Fantail Sole, Xystreurys liolepis
Fantail Sole, Xystreurys liolepis, Right Eyed. Fish caught in coastal waters off Carlsbad, California, February 2020. Length: 20.0 cm (7.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, San Diego, California.
Fantail Sole, Xystreurys liolepis, Left Eyed. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of Bahía Kino, Sonora, March 2015. Length: 20.1 cm (7.9 inches). Photograph and identification courtesy of Maria Johnson, Prescott College Kino Bay Center, Kino Bay, Sonora.
Fantail Sole, Xystreurys liolepis, Left Eyed. Fish caught in coastal waters off Carlsbad, California, February 2020. Length: 26 cm (10 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, San Diego, California.
Fantail Sole, Xystreurys liolepis, Left Eyed. Fish caught by commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, July 2009. Length: 29 cm (12 inches).
Fantail Sole, Xystreurys liolepis, Right Eyed. Fish caught by the commercial fishermen in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, July 2013. Length: 41 cm (17 inches).
The Fantail Sole, Xystreurys liolepis, is a member of the Sand Flounder or Paralichthyidae Family, that is known as the Fantail Flounder and in Mexico as lenguado cola de abanico. Globally, there are two members of the genus Xystreurys, one of which, this species from Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The Fantail Sole has an elongated body with a depth that is 50% to 55% of standard length. Their eye side has a uniform pale gray-brown coloration with several small dark brown and white spots. Most fish have two large dark spots, one on the lateral line above their arch and the other at the base of their caudal fin. Their anal and caudal fins have dark spots and their long pectoral fins have dark bars. Their blind side is off-white. They have a small head with a short snout and a small mouth that ends under the middle of their lower eye. Their eyes are large and can be found on either the left or right side, are elevated, and are set close together. Their top eye occurs before their lower eye. They have one row of small conical teeth on each jaw. Their anal fin has 57 to 62 rays; their caudal fin (for which they are named) is slightly rounded; their dorsal fin has 73 to 80 rays and originates over the top eye; their pectoral fin on their eye side is equal to or longer than the head; and, their pelvic fins are symmetric. They have two plus 6 or 7 short fat gill rakers on their lower arch. They are covered with a mixture or small and large scales. The lateral line is strongly arched and extends into their head and branches into their lower eye.
The Fantail Sole is a demersal species that is found over and within sandy and muddy bottoms at depths up to 135 m (445 feet). They reach a maximum of 53 cm (21 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2023, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 4.00 kg (8 lbs 12 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off San Clemente Island, California in June 2001. They are opportunistic and well-camouflaged ambush predators that lie in wait half submerged on the ocean floor. They prey on small fish and a wide variety of crustaceans. The Fantail Sole is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Fantail Sole is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean and is found along the entire west coast of Baja and throughout the Sea of Cortez. They are absent from coastal waters south of Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
The Fantail Sole can be confused with the California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus (body depth 38% to 40% of length; doubly concave caudal fin) and the Longfin Sanddab, Citharichthys xanthostigma (17 or 18 gill rakers; maximum length 29 cm).
From a conservation perspective the Fantail Sole is current considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are considered to be an excellent food fish and sold commercially but on a limited basis. They are also caught from boats by recreational anglers.