Abstract:The area of Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters is an important spawning and feeding ground for many economically important fish and invertebrate species. It is also one of the important fishing grounds in the coastal waters of China. Environmental factors including sediment types, water depth, and hydrodynamics are heterogeneous in Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters; this could affect the ichthyoplankton community structure during the main spawning period of spring and summer for many fish species. The species composition, dominant species, egg and larval abundance, and spatial structure of the ichthyoplankton community were analyzed using the index of relative importance and multivariate statistical analysis of data collected from fish eggs and larval surveys conducted by horizontal tows using plankton net, from May to July in 2015 in Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters. A total of 33587 fish eggs and 713 larvae were collected during the surveys. Twenty-five species were identified from the eggs belonging to 25 genera and 14 families, while one species was unidentified. The fish eggs were dominated by Johnius belengerii, species. Thirteen species of larvae belonging to 13 genera and 13 families were identified, while one species was unidentified. The dominant species of larvae mainly included . Interannual variability of species composition of ichthyoplankton was observed compared to historical studies, and the main species were small fish species with short life cycles. Cluster analysis was used to divide the community structure based on spatial distribution of species composition and dominant species. The dominant species of ichthyoplankton varied depending on the months and transects. The abundance of fish eggs and larvae in nearshore waters was higher than that in offshore waters. The dominant species composition and abundance of ichthyoplankton varied between transects in May and June and was similar in two transects in July. The vertical profile of temperature and salinity of the two transects in Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters, was used to analyze the relationship between the distribution of ichthyoplankton community and environmental factors. The spatial structure of ichthyoplankton community in the two transects varied during different months. Water depth, temperature, salinity, and other environmental factors had a comprehensive influence on the spatial variation of the ichthyoplankton community in Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters from May to July. This study will provide a reference for the protection of the spawning ground, conservation of fishery resources, and management in Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters. It is necessary to improve the protection of the spawning grounds in Haizhou Bay and its adjacent waters.