Résumé
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.