Fish
Thickback sole
Microchirus variegatus
(GSA7) Gulf of Lion, (GSA8) Corsica
Fishing zones
Wild
Origin
14 cm
Minimum size
Description
Oval, elongated body, relatively thick compared to other flatfish. Its snout is rounded. Located on the right side (dexter), the eyes are large, with a diameter greater than the length of the snout. Generally orange to reddish-brown in color, marked by 4 to 5 dark transverse bands that extend onto the dorsal and anal fins. The pectoral fin on the eye side is small. The maximum reported size is 35 cm, but the common size is typically around 14–20 cm. It feeds on a wide variety of small benthic organisms, mainly crustaceans (amphipods, shrimp), but also polychaete worms and small bivalve mollusks.
Habitat
A marine and benthic species (living on the seafloor). It is found on the continental shelf and the continental slope, generally at depths of 20 to 400 meters (more commonly between 80 and 400 meters, depending on the region). It prefers seabeds of coarse sand, mud, or gravel. It inhabits subtropical waters.
Distribution
Its range covers mainly the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. From the British Isles and Ireland to southern Senegal (Greyhound Bay), including Madeira and the Canary Islands. Found throughout most of the Mediterranean basin, with the exception of the easternmost coast of the Levantine Sea.