Whiteblotched Sole

Soleichthys maculosus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Pleuronectiformes
Family: Soleidae
Genus: Soleichthys
Species: Soleichthys maculosus

The whiteblotched sole (Soleichthys maculosus) is a slender sole whose juveniles mimic toxic flatworms. Tiny juveniles swim with rippling, colourful fin margins that look just like a crawling flatworm.

Adults grow to about 15 cm and are brown with white blotches. They bury in sand by day and hunt small invertebrates at night.

In the Philippines it is found on sand and rubble slopes, with the flatworm-mimic juveniles a special night-dive sighting.