Early life history of mebaru,sebastes inermis (scorpaenidae), in sendai bay, japan

The early life history of the viviparous scorpaenid,Sebastes inermis, in Sendai Bay, Japan, was studied and early development described. Newborn preflexion larvae ofS. inermis were about 5.2 mm BL. Notochord flexion occurred at 5.4–8.0 mm BL and transformation at 14–20 mm BL. Preflexion and flexion larvae ofS. inermis were distinguished from similar larvae by the pigmentation pattern along the dorsal and ventral midlines of the tail. Pigmentation inS. inermis was light throughout the larval and early juvenile periods. Planktonic larvae were particularly abundant in coastal waters of Sendai Bay but not offshore. Vertical and horizontal larval sampling indicated that early larvae occupied near surface waters and horizontal larval sampling indicated that early larvae shift to a benthic habitat occurred at about 12 mm BL, at the end of the postflexion larval period.Sebastes inermis do not have a distinct pelagic juvenile stage, unlike many North Pacific species ofSebastes.