flet
Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
The witch flounder, or Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, feeds on small shrimp, marine worms, and small mollusks. Its grayish-white body allows it to blend into the muddy bottom.
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Open encyclopedia reference
The witch (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus), known in English by a variety of other common names including the witch flounder, pole flounder, craig fluke, Torbay sole, and grey sole, is a species of flatfish from the family Pleuronectidae. It occurs on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean on muddy sea beds in quite deep water. In northern Europe it has some importance in fisheries as a food fish.
Wikipedia contributors, Witch (righteye flounder); see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:21:41.693791+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- flet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Pleuronectiformes
- Family
- Pleuronectidae
- Genus
- Glyptocephalus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderPleuronectiformes
- suborderPleuronectoidei
- familyPleuronectidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyPleuronectinae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusGlyptocephalus Gottsche, 1835
- speciesGlyptocephalus cynoglossus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Glyptocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| rex soleGlyptocephalus zachirus Lockington, 1879 | PleuronectidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Glyptocephalus kitaharae (Jordan & Starks, 1904) | PleuronectidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Korean flounderGlyptocephalus stelleri (Schmidt, 1904) | PleuronectidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Glyptocephalus acadianus Gill, 1873-74 Gill, 1873-74 | synonym |
| Pleuronectes nigromanus Nilsson, 1829 Nilsson, 1829 | synonym |
| Pleuronectes saxicola Faber, 1828 Faber, 1828 | synonym |
| Pleuronectes cynoglossus Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Platessa elongata Yarrell, 1839 Yarrell, 1839 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127136 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3GHMM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.