Top 10 Sole Types in the World

Long Li is a common name for many species of Pleurotus ostreatus in Guangdong and Hong Kong, especially the Sole. Because these fish have a flat body and are shaped like a tongue (in Cantonese, "Li" means tongue), they are named Long Li or Long Li Fish (also written as "Long Li Fish"). The scientific name of Long Li Fish is Tongue Sole (tǎ), and other common aliases include pedal fish and ox tongue fish. It belongs to the order of Pleurotus ostreatus, and is popular among consumers for its tender meat, boneless, no fishy or peculiar smell, and not easy to become old even if cooked for a long time.

So, what are the types of Long Li Fish? The editor has compiled ten common and delicious tongue soles, including half-smooth tongue sole, short-snout tongue sole, wide-bodied tongue sole, three-line tongue sole, spotted tongue sole, Jiao's tongue sole, Chinese tongue sole, Xibao tongue sole, black-gilled tongue sole, line-patterned tongue sole, etc. Let's take a look at the classification and related characteristics of these tongue soles.

1. Half-smooth tongue sole (main artificially cultivated species, northwest Pacific)

Half-smooth tongue sole is one of the most common longli fish, and most of the longli fish sold on the market are of this type. Half-smooth tongue sole is elongated and laterally flattened, tongue-shaped, dark brown on the eye side, brown on the odd fin, and grayish white on the eyeless side. Adult fish have no swim bladder and pectoral fins. There are large differences between male and female individuals. The life span of female fish can reach 14 years, while that of male fish is about 8 years.

Cynoglossus semilaevis is mainly distributed in the northwest Pacific region, with North Korea, Japan and China as its main production areas. In the past, the production of Cynoglossus semilaevis was high, but due to resource decline, artificial breeding has now been successfully achieved. The meat of artificially cultivated Cynoglossus semilaevis is comparable to that of wild fish, tastes delicious, and is rich in protein. It is a high-end economic fish.

2. Short-snout tongue sole (body length 15-20cm, China/Japan/North Korea)

Short-snout tongue sole is widely loved by people for its good taste and high nutritional value. The short-snouted tongue sole is named after its short snout. It has a narrow body and a short head, with the length of the head being roughly equal to the height of the head. The snout is blunt and pointed, and the mouth is narrow. It has no teeth on the jaws on the side of the eye, and the pelvic fins are connected to the anal fins. The teeth on the jaws on the side without eyes are fluffy. The body is usually about 15-20 cm long, and can reach up to 30 cm.

The short-snouted tongue sole is mainly distributed in the Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea, East China Sea, and the surrounding waters of Japan and South Korea. It usually lives in nearshore waters and migrates to deeper offshore waters to hibernate in winter. It feeds on crustaceans, mollusks and small fish. The spawning period is in April, and the eggs are buoyant. The meat of the short-snouted tongue sole is delicious and can be eaten fresh.

3. Wide-bodied tongue sole (body length 25-40cm, western North Pacific

Wide-bodied tongue sole is one of the top ten dragon fish, named for its wide body shape. Wide-bodied tongue sole is a warm-water near-shore bottom fish, mainly distributed in the western North Pacific, and is caught in major fishing grounds along the coast of my country, especially Haiyang Island and Shidao Fishing Grounds are its main production areas. Wide-bodied tongue sole is usually between 25 and 40 cm long, weighing about 500 to 1500 grams, with a short head and small eyes, and both eyes are located on the left side of the head. Its mouth is located at the bottom, and the snout is curved downward, arched, and symmetrical.

In summer, the meat of the wide-bodied tongue sole is particularly plump and tender when eaten. It is suitable for cooking by steaming or braising to preserve its original flavor to the greatest extent. In addition, the wide-bodied tongue sole is also very suitable for processing into salted and dried products.

4. Three-line tongue sole (with three lateral lines on the eye side, western North Pacific)

The three-line tongue sole, also known as "golden-edged sole sand" or "golden-edged dragonfish", is one of the most delicious dragonfish species. The three-line tongue sole has a narrow and flat body shape, with a head slightly longer than the head height, several irregular brown spots on the head and the left side of the body, and small scales on both sides of the body. The side with the eye has three lateral lines, which are gray-brown in color, while the side without the eye has no lateral lines and is white. The color of the side with the eye can change according to the color of the bottom of its habitat.

The three-line tongue sole is widely distributed in the western North Pacific and can adapt well to changes in water salinity. It is commonly found in brackish and freshwater areas at the mouth of rivers and sometimes can enter freshwater to live. In my country, the "golden-edged sole sand" from the mouth of the Pearl River is deeply loved by people because of its delicious taste.

5. Glossophaga striata (brown spots and stripes on the body, northern Indian Ocean)

Glossophaga striata has irregular stripes all over its body, making it the most distinctive type of dragonfish. It is distributed along the northern coast of the Indian Ocean, east to Indonesia, north to China and Japan, and in my country it is mainly distributed in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. It usually lives on the muddy seabed and mainly feeds on benthic invertebrates.

Glossophaga striata has a tongue-shaped body, flattened sides, a slightly short head, a short snout, large eyes, a small mouth, and narrow and long gill openings. The starting point of the dorsal fin is located on the back of the front end of the snout, and the starting point of the anal fin is located below the rear edge of the gill cover, and the rear end is connected to the caudal fin. The side with the eye is brown with irregular brown spots and stripes, and there are also dark lines on the odd fin. The body length of the spotted tongue sole is generally 80 to 100 mm.

6. Jiao's tongue sole (light reddish brown on the left side of the body, North Korea/Japan)

Jiao's tongue sole, also known as short-nosed red tongue sole, is a fish of the genus Tongue Sole of the family Glossopteris. The body length is usually between 130 and 202 mm. It has the typical characteristics of tongue sole fish, with a long and flat body, eyes on the left side of the body, and the mouth extending behind the eyes. Its uniqueness lies in the light reddish brown on the left side, dark longitudinal texture in the middle of the scales, yellow fins, and gradually turning brown, while the right side is white.

Jiao's tongue sole is widely distributed in North Korea and the area south of Niijima, Japan. In my country, it is mainly distributed in the waters from Bohai Sea to the mouth of the Pearl River, and is particularly common in the north. It lives in the muddy bottom waters of the offshore continental shelf, usually at a depth of 20 to 70 meters, and feeds on benthic invertebrates such as polychaetes and crustaceans.

7. Chinese tongue sole (South China Sea/East China Sea)

Chinese tongue sole is one of the top ten tongue soles, mainly distributed in the South my country Sea and East China Sea. Chinese tongue sole has a high meat yield and no small thorns. The meat is delicate, delicious, tender, and has no fishy or any peculiar smell. It is very suitable for steaming to preserve its original delicious taste.

The body of Chinese tongue sole is long and flat, with slightly pointed ends, small eyes, and the upper eye is slightly forward of the lower eye. The interval between the eyes is flat and has small comb scales. The body surface of the eye side is covered with ctenoid scales, while the eyeless side is covered with round scales, and all fins are not covered with scales. The body color of the eye side is brown, and there are often large black spots on the gill cover, while the eyeless side is white. The Chinese tongue sole can adapt to seawater, freshwater and brackish water environments and is widely distributed.

8. Xibao tongue sole (Indonesia/China)

Xibao tongue sole is one of the most popular dragon fish and is widely favored for its delicious taste. The body of the Xibao tongue sole is short and flattened, with a body length of about 3.6 times the body height, a head length of 2.9 times the snout length, an eye diameter of about 6.9 times the head length, and a very narrow interval between the eyes, almost connected. The eye side is brown with dark spots, and there are also some dark spots on the odd fins, and there are no fine thorns or fishy smell. The meat is delicate and tender, suitable for a variety of cooking methods, such as steaming, stewing, braising, frying or boiling, and the taste is very delicious. In addition, Xibao tongue sole is rich in various nutrients, and regular consumption helps promote brain development.

Xibao tongue sole is mainly distributed in the warm shallow sea bottom of the western Pacific Ocean, and its habitat depth is usually between 69 and 91 meters. It is mainly distributed in China, Indonesia and other regions, and has abundant resources in my country's South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

9. Black gill tongue sole (Northwest Pacific)

Black gill tongue sole is named for its irregular black spots on its gill cover, and is one of the top ten common dragon fish. It is widely distributed in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is very common in my country's South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, East China Sea and other waters. It is a delicious edible marine fish.

The body of the black gill tongue sole is tongue-shaped, with a short head and a long snout. The eye is located on the left side of the head. The anterior nostril on the eye side is tubular and located in front of the lower eye, while the posterior nostril is located in front of the interorbital septum; the two nostrils on the eyeless side are located higher. The body surface of the eyed side is covered with ctenoid scales, while the eyeless side is covered with round scales or weak ctenoid scales. Except for the caudal fin, all fins are not covered with scales. The black gill tongue sole has dorsal and anal fins, but no pectoral fins; the eyed side has pelvic fins, which are connected to the anal fin by a membrane, while the eyeless side has no pelvic fins.

10. Line-shaped tongue sole (South China Sea)

Line-shaped tongue sole is a marine bottom fish and one of the ten well-known dragon fish. Its body is long-tongue-shaped, with ctenoid scales covering both sides. The left side is light brown, with fine black longitudinal lines along the scales, and the right side is white. Its dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fin are connected, and the fin rays are not branched. The starting point of the dorsal fin is located on the back near the front end of the snout, just above the extension line of the upper edge of the upper eye; the starting point of the anal fin is located slightly below the rear edge of the gill cover, and its height is similar to that of the dorsal fin. The caudal fin is pointed and there are no pectoral fins.

The line-patterned tongue sole is mainly distributed along the coast of China. It is a small bottom fish that is a specialty of the shallow sea area of the South China Sea. It is commonly found in the offshore waters of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan Island.

The top ten species of longli fish are recommended based on the public popularity of each species and the comprehensive information of other related rankings and lists. They are for reference only. If you have any questions, please discuss and communicate in the comment area. It should be noted that Basa fish is not longli fish. Basa fish belongs to the order Siluriformes, and its scientific name is Giant Catfish. Although its meat is similar to that of Longli fish, the two belong to different families.

animal tags： Sole