ABSTRACT
Mudskippers are one of the most important fish faunas in intertidal areas of tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific regions. This chapter provides descriptions of the early development for two Periophthalmus species, Ps. argentilineatus and Ps. modestus, and reviews the state of knowledge pertaining to the early life history of oxudercine gobies. Periophthalmus argentilineatus and Ps. modestus are both found in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Adult mudskippers possess unique characters to cope with being amphibious. Larval morphologies of mudskippers, however, are typical of gobioids; their morphologies change considerably after settlement, and they exhibit unique metamorphosis. Morphological development of the mudskippers mentioned that their larvae maintain a generalized morphology throughout the pelagic phase, and unique characteristics of the amphibious adults appear after settlement, suggesting that they share larval habitats and ecology with other gobioids.
