O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a composição, abundância, densidade, distribuição horizontal e vertical das larvas de Pleuronectiformes ao longo da plataforma continental Sudeste brasileira. As amostras foram coletadas na plataforma continental sudeste com redes bongô e Multi Plankton Sampler (MPS), no verão e inverno de 2002. Um total de 352 larvas de linguado foi coletado no verão e 343 no inverno, representadas por três famílias e totalizando 13 táxons: Paralichthyidae (Citharichthys cornutus, C. spilopterus, Citharichthys sp., Cyclopsetta chittendeni, Syacium spp., Etropus spp. e Paralichthys spp.), Bothidae (Bothus ocellatus e Monolene antillarum) e Cynoglossidae (Symphurus trewavasae, S. jenynsi, S. plagusia e S. ginsburgi). Os táxons mais abundantes foram Etropus spp., Syacium spp. e Bothus ocellatus. Etropus spp. ocorreram principalmente até a isóbata de 200 m e Syacium spp. a partir de 100 m. B. ocellatus esteve presente principalmente na zona oceânica entre Ubatuba e Rio de Janeiro a parir da isóbata de 200 m. As maiores densidades médias dessas espécies ocorreram nos estratos de 0 a 20 m de profundidade, no verão, e entre 20 a 40 m, no inverno.
The objective of this study was the description of the composition, abundance and density in horizontal and vertical distribution of Pleuronectiformes larvae on the southeastern Brazilian continental shelf. The samples were collected with bongo nets and a Multi Plankton Sampler (MPS), both in summer and winter 2002. A total of 352 flatfishes larvae were collected in summer and 343 in winter, representing three families and a total of 13 taxa: Paralichthyidae (Citharichthys cornutus, C. spilopterus, Citharichthys sp., Cyclopsetta chittendeni, Syacium spp., Etropus spp. and Paralichthys spp.), Bothidae (Bothus ocellatus and Monolene antillarum) and Cynoglossidae (Symphurus trewavasae, S. jenynsi, S. plagusia and S. ginsburgi). The most abundant taxa were Etropus spp., Syacium spp. and Bothus ocellatus. Etropus spp. occurred mainly as far out as the 200 m isobath and Syacium spp. from 100 m. B. ocellatus was present mainly in the oceanic zone between Ubatuba and Rio de Janeiro as from the 200 m isobath. The greatest average densities of these species occurred in the strata from 0 to 20 m depth in summer and between 20 and 40 m in winter.