Norwegian topknot

Dwarf Butt ( Phrynorhombus norvegicus)

The dwarf Butt ( Phrynorhombus norvegicus, Syn: Zeugopterus norvegicus) is a fish of the family of turbot flatfish and one of the smallest in Europe.

Features

The dwarf Butt reaches only a maximum length of 12 cm. The left side is the eyeball side. She has a brown base color with crescent-shaped dark yellow and red spots usually. The blind side is white. Both sides are covered with distinct coarse scales. The fish has been on the ground lying oval.

Dissemination

This species lives in eastern parts of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent areas of the Arctic Ocean to Murmansk. To the south the distribution area extends over Iceland, the British Isles, the Faroe Islands, the coast of Norway and the North Sea to the Bay of Biscay. Wandering copies reach the Skagerrak and the Kattegat.

Way of life

The dwarf Butt adheres mostly to the seabed up to 200 m depth, preferably stony soils. Its food consists of worms, crabs and small fish.

The females lay their eggs about one millimeter in length in spring or summer from in pelagic marine areas. The fry hatch after about a week and live so long in the same sea zone until they are 12 to 15 mm long.