
Roughscale sole
Clidoderma asperrimum
- Usual depth0–504 m
- Water temperature4–22 °C
- Best monthsMay, July, and September
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) りなべる, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The roughscale sole is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy, muddy bottoms at depths from 15 to 1,900 metres, though it is most commonly found at depths of between 400 and 600 metres. It can reach 62 centimetres (24 in) in length and can weigh up to 4.4 kilograms (9.7 lb). Its native habitat is the northern Pacific, from the coasts of China and Japan, across the Bering Sea to Alaska, Canada and the Californian coast of America.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Roughscale sole”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 1 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 2 records
- April: 3 records
- May: 4 records
- June: 2 records
- July: 4 records
- August: 1 records
- September: 5 records
- October: 4 records
- November: 3 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–504 m · Deepest record: 938 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 4–22 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Roughscale sole, Roughskin sole, roughscale flounder, roughscale sole
Names in 4 more languages
- French
- plie rugueuse
- Japanese
- Same-garei, Samegarei, サメガレイ
- Korean
- 줄가자미
- Simplified Chinese
- 粒鰈
Other scientific names: Platessa asperrima
Similar species
- Kamchatka flounder
Atheresthes evermanni
- Korean flounder
Glyptocephalus stelleri
Shotted halibutEopsetta grigorjewi
Slime flounderMicrostomus achne
- Pointhead flounder
Cleisthenes pinetorum
- migigarei
Dexistes rikuzenius
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 54 open-data records from 1900 to 2004.
- Species data updated November 1, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.