Abstract
Information on distribution, relative abundance and size composition of the pleuronectiform species Citharus linguatula, Lepidorhombus boscii and Solea vulgaris was obtained during the MEDITS trawl surveys, carried out in a wide area of the Mediterranean Sea from 1994 to 1999. The three species showed a wide geographic distribution, as they were collected in all the macro-areas investigated, but with some differences in degree of presence among the 40 geographic sectors. Variations in abundance indices, analysed on a spatio-temporal basis with a Generalised Linear Model, were mostly related to the depth stratum and the macro-area. C. linguatula and S. vulgaris were especially found from 10 to 100 m depth, while L. boscii was most abundant on bottoms ranging from 100 to 500 m depth. The three species showed the highest abundance indices (kg/km2) in the Gulf of Lions, in the Greek Seas and along the Sardinian coasts. Especially for L. boscii and C. linguatula, the demographic structure showed that the sampled populations were mainly constituted by juveniles. The lowest biomass and abundance indices were obtained for S. vulgaris, whose catch was mainly composed of adult fish.
Highlights
Pleuronectiformes constitutes a very distinctive taxon: adults of the species belonging to this group show a marked asymmetry of the body, a unique phenomenon among all Vertebrates
The aim of this paper is to provide information on relative abundance and demographic structure of
It is worth noting that C. linguatula was never caught in some geographic sectors, such as north and south-east Sardinia, north Ionian Sea and southwest Adriatic Sea (Tables 1 and 2)
Summary
Pleuronectiformes constitutes a very distinctive taxon: adults of the species belonging to this group show a marked asymmetry of the body, a unique phenomenon among all Vertebrates. The body is highly compressed (“flatfish”), somewhat rounded on the eyed side and flat on the blind side. Imens live and swim on the eyeless side. The upper side is pigmented and frequently highly mimetic, whereas the lower side is usually non-pigmented. Flatfish are typical marine benthic species, which live on soft, sandy or muddy bottoms. Most species are littoral or sublittoral, deep-water species are present
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