Reliable specimen-based record of Lates japonicus (Latidae) from Mie Prefecture, Japan

Japanese Lates, Lates japonicus Katayama and Taki, 1984 mainly distributed in Kochi and Miyazaki prefectures, and have been recorded from Tokyo Bay to the southern coast of Kyushu, Seto Inland Sea, and Tanega-shima Island. A single male specimen (587 mm in standard length) of L. japonicas was collected from Owase, Mie Prefecture, Japan in April 2025. Previously, only a single specimen of L. japonicus had been collected from Mie Prefecture in 1990. Thus, the specimen we collected represents the second specimen-based record of L. japonicus in Mie Prefecture after an interval of 35 years.