Abstract
A total of 54 postlarval, 12 juvenile and six young Lates japonicus were collected in the Shimanto estuary from August 1985 to January 1987. The larvae (4.3-7.6mm SL) and juveniles (8.1-28.0mm SL) occurred only in areas with eelgrass beds from late July to middle August. Temperatures and salinities at waters where any number of them were collected ranged from 27.8 to 31.9°C and from 2.8 to 18.2‰, respectively. The larvae are very similar in general morphology to those of Mugilidae and some of Gobiidae, but are distinguished from others by the spines of preopercle, position of the anus and pigmentation patterns in the posterior part of body.
