Egyptian sole

Last updated

Egyptian sole
EgFoodSole.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Pleuronectiformes
Family: Soleidae
Genus: Solea
Species:
S. aegyptiaca
Binomial name
Solea aegyptiaca
Chabanaud, 1927

The Egyptian sole (Solea aegyptiaca) is a species of flatfish in the true sole family, Soleidae. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the Mediterranean Sea, and is now colonising the Red Sea. It often semi-immerses itself in the substrate. The upper side is greyish-brown while the underside is white. It grows to a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 in). This fish is used for human consumption and is prized as a food fish. It is caught mostly by trawling on the seabed.

Contents

Taxonomy

In the past Solea aegyptiaca was considered a junior synonym of Solea vulgaris, itself a junior synonym of Solea solea , the common sole. However recent molecular studies have demonstrated that it is a separate species with diagnostic molecular and morphological differences between the species. [2]

Taxonomy

Over much of its range Solea aegyptiaca is sympatric with the rather similar common sole and has been considered a subspecies by some authors in the past. It is however more closely related to the east Mediterranean Senegalese sole ( Solea senegalensis ) than it is to the common sole, and where these two species' ranges meet there is a hybrid zone, with hybrids being detected from the Gulf of Lions and the coats of Tunisia as demonstrated in the research of Dr. Khaled Ouanes. [3] S. senegalensis is thought to have invaded the Mediterranean from the eastern Atlantic through the Straits of Gibraltar, a phenomenon knows as Herculean migration after the Pillars of Hercules.

Description

Solea aegyptiaca is a dextral flatfish with on oval body shape which is brownish grey on the eyed side, with the eyed side pectoral fin being largely coloured black. The left, uneyed, side is white. It is very similar to the common sole, with which it is sympatric, but the vertebrate count and fin ray count differ. S. aegyptiaca has 39-44 vertebrae to the common sole's 46-52, while the dorsal fin of S. aegyptiaca has 62-87 finrays to the common sole's 69-97 finrays, other finray counts are pectoral fin on eyed side with 7-9 to 9-10, anal finrays 51-72 compared to 53-79. The lateral line of S. aegyptiaca has 106-150 pored scales while that of the common sole has 116-165 pored scales. The eyed side pectoral fin of S.aegyptiaca also has a more extensive black blotch than that of the common sole. [4] It tends to be slightly smaller than the common sole with a maximum length of 65 cm [5] and an average length of 25 cm. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Solea aegyptiaca is a benthic demersal species that lives on soft mud and sand substrates in coastal and littoral waters and in brackish lagoons, [1] down to 100m in depth. [5] It is found in the Mediterranean Sea as far west as the Gulf of Gabes and north to the Gulf of Lion and into the southern Adriatic Sea. [1] It has been recorded in the Suez Canal and, more recently, the Gulf of Suez, in the Red Sea, making S. aegytiaca an anti-Lessepsian migrant. [6]

Biology

Solea aegyptiaca feeds on benthic invertebrates, mainly Cnidaria, polychaete worms and bivalves. [4] It is a relatively fast growing species which has a maximum age of four years. [1] Spawing takes place on the southern Mediterranean coasts in the late Autumn and Winter. [4] The female fish tend to be larger than the males and reach sexual maturity at around 15 cm, in Egyptian Mediterranean waters spawning was recorded between January and June, females producing up to 38,000 eggs, with the most eggs being produced by the longest females. [7] S.aegytiaca is a host for the trematode parasite Allopodocotyle tunisiensis . [8]

Fisheries

Solea aegyptiaca is a commercially important flatfish species in the Mediterranean waters of Egypt where it is fished by bottom trawls . The exploitation rate of S. aegyptiaca was 0.71, which is greater than the optimum fisheries exploitation rate of 0.66. [1] A close season has been suggested so that fisheries cease when this species is spawning in January to June with a minimum catch size of 18 cm also being suggested so that all fish have the opportunity to reproduce. The species has also been grown in aquaculture in Egypt. [7] The FAO does not register catches of S.aegyptiaca separately from those of other Mediterranean sole species. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatfish</span> Order of fishes

A flatfish is a member of the ray-finned demersal fish order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around the head during development. Some species face their left sides upward, some face their right sides upward, and others face either side upward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American sole</span> Family of fishes

The American soles are a family (Achiridae) of flatfish occurring in both freshwater and marine environments of the Americas. The family includes about 35 species in seven genera. These are closely related to the soles (Soleidae), and have been classified as a subfamily of it, but achirids have a number of distinct characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soleidae</span> Family of fishes

The true soles are a family, Soleidae, of flatfishes. It includes saltwater and brackish water species in the East Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and West and Central Pacific Ocean. Freshwater species are found in Africa, southern Asia, New Guinea, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scophthalmidae</span> Family of fishes

The Scophthalmidae are a family of flatfish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Fish of this family are known commonly as turbots, though this name can refer specifically to Scophthalmus maximus, as well. Some common names found in species of this family are turbots, windowpanes, and brills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European plaice</span> Species of fish

The European plaice, commonly referred to as simply plaice, is a species of marine flatfish in the genus Pleuronectes of the family Pleuronectidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sole (fish)</span> Fish name belonging to several families

Sole is a fish belonging to several families. Generally speaking, they are members of the family Soleidae, but, outside Europe, the name sole is also applied to various other similar flatfish, especially other members of the sole suborder Soleoidei as well as members of the flounder family. In European cookery, there are several species which may be considered true soles, but the common or Dover sole Solea solea, often simply called the sole, is the most esteemed and most widely available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European seabass</span> Species of fish

The European seabass, also known as the European bass, sea bass, common bass, white bass, capemouth, white salmon, sea perch, white mullet or sea dace, is a primarily ocean-going fish native to the waters off Europe's western and southern and Africa's northern coasts, though it can also be found in shallow coastal waters and river mouths during the summer months. It is one of only six species in its family, Moronidae, collectively called the temperate basses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common sole</span> Species of fish

The common sole, Dover sole, or black sole is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It is one of the largest fish in the Solea genus. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the northern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea where it often semi-immerses itself in the substrate. The upper side is greyish-brown while the underside is white. It grows to a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 in). The species is prized as a food fish, being caught mostly by trawling on the seabed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European flounder</span> Species of fish

The European flounder is a flatfish of European coastal waters from the White Sea in the north to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in the south. It has been introduced into the United States and Canada accidentally through transport in ballast water. It is caught and used for human consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solenette</span> Species of fish

The solenette or yellow sole, Buglossidium luteum, is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae, and the only member of its genus. It is characterized by its small size, low-slung semi-circular mouth, and regularly placed dark fin rays. A common and widespread species, it is native to sandy bottoms in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is of little commercial value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific sand sole</span> Species of fish

The Pacific sand sole, also known as simply sand sole, is a flatfish species inhabiting the northeastern Pacific waters where it lives on sandy bottoms. The only species in the genus, Psettichthys, it ranges from the Bering Sea to Northern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedge sole</span> Species of fish

The wedge sole, is a flatfish of the family Soleidae. It is a bottom dwelling predatory fish inhabiting both sandy and muddy soils at depths between 10 and 450 m in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. It achieves a maximum size of 30 cm (12 in).

<i>Solea</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Solea is a genus of soles from the Indo-Pacific and East Atlantic Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Zebrias</i> Genus of fishes

Zebrias is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Soleidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand sole</span> Species of fish

The sand sole is a fish species in the family Soleidae. It is a marine, subtropical, demersal fish up to 40 centimetres (16 in) long.

Allopodocotyle is a genus of trematodes in the family Opecoelidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovate sole</span> Species of fish

The ovate sole is a species of flatfish in the true sole family, Soleidae native to the Indo-Pacific. Solea ovata has eyes on the right side with small scales on the sides of its body (ovata). The total length of its mitogenome is 16,782 bp with 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes. The organism, Solea Ovata was found in Guangdong province, China. Solea Ovata are usually found in shallow sand and mud at the bottom of water throughout the coast of Indo-Pacific ocean.

<i>Solea senegalensis</i> Species of fish

Solea senegalensis, the Senegalese sole, is a species of flatfish from the family of the true soles, the Soleidae, from the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thickback sole</span> Species of fish

The thickback sole, also known as the bastard sole and lucky sole, is a species of flatfish from the family of true soles, the Soleidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, it is a quarry for fisheries in the Mediterranean.

Hemibdella soleae is a marine species of leech in the family Piscicolidae and the type taxon of its genus. Found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, it is a parasite of flatfish such as the common sole.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stump, E.; Ralph, G.; Carpenter, K.E. (2014). "Solea aegyptiaca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T194898A49076735. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T194898A49076735.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Philippe Borsa; Jean-Pierre Quignard (2001). "Systematics of the Atlantic–Mediterranean soles Pegusa impar, P. lascaris, Solea aegyptiaca, S. senegalensis, and S. solea (Pleuronectiformes: Soleidae)" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 79 (12): 2297–2302. doi:10.1139/cjz-79-12-2297.
  3. K. Ouanes; L. Bahro-Sfar; O.K. Ben Hassine & F. Bonhomme (2011). "Expanding hybrid zone between Solea aegyptiaca and Solea senegalensis genetic evidence over two decades". Molecular Ecology. 20 (8): 1717–1728. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05034.x. PMID   21426433. S2CID   11363221.
  4. 1 2 3 4 J.C. Hureau (ed.). "Fishes of the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Solea aegytiaca". ETI BioInformatics. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Solea aegyptiaca Chabanaud, 1927". Fishbase.org. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  6. Bruno Chanet; Martine Desoutter-Meniger; Sergey V. Bogorodsky (2012). "Range extension of Egyptian sole Solea aegyptiaca (Soleidae: Pleuronectiformes), in the Red Sea" (PDF). Cybium. 36 (4): 581–584.
  7. 1 2 Ashraf I. Ahmed; Mariam M. Sharaf; Hebutallah Laan (2010). "Reproduction of the Egyptian Sole, Solea Aegyptiaca (Actinopterygii: Pleuronectiformes:soleidae), from Port said, Egypt, Mediterranean Sea (abstract)". Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. 420 (2): 161–166.
  8. Hela Derbel; Lassad Neifar (2009). "Allopodocotyle tunisiensis sp. nov. (Digenea, Opecoelidae), a parasite of Solea aegyptiaca (Teleostei, Soleidae) off Tunisia". Acta Parasitologica. 54 (4): 305–309. doi: 10.2478/s11686-009-0054-y .