Home · Pleuronectidae · Willowy flounder
Willowy flounder (Tanakius kitaharae) — Pleuronectidae

Willowy flounder

Tanakius kitaharae

The Willowy flounder (Tanakius kitaharae) is a fish of the family Pleuronectidae that grows up to 30 cm.

Length
30 cm
Behaviour
Solitary
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless

Want the complete picture on the Willowy flounder?

Get the app

Description

The willowy flounder is a flatfish (Pleuronectidae) from coastal waters of the northwest Pacific, off East Asia. The species grows to about 30 cm and has a flattened, slender-oval body with both eyes on the right side; the upper side is plain brown and matches the bottom, the underside is white. As a bottom-dweller it lies buried on sand and mud bottoms and snaps at worms, small crustaceans and molluscs. The fish is harmless to humans.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Willowy flounder?

The Willowy flounder is mainly brown.

Where does the Willowy flounder live?

The Willowy flounder is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Willowy flounder get?

The Willowy flounder grows to a maximum of about 30 cm.

Is the Willowy flounder dangerous to humans?

No, the Willowy flounder is harmless to humans. This species is harmless to humans. No specific first aid is needed. Still handle the fish with care: mind the fin rays and the sharp edges of the gill cover, and rinse any scratch with clean water and cover it. For a dirty or deep wound check tetanus status.

More photos

Willowy flounder (Tanakius kitaharae) — Pleuronectidae — 2
Wikimedia Commons — Miyazaki Y, Teramura A, Senou H (2019) Preliminary report on bycatch fish species collected from the Tokyo Submarine Canyon, Japan. ZooKeys 843: 129-147. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.843.32410 (CC BY 4.0)
Willowy flounder (Tanakius kitaharae) — Pleuronectidae — 3
Wikimedia Commons — David Starr Jordan / Edwin Chapin Starks (Public domain)
Fin

Want the complete picture on the Willowy flounder?

Point your camera at the fish and Fin names the species in seconds. Free, and the Willowy flounder is one of 12,519 species in the app.

Get the app →

All data

Identification

English name
Willowy flounder sourced
Scientific name
Tanakius kitaharae
Family
Pleuronectidae

Appearance

Size class
Medium
Max length (cm)
30 sourced
Dominant colour
Brown sourced
Tail shape
Rounded inferred

Habitat & distribution

Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Origin
Native inferred

Behaviour & biology

Social behaviour
Solitary inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Reproduction
Separate sexes inferred
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred
Seasonality
Present year-round in its habitat; no pronounced seasonality known. inferred

For anglers

Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless verified
First aid
This species is harmless to humans. No specific first aid is needed. Still handle the fish with care: mind the fin rays and the sharp edges of the gill cover, and rinse any scratch with clean water and cover it. For a dirty or deep wound check tetanus status. verified

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

More from the family Pleuronectidae

Fin

Want the complete picture on the Willowy flounder?

Point your camera at the fish and Fin names the species in seconds. Free, and the Willowy flounder is one of 12,519 species in the app.

Get the app →
Is this the Willowy flounder? Get the app