Abstract
The diet and morphology of juvenile yellow goosefish (Lophius litulon) collected by bottom trawl surveys were analyzed. The size distribution of the juveniles collected (39.5–87.7 mm standard length; SL, n = 46) overlapped with that of pelagic juveniles reported in a previous study. Prey items were exclusively dominated by demersal fish. Allometric relationships of the head length and head width to the SL showed inflection points, shifting from positive to negative allometry at 44.6 mm and 48.2 mm SL, respectively. The positive allometry of the head size may enable the juveniles to swallow larger prey items such as demersal fish. The head size of juveniles larger than the inflection points and most of the other examined traits tended to show negative allometry, indicating a growth strategy that favors somatic growth rather than further enlargement of prey size or swimming ability. Based on the allometric growth and previous studies on feeding habits of juveniles, the transition from the pelagic to the demersal phase appears to be completed by ca. 50 mm SL.
https://ror.org/02e16g702 
