Sealife guideThe tropical flounderBothus mancus

Last updated on 10/29/2025 at 11:52 PM

Taxonomy

Common name: Tropical flounder, flowery flounder
French name: Rombou tropical
Spanish name: Lenguado tropical
Scientific name: Bothus mancus (Broussonet, 1782)
Family name: Bothidae
Order name: Pleuronectiformes
Class name: Actinopterygii

Geographic range

The tropical flounder is found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, from the Red Sea and the eastern coast of Africa to Australia, including Madagascar, the Mascarene islands (Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues) and the Maldives.

The tropical flounder (Bothus mancus) © John Anderson | Dreamstime.com

In the western and central Pacific, the tropical flounder occurs from southern Japan and Hawaii to New Caledonia, New Zealand and Easter island.

Habitat

The tropical flounder inhabits tropical reefs, usually living on sandy or coral bottoms down to about 330 feet deep, where it uses its excellent camouflage abilities to blend into the marine landscape.

Did you know ?

The tropical flounder is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The tropical flounder appears in the IUCN Red List since 2020 within the category Least Concern !

Within the same genus

Eyed flounder
(Bothus ocellatus)

Leopard flounder
(Bothus pantherinus)

Peacock flounder
(Bothus lunatus)

Wide-eyed flounder
(Bothus podas)

Discover also

Australian spiny gurnard
(Lepidotrigla papilio)

Blackspot squirrelfish
(Sargocentron melanospilos)

Blue throated triggerfish
(Xanthichthys auromarginatus)

Common two-banded seabream
(Diplodus vulgaris)

Longnose butterflyfish
(Forcipiger flavissimus)

Longnose hawkfish
(Oxycirrhites typus)

Pinktail triggerfish
(Melichthys vidua)

Redspotted hawkfish
(Amblycirrhitus pinos)

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