Plaice Plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is also widely fished recreationally, has potential as an aquaculture species, and is kept as an aquarium fish. Also commercially important is the American plaice. The term "plaice" (plural "plaice") comes from the 14th-century Anglo-French "plais". This in turn comes from the late Latin "platessa", meaning flatfish, which originated from the Ancient Greek "platys", meaning broad. The European plaice ("Pleuronectes platessa") is a
Anyperodon than the upper jaw. There are no palatine teeth, a fact which distinguishes this species from other groupers. The basic colour is pale reddish-brown liberally dotted with orange spots which are closer together on the head. There are five pale silvery blue longitudinal lines running down either side, the lower 3 reaching the tail but the upper two breaking into irregular streaks. The dorsal fin has 11 spines and 14 to 16 soft rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 8 to 9 soft rays. Juvenile fish have vivid blue and red longitudinal stripes. The slender grouper has a