Lemon sole Solea fulvomarginata Photo by Dieter Stegemann
Lemon sole Solea fulvomarginata Photo by Guido Zsilavecz
Dieter Stegemann found this sole at Long Beach: "We saw this fish in the sand just to the right of the pipeline towards the kelp and it was very "tame" if I could use that term. It would lie quite still and allow me to gently touch it and wipe the sand from it in order to take the photo. I carry a piece of nylon cord with me and measured it from "nose" to "tail". The depth was 6.3 meters Length : 289mm (as measured when we returned)" This is an infrequently seen resident, occurring only in False Bay and further east. Characteristic are a few dark blotches, which are very pale in Dieter's specimen, as well as yellow margins on the dorsal and anal fins. It is generally found just below the sand surface, and when disturbed only moves a short distance. It feeds on on small invertebrates. We have 26 cm as maximum length, so nearly 29 cm makes this probably the largest one measured!
See "Coastal fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay", available from SURG and better dive stores in Cape Town, for more details.
Coastal fishes of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, a divers' identification guide, G Zsilavecz, 2005.
Smiths' Sea Fishes, MM Smith and PC Heemstra, 1986.