The sea ruffe is an intimidatingly beautiful fish that lives in the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as in the Black, Azov and Mediterranean seas. Also called scorpionfish, as it is part of the scorpionfish family.
Predatory fish are dangerous not only for their sea enemies, but also for humans if they are handled carelessly.
Anyone pricked by poisonous scorpionfish spines will suffer from inflammation and acute pain for several days. Despite this, due to its tasty meat, the fish has little commercial value.
External features
The sea ruffe grows very unusually. Like a snake, he sheds his old skin. This happens approximately once a month. Moreover, the more favorable the living conditions, the more often such molts occur.
Together with the old skin, it sheds clinging parasites and adhering algae. Thanks to its excellent camouflage, it is difficult to notice at the bottom, which is why the prey itself swims towards the scorpionfish.
Due to its outgrowths, spiny fins and spotted color, the fish has a terrifying appearance.
This is what a sea ruff looks like:- the average body length is about twenty-five centimeters;
- a large flattened head, covered with a spiky shell, occupies a third of the entire body;
- high-set, bulging eyes of a dark red color;
- the presence of poisonous spines on the ventral, dorsal and anal fins;
- the large mouth is framed by full lips;
- in strong jaws there are sharp, uneven teeth;
- camouflage pimples and flaps of skin cover the body, disguising the fish as a stone;
- the presence of hard pelvic fins in the anterior part of the belly.
Read here Sea trout - habitats, bait and fishing methods. 80 photos of fish and video description of its catch
Differences
Both species belong to the same family and are similar in many ways. However, differences still exist, albeit minor ones.
By external signs
The body of the ruffed flounder is covered with ctenoid scales, its surface is hard and rough, which gives the fish its name. The lateral line can be called straight, slightly curved in the area of the pectoral fin. Close-set large eyes and a large mouth cavity; in place of the back there is a scaly ridge. Most of the side on which the eyes are located is covered with scales, partially located even on the fins and jaws.
Important! The Flounder family includes 60 species in 23 genera. In addition to flounder, the family includes various types of halibut, limanda, psammodiscus, and verasper.
The largest size flounder lives in the Barents Sea, its length is just over 50 cm, weight - 1.5 kg. The average size of commercial specimens is 20–44 cm. Sea flounder has an original appearance and is extremely difficult to confuse with any other fish.
This sea creature looks like this:
- a flat body, shaped like a dish, surrounded by elongated dorsal and anal fins, with a large number of rays (50–80 pcs.);
- the head is asymmetrical, usually turned to the right, but sometimes there are exceptions;
- convex eyes are located at a small distance from one another, on both sides of the lateral line, and function independently of each other;
- the teeth are sharp, the line of the mouth is oblique;
- the side on which the eyes are located is darker, covered with dense scales, and the gill cover is located on it;
- the caudal fin is very short, similar to a stump;
- the blind side is light, covered with rough, rough skin.
Flounder lives in such a way that its blind side faces down. It atrophies over time and becomes a kind of belly. These changes are reflected in the color; it acquires the features of camouflage: if you look at the fish from above (in the water), its dark side merges with the blackening bottom or water depth. If you look at the flounder from below, you will see its bright side, merging with the upper layers of water, filled with the rays of the sun.
Did you know? During the experiment, zoologists placed a black and white checkered rug on the bottom of an aquarium with flounder. Soon spots similar in color and shape appeared on the fish’s body.
The same principle is used to create camouflage paint for aircraft. If in the sea flounder the head is turned to the right, in the less common river flounder (reverse form) the opposite happens - the head is turned to the left, the sides of the body, accordingly, develop and regress in a mirror image.
By lifestyle
The habitat of the ruffed flounder is the northern regions of the Atlantic, from Britain to Franz Josef Land, Spitsbergen, the Barents and Kara seas. In the Barents Sea basin, this species has a large population, spreading east to Novaya Zemlya. In the western regions of the sea and in the central part, the species is harvested on an industrial scale. Under natural conditions, it can live at depths of up to 0.5 km, at temperatures close to 0°C.
Although it is not commercially caught, it is caught in nets when catching shrimp or cod . In Russia, in the 30s. XX century, this fish was caught in the Barents Sea, 1–1.2 thousand tons annually. Spawns in the central part of the Barents Sea, usually lives up to 25–30 years. It feeds mainly on brittle stars, some types of fish (cod, haddock) and bottom crustaceans. Among the competitors of the ruffe are haddock, and in some areas - cod. Of the natural enemies, it is worth noting cod, stingray, polar shark.
Did you know? Flounder is the only fish that Jacques Piccard observed while diving into the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on the planet.
Flounder lives mainly in the eastern part of the Atlantic, from its northernmost latitudes to the Mediterranean. It is well known in the territorial waters of Greenland, and in the Irish Sea it is generally the main commercial marine product. The fish has adapted and quite normally tolerates significant fluctuations in the concentration of salt in the water. Thanks to this quality, a river form has appeared that can live in slightly salty and even fresh water.
It is most active during daylight hours, feeding on various mollusks, bivalves, crustaceans and polychaete worms. The main food of young animals (up to two years) is shrimp . For its own survival, the fish has learned to mimic perfectly. In this art she can compete with a chameleon.
There is a wide variety of different types of this fish. The marine species lives above muddy and sandy soils, most often at a depth of 10–50 m, but can go down to 200 m. The average length of an adult is 50–60 cm, although it can reach 1 m. The largest officially recorded weight of the fish is was 7 kg. Lives approximately 30–50 years.
By use in cooking
Flounder has long been known as a tasty, nutritious fish that is widely used in cooking; ruffe meat is prepared in almost the same way. Both types can be fried, baked, or boiled fish soup. But ruffe is still more often consumed dried or smoked, as a snack for beer. The meat of the ruffe is white and has good taste.
Important! To prevent flounder from emitting an unpleasant odor when frying, it is necessary to remove the fins and skin from it. This must be done with a sharp knife with frozen fish, otherwise the appearance and structure of the flesh will be spoiled.
The American variety has a more watery consistency . Due to this circumstance, they try to freeze it immediately after catching it and subsequently make canned food. Flounder and ruff are two different genera of the same family Flounder. We can say that these are very close relatives, which are very similar in appearance: both species are distinguished by a typical flat shape.
An analogy can be drawn with pollock and cod; these two species are also very close. The familiar sea flounder is of great commercial importance, and in some countries it is the main seafood product. Ruff, despite its rather high taste and nutritional qualities, is not so significant in industrial fishing.
Catching
Sea ruff is caught close to the shore. Since it hunts on piers, rocks, shores with a rocky bottom and dense vegetation, it will not be difficult to find it in such places.
You can catch it on a hook at any time of the year, but fishermen prefer to hunt scorpionfish in the summer.
The best time for fishing is at night, as the fish are more active at this time of day. Mussel shells or pieces of horse mackerel are used as bait.
Excellent bait would be squid meat, pieces of fresh fish, boiled shrimp, and chicken fillet.
A spinning rod will not scare off a scorpion fish, because the fish has an excellent appetite and rushes at prey that even exceeds its size.
In addition to spinning, you can use a sea circle, but when removing a scorpion fish from a hook, do not forget about precautions so as not to prick yourself on a poisonous thorn.
general information
The ruffed flounder is a marine fish widely distributed in northern waters. It has subspecies that differ in size. Individuals of the European subspecies are relatively small, while those of the North American subspecies are larger. The ruffed flounder inhabits the lower zone of the continental shelf. It lives mainly at a depth of 130-350 m. Ruff flounder is a by-catch when catching fish of other species.
Flounder
Flounder can also vary in size depending on the species. Like other flounders, it is a bottom-dwelling fish. In the waters surrounding Russia, sea flounder is quite common. Its mining season lasts from approximately mid-winter to mid-autumn.
Sea flounder
Reproduction
From June to August, the sea ruffe begins to spawn. The female lays eggs in the form of ribbons and small lumps. The eggs, connected by a thick substance, rise to the surface.
After a couple of days, larvae emerge from them, one and a half millimeters long. Having reached three centimeters, the larva will turn into a fry and sink to the bottom.
At the age of two years, the male will become sexually mature, and the female - no earlier than four years. Considering that the average life expectancy is five years. Even after reaching sexual maturity, the scorpionfish continues to grow.
Comparison
So, at first glance, the fish are very similar to each other. Each of them is characterized by body asymmetry. Individuals look flat, as if flattened. At the top they have both eyes, which have good mobility. The presence of such features is due to the way of life of the flounder.
Let us now consider the difference between ruff flounder and ordinary flounder. Let's pay attention to the body shape of the fish as a whole. The ruff, as a rule, is more elongated in length. However, there are also quite tall-bodied individuals. The main characteristic feature that determined the name ruff flounder is that this fish is covered with scales. The body of the common flounder is smooth.
