1Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0056, 2Department of Applied Aquabiology, National Fisheries University, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi 759-6595, Japan
The spawning season and food habits of the deep-water stomatopod crustacean Squilloides leptosquilla (Squillidae) were examined using samples collected on board the small-scale bottom trawlers in Kagoshima Bay, southern Japan. From the reproductive analyses, the size at sexual maturity of female S. leptosquilla was estimated to be 10 mm in carapace length and the spawning season was estimated to continue from May to September with a peak during July and September. Gut analysis showed that this species is a typical carnivore and mainly ate shrimps, especially the deep-water mud shrimp Solenocera melantho which is one of the most important target species for the small-scale bottom trawlers in Kagoshima Bay.