First Description of Phyllosoma Larva in the Genus Projasus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae)

Abstract

A giant phyllosoma larva, assigned to the final stage, was collected from off Peru. This specimen was determined to be Projasus bahamondei George, 1976 by DNA barcoding, and morphological description was given for the first time in the genus Projasus George and Grindley, 1964. The present phyllosoma was characteristic of having very wide cephalic shield (about 2.3 times of thorax width), median rostrum, eminent setose exopods on the second and third maxillipeds, and five stout spines on basial endite of maxillule. Projasus phyllosoma has morphological characteristics of both ‘Silentes’ and ‘Stridentes’ groups in the family Palinuridae.