Witch (lefteye flounder)
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2008-05-22T09:31:26Z
Hämbörger
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[[Torbay sole]] is another Atlantic witch
''This article is about the Pacific flatfish species. for the Atlantic species see [[Megrim]] and [[Torbay sole]].''
{{Taxobox
| name = Witch
| image =
| image_caption =
| regnum = [[Animalia]]
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| classis = [[Actinopterygii]]
| ordo = [[Pleuronectiformes]]
| familia = [[Bothidae]]
| genus = ''[[Arnoglossus]]''
| species = '''''A. scapha'''''
| binomial = ''Arnoglossus scapha''
| binomial_authority = ([[Johann Reinhold Forster|Forster]], 1801)
}}
The '''witch''', ''Arnoglossus scapha'', is a [[lefteye flounder]] of the family ''[[Bothidae]]'', found around [[China]] and [[New Zealand]], in waters less than 400 [[metre|m]] in depth. Their length is from 20 to 40 [[centimetre|cm]].
The witch is a [[Bothidae|lefteye flounder]] meaning it has both eyes on the left side of the head and lies on its right side. It has the typical flattened oval shape of the flounder with the [[dorsal fin|dorsal]] and [[anal fin]]s forming a fringe around most of the body. The [[lateral line]] forms a strong arch over the [[pectoral fin]]. They swim by means of slight undulations of their fins and the outer edges of the body, keeping in contact with the bottom and seeming to "slide".
They spawn over the [[continental shelf]] from August to April, and the developing [[larvae]] have an extended [[planktonic]] life drifting near the surface before settling to the bottom.
The colouring is grey or pale brown on the back with many small black and yellow spots, and whitish underneath.
The witch eats [[worm]]s, small [[crustacean]]s, and [[mollusc]]s, and also small fish. It has no commercial value due to its thin watery flesh and many fine bones.
==References==
* {{FishBase species | genus = Arnoglossus | species = scapha | month = February | year = 2006}}
* Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, ''Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand'', (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand [[1982]]) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
[[Category:Bothidae]]
[[de:Arnoglossus scapha]]