Ecological observations on juvenile flatfish in a tropical coastal system, Puerto Rico

Abstract

Juvenile flatfish were sampled in Puerto Rico in a number of different habitat types: river mouths, beach systems, estuarine lagoons and marine lagoons. Out of 16 species occurring around Puerto Rico, seven were found, of the family Bothidae: the bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus, the sand whiff C. arenaceus, the fringed flounder Etropus crossotus and the channel flounder Syacium micrurum, of the family Solidae: the lined sole Achirus lineatus and the scrawled sole Trinectes inscriptus, and of the family Cynoglossidae: the blackcheek tonguefish Symphurus plagiusa. Species composition varied among areas and appeared to be related to habitat requirements. Depending on species, settlement was prolonged over a period from 1 to at least 6 months. Abundances of 0-group were low, in general less than 10 ind·100 m −2. Preliminary growth estimates in Citharichthys spilopterus were within the range of those observed in subtropical waters at the same temperatures.