small sandab
Citharichthys platophrys
Small flounder of soft bottoms in the eastern Pacific, from Mexico to Peru. It has little commercial value and mostly appears as incidental catch.
Also called: linguado-de-areia-pequeno, lenguado frentón, lenguado pequeno, small sanddab
- maximum
- 21 cm
- depth
- 10–60 m
who is the small sandab
Flatfish of the family Cyclopsettidae, with a flattened body and both eyes on the left side of the head, as in the whole family. It reaches 20.6 cm, and its common size is 10 cm. It lives on soft bottoms of the tropical Pacific, between 10 and 60 m deep, from Mexico to Peru. It has little commercial value and is sold fresh on a small scale, and part of the catch may become fishmeal. For anglers, it is usually incidental catch.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the small sandab; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Flattened flatfish, with both eyes on the left side of the head, like the other flatfish of the family Cyclopsettidae. It has a short, deep body and reaches 20.6 cm. In the same region, the dentate flounder (Cyclopsetta querna) looks similar, but it reaches 39 cm, so size is the first difference to watch for.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Native to the Latin American Pacific, from Mexico to Peru, on soft sea bottoms.
Habitat: Soft sea bottoms on the shelf, between 10 and 60 m deep.
rules for the small sandab
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Harmless. It is small and lives on the bottom: release it quickly, with a wet hand.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh on a small scale, and part of the catch goes to fishmeal.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00617, b = 3.25; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Citharichthys platophrys (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Citharichthys platophrysNames by country and language.
