Abstract
The present study describes the spawning ecology and early morphological development of Hemitripterus villosus. The natural spawning ground consisted of bedrock and pebbles was the intertidal coast at Taean (Chungnam) and its depth was about 5~10 m. Spawning period was mainly from the end of October to December, when the water temperature and salinity were $6.0{\sim}15.8^{\circ}C$ and mean 32.0‰, respectively. There were no difference of the body shape and color between female and male of Hemitripterus villosus, however its reproductive organs showed clear differences. The male had tube shaped genital papilla, which was connected with testis, and the female had seminal recepacle, which was the lower part of oviduct connected with ovary. Genital papilla of male came out of its body at spawning period and then male copulated. After copulation, female stored the sperm in its seminal recepacle and fertilized when it spawned. Fertilized eggs were reached 8 cells stage after fertilization at rearing water temperature $8.2{\sim}14.9^{\circ}C$. At 29 hours after fertilization, it reached morula stage, and at 146 hours after fertilization, its embryo was clearly formated. Hatching was begun from 1,488 hours (62 days) after fertilization with $8.2{\sim}14.9^{\circ}C$ water temperature. The newly hatched larvae were 12.99~15.46mm(mean $14.16{\pm}0.65$ mm) in TL (Total Length), and its mouth and anus were open. At 7 days after hatching, its yolk sac was completely absorbed and the myotomes were 15+25=40, measuring 15.23~15.54mm(mean $15.39{\pm}0.22$ mm, n=5) in TL. At 75~80 days after hatching, it was measured mean $30.06{\pm}0.76$ mm in TL, and it had reached the juvenile stage with the complete set of fin rays.
