These appropriately named bottom-dwelling marine fish have flat-triangular shaped heads and long tapering bodies.
Two closely-related species are marketed as Tiger Flathead: the ‘true’ Tiger Flathead, which is covered in orange-red spots and the toothy flathead, which is covered in golden spots. Wild-caught, they are found mainly on the mid-continental shelf and upper slope in depths of 10-200m (sometimes as deep as 400m) and are caught off the south-eastern coast, including around Tasmania by trawling and Danish seine nets. They are endemic to Australia. ‘True’ Tiger Flathead are more common than Toothy Flathead, and are found further offshore and also mid-water as they have a swim bladder which Toothy Flathead lack.