The Hogchoker is a small flatfish found along the coast of parts of North America. They prefer brackish water, and are abundant in many bays and estuaries north of the Carolinas (another similar species replaces it south of the Carolinas). It is a member of the Sole family soledae. They are usually brown to dark brown in color, and lighter on their "blind side" (side lacking an eye). The overall body color is often broken by a series of spots and thin stripes, which can be lighter or darker than the main body color. The fins and tail have fringed edges helping hide the fish from its prey. They mainly feed on small aquatic insects and invertebrates.

Distinguished from other species by an inter-brachial septum lacking a foramen. Also, Trinectes maculatus often has no (rarely one) ray(s) in its pectoral fin.

In the aquarium

Hogchokers are sometimes offered for sale in aquarium stores, often marketed as "Freshwater Flounder" or "Freshwater Fluke." This is not fully correct, however. While there are some species of full freshwater Flatfish from Southeast Asia and South America, the Hogchoker is thought to be a species of coastal estuaries and mud flats. While some aquarists have kept specimens for their whole lives in full freshwater, it is not known whether or not they can thrive without salt. However, in the defense of the aquarists who keep them in freshwater, they have been reported to have spawned in freshwater aquaria. Large adult specimens have been found quite regularly up the Mississippi

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, Hudson

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

, and East

East River

The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...

 rivers, so long as the bottom is soft sand and rich enough to cultivate small invertebrates on the substrate. They spend their time in aquariums attached to rocks, driftwood, and the glass, using their bellies as suction cups in much the same manner as Hillstream Loach

Hillstream loach

The hillstream loaches or river loaches are a family, the Balitoridae, of small Eurasian fish. Many of the species are popular for aquaria. They have a number of similarities with the Cobitidae, their sibling family of "loaches", such as multiple barbels around the mouth...

es.

They are hard to feed, preferring live food such as Brine Shrimp

Brine shrimp

Artemia is a genus of aquatic crustaceans known as brine shrimp. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, has changed little externally since the Triassic period...

, Daphnia

Daphnia

Daphnia are small, planktonic crustaceans, between 0.2 and 5 mm in length. Daphnia are members of the order Cladocera, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because of their saltatory swimming style...

, Mosquito larvae, and tubifex worms. The reason that they are hard to feed is that, in the wild, they feed mainly by sifting tiny organisms (White Sandworms in salt and brackish water, insect larvae in fresh) out of sand and mud. If enough persistence is administered, they can often learn to take frozen meaty food. When unhealthy, the spots on this fish's belly often change color or move.