E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Isopsetta isolepis (Lockington, 1880)
Butter Sole
Family: Pleuronectidae

Source: Distribution of Isopsetta isolepis as compiled by Aquamaps

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Species Information

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 78 - 92; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 58 - 69; Vertebrae: 39 - 42. Dorsal origin above eye. Caudal rounded. Pectoral small, bluntly pointed.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Biology

Species Biology

Common in shallow water on soft, silty bottom. Moves into shallow water in summer and to deeper water in winter (Ref. 6885). Spawning adults exhibit north-south migrations (Ref. 6885). Feeds on chaetopod marine worms, young herring, shrimps, and sand dollars (Ref. 6885). Environment: demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); marine; depth range 20 - 425 m (Ref. 6793) Climate: temperate; 66°N - 32°N

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Distribution

Eastern Pacific: Bristol Bay in the southeastern Bering Sea and Amchitka Island (Aleutian Islands) to Ventura, California, USA.

Source: FishBase. Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald and H Hammann. 1983 . (Ref. 2850)

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	SNR	No Status	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Pleuronectes isolepis

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
University of Alaska Museum

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

Related Databases

fishbase

General References

FishBase References
Google Scholar Search

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-03-26 5:37:40 PM]

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