Speckled sanddab
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| iSpeckled sanddab | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
| Citharichthys stigmaeus (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882) |
The Speckled sanddab (Citharichthys stigmaeus) is a species of flounder in the genus Citharichthys. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Alaska in to north to Baja California, Mexico in the south.
It is a much smaller cousin of the Pacific sanddab, growing to a maximum of 17 cm in length. It can be found on the sandy bottom near the shore to as far out as 350 m. It is a dull brown or tan colour, with a white or pale brown underside. Males are often mottled with orange spots.
While the speckled sanddab is technically a game fish, it is of little commercial importance due to its diminutive size, and the larger Pacific sanddab is readily available. The species has a high rate of reproduction, and coupled with the minimal threat from fishing means that it is abundant along the entire North American coast.
[edit] References
- "Citharichthys stigmaeus". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. October 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
