Teleostei (teleosts) >
Pleuronectiformes (Flatfishes) >
Pleuronectidae (Righteye flounders) > Pleuronectinae
Etymology: Hippoglossoides: Greek, ippos = horse + Greek, glossa = tongue + Suffix oides = similar to (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 10 - 3000 m (Ref. 58426), usually 90 - 250 m (Ref. 6263). Temperate; 80°N - 41°N, 72°W - 55°E
Western Atlantic: southern Labrador in Canada and western Greenland to Rhode Island in USA; Eastern Atlantic: off eastern Greenland and from the English Channel to the coast of Murmansk (Ref. 7251). Two subspecies were recognized, H. p. platessoides from northwestern Atlantic, and H. p. limandoides from the northeastern Atlantic (Ref. 51668).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 35.0 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 82.6 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 58426); max. published weight: 6.4 kg (Ref. 7251); max. reported age: 30 years (Ref. 6263)
Slender body and a large mouth. Dorsal fin starts above left eye. Lateral line almost straight. Rough scales (Ref. 35388).
Adults are most abundant from 90 m to 250 m deep and bottom temperatures of -0.5 to 2.5°C (Ref. 6263). Live on soft bottoms (Ref. 9988, 58426). Feed on invertebrates and small fishes. Batch spawner (Ref. 51486). Marketed fresh and frozen; eaten steamed, fried, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988).
Cooper, J.A. and F. Chapleau, 1998. Monophyly and intrarelationships of the family Pleuronectidae (Pleuronectiformes), with a revised classification. Fish. Bull. 96(4):686-726. (Ref. 30193)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 0.6 - 10.3, mean 5.6 °C (based on 824 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5625 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00646 (0.00554 - 0.00753), b=3.06 (3.02 - 3.10), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.1 ±0.0 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 13.1 (8.8 - 14.5) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 12
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (rm=0.43; K=0.06-0.12; tm=2-11; tmax=30; Fec=50,000).
Prior r = 0.19, 95% CL = 0.12 - 0.28, Based on 2 full stock assessments.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High to very high vulnerability (66 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref.
125649): Moderate to high vulnerability (46 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 19.2 [7.5, 32.8] mg/100g; Iron = 0.214 [0.105, 0.410] mg/100g; Protein = 17.1 [15.7, 18.5] %; Omega3 = 0.407 [0.194, 0.867] g/100g; Selenium = 31.2 [15.1, 68.7] μg/100g; VitaminA = 8.07 [1.81, 36.72] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.336 [0.224, 0.512] mg/100g (wet weight);
