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Microchirus variegatus (Donovan, 1808)

Thickback sole
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Microchirus variegatus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Microchirus variegatus (Thickback sole)
Microchirus variegatus
Picture by García Rodríguez, M.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Pleuronectiformes (Flatfishes) > Soleidae (Soles)
Etymology: Microchirus: Greek, mikros = small + Greek, cheir = hand (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 20 - 400 m (Ref. 35388). Subtropical; 60°N - 15°N, 18°W - 36°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Northeast Atlantic: British Isles south to Senegal (baie du Lévrier) and the Mediterranean.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 14 - ? cm
Max length : 35.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388); common length : 14.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397); max. reported age: 14 years (Ref. 32766)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0. Upper eye less than its own diameter from dorsal profile of head. Anterior nostril on blind side not enlarged, its distance from front margin of head about twice in its distance from cleft of mouth. Anterior nostril on eyed side with backward-pointing tube reaching to front border of lower eye. Pectoral fin on eyed-side small, on blind side reduced.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits mud or sand bottoms. Feeds on a wide range of small bottom-living organisms, mainly crustaceans (amphipods, shrimps), also polychaete worms and bivalve mollusks (Ref. 4710). Utilized as a food fish.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott, 1991. World fishes important to North Americans. Exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. (21):243 p. (Ref. 4537)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 15 July 2014

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Countries
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BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
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Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
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Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures
References
References

Tools

E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 7 - 16, mean 10.3 °C (based on 434 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5078   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00813 (0.00654 - 0.01011), b=3.05 (3.01 - 3.09), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.3   ±0.45 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.37; tm=3; tmax=14).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Low vulnerability (9 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 109 [39, 241] mg/100g; Iron = 1.02 [0.44, 2.16] mg/100g; Protein = 18.3 [16.5, 20.1] %; Omega3 = 0.199 [0.104, 0.365] g/100g; Selenium = 37.1 [18.3, 80.6] μg/100g; VitaminA = 8.2 [2.1, 30.8] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.664 [0.428, 0.992] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.