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Soles are the common names for the members of the Soleidae family. The family members have both eyes on the right side of their head and margin of preoperculum completely covered by skin and scales. There is no spine in their fins and their dorsal fin extends far forward on head. Their dorsal and anal fins may be attached or not attached to caudal fin where they sometimes might look like flounders.

Members of the Soleidae are found in the Eastern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific waters. There are 32 genera and 174 species worldwide. They commonly inhabit shallow marine waters on mud and sand bottoms. Some species occur in brackish waters near river mouth but they are rarely found in freshwater. They feed mostly on small crustaceans and other bottom-living animals.