Hippoglossoides elassodon Jordan & Gilbert, 1880
Flathead sole
Flathead sole
Hippoglossoides elassodon
photo by Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.

Family:  Pleuronectidae (Righteye flounders), subfamily: Pleuronectinae
Max. size:  52 cm SL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 1,560.0 g; max. reported age: 27 years
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range 0 - 1050 m, oceanodromous
Distribution:  North Pacific: Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, and the Bering Sea along the western coast of America to Pt. Reyes, central California, USA.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 75-85; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 55-68; Vertebrae: 42-46. Dorsal origin over anterior part of upper eye. Caudal with small elongation in center. Pectorals rather large with rounded tips.
Biology:  Found on soft bottom (Ref. 2850). Adults usually below 180 m (Ref. 2850). Feed on clams, worms and crustaceans (Ref. 6885). Taken by shrimp and otter trawls (Ref. 6885).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 05 November 2020 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Ranges form St. Lawrence I. to the Aleutian Is. and southeastern Alaska (Ref. 6793). Commercially taken in the Gulf of Alaska (Ref. 28499). Also Ref. 6876, 6885, 11366, 27436.


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.