Abstract
The early life history stages and ecology of Solea turbynei , a marine estuarine-opportunist species, is described from nursery areas in Algoa Bay, South Africa. Early life history stages were collected over multiple years from known nursery habitats using plankton, fyke and larval seine nets. The larvae are described using morphometric measurements, meristic counts and pigmentation based on 29 individuals. Solea turbynei is differentiated from other Soleidae by the small size at flexion (3-4 mm), low myomere count and presence of two characteristic blotches of pigment on the dorsal fin. This species has a unique early life history strategy in that the larvae progressively span nearshore, surf zone and estuarine habitats with ontogeny. Abundance of preflexion stages peaks in summer in nearshore waters, indicative of peak spawning period but preflexion larvae are present throughout the year, indicating protracted spawning by adults. At flexion stage, larvae utilize surf zones where metamorphosis and settlement takes place. Early juveniles migrate into the sandy lower reaches of estuaries, after which fish take up residency to adulthood. Warm water is important for larval growth and survival in the nearshore, while turbidity shows a positive relationship with recruitment into estuarine nurseries.
Highlights
The Soleidae (Pleuronectiformes) are benthic, dextral flatfishes occurring commonly in coastal waters of the Northern and Southern hemispheres (Smith and Heemstra 1995, Nelson 2006)
Solea bleekeri Boulenger, 1898 was replaced by Solea turbynei Gilchrist, 1904 as the former name was found to be a junior synonym of Pegusa nasuta
Solea turbynei is classified as a marine estuarine-opportunist species that usually spawns at sea, with the juveniles occurring in estuaries and at sea (Whitfield 1998, Potter et al 2013)
Summary
The Soleidae (Pleuronectiformes) are benthic, dextral flatfishes occurring commonly in coastal waters of the Northern and Southern hemispheres (Smith and Heemstra 1995, Nelson 2006). The larval stages of nine of the 56 species of Pleuronectiformes have been described from southern African waters (Wood 2000, Thompson et al 2007) but few studies have shed light on the complexity of the early life history of these species. Solea turbynei (formerly known as Solea bleekeri) is a case in point in which the larvae, in various stages of development, occur in a variety of coastal habitat types yet the ontogeny and ecology has not been described. The reported complexities of the reproductive biology of Solea turbynei (Cyrus 1991, Van Schie and de Boer 2003) and the occurrence of early life history stages in nearshore, surf and estuarine waters warrants a more detailed investigation into the early life history strategy of this species. The study area is subject to longer, dedicated ichthyoplankton research across a range of habitat types where larvae are known to occur, thereby enabling a better understanding of complex patterns of occurrence with ontogeny
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