Book Description

Larval flatfishes, representing 4 families, 17 genera, and 15 species, were identified from collections taken during a 1-yr survey designed to locate spawning grounds and trace dispersion of fish eggs and larvae on the continental shelf. Most flatfishes began spawning in the spring, a time of marked seasonal temperature change. The seasonal distribution of larvae indicated that: 1) bothids had longer spawning seasons than pleuronectids; 2) pleuronectids spawned largely in the northern half of the survey area during the spring; 3) most bothids spawned in the southern half, beginning in spring and continuing through early fall; 4) although cynoglossids spawned incidentally off North Carolina, most of their larvae were transported into the survey area from spawning grounds south of Cape Lookout; 5) the few representatives of the family Soleidae originated south of Cape Lookout; 6) spawning that began in the spring proceeded from south to north as the season progressed, but spawning that began in the fall proceeded from north to south, suggesting that the onset of spawning is triggered by spring warming and fall cooling; 7) most species spawned within a relatively narrow range of temperature; 8) salinity had no apparent influence on spawning.