To compare four populations of sea squirt Halocynthia roretzi adults, their egg quality and larval development were investigated in the hatchery. The populations were: south sea wild (SSW), south sea cultured (SSC), east sea wild (ESW) and Iwate Japan cultured (IJC). Egg quality and larval development were compared using 13 factors (fertilization rate and diameter, proximate composition, amino acid and fatty acid contents of eggs, hatching rate and various sizes of tadpole larvae) which were obtained from each population. Fertilized egg diameter, hatching rate and size of tadpole larvae were significantly different among the four populations (P<0.05). Eggs were produced with higher crude protein ($5.20{pm}0.00%$ SSW, $4.71{pm}0.01%$ ESW, $4.66{pm}0.01%$ SSC and $3.96{pm}0.01%$ IJC) and lipid ($1.22{pm}0.01%$ ESW, $1.01{pm}0.00%$ SSW, $0.77{pm}0.01%$ SSC and $0.69{pm}0.00%$ IJC,) contents from domestic wild populations than from Japanese or cultured populations. Also amino acid and fatty acid contents were different. The extent of similarity between domestic and Japanese populations (30.5% IJC:SSW, 34.3% IJC:SSC and 40.7% IJC:ESW) was relatively low but was very high between SSW and SSC (73.9%). These results may have been due to differences in the abundance of food types and environmental conditions in the four localities and consequent differences in the diets of the sea squirts.