Pleuronectes platessa

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	PLEURONECTIFORMES	PLEURONECTIDAE

Scientific Name:

Pleuronectes platessa

Species Authority:

Linnaeus, 1758

Common Name/s:

English	–	European Plaice, Flatfish, Fluke, Hen Fish, Plaice-fluke
French	–	Carrelet, Plie, Plie Commune, Plie D'Europe
Spanish	–	Solla, Solla Europea

Synonym/s:

Platessa latus Cuvier, 1829

Platessa platessa (Linnaeus, 1758)

Platessa vulgaris Cloquet, 1826

Pleuronectes borealis Faber, 1828

Pleuronectes latus Cuvier, 1829

Pleuronectes platessa baltica Nilsson, 1855

Pleuronectes platessus Linnaeus, 1758

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2011

Assessor/s:

Freyhof, J.

Reviewer/s:

Kottelat, M. & Smith, K.

Contributor/s:

Justification:
A widespread species which is vulnerable to overfishing in the sea, but this is not currently thought to be causing a decline great enough to qualify the species as threatened.

European Union 27 = LC. Same rationale as above.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern (IUCN 2008)
2008	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Western Mediterranean and along all European coasts to White and Barents Seas; absent from northern Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. Regularly reported from freshwaters in Kanin Peninsula (Barents Sea). Occasionally reported from freshwater outside Barents Sea basin, but individuals might be misidentified P. flesus.
Countries:	Native: Belgium; Denmark; Faroe Islands; France; Germany; Gibraltar; Guernsey; Ireland; Isle of Man; Italy; Jersey; Latvia; Lithuania; Monaco; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Russian Federation; Spain; Sweden; United Kingdom
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Abundant.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Habitat: Mud and sand bottom from a few metres down to about 100 m, at sea and in estuaries, rarely entering freshwaters. Biology: Males reproduce for the first time at 2-3 years, females at 3-4. Spawns at sea, in January-June, in deep water, at temperatures around 6°C. Eggs and larvae are pelagic and drift with current. At about 10 mm SL, left eye moves to right side, pigmentation develops, and juveniles switch to benthic life. Juveniles enter freshwater to forage in mid-June in Kanin Peninsula, remaining there until August. Not all individual enter brackish and fresh-water. Adults do not move into brackish or fresh water. Feeds on thin-shelled molluscs and polychaetes.
Systems:	Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Habitat:
Mud and sand bottom from a few metres down to about 100 m, at sea and in estuaries, rarely entering freshwaters.

Biology:
Males reproduce for the first time at 2-3 years, females at 3-4. Spawns at sea, in January-June, in deep water, at temperatures around 6°C. Eggs and larvae are pelagic and drift with current. At about 10 mm SL, left eye moves to right side, pigmentation develops, and juveniles switch to benthic life. Juveniles enter freshwater to forage in mid-June in Kanin Peninsula, remaining there until August. Not all individual enter brackish and fresh-water. Adults do not move into brackish or fresh water. Feeds on thin-shelled molluscs and polychaetes.

Systems:

Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	No major threats known.

Major Threat(s):

No major threats known.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	No information available.

Conservation Actions:

No information available.

Citation:	Freyhof, J. 2011. Pleuronectes platessa. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2013.
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