Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None Meristic formula D, 73-83; A, 57-67; P, 6-10; LL, 100-123.  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Both eyes on right side. Body oval with hind part tapering. Head 15-20% of standard length, with upper eye its own diameter or more from dorsal profile of head. Nostril tube on eye side has tube pointing backwards. Anterior nostril on blind side small. The anterior part of the lateral line smoothly curved. Caudal fin confluent with dorsal and anal fins. color : eyed side greyish-brown, with large dusky blotches (largest along the lateral line), irregular in shape and forming rows along the body. Blind side rosy white or yellowish. Pectoral pale or blackish terminally. size : common 19-31 cm (max. 35 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Other Soleidae species: dorsal and anal fin rays totally separated from caudal fin or joined by a thin membrane. Pleuronectidae: free preoperculum margine. Other flatefishes families: eyes on the left side. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY No data. habitat : demersal in shallow waters, on mud and sandy bottom up to 60 m depth.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Off Vinaroz, Central Iberian Peninsula, 1960. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Eastern Atlantic, from Portugal to Congo. Mediterranean : recorded first off Vinaroz, Central Iberian Peninsula (Lozano-Rey, 1960) ; successive records from north-east Iberian Peninsula (Matallanas, 1984a), and Libya (Al-Hassan, 1999)*. * Note: probably this species may be confused with other soleids, which could explain its few records in the Mediterranean (Matallanas, 1984b). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Unknown. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via Gibraltar. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None in the Mediterranean.

KEY REFERENCES Al Hassan, 1999. First record of some fishes from Libyan waters. Indian Journal of Fisheries, Ernakulam, 46(2): 195-198. Lozano-Rey L., 1960. Peces Fisoclistos. Tercera Parte. Subseries Torácicos (Órdenes Equeneiformes y Gobiformes), Pediculados y Asimétricos. Memórias de la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales de Madrid, ser. Cienc. Nat., 14: 613 pp. Matallanas J., 1984a. Lionurus carapinus (Goode et Bean, 1883) (Pisces, Macrouridae) et Synaptura lusitanica Capello, 1868 (Pisces, Soleidae) en Méditerranée. Vie et Milieu, 34(2/3): 139-140.   Matallanas J., 1984c. Consideraciones sobre algunos Pleuronectiformes (Pisces, Teleostei) nuevos o de dudosa presencia en las costas Orientales Iberica. Misce. lània Zoològica, 8: 197-202. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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