Soleidae

Last updated

Soles
Pegusa lascaris.jpg
Sand sole, Pegusa lascaris
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Carangiformes
Suborder: Pleuronectoidei
Family: Soleidae
Bonaparte, 1832
Genera [1]

Achiroides
Aesopia
Aseraggodes
Austroglossus
Barnardichthys
Bathysolea
Brachirus
Buglossidium
Dagetichthys
Dexillus
Dicologlossa
Heteromycteris
Leptachirus
Liachirus
Microchirus
Monochirus
Paradicula
Pardachirus
Pegusa
Phyllichthys
Pseudaesopia
Rendahlia
Rhinosolea
Solea
Soleichthys
Synaptura
Synapturichthys
Synclidopus
Typhlachirus
Vanstraelenia
Zebrias

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.

In the past, soles of the Americas (both fresh and salt water) were included in this family, but they have been separated to their own family, the American soles (Achiridae). The only true sole remaining in that region is Aseraggodes herrei of the Galápagos and Cocos Island. [2]

The true soles are bottom-dwelling fishes feeding on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. The family contains 30 genera and a total of about 180 species.

Soles begin life as bilaterally symmetric larvae, with an eye on each side of the head, but during development, the left eye moves around onto the right side of the head. Adult soles lie on their left (blind) sides on the sea floor, often covered in mud, which in combination with their dark colours, makes them hard to spot.

A flatfish resembling a small halibut or sole was observed by the bathyscaphe Trieste at the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth around 11 km (36,000 ft). [3] This observation has been questioned by fish experts, and recent authorities do not recognize it as valid. [4]

Many soles are important food species: the common sole, Solea solea, is popular in northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

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.

<i>Citharichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Citharichthys is a genus of flatfish in the large-tooth flounder family, Paralichthyidae. They have both eyes on the left sides of their heads. They are native to the oceans around the Americas, with a single species, C. stampflii off the West African coast. Most are found in relatively shallow depths, but the genus also includes species found in deep water and species that enter fresh water.

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

Pleuronectidae, also known as righteye flounders, are a family of flounders. They are called "righteye flounders" because most species lie on the sea bottom on their left sides, with both eyes on their right sides. The Paralichthyidae are the opposite, with their eyes on the left side. A small number of species in Pleuronectidae can also have their eyes on the left side, notably the members of the genus Platichthys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demersal fish</span> Fish that live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes

Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes. They occupy the sea floors and lake beds, which usually consist of mud, sand, gravel or rocks. In coastal waters, they are found on or near the continental shelf, and in deep waters, they are found on or near the continental slope or along the continental rise. They are not generally found in the deepest waters, such as abyssal depths or on the abyssal plain, but they can be found around seamounts and islands. The word demersal comes from the Latin demergere, which means to sink.

<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">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 partially 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">Samaridae</span> Family of fishes

Samaridae is a family of crested flounders, small flatfishes native to the Indo-Pacific. The family contains four genera with a total of 29 species.

<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 species of flatfish found in the north-eastern Pacific waters where it lives on sandy bottoms. It is the only species in the genus Psettichthys, and ranges from the Bering Sea to northern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaice</span> Common name for a group of flatfish

Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice.

<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>Aseraggodes</i> Genus of fishes

Aseraggodes is a genus of soles native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. These small flatfishes are poisonous.

<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.

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

The Egyptian sole 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.

<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.

The tufted sole is a species of flatfish from the family of true soles Soleidae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Dexillus. It is found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

<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.

References

  1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Soleidae". FishBase . December 2012 version.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Aseraggodes herrei". FishBase . May 2014 version.
  3. BBC News (23 February 2012). Meet the only man alive who has been to the deepest ocean. . Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  4. Jamieson, A.J., and Yancey, P. H. (2012). On the Validity of the Trieste Flatfish: Dispelling the Myth. The Biological Bulletin 222(3): 171–175