Peacock Flounder, Pseudorhombus argus Weber 1913
Other Names: Ocellated Flounder, Silver Flounder
A Peacock Flounder, Pseudorhombus argus, from Western Australia, May 2011. Source: Chris Dowling / Flickr. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A brownish flounder with five large ocelli on the eyed-side - two above and below the lateral line and one on the rear third of the straight part of the lateral line, and many dark spots and rings scattered on the body and median fins.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2020, Pseudorhombus argus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/974
Peacock Flounder, Pseudorhombus argus Weber 1913
More Info
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Distribution |
Off the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia, to at least Hervey Bay, Queensland, and possibly south to Shark Bay on the west coast, and possibly south to Disaster Bay, New South Wales, on the east coast. Elsewhere the species occurs in Indonesia and New Guinea. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin 67-72; Anal fin 51-55; Pectoral fin (ocular side) 12-13; Gill rakers 2-6 + 10-16; Lateral-line scales 70-78; Vertebrae 10 + 23-26. Body ovoid, its depth 1.9 to 2.2 times in standard length; head length 3.4 to 3.9 times in standard length; upper profile of head with a distinct notch in front of upper eye. Snout nearly as long as eye diameter. Upper-eye diameter 4 to 4.6 times in head length; eyes separated by narrow and bony ridge. Maxilla extending to below middle of lower eye, upper-jaw length 2.3 to 3 times in head length; teeth in both jaws small, close-set, and slightly enlarged anteriorly. Gill rakers slender and pointed. Origin of dorsal fin slightly in front of anterior edge of upper eye and just above or a little behind nostrils on blind side; dorsal fin with 67 to 72 soft rays; anal fin with 51 to 55 soft rays; pectoral fin on eyed side with 12 or 13 rays. Scales ctenoid on eyed side, cycloid on blind side; lateral line curved above pectoral fins, supratemporal branch of lateral line extending to between eighth to twelfth dorsal-fin rays. |
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Colour |
Body brownish, 2 double or triple ocelli above and below lateral line and 1 on posterior third of straight section of lateral line; many dark spots and rings scattered on body and median fins. |
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Feeding |
Feeds on small benthic fishes and invertebrates. |
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Fisheries |
Taken in demersal prawn trawls. |
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Etymology |
The specific name is from the Greek god 'Argus', the mythical hundred-eyed guardian of Io, whose eyes after death where transformed into the feathers of a peacock, in reference to the peacock-like ocelli or eyespots on eyed side. |
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Species Citation |
Pseudorhombus argus Weber 1913, Siboga-Expéditie Report 57: 425, pl.11 (fig.6). Type locality: Aru Island, Indonesia, depth 13 m. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2020 |
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Resources |
Peacock Flounder, Pseudorhombus argus Weber 1913
References
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.
Amaoka, K. & Hensley, D.A. 2001. Paralichthyidae. pp. 3842-3862 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.
Blaber, S.J.M., Brewer, D.T. & Harris, A.N. 1994. Distribution, biomass and community structure of demersal fishes of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45(3): 375-396.
Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp.
Hutchins, J.B. 2003. Checklist of marine fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. pp. 453-478 in Wells, F.E., Walker, D.I., & Jones, D.S. (eds). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Marine Biological Workshop: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Dampier, Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum.
Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293
Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls.
Weber, M. 1913. Die Fische der Siboga-Expedition. Siboga-Expéditie Report 57: 1-710 123 figs 12 pls See ref at BHL
