The Senegalese sole is a marine pleuronectiform that naturally occurs in Southern Europe and Mediterranean region where it is being produced in aquaculture, in particular in Portugal and Spain. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of hatchery-reared larvae in comparison with those reared in the wild, and determine to which extension wild growing larvae are also a¡ected by skeletal deformities. The main structures a¡ected included those forming the axial skeleton, the caudal ¢n complex and both anal and dorsal ¢ns, with the most prevalent anomalies a¡ecting caudal vertebrae and arches. Hatchery-reared ¢sh presented a higher incidence of deformities (79%) compared with the 19% observed in wild specimens. In wild postlarvae collected in Autumn no deformities were observed. This work clearly shows that wild Senegalese sole present less skeletal deformities than those hatchery-reared during larval stages, indicating a selective mortality of wild deformed ¢sh and/or an e¡ect of aquaculture-related rearing conditions in the development of skeletal deformities in sole.