M 



J A 



MONTHS 



50 



40 



< 

 > 



-30 < 



20 



. 10 



00 



Z 



FiouBE 15. — Size range and mean size of larvae collected from April to November. Frequency 



of larvae per month also shown. 



The Theodore N. Gill data by themselves show 

 a single spawning peak in September, but the 

 combined Theodore N. Gill and Oregon data sug- 

 gest a bimodal spawning period with peaks in June 

 and September. The first larvae appear in April, 

 and numbers increase sharply until June; after 

 September the numbers decrease sharply to No- 

 vember. Larvae 2.6 mm. SL and smaller were col- 

 lected each month from May through October. I 

 estimate that hatching size is about 1.5 mm. SL; 

 therefore, spawning must occur throughout this 

 period. The mean size of the larvae increases 

 through July and then decreases in September. 

 This size decrease is correlated with a spawning 

 peak (fig. 15). My samples contain no larvae ex- 

 ceeding 9 mm. SL until the last week in June, but 

 larvae of this size are present in succeeding months 

 through November (fig. 15). These size data sup- 

 port the supposition that spawning begins in the 

 spring. 



I have not seen spawning fish, but I have ex- 

 amined gonads from G. fimhriata taken tlirough- 

 out the year off Cape Kennedy, Fla. None of the 

 gonads were ripe, but the ovaries enlarged pro- 

 gressively from spring to fall. In the winter the 

 ovaries are very thin and flat. My examination of 

 gonad development indicates a spawning period 

 from early spring to late fall — again supporting 

 conclusions based on the samples of larvae. 



I tried to determine where C. fimhriata spawns 

 by analyzing the collection data for 28 smaller 

 larvae (1.7 mm.-3.0 mm. SL). These specimens 

 were collected at 17 stations on Theodore N. GiU 

 and Oregon cruises. Ten of the 17 stations were 

 occupied during daylight ; of these six were in 46 

 m. (25 fath.) or less. Three of the seven nighttime 

 stations were in depths of 46 m. (25 fath.) or less. 

 Small larvae were collected from May through 

 October from Florida to North Carolina. Because 

 hatching size is estimated to be about 1.5 mm. SL, 

 specimens less than about 2.0 mm. SL must have 



LARVAL BOTHID FLATFISH AND SPOTFIN FLOUNDER 



279 



