Early development of the fishes of the family Gempylidae, 1: Larvae and juveniles of escolar, lepidocybium flavobrunneum (Smith)

Meristic and morphological features of a total of 22 postlarval and juvenile specimens of Lepidocybium flavobrunneum (Smith) were described. They were obtained from ichthyoplankton collections from the western equatorial Pacific and the central South and eastern Indian Oceans. The postlarval and juvenile escolar are characterized by the 2 projections on the supraoccipital region and the spine on the anterior tip of maxillary. The curved striation seen on the top of head, the heavily pigmented abdominal cavity and the black pigments in the spinous dorsal fin membrane are also important characters which may distinguish them from larval forms of the related species. The larval and juvenile escolar mainly occur in the tropical and subtropical seas, while the range of adult catches extends roughly between Lat. 40 degree N and 40 degree S along the coasts of the continents.