Abstract
To elucidate the spawning behavior and early life history of Liobagrus mediadiposalis, mature male and female fish were collected from a branch of the Seomjin River. Spawning was induced by injecting hormones, and then the spawning process and development of fertilized eggs, larvae, and juveniles were observed. Observations of spawning behavior showed that the female established a territory and built a spawning nest, and frequently pressed on the upper ventral part of the male to release her eggs. When spawning was finished, the fish supplied fresh water to the egg mass using their pectoral and caudal fins. Hatching began 189 h 20 min after fertilization at $21.5-23.5^{\circ}C$ (mean $22.7^{\circ}C$). The mean total length (TL) of newly hatched larvae was 7.18-7.39 mm (mean 7.31 mm). Their mouth and anus were already open and they had 14+24=38 myotomes. Eighteen days after hatching, the larvae were 12.71-13.79 mm (mean 13.27 mm) in TL and the yolk sac was absorbed completely. At 35 days after hatching, when all the fin-rays had formed, the juveniles were 15.84-17.92 mm (mean 16.33 mm) in TL.
