The spawning ecology of the girellid fishes in Japanese waters has been reported almost only for Girella punctata, whereas little is known about Girella leonina. We examined sexual maturation of G. punctata and G. leonina collected from the coastal waters (neritic) of the Izu Peninsula and Tanegashima Island, based on gonadosomatic index (GSI) and gametogenesis, in order to clarify interspecific differences in spawning ecology. The GSI values of G. punctata in the Tanegashima Island region were markedly high in March, a month prior to the peak in April in the Izu Peninsula region. Girella punctata with elevated GSI had histologically mature ovaries and testes in spring in the both regions, suggesting spawning at this time of year. In contrast, the GSI values of G. leonina were much lower in the both regions, but the maximum GSI of both male and female G. leonina were slightly higher in the Tanegashima Island region than in the Izu Peninsula region. Furthermore, oogenesis in G. leonina was more advanced in the Tanegashima Island region. It is thus probable that Tanegashima Island is relatively near the spawning ground of G. leonina.