Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 2, 2026

Cyclopsettidae

Cyclopsettidae is a family of flatfish primarily native to the coastlines of the Americas, with a few species found off the western coast of Africa. Members of this family were previously placed in Paralichthyidae until a 2019 study, which found this placement to be paraphyletic, and described a new family for them. The closest relatives of the Cyclopsettidae are thought to be the Bothidae, based on both genetic and morphological data.

Last revised
Jun 2, 2026
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≈ 1 min
Length
275 w
Citations
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Wikipedia ↗
Cyclopsettidae
Temporal range:
Pacific sanddab, Citharichthys sordidus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Carangiformes
Suborder: Pleuronectoidei
Family: Cyclopsettidae
Campbell, Chanet, Chen, Lee & Chen, 2019
Genera

Cyclopsettidae is a family of flatfish primarily native to the coastlines of the Americas, with a few species found off the western coast of Africa. Members of this family were previously placed in Paralichthyidae until a 2019 study, which found this placement to be paraphyletic, and described a new family for them. The closest relatives of the Cyclopsettidae are thought to be the Bothidae, based on both genetic and morphological data.12

The following genera are placed in this family:3

Several species are important commercial and game fishes, such as the Pacific sanddab, Citharichthys sordidus.

The earliest known fossil remains of the Cyclopsettidae are Late Eocene-aged fossil otoliths assigned to Citharichthys altissimus from Louisiana, USA.4

References

References

  1. Campbell, Matthew A.; Chanet, Bruno; Chen, Jhen-Nien; Lee, Mao-Ying; Chen, Wei-Jen (2019). "Origins and relationships of the Pleuronectoidei: Molecular and morphological analysis of living and fossil taxa". Zoologica Scripta. 48 (5): 640–656. doi:10.1111/zsc.12372. ISSN 1463-6409.
  2. Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). "ESCHMEYER'S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  3. Fricke, Ron; Eschmeyer, William N. & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Cyclopsettidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  4. Girone, Angela; Nolf, Dirk (2009-07-01). "Fish otoliths from the Priabonian (Late Eocene) of North Italy and South-East France – Their paleobiogeographical significance". Revue de Micropaléontologie. 52 (3): 195–218. Bibcode:2009RvMic..52..195G. doi:10.1016/j.revmic.2007.10.006. ISSN 0035-1598.