| Tufted sole | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Carangiformes |
| Suborder: | Pleuronectoidei |
| Family: | Soleidae |
| Genus: | Dexillus Chabanaud, 1930 |
| Species: | D. muelleri |
| Binomial name | |
| Dexillus muelleri (Steindachner, 1879) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Thetufted sole (Dexillus muelleri) is a species offlatfish from thefamily of true solesSoleidae. It is the only species in themonotypicgenusDexillus. It is found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
The tufted sole is found over seabeds which consist of sand, mud, gravel, andsea grass bottoms on the inner continental shelf, they are frequently recorded as coming into bays and the mouths of estuaries. They feed on a variety of benthic invertebrates and the maximum recordedstandard length for this species is 221mm.[1]
This species has been recorded from India and Sri Lanka, east through theMalay Archipelago and northern Australia to Tonga, Fiji andAmerican Samoa.[1] Its northern limit is the Philippines.[2] It is of minor commercial importance.[1]
Two other species,Brachirus macrolepis andSynaptura megalepidoura, which have both been placed by some authors in the genusBrachirus, alongsideDexillus muelleri, are also placed in the genusDexillus by some authorities.[3]
