Table U- — The seaaonal distribution of Bothue spp. larvae by size. Numbers are 

 adjusted to standardize sampling effort. 



The catch declined in December. The distribution of 

 larvae was restricted to the southern end of the survey area, 

 except for five larvae (7.9 to 10.6 mm) that we caught near 

 the edge of the shelf off New Jersey (Fig. 8). 



Throughout the survey, the center of larval abundance 

 occurred along the outer edge of the shelf between capes 

 Hatteras and Lookout (Fig. 9). This consistency in the 

 distribution of Bothus larvae led us to believe that most 

 were transported into the survey area by the Gulf Stream. 

 Because the duration of the pelagic larval life varies 

 according to external conditions (Kyle 1913), we cannot 

 speculate as to where or when the larvae originated. Colton 

 (1961) attributed the occurrence of B. oceUatus larvae on 

 Georges Bank to an influx of Gulf Stream water. This is a 

 logical explanation for the occurrence of larvae in the 

 northern part of our survey area. 



Citharichthyt arctifrons Goode, Gulf Stream flounder.— 

 Gulf Stream flounder are common in the bight, where they 

 prefer deeper water and range farther north than 

 smallmouth flounder, Etropus microstomus, which they 

 closely resemble. They occur most frequently in depths >40 



m, whereas smallmouth flounder generally inhabit depths 

 <40 m (Gutherz 1967; Richardson and Joseph 1973). The 

 reported range of Gulf Stream flounder extends from 

 Georges Bank to Charleston, S.C. (Bigelow and Schroeder 

 1953), and southward along both coasts of Florida, and 

 Yucatan, Mexico (Gutherz 1967). The larvae were described 

 by Richardson and Joseph (1973). 



The occurrence of larvae in collections from all but the late 

 January-early February cruise suggested that Gulf Stream 

 flounder have a prolonged spawning season in the bight. 

 Although they might spawn year-round, our collections 

 indicate that spawning began in late spring, peaked during 

 the summer, and declined sharply by fall. 



In June, we caught 13 larvae at three stations: two off 

 Virginia and one off North Carolina. All were caught 

 nearshore over depths shallower than those where adults 

 usually occur. With two exceptions, the larvae were <3.1 

 mm and presumed to represent the onset of the 1966 

 spawning season in the bight (Table 5). 



Spawning evidently reached its peak in July, since we 

 caught the greatest number of larvae in August when their 

 distribution was continuous from southern New England to 



