Southern flounder 



Paralichthys lethostigma 

 Adult 



10 cm 



(from Fischer 1978) 



Common Name: southern flounder 

 Scientific Name: Paralichthys lethostigma 

 Other Common Names: mud flounder, doormat, hali- 

 but (Reagan and Wingo 1985); southern large floun- 

 der, fluke (Gilbert 1 986), cardeau de Floride (French), 

 lenguado de Florida (Spanish) (Fischer 1978, NOAA 

 1985),saddleblanket. 

 Classification (Robins et al. 1991) 

 Phylum: Chordata 

 Class: Osteichthyes 

 Order: Pleuronectiformes 

 Family: Bothidae 



Value 



Commercial: In 1992, U.S. commercial fishery land- 

 ings for flounders were fifth in quantity and eighth in 

 value (O'Bannon 1994). Flounder landings in the 

 Atlantic and Gulf for the group that includes this spe- 

 cies totaled 7,098 mt and were valued at nearly 23 

 million dollars. The southern flounder is fished com- 

 mercially throughout its range. Landing data are often 

 grouped with two other species (Paralichthys albigutta 

 and P. dentatus), making the relative importance of 

 each species difficult to ascertain. In Texas, southern 

 flounder account for most of the flounder caught. In the 

 northwestern Gulf of Mexico, most of the southern 

 flounder catch is landed incidentally in commercial 

 shrimp trawls. In 1992, approximately 451.8 mt of 

 flounders were landed in Texas and Louisiana with a 

 value of over $1 .2 million. Most fish are taken by otter 

 trawls, fyke nets, weirs, fish traps, pound nets, gill nets, 

 trammel nets, beach seines, trotlines, and gigging 

 (Ginsburg 1 952, Fischer 1 978, Manooch 1 984, Gilbert 

 1986, Matlock 1991, Newlin 1993, Hightower pers. 

 comm.). Gill and trammel nets were outlawed in Texas 

 waters in 1988. This fish is marketed mostly as fresh 



product and is used primarily as table fare (Fischer 

 1978, Matlock 1991). 



Recreational : The southern flounder is a popular rec- 

 reational species throughout its range (Shipp 1978). 

 Fish are taken by hook and line and by gigging in 

 shallow waters at night (Warlen 1975, Manooch 1984). 

 In 1991, recreational landings of southern flounder 

 along the G ulf coast states (except Texas) was 1 02,000 

 fish in Florida, 126,00 fish in Mississippi, and 471,000 

 fish in Louisiana (Van Voorhees et al. 1992). Esti- 

 mated recreational landings along the Texas coast, 

 calculated from data provided by Osborn and Fergusson 

 (1 987), averaged 94,258 kg from 1 983 to 1 986. Actual 

 sport catches were probably greater as a large number 

 of unidentified "flounders" were also reported during 

 the same period. Minimum size limits and daily bag 

 limits vary among the Gulf states (GSMFC 1993). 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : This species is not 

 typically used in studies of environmental stress. 



Ecological : Southern flounder are important predators 

 in estuarine ecosystems, feeding on small crustaceans 

 as juveniles, and becoming piscivorous as they grow 

 (Diener et al. 1974, Fitzhugh et al. 1996). Southern 

 flounder have been introduced into freshwater reser- 

 voirs of Texas in an experimental effort to control 

 problem fish populations and improve recreational 

 fishing (Lasswell et al. 1981). 



Range 



Overall : On the U.S. east coast, this species ranges 

 from Albermarle Sound, North Carolina, southward to 

 the Loxahatchee River, Florida. In the Gulf of Mexico, 

 it is present from Florida to Texas and northern Mexico 



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