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Roughscale sole

Clidoderma asperrimum

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
  • Usual depth0–504 m
  • Water temperature4–22 °C
  • Best monthsMay, July, and September
  • How commonRare
All species

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

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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

  • 0–10 m: 15 records
  • 10–20 m: 0 records
  • 20–30 m: 0 records
  • 30–40 m: 0 records
  • 40–50 m: 0 records
  • 50–60 m: 0 records
  • 60–70 m: 0 records
  • 70–80 m: 0 records
  • 80–90 m: 0 records
  • 90–100 m: 0 records
  • 100–110 m: 0 records
  • 110+ m: 8 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 4–22 °C

  • 2–4 °C: 2 records
  • 4–6 °C: 21 records
  • 6–8 °C: 1 records
  • 8–10 °C: 0 records
  • 10–12 °C: 3 records
  • 12–14 °C: 1 records
  • 14–16 °C: 2 records
  • 16–18 °C: 1 records
  • 18–20 °C: 0 records
  • 20–22 °C: 4 records

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

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.

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