Can anyone ID this flattie, please?

Lemon Sole?,i'm not going to do a "streaked gurnard" on this one but.....Hi Guys,
To get an expert view on this i contacted the eminent Professor Robin Cook of the Government Marine Research Laboratory.
Here is my e`mail to him together with his courteous reply.
...So its hats off to Davy Holt who got it first time! Hi Richard
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I am pretty sure this is a Lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) which is a fairly abundant flatfish in Scottish waters and very tasty. The skin in much more slimy than most other flatfish and is quite difficult to handle, but of course you can't tell that from the picture.
It is a very good picture. Would it be possible to add it to our picture library?
Regards
Robin
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From: Richardicowling@aol.com [mailto:Richardicowling@aol.com]
Sent: 03 January 2008 00:02
To: Robin Cook
Subject: Fish Identification
Hi Robin,
Hope you don`t mind me sending you this pic and asking your help. But we, on the South Wales Sea Fishing Forum, have been at loggerheads with each other attempting to identify this fish and so I am seeking the advice of an expert. This is the only photo available and it was taken in a Scottish Sea Loch.
If you could help with the identification....or best guess then we would be very grateful.
Many thanks,
Richard
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I presume it is o.k. for him to use the photo...and well done that cameraman!
All the best,
Rich
Lol.. I'm thinking the same :boxing:Lemon Sole?,i'm not going to do a "streaked gurnard" on this one but.....
They only grow to about 4". Looks a lot bigger in the pic.i would go for a (Buglossidium luteum) otherwise known as a Solenette
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i have seen a few solenette and that was my first impression as to what it was,it ain't no lemon sole that's for sure.i would go for a (Buglossidium luteum) otherwise known as a Solenette
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Hiya,
I thought I'd ask the opinion or Doug Henderson at the national Marine Aquarium, he also copied in Richard Lord below is their replies
Hi Davy,
Good to hear from you and a Happy New Year to you.
When I first looked at the picture I thought it was a lemon sole, especially with that posture; also colouration is very similar to that in Frances Dipper's "British Sea Fishes" book. However I was also struck by the black tip to the pectoral a bit like a sole. All the Witches I have seen have been very plain beige, almost translucent; but they were dead on the fish market; as in this picture http://www.fishonline.org/search/advanced/?fish_id=123.
However, looking again it is far too slim for a Lemon, lacking that broad almost rectangular look. According to Wheeler (19978) Lemon Sole or Witch are the only possibles in NW European waters. Looking at the photos on Fishbase http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=26 and those that Richard Lord found I am getting more convinced that it is a witch, be it an unusually boldly marked one. Hence for the moment my opinion is that it is a Witch Glyptocephalus cynoglossus. Which coincidentally is the conclusion Richard came to see below.
Regards, Doug
My first impression was dover sole, Solea vulgaris - eyes very big though but they are often raised and bigger on live fish. Definitely not lemon sole. Pectoral fin on eyed side has a blackish blotch at posterior end which is in keeping with Solea vulgaris.
I also dismissed witch flounder, Glyptocephalus cynglossus. Ive seen thousands of these dead at Fulton Fish Market but I have never seen a live one. Reading the UNESCO book it states distal part of pectoral fin blackish. So then I had another look.
If the identification on this page http://zivazeme.cz/atlas-ryb/platys-sedohnedy is correct than the puzzler below is a witch flounder and not a dover sole as I first thought. I also looked at Norwegian photos and I am more confident now that the fish in question is a witch flounder.
See http://www.uwphoto.no/shopexd.asp?id=10258
Best wishes,
Richard
LOL.. when It comes to fish ID, yes I am a bit like a dog with a boneDavy, I admire your tenacity (and your eminent sources)! :thumbs: