The species has also been found to host a parasite, Acanthochondria limanda, which lives in their gill cavity.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
There is no current threat to the dabfish's populations; they are protected by their high productivity.
The dabfish are important to commercial fishermen in Europe. They are popular because they have the sweetest flesh of all flatfish. They are captured by trawls and shore seines.
Dabfish feed upon hermit crabs, isopods, shrimp, amphipods, echinoderms, mussels, and worms. They feed during the day by waiting for their prey to pass by. They locate their food primarily with sight and attack when the prey moves, but they occasionally use smell also.
Found along the Western European coasts of Iceland, from the White Sea to the Bay of Biscay. Also found in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, and is most prevalent in the Southern North Sea.
Biogeographic Regions: atlantic ocean (Native )
Dabfish are common to sandy, muddy bottom waters. They live in shallower waters in the summer (20-40m). In the fall, they are found in muddy bottoms up to 150 meters in depth.
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; coastal
Limanda limanda are distinguished from other flatfish by having both eyes on the right side of their head; furthermore, the scales on the eyed-side are rough and toothed. Their color varies from pale yellow to a brown/green hue.
Other Physical Features: bilateral symmetry
The spawning season is from March to May. The eggs are pelagic and drift in the water currents until they hatch (roughly 4 cm). The eggs hatch in about twelve days, and sexual maturity is reached in two years while full adult size isn't reached until five years of age (22-30 cm). Female dabfish are extremely fertile, a 30 cm-sized female can produce one million eggs.
