The Pacific red snapper, Lutjanus peru, is a commercially important species throughout its distribution range, making it a good alternative for aquaculture; however, there is few information regarding environmental conditions and their influence on early development of this species. Temperature is one of the main factors affecting embryo and larval development in marine fishes. In this paper, the effects of different temperatures upon hatching rate, growth, consumption of yolk sac and oil droplet and the formation of the digestive system and eye pigmentation were evaluated in larvae of this species under experimental conditions. Eggs incubated between 20 and 32°C showed hatching rates higher than 90%. However, larvae maintained at 26°C showed significantly larger notochord length and were the first to complete the pigmentation of the eyes and the formation of the digestive system when still possessing enough reserves in the yolk sac. Therefore, according to the results obtained, it is recommended that the incubation of eggs and larval rearing in Pacific red snapper takes place between 25 and 26°C.