The brill (''Scophthalmus rhombus'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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 turbot family (

Scophthalmidae The Scophthalmidae are a family (biology), family of flatfish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Fish of this family are known commonly as turbots, though this name can refer specifically to ''Scophth ...

) of the order Pleuronectiformes. Brill can be found in the northeast

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, and

Mediterranean 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 ...

, primarily in deeper offshore waters. Brill are usually in shallow waters or below 100 meters at seafloor. Brill prefers to live on the surface that is either sandy or muddy depending on where they are. Brill have slender bodies, brown covered with lighter and darker coloured flecks, excluding the tailfin; the underside of the fish is usually cream coloured or pinkish white. Like other flatfish the brill has the ability to match its colour to the surroundings. The Brill average lifespan is 6 years and they weigh up to and can reach a length of , but are less than half that on average. Part of the dorsal fin of the fish is not connected to the fin membrane, giving the fish a frilly appearance. They are sometimes confused with the turbot (''Scophthalmus maximus''), which is more diamond-shaped. The two species are related and can produce hybrids. On the west coast of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

(outside the range of ''Scophthalmus rhombus'') local fisherman refer to the petrale sole, ''Eopsetta jordani'', as brill. The flesh is lighter in texture, more friable - even "floury" - and considerably less rich in flavour than the turbot, which is preferred by chefs. :fr:Scophthalmus rhombus

Name in other languages

Sources

Scophthalmus rhombus
''Marine Life Encyclopedia'' * *

References

External links

in "What Am I Eating?" (a food dictionary) Scophthalmus Commercial fish Marine fish of Europe Fish of the Black Sea Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fish described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Pleuronectiformes-stub