Megrim

A Caught in the Tyrrhenian Sea megrim

The megrim ( Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis ), also called Scheefschnut, is a flatfish of the family of turbot ( Scophthalmidae ). He comes in the northeastern Atlantic from Iceland to Cape Bojador on the coast of Western Sahara, as well as in the western Mediterranean, the North Sea and Skagerrak ago.

Features

The megrim can reach a maximum length of 60 centimeters, remains but usually at a length of 25 centimeters. His body is thin and semi-transparent. As with all turbot are his eyes on his left side. The beginning of the dorsal fin is closer to the mouth than to tip forward rails edge of the upper eye. It is supported from 85 to 94 fin rays, the anal fin 64-74 fin rays. The mouth is large. On the eye side the scales are rough, smooth on the blind side. The lateral line runs in a distinct arch above the pectoral fin. The pelvic fins are not grown together with the anal fin.

Way of life

The megrim lives at depths of 100 to 400, in the Ionian sea to 700 meters, on soft soils. It feeds on small bottom-dwelling fish, cephalopods and crustaceans. The Atlantic population spawns from March to June in deep water south of Iceland and west of the British Isles. The eggs having a diameter of one millimeter. The larvae hatch after a week. First you live pelagic and go at a length of 20 mm above the soil life.

Use

Economically, the megrim of minor importance and only incidental by-catch in trawl fisheries.