Demersal schooling prior to settlement by larvae of the naked goby

Synopsis Field observations and collections indicate that the naked goby, Gobiosoma bosci, undergoes a near-bottom schooling phase prior to settlement. The size of these demersal larvae was intermediate between the sizes of larvae collected in plankton tows and of metamorphosed juveniles collected from the benthos. Two larvae that were captured unharmed quickly settled and metamorphosed. Otoliths of demersal larvae contained 20–41 daily increments. Most larvae were in schools made up of at least 25 individuals although single larvae were also seen. The dispersion pattern of demersal larvae was far more aggregated than that of recently settled juveniles indicating that larvae in schools probably do not settle to the benthos en masse.