Larval Development of a Pontoniine Shrimp, Periclimenes brevicarpalis (Crustacea : Decapoda : Palaemonidae) Reared in the Laboratory

Abstract

The complete larval development, under laboratory conditions, of the pontoniine shrimp Periclimenes brevicarpalis (Shenkel, 1902) is described. Nine zoeal stages and one decapodid stage were identified before the moult to the first juvenile stage, and detailed descriptions are given for each stage. As a result of detailed morphological comparisons with congeners, the larvae of Periclimenes species are separated into two groups according to morphological criteria.