Soleidae

Soles
Sand sole, Pegusa lascaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Pleuronectiformes
Suborder: Soleoidei
Family: Soleidae
Genera

Achiroides
Aesopia
Aseraggodes
Austroglossus
Bathysolea
Brachirus
Buglossidium
Dagetichthys
Dicologlossa
Heteromycteris
Leptachirus
Liachirus
Microchirus
Monochirus
Parachirus
Paradicula
Pardachirus
Pegusa
Phyllichthys
Rendahlia
Rhinosolea
Solea
Soleichthys
Strabozebrias
Synaptura
Synapturichthys
Typhlachirus
Vanstraelenia
Zebrias
See text for species.

The true soles are a family, Soleidae, of flatfishes, and include species that live in salt water and fresh water. They are bottom-dwelling fishes feeding on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. Other flatfishes are also known as soles.

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) side on the sea floor, often covered in mud which, in combination with their dark colours, makes them hard to spot.

Soles (along with flounders) were observed by the Bathyscaphe Trieste at the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth of 35,798 feet (10,911 m).

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

Species

FishBase lists 135 species in 28 genera but comments, "The taxonomy of this family needs revision."[1]

References

  1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Soleidae" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
  2. ^ Randall & Allen (2007). "Aseraggodes crypticus, a new sole (Pleuronectiformes: Soleidae) from Christmas Island, Indian Ocean". Records of the Western Australian Museum 24 (1): 109–112. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Randall (2007). "Leptachirus, a new soleid fish genus from New Guinea and northern Australia with descriptions of eight new species". Records of the Western Australian Museum 24 (1): 81–108. 
  4. ^ Muchhala and Munroe; Munroe, Thomas A. (2004). "A new species of Soleichthys (Soleidae: Pleuronectiformes) from tropical seas off northern Australia". Ichthyological Research 51 (1): 57–62. doi:10.1007/s10228-003-0196-0.