Northern rock sole

Prior to 2000 the Northern rock sole and the rock sole, Lepidopsetta bilineata, were considered to be a single species under the genus Lepidopsetta, but work by Orr & Matarese published in 2000 reorganised the genus into three separate taxa.

The Northern rock sole lives in the demersal, marine, depth range 0 - 700 m , usually 19 - 246 m environment.

indivisa on northern rock sole and southern rock sole in Alaskan waters - Copepoda: Naobranchiidae - Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae - Lepidopsetta polyxystra Orr and Matarese, 2000 - L. More

The northern rock sole spawns in midwinter and spring, and the southern rock sole spawns in summer. Rock soles mature and ovulate all ova simultaneously within both ovaries, and spawn in a single event. More

The northern rock sole joins the list of 39 currently recognized flatfishes, including halibuts, flounders, turbots and soles that are common in Alaska waters. For Arctic Science Journeys, this is Debra Damron. More

Adults of the northern rock sole are found from Puget Sound through the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to the Kuril Islands, while the southern rock sole is known from the southeast Bering Sea to Baja California. More

Age-0 northern rock sole is the most abundant flatfish in fine-mesh trawl collections in Kodiak (1-30 m depth), sometimes reaching densities of several per square meter. More

Southern and Northern Rock Soles require little recolonization or rebuilding to recover structurally as compared to 'live bottom', reef, or kelp-bed habitats (NRC 2002). - 1. More

Age at maturity in Northern Rock Soles is 7 years (Fishbase 12/21/04b). Growth rate (k) is 0.15 for Southern Rock Soles (Fishbase 12/21/04a) and 0.25 for Northern Rock Soles (Fishbase 12/21/2004b). More

but the northern rock sole's blind side is creamy white, with no glossy highlights. Role in the Ecosystem - The diet of adult rock sole consists of fish (40%) polychaetes (27%), clam siphons (10%). More

Northern rock sole larvae spawned west of Unimak Pass along the Aleutian Islands may be transported northward by the Bering Slope Current. More

Common names

northern rock sole in English

Order : Pleuronectiformes
Family : Pleuronectidae
Genus : Lepidopsetta
Species : Lepidopsetta polyxystra
Authority : Orr and Matarese, 2000