The early life history of a flouder Tanakius kitaharai was studied in the western Wakasa Bay, the Japan Sea.
General morphology and characteristics of the eggs, larvae and juveniles was described. The distinct feature of this fish in early larval stages was distributional patterns of melanophores on the body surface, forming three transverse bands.
Judging from the occurrence of eggs, spawning may occur during the relatively short period in February in the western Wakasa Bay.
Eggs and pelagic larvae were caught mainly around the mouth of Wakasa Bay and offshore region, early juveniles were caught mainly in the bottom between 110 and 130m in depth, and these areas may be their nursery ground.
Analyses of the gut contents showed that the food items are copeopd nauplii, diatoms, invertebrate eggs, copepods in pelagic larvae, copepods in early juveniles, and polychaetes in late juveniles.
