Name: European plaice
Scientific Name: Pleuronectes platessus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Pleuronectidae
Group: Bony fish
Class: Fish
Size: 51-100 cm.
The European plaice is one of the most well known flatfishes and is also one of the greatest commercial interest in the North Atlantic. When the larva of this fish hatches, it lives in the water column for a period of 1 to 2 months. Afterwards, it undergoes a metamorphosis that places its eyes on the right side of the body and adapts it to life on the sea floor. It lives in shallow waters, buried in the sand. Also, it tolerates variations of salinity and penetrates estuaries.
Photo by:
Oceanário de Lisboa
Oceanário Location
North Atlantic
