| Common dab | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Pleuronectiformes |
| Family: | Pleuronectidae |
| Genus: | Limanda |
| Species: | L. limanda |
| Binomial name | |
| Limanda limanda (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
| Range of the common dab | |
The common dab, Limanda limanda, is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish native to shallow seas around Northern Europe, in particular the North Sea, where it lives on sandy bottoms down to depths of about 100 metres (330 ft). It can reach 40 centimetres (16 in) in length and can weigh up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), though most specimens grow no longer than 30 centimetres (12 in).[1][2]
Contents |
The etymology of the name dab is unclear, but the modern English use seems to originate from the Middle English dabbe.[3] It is first recorded in the late 16th century.[4]
The common dab was first named Pleuronectes limanda by Carl Linnaeus in the 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It has also been moved to other genera, including Liopsetta, and is now known as Limanda limanda.[5]
The common dab has a similar appearance to both the plaice and the flounder, and similarly has both its eyes on the right-hand side of its body. The upper surface is usually pale brown in colour with scattered darker blotches and speckles, but the pectoral fins may be orange. The lateral line is marked by a distinctive semi-circular curve above the pectoral fin.[2]
The common dab's diet consists of zoobenthos organisms such as marine worms, molluscs, sand eels, amphipods, crustaceans and echinoderms.[2]
The dab is an abundant fish but is only occasionally landed as a commercial catch, sometimes as a by-catch of other targeted species.[6][7]