Pleuronectidae

This sheet deals only with the Pleuronectidae occurring within the areas listed in Table 1. Initial separation of flatfish larvae into the three families of Pleuronectidae, Bothidae and Soleidae must be made with the aid of the first larval key, before the specific Pleuronectidae key can be used. There are eight species occurring in the area covered by this sheet, and they can with some experience be easily separated. Some are unlikely to occur in the same area at the same time; therefore reference should be made to their distribution and spawning times (Tables 1 and 2). In addition to the larval key, each species is discussed separately and points of likely confusion between species are clarified. Descriptions of the eggs of the eight species are included separately, but for identification reference should be made to a complete egg key (Ehrenbaum 1911; Hoek 1911), or a size chart (Simpson 1956). Simpson's chart is summarized in Table 3.

Supplemented by Plankton Identification Leaflets 150-151, September 1976 (J. H. Nichols).