The first zoeal stage of <i>Parthenope macrochelos</i> (Herbst, 1790) hatched in the laboratory (Crustacea: Brachyura: Parthenopidae)

Abstract

SUMMARY:The first zoeal stage of the parthenopid crab Parthenope macrochelos is described and illustrated from laboratory-hatched material obtained from an ovigerous crab captured in the western Mediterranean. The first larva of P. macrochelos possesses all the characters as diagnostic of the Parthenopidae and some additional features, including a seta on the basal segment of the endopod of the maxillule and a well developed lateral spine on the telson forks. The present stage is compared with those previously described from other species of the genus Parthenope.

Larval morphology of the family Parthenopidae, with the description of the megalopa stage of Derilambrus angulifrons (Latreille, 1825) (Decapoda: Brachyura), identified by DNA barcode

“…Heegaard (1963) described the first zoeal stage of Derilambrus angulifrons (Latreille, 1825) (as Lambrus angulifrons ) and Kurata (1970) illustrated and described the first zoea of Heterocrypta granulata (Gibbes, 1850). More recently, Guerao and Abelló (1999) described the first zoeal stage of Spinolambrus macrochelos (Herbst, 1790) (as Parthenope macrochelos ), and Ng and Clark (2000) described the first zoeal stage of Rhinolambrus pelagicus (Rüppell, 1830), both from larvae hatched in the laboratory . Rice and Williamson (1977) and Paula (1987) attributed larvae described from plankton samples to parthenopids but did not identify genus or species.…”