Dover sole
Microstomus pacificus (Lockington, 1879)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Dover sole (Microstomus pacificus) observed off Pt Pinos during a sanctuary seafloor monitoring survey using the Delta submersible.
Linda Snook / MBNMS · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Pacific Dover sole (Microstomus pacificus), also called the slime sole or slippery sole, is a Pacific flatfish of the flounder family which ranges from Baja California to the Bering Sea. It takes its name from a resemblance to the common sole of Europe, which is often called Dover sole.
Pacific Dover sole can live for 45 years. The species was identified in proximity to a methane seep off the coast of Del Mar in Southern California. They spawn annually in the winter season in deep water between 800 metres (2,600 ft) and 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Males begin to spawn at four years of age, while females begin to spawn at age five.
Wikipedia contributors, Microstomus pacificus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:52:45.932780+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microstomus pacificus (Lockington, 1879)
- Name authority
- (Lockington, 1879)
- Common name
- Dover sole
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Pleuronectiformes
- Family
- Pleuronectidae
- Genus
- Microstomus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderPleuronectiformes
- suborderPleuronectoidei
- familyPleuronectidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyPleuronectinae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusMicrostomus Gottsche, 1835
- speciesMicrostomus pacificus (Lockington, 1879)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Microstomus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Shuntov's smear dabMicrostomus shuntovi Borets, 1983 | PleuronectidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Slime flounderMicrostomus achne (Jordan & Starks, 1904) | PleuronectidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microstomus bathybius (Gilbert, 1890) | PleuronectidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| lemon soleMicrostomus kitt (Walbaum, 1792) | PleuronectidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Glyptocephalus pacificus Lockington, 1879 Lockington, 1879 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=274294 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:437HJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.