Turbot

A well camouflaged turbot

The turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus, formerly Psetta maxima, Bothus maximus maximus or rhombus L. ) is a flatfish whose eyes are on his left body edge. His bottom ( right body side ) is white, the top (left body edge) adapts to the environment. The top is without scales, but provided with large bony prominence that look like small stones, of which the fish got its name. He lives along the European coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Baltic and North Sea on sand and gravel at depths of 20 to 70 meters. Here he captured primarily ground-dwelling small fish, but also crustaceans and molluscs. The almost circular, scaleless, esteemed food fish reached an average length of 50 to 70 centimeters, is rarely, up to a meter long, in which case it reaches a weight of over 20 kilograms. In trade, he is also known as Turbutt (compare the English name Turbot ).

Closely related to the turbot is also occurring on European coasts brill.

Reproduction

The spawning season is in the North Sea area from April to August. Here are the female, the Rogner, water depths of 10 to 40 meters, depending on body size 10 to 15 million eggs in the free water. After insemination by the male, the cock fish, develop from the fertilized eggs after seven to nine days, the initially symmetrical larvae, which feed in the shallow coastal areas of plankton. If the - now strongly asymmetric, ie " left-eyed " has become - young fish have reached a length of eight to ten centimeters, they move into deeper water, where they are able to reproduce after five years.