Description
Lepidopsetta bilineata (Rock Sole)
(Other common names: Broadfin Sole, Whitebellied Sole, Two-Lined Dab)
Figure 54.14
DescriptionLength: 60 cm (females larger than males).
Mouth: small, terminal; small gape; asymmetrical; directed upwards; maxillary extends to anterior part of the lower eye; teeth and jaws most developed on the blind side.
Body: caudal peduncle moderate; caudal fin rounded to V-shaped; lateral line is prominently arched over the pectoral region; accessory branch present and short.
Colour: gray to brown with either mottled dark or light areas; dorsal, anal, and caudal fins have dark mottling; blind side white; yellow towards caudal region.
Depth: up to 366 m, but generally shallower.
Habitat: soft substrate areas, but also pebbly substrate; moves to shallow waters in the summer and deeper during the winter.
Season: spawns in spring (February to April).
Diet: molluscs, worms, crustaceans (e.g., shrimp, crabs), and forage fish (e.g., sand lance).
Predators: not determined.
Distribution: southern California to the Bering Sea to the Sea of Japan.
Scale
DescriptionType of Scale: ctenoid on eyed side; some tuberculate on eyed side; cycloid on blind.
Relative Scale Size: moderate.
Position of Scales on Body: along lateral line, caudal peduncle region and extends to the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins (Hart, 1973).
Overall Scale Shape: circular to oval with the edge of the posterior field being straight to slightly convex. Bar-like thickening just anterior to the bases of the ctenii (Batts, 1964). Area of the lateral fields is approximately equal to the area of anterior field.
Focus and Circuli: the focus is not centralized and is approximately one-quarter the total scale length from the edge of the posterior field. The circuli are compact and generally continuous between all fields (Batts, 1964). Regeneration appears common.
Radii: numbers are variable and not diagnostic. The radii are in the anterior field and may extend into the anterior portion of the lateral fields. (Radii not present in all fields; Batts, 1964). Intermarkings absent (Batts, 1964).
