Oriental
sole
Brachirus orientalis
Family Soleidae
updated
Oct 2020
Where
seen? This large flattened fish is sometimes seen on some of our shore.
Features: Usually
10-12cm, it can grow to 30cm. Eyes on the right side with a small
curved mouth. Body oval, it has a tiny pectoral fin on the eyed-side.
Dorsal and anal fins joined with the tail fin and uniformly dark.
The eyed-side is greyish brown with dark patches. Scales are rough.
Sometimes confused with other flatfishes.
The Large-toothed
flounder (Family Paralichthyidae) looks very similar but it is
left-eyed. Here's more on how
to tell apart the flatfish families commonly seen. |
Kusu Island, Jul 20
Photo shared by Dayna Cheah on facebook. |
East Coast Park, Jun 09 |
Underside: Tail fin joined to the dorsal and anal fins. |
Eyes on the right side with small curved mouth. |
Often seen trapped in fishing nets.
Changi, Jul 11
|
What does it eat? Lying buried
in the sand, it preys on bottom dwelling animals especially crustaceans.
Human uses: It is eaten in some
places and marketed fresh, frozen or dried salted. |
Oriental
soles on Singapore shores |
Other sightings on Singapore shores |
Chek Jawa, Jan 10
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.
|
Beting Bronok, Jun 24
Photo shared by Kelvin Yong on facebook. |
|
East Coast Park, Nov 21
Photo shared by Jianlin Liu on facebook. |
Kusu Island, Jul 09
Photo shared by James Koh on his
blog. |
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|
Terumbu Hantu, Jul 18
Photo shared by Jianlin Liu on facebook. |
Terumbu Raya, Mar 09
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his
flickr. |
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