Relevant synonyms Solea melanochira Misidentification None Meristic formula D, 72-95; A, 60-75; P, 8-12/8-10; LL, 119-130; GR, 6-7/2  photo : Jean-Pierre Quignard

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body oval. Both eyes on the right side. Caudal fin distinctly separated from dorsal and anal fin. Upper eye less than its own longitudinal length from dorsal profile of the head and less than interorbital length. Anterior nostril on blind side tubular, not conspicuously swollen, its diameter close to half of eye diameter. Tube of the anterior nostril on eyed side not reaching to front border of the lower eye. Pectoral fin on the blind side. color : eyed side brownish with blue spots in fresh specimens. Pectoral fin on eyed side with white, yellowish or gray rays and a black membrane. size : common 20-35 cm (Mediterranean); (max. 60 cm--Atlantic). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Solea solea: black blotches on the upper distal part of pectoral fin on the eye side. Solea lascaris and S. kleini: enlarged with fringed rim anterior nostril on the blind side, its diameter greater than the body scales. Monochirus hispidus: no pectoral fin on blind side. Synaptura lusitanica: dorsal and anal fins confluent by small membrane to caudal fin. Microchirus hexophthalmus and Microchirus ocellatus: distinct ocelli on upper side. Microchirus spp., Bathysolea profundicola, Buglossidium luteum and Dicologoglossa cuneata: pectoral fin on the blind reduced to 2-3 rays. Pleuronectidae: free preoperculum margin. Other flat fishes families: eyes on the left side. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Feeds on benthic organisms, crustaceans and polychaetes. Spawning season in Spanish-French Atlantic coasts: May-June. Mediterranean Tunisian coast; February-May. Eggs and larvae planktonic. habitat : benthic. Sandy or muddy substrate from brackish lagoons, to 100 m depth in the sea.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Catalan Sea, Spain, 1920. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Eastern Atlantic from Senegal to La Rochelle, France. Mediterranean : recorded first from coast of Spain, as Solea melanochira (Borja, 1920). Successive records from northern coast of Tunisia (Torchio, 1973), Bizerte and Ichkeul lagoon (Goucha and Ktari, 1981), Gulf of Lions (Quignard et al., 1986). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Common. speculated reasons for success : MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via Gibraltar. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS Of growing important in northern Tunisian fisheries : in Ichkeul Lagoon (Bizerte) 25% of soles caught are S. senegalensis.

KEY REFERENCES Borja J., 1920. Contribucion al estudio de la fauna ictiologia de España. Mem. R. Acad. Cienc. Art., Barcelona 16(3): 1-191. Chaouachi B. and Ben Hassine O.K., 1998. The status of fish biodiversity in Ichkeul Lagoon, Tunisia. Ital. J. Zool., 65, suppl.: 303-304. Goucha M. and Ktari M.H., 1981. Présence de Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858 sur les côtes nord de la Tunisie. Rapp. Comm. int. Mer Médit., 27(5): 131-133.   Quignard J.P., Bourquard C. and Shehata S., 1986. Note faunistique concernant les Soleidae du Golfe du Lion (Pisces, Soleidae). Vie et Milieu, 36: 141-143. Rodriguez A. and Rodriguez R.B., 1980. Primera cita en el Mediterraneo de Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858 (Heterosoma, Soleidae). Investigación Pesquera, Barcelona, 44(2): 291-295. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: April 2002 ©ciesm 2002