''Microchirus azevia'', commonly known as the bastard sole, is a species of

flatfish A flatfish is a member of the Ray-finned fish, ray-finned demersal fish Order (biology), suborder Pleuronectoidei, also called the Heterosomata. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Soleidae The true soles are a family, Soleidae, of flatfishes. It includes saltwater and brackish water species in the East Atlantic, Indian Ocean, West and Central Pacific Ocean, and the mediterranean sea. Freshwater species are found in Africa, souther ...

. It is found on the continental slope of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

at depths down to about .

Description

The bastard sole grows to a

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of fish anatomy, their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is ...

of about . It is oval in outline, with a long ribbon-like dorsal fin with 71 to 86 soft rays, and a similar-shaped anal fin with 57 to 68 soft rays. The rounded caudal fin is separate from the dorsal and anal fins. In adults, the side of the fish with both eyes is sand-coloured or grey, but in juveniles there are additionally five or six eyespots; the other side of the fish is whitish.

Distribution and habitat

The bastard sole is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Atlantic its range extends from Portugal to Senegal, with a single record from the south west of England, while in the Mediterranean it is restricted to the coasts of Spain. Morocco and Algeria. Its depth range is from just below the

littoral zone The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely flood ...

down to about .

Ecology

''M. azevia'' is a

demersal The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer o ...

(bottom-dwelling) fish and is found on both sandy and muddy substrates. The diet consists of small invertebrates plucked off the seabed such as

amphipods Amphipoda () is an order (biology), order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods () range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 10,700 amphip ...

and polychaete worms.

Status

No major threats have been identified for this fish. Most of the countries in whose coastal waters it is found have regulations restricting trawling in certain areas. The bastard sole is uncommon and is not a target species for the fisheries along the coast, but may be caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

and may then be discarded. The population size and trend of this fish are unknown as no species-specific records are kept, so the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has rated its conservation status as being "

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5636075 Soleidae Fish described in 1867