889 as Platophrys constellatus, and today it is accepted in the genus Bothus ^[1]. The paper by Sielfeld and colleagues credits it to Jordan and Goss, 1889, and the Chilean list it presents places it in Bothus ^[3]. For Peru the FishBase database gives the name platija, while WoRMS records the Spanish name lenguado hoja, with no country ^[2],[1].

Like other lefteye flounders, it has a flattened body with both eyes on the left side; the lateral line on the eyed side arches over the pectoral fin, and that side is dark brown to olive green with no conspicuous spots ^[2]. A specimen of 111 mm standard length found in northern Chile had large, widely separated eyes, with the front edge of the upper eye near the middle of the lower one, and a blunt rostral spine with no orbital spines ^[3].

In that same specimen the margin of the preopercle was free, the dorsal fin began level with the rear end of the maxilla, and it had 89 dorsal rays, 64 anal rays and 10 pectoral rays; the lateral line held 72 scales ^[3]. Scales on the eyed side were ctenoid and those on the blind side cycloid ^[3].

Similar species

• Bothus mancus: Bothus constellatus has fewer lateral-line scales and fewer dorsal and anal fin elements than Bothus mancus, another flounder of the same genus recorded for Chile ^[3].

The species ranges across the eastern Pacific from Bahia Magdalena and the Gulf of California to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands ^[2]. The sources gathered by the Chilean study also cite it from the Bay of Panama, the Ecuadorian mainland coast and the Colombian Pacific ^[3].

The Chilean specimen examined, 133 mm in total length, was collected on 15 November 1998 at Caleta Buena, at 19°53' S; the study reports it as the first record of the species in Chilean waters ^[3]. It is a demersal fish of subtropical waters, living on soft bottoms between 1 and 121 m deep ^[2].

It is estimated to mature at about 101 mm in length, within a range of 80 to 122 mm, and the maximum recorded length is 157 mm; 120 mm is typical ^[2]. Flatfishes of this order are benthic carnivores ^[3], and for this species FishBase gives an estimated trophic level of 3.5, inferred from size and close relatives and not from measured stomach contents ^[2].

In adult lefteye flounders the pelvic fin on the eyed side is lengthened along the ventral midline, the preorbital bone of the blind side is missing, and intermuscular bones are present ^[3].

The IUCN assessed it in 2019 and its global category is Least Concern ^[4]. FishBase notes that the species has low resilience and a fishing vulnerability of 41 out of 100, values that are model estimates and not measurements ^[2]. It is not listed in the CITES or CMS appendices, which have not evaluated it ^[2].

Not medical advice. For a sting, a poisoning or an allergy, seek medical care.

FishBase regards it as harmless to people ^[2]. We found no published information on toxins, stings or poisonings linked to this species ^[2].

FishBase states that the species is used in fisheries and eaten fresh, but gives no catch or landing figures ^[2]. A typical size of about 12 cm, with a maximum of 157 mm, suggests a minor resource; that is an inference and not a published fact ^[2].

For Peru we found no publication giving specific localities for the species; the Chilean source only reports it as present along the coast as far as Peru, citing earlier works ^[3].