Lemon Tongue Sole

Interesting Info

• The Lemon Tongue Sole (Paraplagusia bilineata) is a master of disguise — a flat, tongue-shaped fish that spends most of its life lying camouflaged on sandy or muddy seafloors, blending so perfectly that even crabs walk right over it without noticing!
• Its name comes from both its bright yellowish underside (resembling lemon skin) and its tongue-like body — long, narrow, and flattened like a pancake made for stealth.
• Like all true soles, both eyes are on the right-hand side of its body. The upper surface is mottled brown to grey with two faint darker lines running lengthwise — the “bilineata” part of its scientific name means “two-lined.”
• The Lemon Tongue Sole is found throughout the Indo–West Pacific — from the Red Sea and East Africa across to Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, northern Australia, and parts of Japan.
• In Australia, it occurs mainly from Shark Bay and the Timor Sea across northern waters to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, and down into the Coral Sea.
• It inhabits sandy or muddy bottoms at depths of about 1–100 m (330 ft), though juveniles may live in shallower bays or estuaries where the substrate is soft and full of invertebrates.
• Lemon Tongue Soles feed mostly at night, emerging from their hiding spots to suck up worms, crustaceans, and small bottom-dwelling fish using a powerful downward-facing mouth.
• They’re patient hunters — capable of lying still for hours, watching with independently moving eyes before striking lightning-fast when prey passes close.
• Spawning typically takes place offshore during warmer months. Females release eggs that float near the surface; after hatching, larvae drift with ocean currents before settling to the seabed and developing their flat, two-eyed form.
• These soles can live 8–10 years or longer in undisturbed habitats. They grow slowly, reaching maturity around 2–3 years of age.
• Their ability to change skin tone slightly to match surrounding sediments provides near-perfect camouflage — one reason divers and trawlers rarely notice them until they move!