Early life stages of the Japanese dory (Zenion japonicum) (Zeniontidae: Zeiformes) from the central North Pacific Ocean

This study describes the early life stages of the Japanese dory (Zenion japonicum) based on 5 larvae collected during a 2004 Hawaiian Islands biomass survey. The fish larvae were sampled with a 1-m2 Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System equipped with 335-µm mesh sized nets and an Intelligent Operative Net Sampling System. The larvae are between 3.08 mm notochord length and 4.89 mm standard length, and except for the largest specimen, they are the smallest series described thus far. We identified larvae to species level based on the similarity of the pigmentation pattern between specimens and the meristic counts of the dorsal (VI, 23) and anal fin (I–II, 23), which appear to be unique among the Zenion species, in the most developed and largest larva examined.