flowery flounder
Bothus mancus · Bothidae · predator
Flatfish of coral reefs and sand bottoms in tropical waters, with spots on the upper side. It poses no danger, and is collected by divers more than caught by rod anglers.
Also called: linguado-florido, lenguado tropical, flowery flounder
- maximum
- 51 cm
- record/max.
- 1.8 kg
- depth
- 3–150 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the flowery flounder
who is the flowery flounder
Flatfish of the family Bothidae, with a flattened body, living on sand bottoms near coastal coral reefs, usually in shallow water, and recorded from 3 to 150 m. It reaches 51 cm total length and 1.8 kg. It stays on the bottom, sometimes crawling over low reefs and bare rocks. It hunts mainly at night but is also active by day, and feeds on fish, crabs and shrimp. It is caught for the trade and aquarium markets, and is collected by divers.
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 flowery flounder; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Flattened flatfish with both eyes on the left side. The eyed side has pale spots with dark edges and many scattered dark dots, usually with three dark spots over the lateral line. The dorsal and anal fins have a row of spaced dark dots, and the pectoral fins on the eyed side have dark bars. It is told apart from Bothus constellatus, which reaches 15.7 cm, by these spots and its size.
where found
In the eastern Pacific, it occurs at oceanic islands such as Revillagigedo (Mexico), Clipperton, Cocos and Easter Island (Chile). The species is common in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, from South Africa to Hawaii.
Habitat: Sand bottoms near coastal coral reefs, from 3 to 150 m.
when to fish
best time of day
Nighttime. It hunts mainly at night but is also active during the day.
rules for the flowery flounder
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.
It poses no danger to anglers. As a bottom fish, it may suffer barotrauma if it comes from depth: release it carefully.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01072, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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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: Bothus mancus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Bothus mancusNames by country and language.
similar species
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: