TURBOT

(Scophthalmus maximus), broad-bodied European flatfish of the family Scophthalmidae or, in some classifications, Bothidae. A highly valued food fish, the turbot lives along sand and gravel shores. It is a left-sided flatfish, with its eyes normally on the left side of the head, and it is scaleless, though its head and body are studded with numerous bony knobs, or tubercles. It reaches a maximum length of 1 metre (40 inches) and weight of about 25 kilograms (55 pounds). Colour varies with the surroundings but is usually gray brown or light brown with darker markings. Several other flatfish are also called turbot. Among them are the Black Sea turbot (S. maeoticus), a relative of the European species, and certain right-sided, Pacific Ocean flatfish of the genus Pleuronichthys and the family Pleuronectidae.