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Abstract??The early life stages ofLestidiops sphyraenopsis(Paralepididae) are described on the basis of 14 specimens [7.8?mm in notochord length (NL)?88.6?mm in standard length (SL)] collected from the western North Pacific, and the holotype ofStemonosudis molestais reexamined. LarvalL. sphyraenopsisoccurred in the Kuroshio waters, and juveniles were taken in the Kuroshio?Oyashio transition waters. Diagnostic characters of larval and juvenileL. sphyraenopsisare 96?101 myomeres; 27?31 anal fin rays; 4?9 peritoneal pigment sections in larvae (7.8?mm?NL?27.3?mm?SL); dorsal and anal pigment patches present; and anus located anterior to a vertical through dorsal fin origin.Stemonosudis molesta, known only from the holotype from the South Pacific, is similar to immature specimens ofL. sphyraenopsis, but can be clearly distinguished from the latter by having higher vertebral counts (105 vs. 96?101) and by morphometric and pigment differences. Consequently,S. molestais a valid species, and the distribution ofL. sphyraenopsisis restricted to the North Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six specimens (2 flexion larvae: 9.5–10.4?mm in notochord length; 4 postflexion larvae: 12.3–18.2?mm in standard length) collected from the western North Pacific are tentatively ascribed to the genus Uncisudis of the tribe Lestidiini of the subfamily Paralepidinae (Paralepididae) in sharing remarkably elongate and filamentous pelvic fin rays, their tips reaching the origin of the anal fin. They are described as Uncisudis posteropelvis sp. nov. in uniquely having the insertion of pelvic fins closer to the origin of anal fin than to the posterior end of dorsal fin base among lestidiine species. Addition to this character, the new species has remarkably elongate and filamentous dorsal fin rays, the short distance between anus and origin of anal fin (4.2–6.1% of standard length, SL), the posteriorly located pelvic fins (prepelvic length 69.4–71.5% SL), dorsal fin rays 10, anal fin rays 28–29, myomeres 41–42?+?38–40?=?80–81 (vertebrae 38?+?41?=?79), and peritoneal pigment spots 11–12. The occurrence of larvae differing in pigment pattern from the present new species suggests another undescribed species of Uncisudis in the western South Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

abstract age and growth of a paralepidid, lestrolepis japonica, were determined from sagittal otoliths of specimens collected from april 2001 to february 2002 in kagoshima bay, southern japan. marginal growth increments indicated that the annulus was formed once a year, in august and september. four groups were recognized, having none, one, two, or three annuli, respectively. age in months was assigned to each individual on the basis of august as the birth month. the maximum recorded age was 48 months. growth was expressed by von bertalanffy's equation, lt = 171.91{1 - exp[-0.148(t + 0.403)]}, t being the age in months and lt the standard length (mm) at age t. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]