Pacific Lined Sole, Achirus mazatlanus

Pacific Lined Sole, Achirus mazatlanus, Juvenile. Fish caught in a seine net from within the estuary of Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, August 2017. Length: 5.1 cm (2.0 inches).

Pacific Lined Sole, Achirus mazatlanus. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of Bahía Kino, Sonora, January 2015. Length: 12 cm (4.7 inches). Photograph and identification courtesy of Maria Johnson, Prescott College Kino Bay Center, Kino Bay, Sonora.

Pacific Lined Sole, Achirus mazatlanus. Fish caught in a cast net from within the estuary of Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, August 2017. Length: 18 cm (7.1 inches).

The Pacific Lined Sole, Achirus mazatlanus, is a member of the American Sole or Achiridae Family, and is known in Mexico as tepalcate. Globally, there are eight species in the genus Achirus, of which five are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Lined Sole has an oval body with a width that is of 64% to 68% of standard length. They have a uniform gray or brownish-gray to light tan coloration. They have 8 vertical dark lines across their dorsal side. These latter characteristics fade shortly after collection. Their head has a rounded snout with a small mouth and small eyes that are set close together on their right side. Their anal fin has 41 to 44 rays and is fused to their pelvic fins; their dorsal fin originates above the eyes and has 55 to 57 rays. Their body is covered with rough scales; the scales on their dorsal side have black hair-like filaments. Their lateral line is prominent and straight running from the head to the caudal fin.

The Pacific Lined Sole is a demersal species that is found over and within soft bottoms in bays, estuaries, and adjacent freshwater streams at depths up to 53 m (175 feet). They reach a maximum length of 20 cm (7.9 inches). Although widespread they are uncommon the Pacific Lined 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 Pacific Lined Sole is found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Lined Sole is very similar to, and is easily confused with, the Brown Sole, Achirus klunzingeri (body width 59% to 63% of standard length; found from Acapulco south along the coast of the mainland to Guatemala).

From a conservation perspective, the Pacific Lined Sole is currently considered to be of Least Concern. They are small in stature, seldom seen by humans, and is of limited interest to most.