Common Dab
Limanda limanda
Print fact sheet (PDF)
Rough as sandpaper to the touch, with a sharp kink in the lateral line above the pectoral fin.
A small right-eyed flatfish, sandy-brown and finely speckled with no bright spots, and rough to the touch because the scales are toothed. The identifying feature is the lateral line, which curves in a pronounced arc over the pectoral fin before running straight. Dab are abundant over sand in the Solway and are one of the commonest small flatfish inshore.
Behaviour
Dab lie on clean sand and fine gravel, feeding on small crustaceans, worms, brittlestars and molluscs. They are among the most numerous flatfish of shallow inshore waters and are frequently caught from beaches and piers. Spawning takes place inshore in spring, and the young settle into very shallow water — the sandy Solway margins act as an important nursery.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Righteye flounders (Pleuronectidae)
- Size
- Commonly 15–25 cm
- UK status
- Native; abundant in shallow inshore waters
Photo by Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons