First record of juvenile spotted scat Scatophagus argus from the Matsukawa-ura lagoon, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

Four juvenile spotted scat Scatophagus argus (30.3–34.6 mm standard length), collected on 28th October 2016 from the Matsukawa-ura lagoon, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, represent the first record of S. argus in Fukushima Prefecture and the northernmost record along the Pacific coast of Japan. Because spotted scat cannot survive below 11.0˚C, the lower winter water temperatures in the lagoon would prevent year-round survival. Accordingly, the specimens are thought to represent abortive migration, likely having been transported to the lagoon by the Kuroshio Current.